This article will tell you everything you need to know about getting in & out of Sydney Airport.
Heading to Sydney airport arrivals? This is a must read article for you, as it can save you a lot of time, money, and heart aches.
Click here to check on your arriving flights before you head out to the airport.
Transport options to and from Sydney Airport Arrivals
First you need to choose your mode of transport from Sydney airport arrivals !
The Sydney Airport Train
Let’s start with mass transit, when the train line first opened to the public at Sydney airport arrivals a little while back it was dubbed the ghost train.
No one used it as it was too expensive, but people warmed up to it after a few years and I think it gets quite a few people using it now.
Its not cheap though, you need to do your math, because if there are 4 of you, then it might work out cheaper in a taxi or a corporate limo.
The cost for a sinlge ticket from the Sydney airport arrivals domestic station to the city is $17.39 per person.
You can use the transport for NSW transport.info page here and calculat the cost, its really user friendly.
One good thing about the train is that you are not subject to traffic jams and its a set price. Not like a taxi , where if you get stuck in traffic, the meter keep going up and up.
This is one of the reasons that people use corporate limo services because its a flat fee no matter what the traffic is.
The only problem with the train, is that the city is easy to get to but if you are travelling to a destination that is not on a train line then the trip can become a little complicated.
All and all I give the train the following scores:
- Efficiency 7/10
- Pricing 5/10
- Luxury 2/10
Sydney Taxis Services
I know we all have our horror taxi stories, but I ask you to keep an open mind as there are some really good taxi drivers out there who are proud of their work.
The taxi ranks are situated right outside the terminal , at Sydney airport arrivals both at Qantas and VIrgin terminals, so its only about a 50 meter walk from the time you collect your bags and the time you enter the taxi.
It is much closer than the ride share collection point, which we will get very shortly.
There is an airport security person directing people to the taxi rank and if you need a larger taxi, or a taxi with a baby seat, you can ask this security person to call one down for you.
By law you do not need to catch the first taxi on the rank, as the customer you can choose whichever cab that you want. For example some people who live in the northern beaches like to travel in a Manly taxis as they will be doing the driver a favour by taking them back to the area that they normally work in.
Advantages of getting a Taxi
The other advantage about taxis, is that the fare is set by the NSW government, and it is displayed on the meter, there are no set rates to the city. If ever a taxi driver tells you that its a flat rate to the city, do not believe them and please ask them to turn on the meter.
The other good thing is that there is no surge pricing with taxis, its always the same metered rate, so no nasty surprices there.
If you would lihe to get an idea of the cost, please use the Sydney taxi fare calculator here, and you will get a rough idea of cost.
All in all I give the Taxis the following scores:
- Efficiency 6/10
- Pricing 7/10
- Luxury 5/10
Please see a comprehensive list of all taxi companies below.
You can also Pre-book your taxi
You can also pre-book a taxi to collect you from Sydney airport arrivals . Pre-booked parking bays are available at the international and domestic terminals.
Some taxi companies that offer pre-booking include:
13CABS Phone: 13 22 27 Web: www.sydney.13cabs.com.au
Legion Cabs Phone: 131 451 Cabcharge Bookings: 131 271 Web: www.legioncabs.com.au
Premier Cabs – Airport Taxi Service Phone: 13 10 17 Web: www.premiercabs.com.au
RSL Ex-Servicesmen’s Cabs & Co-Op Members Ltd Phone: +61 2 9581 1111
Silver Service Fleet Phone: 133 100 Web: www.silverservice.com.au
St George Cabs Phone: 132 166 Web: www.stgeorgecabs.com.au
GM Cabs Phone: 131 001 Web: www.131001.com.au
Ride share services
Your next private transfer option at Sydney Airport arrivals that is a bit cheaper than the taxi service, is ride sharing.
Currently there are several operators who are working our of Sydney airport, here is a comprehensive list below.
- Uber
- Ola
- Bolt
- GoCatch
- Sheebah
- Towncars Everyday
We recommend that whilst you ar taxiing on the tarmac, you play around with some of these apps. Find out which one of them is offering the best price on the day and which one has got any special offers. This can make a huge difference on the total transfer price.
All of these companies have got apps and they can be found on the app store and Google play.
The only 3 issues in my opinion about the ride share services from Sydney airport arrivals are as follows
- You will need to walk quite a long way from the terminal to get to the collection point, its anywhere from 350 to 500 meters depending which baggage carousel you collect your bags from, please see map below.
- Boot space can be a problem, if you have more then 2 bags and a Toyota Yaris turns up, then you might be in a pickle.
- Surge pricing can be painful. Please be sure to get an estimate before ordering the car inorder to avoid any nasty surprises at the end.
As you can see the green area which is marked as Priority pickup is where you need to walk to, but if you chose a Taxi or a Hirecar instead then you dont have to walk that far at all, I guess it all depends on the budget and mobility.
All in all I give ride sharing the following scores:
- Efficiency 5/10
- Pricing 8/10
- Luxury 6/10
Mum’s Free Taxi
I know I am being cheeky here, by calling this section mum’s taxi, but if you are getting your relatives to collect you from Sydney airport arrivals. Then, you must really read this section in order to avoid any nasty parking fines sent to your relatives in the mail.
We do have the option at the airport to be collected by loved ones, at the same exact location as ride sharing, but this comes at a cost, and the car must be equiped with an etag, in order to accesss the priority pick up point.
However if you do not want to pay Sydney airport arrivals any money. You can collect your loved ones from the P3 express pickup, for free, but you only have a 15 minute time limit.
So my advice would be to park either at Kryspy Creme and get a coffee or a the Maccas, but make sure that you dont stay there for more than the allowed 30 minutes, otherwise they might fine you as well.
Then when your loved ones touch down, and collect their bags, they can let you know and you can enter the free collection area and collect them and run.
Under no ciscumstances should you atempt to drive down past the virgin terminal and collect them on the road as the parking offices will take a photo and send you a nasty surprise in the mail, its definately not worth it.
Sydney airport Arrivals Shuttle Services
This is not a service that I am fond of personally, becasue I get really upset when I read the reviews that some poor unsuspecting passengers leave on Google maps, after they have been ripped off by these shuttle services.
I can’t say too much more as it is not my place to do so, but I urge all customers to do their research first online and read the reviews on Google maps and trip advisor before commiting to a shuttle service company.
And this is all I will say on this matter.
Executive Limo and Hire Car Services
I saved the best for last. If you touch down at Sydney airport arrivals and you really need to get out of there fast, and with the least amount of fuss, then this is the best option for you.
Reason being that as soon as you collect your bags or come down the escalators, the driver will be waiting for you right there and escort you back to his car and whisk you away.
The other thing is that if you have a VIP guest or an elderly parent then you can book them a car instead of going down there yourself to collect them.
There are too many companies to list in this blog, but if you want to get a good idea of how much it would cost please feel free to go back to our home page you can use the instant quote function and get an instant quote in less than 3 seconds.
Who uses these services and why?
These services are usually frequented by executives who are time poor or wealthy individuals. The good thing about it is that whilst you are in one of our cars, you can use that time productively and go through your emails or get on a conference call. Our drivers will not be using any navigation tools, as they are professionals.
The down side is that it is a bit more expensive for short trips but for longer trips the cost can be cheaper than a taxi sometimes. We urge you to do a price comparison for longer trips before you make a decision.
These services must be booked in advance, there is no hire car rank, but you can download our IOS app here and ouur Google Play app here, and register in 60 seconds and then book a car on the spot.
You have a choice of luxury sedans, European sedans, and people movers as well.
All in all I give the limo and hire car services the following scores:
- Efficiency 8/10
- Pricing 2/10
- Luxury 10/10
In Conclusion
I sincerly hope that I have covered all transport options from Sydney Airport arrivals.
I hope that you enjoyed reading this blog post and if I can be of any asistance or if you have any specific questions that I have not covered in the above post please feel to email me and I would be happy to answer your questions.
You can email me here and I will answer you as soon as humanly possible during business hours.
Once again thank you for reading this post and bye for now.