A St. Louis taxi is a licensed, metered cab: the region's for-hire vehicles are licensed by the St. Louis Metropolitan Taxicab Commission, and at Lambert airport the cabs wait at stands in the garages across from baggage claim, with a US$4 airport use fee on every pickup. Uber and Lyft load from marked zones and price each trip by demand. MetroLink light rail costs US$2.50 a ride and runs from both airport terminals through downtown. A pre-booked Elly8.net car costs more, from US$165 in a business sedan from Lambert to downtown, or US$95 an hour, but the price is fixed before you go.
None of these is the right answer every time. This guide takes the common St. Louis trips one by one and says plainly which option fits, including the many trips where the train or a cab is the smarter call.
Is a taxi, Uber or a private car cheapest in St. Louis?
For one person with light luggage, MetroLink at US$2.50 is the cheapest way from Lambert to downtown, and a taxi or app ride is next. A private car costs more, from US$165 per vehicle on Elly8.net, but is fixed, met inside and priced per vehicle, so it often beats several cabs or app rides for groups, families and late arrivals.
The St. Louis fares panel has every Elly8.net price for the city, from the airport run to hourly and full-day bookings.
See St. Louis prices and reserve
Taxis in St. Louis: licensed, metered, called or queued
The Metropolitan Taxicab Commission publishes the list of for-hire companies it licenses, split into airport taxis, on-call taxis and premium sedan services, and its transportation companies page states that the companies listed are licensed by the commission and insured, and asks riders to check the list before hiring. That is useful advice for any car you book, ours included: ask who operates the vehicle and under which licence.
At the airport, according to Lambert's parking and transportation page, the taxi zone at Terminal 1 is through Door 14 to the Garage Yellow Level, and at Terminal 2 it is across from Door 12 in the Terminal 2 garage. The exact fare depends on your destination, and each pickup carries the US$4 airport use fee. Around the city, you call an on-call cab company and wait for dispatch. Taxis suit short-notice trips for one or two people, and you do not need an app to use one.
Uber and Lyft: convenient, with moving prices
App rides are the default for many visitors, and in St. Louis they work well most of the time. At Lambert, app pickups use Terminal 1 Door 6 on the Departure Level and Terminal 2 Door 12 on the Arrivals Level. The airport notes that reservations must be made online, so you request from the zone, not by waving.
Prices are not published in advance; each app sets the fare when you request, and it rises with demand. In St. Louis that means the end of a Blues game, a big concert at Enterprise Center, a Cardinals game in season or a storm. Premium tiers such as Uber Black work the same way, with a nicer car and a higher fare. Our Uber Black vs a pre-booked chauffeur page sets out the differences.
MetroLink: the honest alternative
St. Louis has something many airport cities lack: a train that starts at the terminal. According to Metro Transit, the Red Line runs from the Lambert Terminal 1 station, stopping at Terminal 2, through the city to Shiloh-Scott in Illinois, and the Blue Line runs from Shrewsbury-Lansdowne I-44 to Fairview Heights; both lines share the stations between Forest Park-DeBaliviere and Fairview Heights. Downtown stations include Union Station, Civic Center, 8th and Pine and Convention Center, and the Central West End and the Delmar Loop have their own stops. Clayton is on the Blue Line, a change at Forest Park-DeBaliviere.
Metro Transit's fares are US$2.50 for a cash rail ride, US$1 for a cash bus ride and US$5 for a one-day pass, and riders must buy before boarding. For a hotel near a station and a light bag, the train beats every car on price and is competitive on time.
Six St. Louis trips, compared
| Trip | MetroLink or bus | Taxi | Uber or Lyft | Elly8.net |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lambert to downtown, 1 traveller, carry-on | US$2.50, from both terminals | metered plus US$4 airport fee | app price at T1 Door 6 or T2 Door 12 | US$165 business sedan, met inside |
| Lambert to downtown, family of 4 with bags and car seats | US$2.50 each, hard with seats and bags | may need two cabs, seats not assured | larger app car, seats not assured | US$215 business SUV, child seats on request |
| Downtown hotel to an Enterprise Center game | short walk or Civic Center station | short metered trip | short trip, but surge after the game | evening package from US$475 |
| Central West End dinner, back to a Clayton hotel | possible with a change of line | metered | app price | hourly from US$95, 3-hour minimum |
| A day of meetings: Clayton, downtown, Chesterfield | slow across three stops | several separate fares | several separate fares | full day US$700 in a business sedan |
| Group of 10 to The Hill for dinner | not practical | three cabs | three app rides | one Executive Sprinter, from US$190 an hour |
Game nights and concerts downtown
St. Louis is at its busiest when a big event lets out. Enterprise Center, home of the Blues, lists home games on November 10, 17, 21 and 22, Journey on November 16 and Mizzou vs SLU men's basketball on November 6. When a sell-out crowd leaves at once, every app sees the same spike in demand, and prices and waits rise together.
The options for an event night are straightforward. Staying downtown? Walk, or take MetroLink from the Civic Center station, a short walk from the arena. Coming from Clayton or the county with friends? The Elly8.net evening out and event night package, US$475 in a business sedan up to US$950 in an Executive Sprinter, covers 5 hours with the car waiting at a pickup point agreed in advance. Our sports event transportation page explains how we stage game-night pickups. For larger celebrations, see our guide to St. Louis party bus companies.
Paying, receipts and expense reports
For business travellers the comparison is not only about the fare. A taxi gives you a receipt per ride, an app gives you an emailed receipt per ride, and MetroLink gives you a ticket. Over a three-day trip that can mean a dozen small claims, each with a different amount.
A pre-booked car is one fixed number per trip, known before the trip, which is easier to approve in advance and easier to reconcile afterwards. Companies that send people to St. Louis regularly can open a corporate account for monthly invoicing across every Elly8.net city, with traveller profiles so assistants are not retyping details. NDAs are available on request for confidential visits. None of that makes a car the right choice for a solo traveller on a tight budget, but for a team on a roadshow day in Clayton and downtown, it is often the deciding factor.
Beyond the city limits
The further you go from downtown, the more the comparison shifts. A metered taxi or an app ride out to Missouri wine country west of the city is a long one-way fare, and the ride back from a rural tasting room is the hard part, because you are relying on a car being free out there at the moment you want to leave. MetroLink does not go there at all.
For a day out like that, the full-day chauffeur, US$700 in a business sedan up to US$1,400 in an Executive Sprinter for 8 hours, keeps one car with you from the hotel to the last stop and back, with the chauffeur following local rules on drinks in the vehicle. Our wine country tours page explains how tasting days are planned.
The verdict: when each option wins
Choose MetroLink when you are one or two people with light bags, your hotel or meeting is near a station, and it is daytime or early evening.
Choose a taxi for a short-notice trip for one or two, when you would rather not use an app, or for a quick hop across town.
Choose Uber or Lyft for flexible plans at quiet times, especially when you do not know when dinner will end.
Choose a pre-booked private car when there are three or more of you with bags, when you need child seats, when the flight lands late, when a meeting starts soon after landing, on event nights, and whenever you need one fixed number for an expense report. Our general guides to chauffeur vs taxi and chauffeur vs Uber and Lyft explain the trade-offs in every Elly8.net city.
Three St. Louis travellers, worked through
The solo engineer on a two-day site visit in Clayton. MetroLink from Lambert with a change at Forest Park-DeBaliviere costs US$2.50; a taxi is quicker and still modest. A booked car makes sense only if the client is paying for a set pickup time or the flight lands late.
A family of five landing on a Friday night. Two car seats, three suitcases, a stroller. The train is hard work, a cab may not have the seats and one may not be enough. A business SUV at US$215, child seats fitted in advance and the chauffeur waiting in arrivals, is the calmer choice and probably the cheaper one end to end.
Ten colleagues heading to dinner on The Hill and back to a downtown hotel. Three app rides each way, at dinner-hour prices, arriving at different times, against one Executive Sprinter at US$190 an hour for 3 hours, US$570 for the vehicle (US$57 each if you divide by ten, as arithmetic only). The van also solves the ride home.
If the trip is mainly about the airport, our step-by-step St. Louis airport car service guide covers the arrival in detail. Comparing cities? Kansas City taxi or rideshare runs the same numbers for MCI, where taxis are called by phone and buses cost US$2.
How to book a St. Louis car
- Enter the pickup and drop-off; for Lambert, add the airline and flight number.
- Choose the vehicle, or the hours for an hourly chauffeur.
- Press Reserve now for a published fare, or use the web booker for any other address. 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; 100% at 24 hours or less or for a no-show. Refunds go to the original card. The St. Louis limo service page covers the city's venues and airport in full, and airport transfers explains flight tracking.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a taxi from St. Louis airport to downtown?
Taxis from Lambert are metered, so the fare depends on your exact destination, and the airport adds a US$4 airport use fee to every taxi pickup. The cabs wait at stands in the garages across from baggage claim. For comparison, MetroLink is US$2.50 and an Elly8.net business sedan is US$165 fixed.
Where do you catch an Uber at St. Louis airport?
At Terminal 1, app rides load from Door 6 on the Departure Level. At Terminal 2, they load from Door 12 on the Arrivals Level. The airport says reservations must be made online, and fares are set by the app at the moment you request.
Are St. Louis taxis regulated?
Yes. The St. Louis Metropolitan Taxicab Commission licenses taxis and other for-hire vehicles in the area and publishes a list of licensed companies, which it says are insured. The commission asks riders to check that list before hiring a transportation company.
Is MetroLink practical for visitors?
MetroLink is a practical way to reach downtown, Union Station, the Central West End and the Delmar Loop from the airport for US$2.50. It works best with light luggage and a hotel near a station. Buy your fare before boarding, at a ticket machine or in the Transit app.
When is a private car cheaper than Uber in St. Louis?
When the group is large enough that one vehicle replaces several app rides, and on event nights when app prices rise. A business SUV takes up to 6 passengers for one fixed price, and an Executive Sprinter takes up to 12, so the cost per head can drop below several separate rides.
Can you get a fixed price for a trip that is not on the list?
Yes. Enter any St. Louis address in the web booker, from Clayton to Chesterfield or the Illinois side, and you see a fixed, all-in price for each vehicle before you pay. It includes taxes and standard gratuity; tolls, parking and extra waiting are billed at cost.
