The advantages of a shuttle taxi to the airport over shared shuttles

A shuttle taxi to the airport is a private transfer that works as a shuttle between your home, hotel or office and the terminal: it leaves when you ask, goes direct, with no stops to pick up other travellers, and carries your luggage in the boot. Compared with shared shuttles, such as the express bus, hotel shuttles or transfers with several stops, its advantages are door-to-door service, a timetable of your choosing and a fixed price per journey that, for a group, is very competitive.

A “shuttle” is any service that links a point with the airport quickly. In Madrid there are several:

• Express bus from the city centre to the terminals, with fixed stops.
• Hotel shuttles, free or paid, with timetables set by the hotel.
• Shared transfers, where a minibus picks up several travellers at different points.
• Inter-terminal bus, free of charge, linking T1, T2 and T3 with T4 within the airport.
• Shuttle taxi or private transfer: a vehicle just for you or your group.

There is a run-down of every way to get there in the ways to get to Barajas Airport.

Peace of mind from the night before

The first advantage is peace of mind. You book it, the time is confirmed and you go to sleep knowing that, at four in the morning or whenever you need it, it will be at your door. No working out when the bus comes or dragging suitcases to a stop.

No stops or detours

A shared transfer has to call at each traveller's address, and the total time depends on how many there are. The shuttle taxi goes straight from your address to your terminal: T1, T2, T3 or T4.

A price per journey, not per person

With a fixed fare by area, the amount is for the journey and is known before you set off; it is not multiplied by individual tickets. From inside the M-30 it is €33, the same price in both directions. For two, three or four people, the comparison with several shuttle tickets usually comes out in the taxi's favour. You can see the price for your area in the airport fares, and if you want more ideas for saving money, read saving money by sharing a taxi.

For groups and bulky luggage

If there are five or more of you, or you have lots of luggage, a vehicle with up to 7 seats is booked so you can travel together. We explain how to arrange it in group taxi van to the airport.

On the way back too

When you land, instead of looking for the bus stop, your taxi is waiting for you: with your flight number the terminal is checked and the meeting point confirmed. We explain it in airport pickup.

To be fair: if you are travelling alone, with little luggage, in no hurry and you live or are staying next to an express bus stop, a shared shuttle may be enough. However, as soon as one of these circumstances comes into play, the shuttle taxi clearly wins: early-morning flights, children, large suitcases, leaving from an outlying neighbourhood or a town, or needing to arrive at an exact time. If you are also comparing it with taking your own car, the analysis is in car or taxi to the airport?

You can book online in three steps, seeing the price instantly, by phone on 911 76 00 81 or on WhatsApp. Booking is free, and you can pay by card when booking or to the driver. If you are looking for a private service with all the conditions set out, see our private Madrid airport transfer.