Edinburgh taxis run on a meter set by the City of Edinburgh Council, and the current fare table took effect on 25 July 2026. On a weekday between 6 am and 6 pm the meter starts at £3.60, and in the evenings, overnight and at weekends it starts at £4.80, with higher tariffs over Christmas and New Year. You can hail a licensed taxi in the street, find one at a rank, or book one by phone or app. Rideshare apps add another option, with prices that move with demand.
For most short trips around the city a taxi or an app ride is the sensible choice, and we say so plainly. A pre-booked car makes more sense for the airport with a family's luggage, for golf groups, for festival and Hogmanay nights, and for trips outside the city where the meter no longer applies. An Elly8.net transfer from Edinburgh Airport to the New Town is fixed at US$130 in a business sedan to US$340 in an Executive Sprinter, per vehicle.
How much is a taxi in Edinburgh?
Edinburgh taxis use the council's meter. From 25 July 2026 the initial charge is £3.60 on weekdays from 6 am to 6 pm and £4.80 on weekday evenings, overnight and at weekends, rising to £4.60 and £5.75 on the Christmas and New Year tariffs. The meter then adds increments for distance and waiting time.
The council publishes the full table on its taxi fares page, and as licensing authority it reviews the scale of fares at least every 18 months. Because the fare is metered, the cost of a trip depends on distance and traffic; there is no published flat fare from the airport to the centre.
See Edinburgh prices and reserve
The council tariff, explained
The fare table sets four tariffs for up to three passengers.
| Tariff | When it applies | Initial charge (first 430 m) |
|---|---|---|
| Tariff 1 | Monday to Friday, 6 am to 6 pm | £3.60 |
| Tariff 2 | Monday to Friday, 6 pm to 6 am; 6 am Saturday to 6 am Monday | £4.80 |
| Tariff 3 | Monday to Friday, 6 am to 6 pm, during the Christmas and New Year periods | £4.60 |
| Tariff 4 | 25 December and 1 January all day; Christmas weekend days; weekday nights in the holiday periods | £5.75 |
The Christmas period runs from 6 pm on 24 December to 6 am on 27 December, and the New Year period from 6 pm on 31 December to midnight on 2 January. After the initial charge, the meter adds increments by distance, or by waiting time when the cab is stopped in traffic.
The extras are worth knowing:
- More than three passengers: £0.50 for each additional passenger. Two children under 12 count as one passenger, and one child under 5 travels free.
- Pre-booked call-out: £1.00 when you book a cab rather than hail it.
- Pre-booked cancellation: £3.00 if you book a taxi and do not use it.
- Airport drop-off zone: if a taxi drops you in the airport's charged pick-up and drop-off zone, the airport's prevailing charge is added, after the driver has explained it to you. You can avoid it by being dropped at the free zone, which is further from the terminal.
- Soiling: up to £50 if the cab has to be taken out of service for cleaning.
One rule matters to visitors more than any other. The tariff applies only within the City of Edinburgh. For any hire that ends outside the city, the council's table says the fare must be negotiated and agreed with the driver before the journey starts. That covers a ride to St Andrews, Glasgow, Gleneagles or North Berwick.
Where to find a taxi
In the street. Licensed taxis can be hailed in the street, which licensed private hire cars cannot.
At a rank. The council lists the city's licensed ranks, which it calls stances, on its taxi ranks page. Check it for the stance nearest your hotel.
By phone or app. Taxis can also be booked, and a pre-booked taxi adds the £1.00 call-out charge on the council tariff.
At the airport. The official rank is in the East Terminus, a short walk from arrivals, and is operated exclusively by Capital Cars, according to Edinburgh Airport. The airport explains that you make a booking, online in advance or at the rank on arrival, to comply with the council's private hire licensing rules, and that fare rates and charges are set by the council. Other operators use the charged zone on the ground floor of the multi-storey car park or the free zone in the Long Stay car park.
Rideshare in Edinburgh
App rides are widely available in Edinburgh. Their prices are not published as a tariff; the fare is quoted in the app and rises when demand outruns available drivers. At the airport, app pickups use the car park zones rather than the terminal. Our guide to Uber in Edinburgh covers availability, surge pricing and the airport pickup in detail.
The practical difference for a visitor: a taxi's price is set by the meter and a known tariff, while an app's price is set at the moment you ask. On a quiet weekday the app may be cheaper; on a festival night the taxi tariff does not surge, though the wait for a cab can be long.
Wait times: what to expect
Neither the council nor the operators publish wait times, so treat any number you see with care. What is predictable is when cars are scarce.
August. The Fringe, the International Festival and the Tattoo fill the city. Old Town streets are pedestrianised and late shows let out together. Expect queues at ranks and long app waits after 10 pm.
Hogmanay. City-centre celebrations, including the Street Party on 31 December 2026 per Edinburgh's Hogmanay, bring the Tariff 4 night rate and very heavy demand after midnight.
Match and concert days at Murrayfield. About 67,000 people leave the stadium at once, beside the main road to the airport.
Early-morning arrivals. Transatlantic flights tend to land early. When several long-haul flights land together, the queue at the East Terminus grows accordingly.
Rain. Edinburgh weather turns a ten-minute walk into a taxi ride for everyone at once.
Complaints, lost property and your rights
Because taxis are licensed by the council, there is a clear route if something goes wrong. The fare table lists the council's Licensing Enforcement team as the contact for complaints, by email to [email protected], in writing to Waverley Court, or by phone on 0131 200 2000, and asks you to have the taxi's licence number, registration, and the time and date to hand. Note the licence number when you get in; it is the single most useful detail if you leave something behind.
Edinburgh Airport makes the same point about bookings at its rank: a booking makes it easy to trace the driver if personal items are left in the taxi. With a pre-booked Elly8.net car, your booking already names the trip, the vehicle and the time, and the 24/7 desk contacts the partner directly if you leave something in the car.
If a driver proposes a fare for a trip outside the city, agree it clearly before you set off, as the council's table requires, and confirm whether it is per car. A pre-booked car settles that question in advance: the price is per vehicle, fixed and shown before you pay.
Taxi, rideshare, tram, bus or a booked car
| Option | Price | Airport pickup point | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Licensed taxi | Council meter, from £3.60 weekday initial charge | East Terminus rank | Short city trips, walk-up airport arrivals |
| Rideshare app | Quoted in the app; varies with demand | Car park pickup zones | Short trips on ordinary days |
| Edinburgh Trams | £7.90 adult airport single | Tram stop at the terminal | One traveller, hotel near the line |
| Airlink 100 bus | £6.00 single, 24 hours | Outside the terminal | Budget trips at any hour |
| Elly8.net pre-booked car | US$130 sedan to US$340 Sprinter, fixed per vehicle | Inside arrivals, name board | Families, groups, golf bags, events, trips out of the city |
The tram fare is from Edinburgh Trams and the Airlink fare from Lothian Buses.
Which to choose, trip by trip
New Town to the Royal Mile or Leith on an ordinary day. Hail a taxi or use an app. A booked car is unnecessary.
One traveller from the airport with a carry-on. Take the tram at £7.90. It is frequent and avoids the A8 traffic.
A couple from the airport with two cases. A taxi from the rank is fair, metered value. A business sedan at US$130 fixed, met inside arrivals, suits travellers who want the price settled in US dollars before they fly.
A family of four or five with luggage. A standard cab may not take everything, and the fourth and fifth passengers add 50p each. A Business SUV at US$170 takes six passengers and six bags, with child seats fitted on request.
Three golfers with clubs going to St Andrews. The meter does not apply outside the city, so the fare is negotiated with a cab driver. A Business SUV with the price fixed in advance is the predictable option; our guide to Edinburgh to St Andrews compares it with the train.
A day in Glasgow. Again outside the city tariff. See Edinburgh to Glasgow by car.
A festival evening for six. One Business SUV or Executive Sprinter waiting at an agreed point beats hunting for two cabs at 11 pm. The evening out and event night package costs from US$450 in a business sedan to US$900 in a Sprinter.
Arriving by train at Waverley. Waverley sits below Princes Street, and the hotels of the New Town are close but uphill. With light bags, walk or take a cab; with heavy luggage or a group, a chauffeur can meet the train, as described on our train station transfers page.
Leaving for an early flight. A 5 am cab on the overnight Tariff 2 is perfectly workable if you book it the night before, with the £1.00 call-out and a £3.00 charge if you then do not use it. A pre-booked car at a fixed US$130 to the airport, the same as the fare from it, suits travellers who want the departure confirmed by email and settled in dollars.
What a pre-booked Elly8.net car includes
The chauffeur tracks your flight and waits inside arrivals with a name board; waiting after a tracked landing is complimentary. The fare is fixed and all-in, per vehicle, including the chauffeur, taxes, standard gratuity and meet and greet, with parking and road charges billed at cost. It is the same in either direction, so the ride back to the airport costs the same.
| Vehicle | Seats and bags | Airport to the New Town | Round trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business Sedan | 3 passengers, 2 bags | US$130 | US$250 |
| Business SUV | 6 passengers, 6 bags | US$170 | US$325 |
| First Class SUV | 6 passengers, 6 bags | US$210 | US$400 |
| First Class Sedan | 3 passengers, 2 bags | US$230 | US$440 |
| Executive Sprinter | 12 passengers, 12 bags | US$340 | US$650 |
Rides in Edinburgh are operated by licensed, commercially insured local chauffeur partners vetted through the Limousine Worldwide network; Elly8.net takes the booking, fixes the price and runs the 24/7 desk. For the full list, including hourly rates from US$90 with a 3-hour minimum, see the Edinburgh fares panel, and for the general comparison, chauffeur vs taxi.
How to book
- Pickup and drop-off. Enter the airport with your flight number, or any Edinburgh address.
- Vehicle. Choose the vehicle for your party and bags.
- Reserve. Reserve the airport fare directly, or use the web booker for any other trip. Confirmation arrives by email.
Cancellation is free more than 72 hours before pickup; 10% at 72 hours or less, 50% at 48 hours or less, and 100% at 24 hours or less or for a no-show, refunded to the original card. See the cancellation policy. Companies with regular travel to Scotland can open a corporate account.
The same desk books London, Manchester and Dublin. Elly8.net is a member of LimousineWorldwide.Directory, LimousineAssociation.International, HotelsWorldwide.Directory and VacationsWorldwide.Directory.
Frequently asked questions
Are Edinburgh taxi fares fixed or metered?
Metered. The City of Edinburgh Council sets the tariff; from 25 July 2026 the initial charge is £3.60 on weekday daytimes and £4.80 on evenings, nights and weekends, with higher Christmas and New Year tariffs. Distance and waiting time are added on the meter.
Is there a flat taxi fare from Edinburgh Airport to the city centre?
No. Taxis from the airport rank run on the council meter, so the fare depends on distance and traffic. For a fixed price, the tram is £7.90, the Airlink bus £6.00, and an Elly8.net business sedan US$130 per vehicle, met inside arrivals.
Can you take a taxi from Edinburgh to St Andrews?
Yes, but the meter only applies within the City of Edinburgh. For a hire ending outside the city, the council's fare table says the fare must be negotiated and agreed with the driver before the journey. A pre-booked car gives you a fixed price before you travel.
How many people can ride in an Edinburgh taxi?
The tariff is for up to three passengers, with £0.50 added for each extra passenger. Two children under 12 count as one passenger, and one child under 5 rides free. Luggage space is the practical limit for families arriving from a long flight.
Is a taxi or rideshare cheaper in Edinburgh?
It depends on the moment. The taxi meter follows a fixed tariff, while app prices change with demand. On a quiet weekday an app ride may cost less; on a festival night or after a match, the taxi tariff does not surge, though waits for both can be long.
What does an Elly8.net car cost from the airport?
From US$130 in a business sedan, US$170 in a business SUV, US$210 in a First Class SUV, US$230 in a First Class Sedan and US$340 in an Executive Sprinter, per vehicle, fixed and all-in, with the chauffeur waiting inside arrivals.
