Downtown Los Angeles
FlyAway to Union Station is the one-seat ride: $12.75, 35 to 50 minutes, no transfers. Union Station is also where every intercity bus and train out of LA departs.
Airport shuttles
Los Angeles LAX Shuttles
There are eight ways in and out of LAX without a car, from a $1.75 Metro ride to a $55 flat-rate taxi.
- CheapestMetro C or K Line + the free shuttle$1.7545–60 min
- Best valueFlyAway to Union Station$12.7530–60 min
- EasiestTaxi from the LAX-it lot$55 flat30–60 min, no surge
reLAXsan boards at the terminals themselves: direct to San Diego, up to five times a day, $68.
Getting to LAX or picking someone upSearch buses and trains
Intercity trips run from Union Station.
Local rides (Metro, Big Blue Bus, hotel shuttles) can't be booked here; the table below covers those.
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Compare every option
Every way to get between LAX and central Los Angeles, cheapest first.
Metro C or K Line + Metro Connector shuttle
$1.7545–60 min to downtown
- How often
- Trains every 10–15 min; shuttle every 10, 4am–1am
- Where to catch it
- LAX/Metro Transit Center
- Best for
- The cheapest trip, if you travel light
Municipal buses (Big Blue, Culver CityBus)
$1.00–$1.5040–75 min to downtown
- How often
- Every 15–30 min, roughly 5am–11pm
- Where to catch it
- LAX/Metro Transit Center
- Best for
- The Westside and the beach cities
LAX FlyAway bus
$12.7530–60 min to downtown
- How often
- Every 30 min; toward LAX 3:00am–11:30pm, from LAX 5:40am–1:10am
- Where to catch it
- Terminal islands, lower level
- Best for
- One seat straight to Union Station, luggage racks on board
Show all 8 optionsShow fewer options
Intercity bus or train
from $18varies to downtown
- How often
- All day, from Union Station
- Where to catch it
- Union Station, via FlyAway
- Best for
- Leaving Los Angeles entirely
Shared-ride shuttle van
$17–$2845–90 min to downtown
- How often
- On demand; book ahead
- Where to catch it
- LAX-it lot
- Best for
- Groups and people with real luggage
Uber or Lyft
$35–$6530–60 min to downtown
- How often
- On demand, 24/7
- Where to catch it
- LAX-it lot
- Best for
- Door to door, and odd hours
Taxi
$55 flat30–60 min to downtown
- How often
- Taxi line, 24/7
- Where to catch it
- LAX-it lot
- Best for
- A fixed price you know in advance
Hotel courtesy shuttle
Free5–15 min to downtown
- How often
- Every 10–30 min; spans vary by hotel
- Where to catch it
- Terminal islands, lower level
- Best for
- Guests of that hotel only
| Option | Fare | To downtown | How often and when | Where to catch it | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metro C or K Line + Metro Connector shuttle | $1.75 | 45–60 min | Trains every 10–15 min; shuttle every 10, 4am–1am | LAX/Metro Transit Center | The cheapest trip, if you travel light |
| Municipal buses (Big Blue, Culver CityBus) | $1.00–$1.50 | 40–75 min | Every 15–30 min, roughly 5am–11pm | LAX/Metro Transit Center | The Westside and the beach cities |
| LAX FlyAway bus | $12.75 | 30–60 min | Every 30 min; toward LAX 3:00am–11:30pm, from LAX 5:40am–1:10am | Terminal islands, lower level | One seat straight to Union Station, luggage racks on board |
| Intercity bus or train | from $18 | varies | All day, from Union Station | Union Station, via FlyAway | Leaving Los Angeles entirely |
| Shared-ride shuttle van | $17–$28 | 45–90 min | On demand; book ahead | LAX-it lot | Groups and people with real luggage |
| Uber or Lyft | $35–$65 | 30–60 min | On demand, 24/7 | LAX-it lot | Door to door, and odd hours |
| Taxi | $55 flat | 30–60 min | Taxi line, 24/7 | LAX-it lot | A fixed price you know in advance |
| Hotel courtesy shuttle | Free | 5–15 min | Every 10–30 min; spans vary by hotel | Terminal islands, lower level | Guests of that hotel only |
One-way fares, checked July 2026. Rideshare figures are estimates and surge pricing applies. Metro fares cap at $5 a day with a TAP card.
Search buses and trains from Union StationThe LAX people mover
The train that will connect the terminals to the Metro station. Here’s where it actually stands.
Not running yet. Current target: October 2026Last verified
The Automated People Mover is a free 2.25-mile train that will link all nine LAX terminals to the LAX/Metro Transit Center, the consolidated rental car facility and airport parking. It is not open.
The target opening date has moved repeatedly: March 2023, then December 2025, and the current target is October 2026 at the earliest, while the airport and its contractor work through testing, certification, and a legal dispute. Treat any date you see anywhere, including this one, as provisional.
The LAX/Metro Transit Center itself has been open since June 2025 and does work. It connects the C and K Lines, about a dozen bus routes and the free Metro Connector shuttle. What’s missing is only the last couple of miles.
Today: take the free Metro Connector shuttle from the transit center. Same route, 15 to 20 minutes, 4am to 1am.
Free shuttles at LAX
Five shuttles cost nothing. All of them board on the lower level.
Metro Connector shuttle
- Where it goes
- LAX/Metro Transit Center
- How often
- Every 10 min, 4am–1am
- Where to board
- Lower level, pink LAX Shuttle sign
LAX-it shuttle
- Where it goes
- The LAX-it taxi and rideshare lot
- How often
- Every 3–5 min
- Where to board
- Lower level, green sign
Economy Parking shuttle
- Where it goes
- LAX Economy Parking garage (94th St)
- How often
- Every 10 min, 24 hours
- Where to board
- Lower level
Rental car shuttles
- Where it goes
- Rental Car Center + individual counters
- How often
- Every 10–15 min
- Where to board
- Lower level, purple sign
Hotel courtesy shuttles
- Where it goes
- Participating hotels nearby
- How often
- Every 10–30 min
- Where to board
- Lower level, hotel islands
Getting from LAX to where you’re going
Ten places people actually go, and the cheapest sensible way to reach each one.
Around LA
Santa Monica
Big Blue Bus route 3 runs from the transit center to downtown Santa Monica for $1.25. Around 45 minutes, and it beats a $50 rideshare on a Friday.
Long Beach
Metro C Line from the transit center, then the A Line south from Willowbrook. About an hour. The old Long Beach FlyAway is gone.
San Pedro cruise terminals
Sailing from the World Cruise Center? With cruise luggage, take a shared-ride van from LAX-it, about 30 to 40 minutes. Transit exists (C Line, then the J Line bus into San Pedro), but it’s a poor match for suitcases and the San Pedro bus stops running by 8pm.
Leaving LA
All of these leave from Union Station unless noted; FlyAway takes you there from any terminal.
San Diego
from $21.47reLAXsan runs direct from the terminals (Shared Rides island, lower level) up to five times a day: $68, 2.5 to 3 hours, stopping at Oceanside/Carlsbad, Sorrento Valley/Del Mar and Old Town. Prefer rails? FlyAway to Union Station, then the Pacific Surfliner down the coast — one of the better train rides in the country.
Las Vegas
from $33.98Buses leave Union Station all day, ten or so departures. Five to six hours depending on the 15, from about $35.
Anaheim and Disneyland
Shared vans run door to door in about 45 minutes without traffic. Cheaper: FlyAway to Union Station, then a Metrolink train to Anaheim.
Palm Springs
from $22.98Buses run from Union Station about a dozen times a day, two to three hours. Around Coachella in April, book early.
Santa Barbara
from $17.48The Pacific Surfliner runs up the coast from Union Station, about two and a half hours. The Santa Barbara Airbus also boards at the terminals themselves (we can’t book that one, but it exists and it’s direct).
Bakersfield
from $18Buses run from Union Station all day, about two hours, and it’s the doorway to the Central Valley: Amtrak’s San Joaquins trains start there.
Somewhere else? Search all trips
Photos: Adoramassey (CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped) · Laura Choate (CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped) · Ulises Icardi (CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped) · Andrewthebobo (CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped) · joannapoe (CC BY-SA 2.0, cropped) · Louiemantia (CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped) · Spiglanin (CC BY 4.0, cropped) · Photopippo (CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped) · nickchapman (CC BY 2.0, cropped)
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Getting to LAX (and picking people up)
Everything above, run in reverse, plus how pickups actually work.
Without a car
FlyAway from Union Station: $12.75, every 30 minutes, luggage racks, no reservation. First bus toward LAX at 3:00am, last at 11:30pm; nothing runs overnight. Cheapest: Metro C or K Line to the transit center, then the free shuttle — the same $1.75 as the way in.
Dropping someone off
Departures are upstairs. Take the upper-level loop, and don’t linger: the officers are serious about it.
Picking someone up
Private cars are allowed at the arrivals curb on the lower level — the LAX-it exile only applies to taxis and rideshares. Wait at the free Cell Phone Waiting Lot on 96th Street until they’re actually curbside; circling the loop is slower every time. If they’re grabbing an Uber instead, that’s a different system: see how pickup works, below.
No car at all?
Ride the FlyAway in, meet them at baggage claim, ride back together. Every 30 minutes with no reservation means the return leg doesn’t need a plan.
Hotels near LAX with a free shuttle
Five hotels that run their own shuttle to the terminals, no charge to guests.
Hyatt Regency Los Angeles International Airport
- Distance
- Adjacent
- Shuttle
- Every 15–20 min, 24 hours
- Good to know
- Closest of the five; you can see the terminals
Sheraton Gateway Los Angeles
- Distance
- 0.5 mi
- Shuttle
- Every 20–30 min, 24 hours
- Good to know
- Runs all night; the trade is a longer wait
Hilton Los Angeles Airport
- Distance
- ~1 mi
- Shuttle
- Every 20–30 min, 24 hours
- Good to know
- Largest of the airport hotels, so the shuttle fills up
Courtyard Los Angeles LAX / Century Blvd
- Distance
- 1.2 mi
- Shuttle
- Every 15–20 min, 24 hours
- Good to know
- Usually the cheapest of the five
Renaissance Los Angeles Airport Hotel
- Distance
- ~1 mi
- Shuttle
- Every 15 min, 24 hours
- Good to know
- The quietest at night
Frequencies are what the hotels publish, and their own pages disagree with themselves by a few minutes. If you land after midnight, a call ahead never hurts.
Is your layover long enough to leave LAX?
Four hours door-to-door is the working minimum. What you can do with each tier:
Under 3 hours: stay put.
Between getting out, getting back, and security, you’d spend the whole layover in lines.
3 to 5 hours: stay close.
The In-N-Out on Sepulveda is a 20-minute walk from the terminals and sits directly under the landing path. The Flight Path Museum is $5 and open Thursday through Sunday afternoons, The Proud Bird pairs a food hall with runway views, and El Segundo has an actual small-town main street ten minutes south.
5 to 7 hours: the beach is close enough.
Manhattan Beach is 15 minutes south; Dockweiler Beach in Playa del Rey is the closest sand. The Getty is free, and its coat-and-parcel check takes carry-on-size bags: the rare layover stop that solves the luggage problem for you.
7 hours or more: the city opens up.
Santa Monica and Venice are 20 minutes by car if the 405 is behaving, which it isn’t; give it 45. Or take the FlyAway to Union Station and do downtown properly: Olvera Street is across the street, Grand Central Market a 15-minute walk, and a bus back every 30 minutes. Hollywood is 14 miles and a traffic lottery; locals will tell you to skip it on a layover, and they’re right.
Whichever tier you’re in, plan the return around traffic: between 3 and 7pm, every drive time on this list doubles.
How pickup works at LAX
Taxis, rideshares and shared vans all pick up in one place, and it isn’t the curb.
Every standard taxi, Uber, Lyft and shared van picks up at LAX-it, a dedicated lot just east of Terminal 1. They can’t come to the curb outside your terminal. This trips people up constantly. (The exceptions: premium tiers like Uber Black and Lyft Lux come to the terminal, and there are taxi stands at Terminal 7 and Parking Structure 3.)
Take the free green LAX-it shuttle from the lower level of any terminal; it runs every three to five minutes. From Terminal 1 it’s a three-minute walk; from 2 or 3, more like ten to fifteen.
At LAX-it, taxis have their own line and rideshares are sorted into numbered pickup zones. Your app tells you which one. The signs are large and there are staff on the ground.
Allow 20 to 30 minutes between leaving baggage claim and being in a car. At peak times the line is the slow part, not the shuttle.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Los Angeles International Airport?
LAX sits in the Westchester neighborhood, about 18 miles (29 km) southwest of downtown Los Angeles, right on the coast.
What’s the cheapest way to get to LAX?
The Metro C or K Line to the LAX/Metro Transit Center, then the free Metro shuttle. $1.75 total, and Metro caps your daily spend at $5 with a TAP card.
How much is a taxi from LAX to downtown LA?
$51.15 flat plus a $4 airport surcharge, about $55 leaving LAX. The flat rate only applies to downtown. Beyond that, the meter runs.
Where do Uber and Lyft pick up at LAX?
At LAX-it, a dedicated lot east of Terminal 1. Take the free green shuttle from the lower level of your terminal, or walk from Terminals 1, 2 or 3.
How do I pick someone up at LAX?
Private cars can use the arrivals curb on the lower level; only taxis and rideshares are routed to LAX-it. If traffic’s heavy, wait at the free Cell Phone Waiting Lot until they’re curbside.
Is there a train to LAX?
Not yet to the terminals. The Metro C and K Lines reach the LAX/Metro Transit Center, and a free shuttle covers the last stretch every ten minutes, 4am to 1am.
When does the LAX people mover open?
The current target is October 2026 at the earliest. It has slipped several times since 2023, so treat any date as provisional.
How much is the FlyAway bus?
$12.75 one way to Union Station. Pay by card at the stop, online, or on board, contactless only. No cash on the bus.
Where does the FlyAway bus stop at LAX?
On the lower arrivals level outside every terminal, at the island marked FlyAway. Look for the blue signs.
Is the LAX Shuttle free?
Yes, all of them. The Metro Connector shuttle, the LAX-it shuttle, the Economy Parking shuttle and the rental car shuttles all cost nothing.
How early should I get to LAX?
Two hours for domestic, three for international, and add 30 minutes if you’re arriving by shuttle, because the shuttle leg is unpredictable.
Which hotels near LAX have a free shuttle?
The Hyatt Regency, Sheraton Gateway, Hilton, Courtyard on Century Blvd and the Renaissance all run one. Frequencies are in the table above.
How do I get from LAX to Disneyland?
A shared van door to door in about 45 minutes, or FlyAway to Union Station and Metrolink to Anaheim for a good deal less money.
How do I get from LAX to Santa Monica?
Big Blue Bus route 3 from the LAX/Metro Transit Center, $1.25, about 45 minutes. A rideshare is 20 minutes and roughly $45.
Is SuperShuttle still running at LAX?
Not in its original form. SuperShuttle ended its US shared-ride service in December 2019. The brand now operates as a booking service for private rides through partner operators, which is a different product at a different price. If you want a shared van at LAX, book one of the operators still running that service from the LAX-it lot.
Are there shuttles from LAX to other airports?
Yes: shared shuttles run to Burbank and Long Beach. Book ahead; there’s no walk-up counter for these.