Taking an Uber from Logan Airport is straightforward once you know the layout: you collect your bags, follow the Ride App signs to the pickup area for your terminal, and request the car there. For Terminals A, C and E that area is in the Central Parking Garage; for Terminal B it is Level 2 of the Terminal B Parking Garage. The fare is whatever the app shows when you request, and it moves with demand.
That is a good deal for some trips and a poor one for others. A solo traveller with a carry-on on a quiet afternoon has cheaper choices still, including a free bus. A family of five with car seats landing at midnight, or a client meeting in Kendall Square an hour after touchdown, is better served by a car that is already booked and priced. Rides in Boston 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.
Is Uber the best way to get from Logan Airport into Boston?
Not always. Uber from Logan is convenient for one or two people with light bags, but pickups are in a garage and the price is set at the moment of request. The Silver Line SL1 is free from every terminal. A pre-booked Elly8.net car to Back Bay is US$130 fixed, with the chauffeur waiting inside arrivals.
The honest answer depends on four things: how many people, how many bags, what time you land and whether the cost has to be known in advance. The sections below take each option in turn, using the airport's and the transit agency's own published rules, and finish with five real arrival scenarios.
If you already know you want the certainty of a fixed fare, the full Boston price list is one click away.
How an Uber or Lyft pickup works at Logan
Massport, which runs the airport, keeps app rides off the terminal curbs. Its ride app page tells passengers to request a ride only after collecting their luggage or clearing customs, then walk to the designated area: the Central Parking Garage for Terminals A, C and E, and Level 2 (Departures) of the Terminal B Parking Garage for Terminal B. You confirm the driver's identity in the garage and load your own bags.
In practice that adds a walk with luggage before the ride begins, sometimes from the far end of a terminal. After a long international arrival at Terminal E, with immigration and baggage behind you, the garage walk is the part travellers notice most.
Pricing is the other variable. The apps do not publish a fixed fare from Logan to the city; the price is quoted at request and rises when many people want rides at once. At Logan that tends to happen when a cluster of international flights lands in the late afternoon, when weather delays stack arrivals, and on nights when a Celtics or Bruins game at TD Garden or a convention closing puts thousands of people on the roads at the same time. Premium tiers such as Uber Black follow the same app pricing model at a higher base. We compare those tiers in Uber Black vs a pre-booked chauffeur.
None of this makes rideshare a bad choice. It means the price and the pickup are both decided at the airport rather than before you fly.
The taxi stand: no app, no garage
Taxis are the curbside option. According to Massport's taxis and limos page, taxis wait at designated stands on the Arrivals level of Terminals A, B, C and E, with dispatchers in every terminal, and the airport warns that waits can be longer at peak travel times. Boston taxis are metered, so the fare follows the distance, the traffic and the tolls on the route; there is no published flat fare from Logan to Back Bay.
The taxi beats the app ride on one point: you walk out of the terminal and get in, without a garage walk. It loses on predictability, because a tunnel backup on the way into the city runs the meter. For a short hop to a Seaport or downtown hotel at an off-peak hour, a taxi is often a sensible, simple choice. Our companion guide to the Boston airport taxi service goes destination by destination and hour by hour.
The free options: Silver Line, Blue Line and Logan Express
Boston is unusual in having free public transport out of its airport. The MBTA's Logan Airport page states that the Silver Line SL1 bus serves every terminal, connects to the Red Line and Commuter Rail at South Station, and that service from Logan Airport is always free. A free Massport shuttle also runs from every terminal to Airport station on the Blue Line, where you pay the normal subway fare.
For Back Bay specifically there is also the Logan Express coach. Massport's Logan Express page lists tickets from Back Bay to the airport at US$3, with a free ride back from the airport. The suburban Logan Express services to Braintree, Danvers, Framingham and Woburn are US$9 each way when bought online, and kids ride free with a ticketed family member.
If you are travelling alone, light and in daylight, any of these is better value than an app ride. The trade-off is time and transfers: changing to the Red Line at South Station, or walking from the Back Bay coach stop to your hotel with a large suitcase, is real effort.
The pre-booked car: priced before you fly
A pre-booked Elly8.net car works the other way round. You give us the flight number, the address and the vehicle when you book, and the price is fixed at that moment: US$130 in a Business Sedan from Logan to Back Bay, 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. Each price is per vehicle and all-in, including the chauffeur, taxes, standard gratuity and airport meet and greet. Tunnel tolls and parking are billed at cost.
The chauffeur tracks the flight, so an early or late landing simply moves the pickup, and you get complimentary waiting after a tracked landing. With meet and greet, the chauffeur waits inside arrivals at baggage claim with a name board and walks you to the car. You do not need to find the garage, place a pickup pin or wait for a driver to loop back. Our airport meet and greet page explains how that hand-off works.
Massport also lists dedicated limo stands for pre-arranged cars at each terminal, from a lot across the Arrivals curb at Terminal A to E Lot 2 at Terminal E, and notes that limo service is only available by prior reservation. Your chauffeur knows which one applies to your terminal, so you simply follow them.
Side by side: Logan to Back Bay
The table uses the published figures from Massport, the MBTA and our own price list. App prices are not published, so they are described rather than invented.
| Option | Price to Back Bay | Where it starts | Luggage and seats | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MBTA Silver Line SL1 | free from the airport | every terminal | your own bags, change at South Station | one traveller, light bag, downtown |
| Back Bay Logan Express | free from the airport (US$3 to it) | terminal bus stops | coach luggage space, walk from the stop | Back Bay hotels, budget travellers |
| Taxi | metered, plus tolls | Arrivals-level taxi stand | sedan or minivan, no seat guarantee | walk-up arrivals, short hops |
| Uber or Lyft | set by the app at request | parking garage pickup area | your chosen tier, no child seat guarantee | flexible travellers, light bags |
| Elly8.net Business Sedan | US$130 fixed, all-in | inside arrivals, name board | up to 3 passengers, 2 bags | business arrivals, couples, late flights |
| Elly8.net Business SUV | US$170 fixed, all-in | inside arrivals, name board | up to 6, 6 bags, child seats on request | families, ski and golf bags |
| Elly8.net Executive Sprinter | US$340 fixed, all-in | inside arrivals, name board | up to 12, 12 bags | teams, wedding parties, two families |
Which should you book? Five real arrivals
The solo consultant, carry-on only, 2 p.m. landing at Terminal B. Take the Silver Line to South Station or a taxi to a downtown hotel. A booked car is a comfort here, not a necessity, unless the company pays and the time matters.
The couple landing at 11:40 p.m. from London at Terminal E. After customs, a garage walk and an app request at midnight is the least pleasant part of the trip. A Business Sedan at US$130, already waiting, is worth it for many travellers, and the price does not change if the flight is an hour late.
The family of five with two car seats. App rides do not guarantee seats, and carrying your own through the terminal is awkward. A Business SUV at US$170 fits five people, their bags and the seats, fitted before pickup. See how we plan airport transfers for families.
The biotech team of eight heading to Kendall Square. Two app rides means two garage pickups and two prices. One Executive Sprinter keeps the team together; Cambridge addresses are priced exactly in the web booker. Teams that travel often open a corporate account, and our post on Boston corporate car service explains how a programme is set up.
The private flyer at Hanscom Field. Rideshare is not the natural fit at a general aviation field. Hanscom to Back Bay is US$215 in a Business Sedan and US$560 in an Executive Sprinter, met at the FBO; see private jet and FBO transfers.
Getting to Logan for a departure
Going the other way, an app ride drops you at the departures curb like any car, and the Back Bay Logan Express is a US$3 bargain if you are near Copley. A booked car earns its place when the pickup is early, the group is large, or someone needs a child seat. A round trip, Logan to Back Bay and back on your departure day, is US$250 in a Business Sedan up to US$650 in an Executive Sprinter, so one booking covers both ends of the trip.
Plan the clock around the tunnels rather than the distance. Logan is only about 5 miles (9 km) from Back Bay, about 13 minutes on a clear road, but the harbour tunnels concentrate all airport traffic into a few lanes, and a weekday afternoon can double or triple that time. For a morning flight we suggest a pickup that leaves a buffer for the tunnel approach rather than the bare minimum.
When the app is the right call
We would rather you book well than book us by default. Use the app or a taxi when you are one or two people, the bags are light, the arrival is mid-day and the price at the moment is acceptable. Use the free Silver Line or Logan Express when the budget matters most.
Book a car when any of these is true: you land late, you have children who need seats, you are more than three people with full-size bags, you have a meeting soon after landing, someone else is paying and needs a fixed receipt, or you simply do not want to think about the airport at the end of a long flight. For the general case outside Boston, read chauffeur vs Uber and Lyft and chauffeur vs taxi.
How to book a Logan pickup
- Enter the pickup (Logan, with your flight number) and the drop-off address on the Boston car service page or in the booker.
- Choose the vehicle: Business Sedan, Business SUV, First Class Sedan, First Class SUV or Executive Sprinter. The fleet page lists seats and bags.
- Press Reserve now on a published route, or use the web booker for any other address. Confirmation comes by email and the 24/7 desk handles changes.
Cancellation is the same on every booking: more than 72 hours before pickup is free; 72 hours or less is 10%; 48 hours or less is 50%; 24 hours or less, or a no-show, is 100%. Refunds go to the original card. Partner vehicles are 4 model years or newer, and Elly8.net is a member of LWD, LAI, HWD and VWD, including LimousineWorldwide.Directory and LimousineAssociation.International.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the Uber pickup at Logan Airport?
According to Massport, ride app pickups for Terminals A, C and E are in the Central Parking Garage, and for Terminal B on Level 2 (Departures) of the Terminal B Parking Garage. Follow the Ride App signs from baggage claim and request the car once you have your bags. A pre-booked chauffeur meets you inside arrivals instead.
How much is a car service from Logan to Back Bay?
An Elly8.net Business Sedan from Logan to Back Bay is US$130, fixed and all-in, including taxes, standard gratuity and meet and greet. A Business SUV is US$170 and an Executive Sprinter US$340. Tunnel tolls and parking are billed at cost, and the price does not rise with traffic or demand.
Is there a free way to get from Logan into Boston?
Yes. The MBTA says the Silver Line SL1 is always free from Logan and connects to South Station. A free Massport shuttle runs to Airport station on the Blue Line, where the subway fare applies. Massport's Back Bay Logan Express is also free from the airport, with a US$3 ticket for the trip to Logan.
What happens if my flight is late?
We track the flight and move the pickup to the actual landing time, with complimentary waiting after a tracked landing. A delayed flight is not a no-show. Waiting beyond the included time, for example a long stop before meeting the chauffeur, is billed at cost.
Are child seats available from Logan?
Yes, on request when you book. Tell us each child's age and weight and the right seat is fitted before pickup. App rides do not guarantee child seats, which is one of the most common reasons families pre-book a Business SUV from Logan.
Is a taxi cheaper than a booked car from Logan?
For one or two people going a short distance at a quiet time, usually yes. Taxis are metered with tolls added, so the fare depends on traffic. A booked car costs more on a good day but is fixed in advance, includes gratuity and meet and greet, and seats larger groups in one vehicle.
