Taxi, Rideshare or Chauffeur at Adelaide Airport?

We run chauffeur transfers, so treat this page accordingly. But there's no sense pretending a chauffeur is the right answer for every trip, and telling you otherwise would waste your time and ours. Here's how the three actually compare at Adelaide Airport.

Taxis

Taxis queue at the rank outside Terminal 1 and operate during terminal opening hours. Fares are metered, so what you pay depends on traffic and time of day, and at the time of writing Adelaide Airport adds a $4.50 service fee to all taxi fares departing the airport.

Best when: you're travelling light, going somewhere close, and there's no queue.

Worst when: several flights land together and the rank backs up, or your flight is delayed — nobody is tracking it, and the queue doesn't care.

Rideshare

Rideshare pickups happen at a designated zone, which means walking there with your luggage and then waiting for an allocated driver. A $4.50 service fee also applies to rideshare fares departing the airport, and pricing rises with demand — which is precisely when you need it most, on a wet Friday evening or a public holiday.

Best when: you're travelling light, flexible on timing, and demand is low.

Worst when: you have children, a lot of luggage, or a driver who cancels after you've already walked to the zone.

Pre-booked chauffeur

The vehicle is allocated before you land. Your chauffeur tracks the inbound flight, waits inside arrivals with a name board, handles the luggage and drives you directly to the address. The fare is fixed in advance and doesn't move with traffic, waiting time or the hour.

Best when: your flight might be delayed, you have children or real luggage, there's a group of you, you're heading somewhere regional, or the arrival matters — a client, a wedding, a cruise you cannot miss.

Worst when: you're one person with a backpack going five minutes down the road. Take a taxi.

The honest summary

If you're in the last row, book a taxi with our blessing. If you're anywhere else in that table, send us your details and we'll quote a fixed fare.

Note: airport service fees and taxi tariffs are set by Adelaide Airport and the State Government and change from time to time. The $4.50 figures above were current when this page was written — check Adelaide Airport's own page for the current position.