If you are planning to travel to Austin, Texas in the near future, I’d like to share some tips on how you can save money on your trip from the Austin-Bergstrom airport to downtown Austin. You can certainly take a taxi or hire a car service but these options will cost at least $25 each way.
The bus and tram/rail service in Austin is managed by Capital Metro. There are a good number of buses that can help you get around the city although I typically recommend renting a car if you plan to do any sightseeing. If you are coming to Austin for a conference downtown at the Austin Convention Center, the bus is a perfect option.
The airport is served by the Capital Metro route 100 Airport Flyer bus. You can visit the Airport Flyer schedule page to find schedule info for daily along with Saturday and Sunday schedules. The schedule recently changed and the Airport Flyer bus now runs at a 45-minute headway.
The Airport Flyer takes about 20-minutes to get downtown and frankly takes the same amount of time as taking a taxi. The Airport Flyer costs $1 and the buses take dollar bills and coins.
The Airport Flyer bus can be found at the far right side of the passenger pickup area. If you exit any door after you pass through baggage claim, make a right and walk to the end and you will see signs for the Airport Flyer. Make sure you check the schedule page to view the map so you can make sure the bus stops near your hotel – most downtown hotels are very close to the bus stops.
If you are into public transport, you might also want to take a trip on the brand new MetroRail. While it only runs during weekdays, the trains are new, clean and speedy. Here are some photos of the downtown MetroRail station.
My hope is that they expand the MetroRail to the airport – this would increase ridership immediately and allow for a better case for expansion of the system around the city.
Tags: airport, Austin, How To Guide
