Private transfer vs taxi vs rideshare: what each really costs.

How each one is priced

The three options are not priced the same way, which is why a simple headline comparison is misleading.

Queensland's official taxi fares

The Queensland Government's taxi service standards page, last updated 8 October 2026, lists the maximum fares for South East Queensland that apply from 1 July 2026:

Three details on that page matter for travellers. These are maximums, so an operator may charge less. They apply to rank and hail trips, and the page says booked trips are generally not covered by them, apart from specific exceptions for Taxi Subsidy Scheme members and wheelchair users. And high-occupancy and premium fares must not be charged on rank or hail trips.

At Brisbane Airport

Brisbane Airport's transport options page says a $4.86 fee is added to taxi and rideshare fares collected at the airport, and that tolls are extra and paid by the passenger. It names 13cabs and Black & White Cabs at the ranks, and it publishes one taxi estimate: $67 to $82 one way to Brisbane City. For longer trips it points to the 13cabs fare estimator.

At Gold Coast Airport

Gold Coast Airport's transport options page places the taxi rank at the southern end of the terminal and lists 13 Cabs and Black and White Cabs. It does not publish taxi fares, and it does not list a pick-up fee for taxis or rideshare, so we have not included one in the figures below.

The main routes, side by side

For each route, our column is the fixed fare. The taxi column is simple arithmetic using the official maximum rates: weekday daytime flagfall plus our route distance at $2.77 a kilometre, plus the $4.86 fee where the trip starts at Brisbane Airport. It is not a quote. It leaves out waiting time in traffic, tolls and any difference in the route the driver takes, all of which add to a real meter.

A reality check on that arithmetic

The first row shows why the taxi column is a floor, not a forecast. Distance and flagfall alone come to $48.12 for the 16 km city run, or $52.98 with the airport fee. Brisbane Airport's own published estimate for a taxi to the city is $67 to $82. The difference is waiting time in traffic, tolls and route, which the simple sum leaves out. Expect a real meter on the longer routes to land above the figures in the table too, by an amount nobody can publish in advance.

What the comparison shows

• Short trips favour the taxi. For Brisbane City to the airport or Gold Coast Airport to Burleigh, the meter will usually come in well under our fare, even after traffic. If cost is the only thing that matters and you are not carrying child seats, a taxi from the rank is the cheaper choice.
• Long trips narrow the gap. On Brisbane Airport to Surfers Paradise or Coolangatta, the distance and flagfall alone already sit above our sedan fare, before any waiting time, tolls or night flagfall.
• Vans change the sum for groups. Our van fare is one price for up to 7 passengers. A group too large for one car would need two taxis, each with its own meter and fees.

Route pages give the full fare list in both directions: Brisbane Airport to Gold Coast transfer, private transfer Brisbane to Gold Coast, Gold Coast Airport to Surfers Paradise transfer, Burleigh Heads to Gold Coast Airport and Brisbane to Noosa private transfer. Every route is on our private transfer prices page.

Where there is no public taxi figure

Some of our busiest routes cross into New South Wales, or have no published fare from anyone except us. For these, we will not guess.

To price these by taxi, Brisbane Airport points to the 13cabs fare estimator. For rideshare, it points to the Uber fare estimator or your own app. Run them for the actual day and time you are travelling. Our own guides compare all the ways south: Gold Coast Airport to Byron Bay: options compared and Brisbane to Byron Bay: options compared. Fares are on Gold Coast Airport to Byron Bay transfer, Gold Coast to Byron Bay transfer and private transfers Brisbane to Byron Bay.

Rideshare: why we cannot put a number on it

Uber, DiDi and other rideshare apps quote a price at the moment you request the ride, and that price moves with demand. We found no published fixed fare from any of them between, say, Brisbane Airport and Surfers Paradise; Brisbane Airport itself sends travellers to the app or Uber's estimator. Any figure in a blog post would be out of date by the time you read it, so we have left rideshare out of the fare tables.

What is published is the airport fee. Brisbane Airport adds $4.86 to rideshare trips that start there, the same as for taxis. If you want to compare, open your app a few days ahead at the same time of day as your trip, then again on the day, and set that against a fixed fare that does not change.

The cost per person

A fixed per-vehicle price gets cheaper per head as the group grows. Here is Brisbane Airport to Surfers Paradise, split across a party.

For a solo traveller with a light bag, the train is the budget answer: Brisbane Airport lists the Airtrain at $23.80 for an adult to South East Queensland stations outside the city, and $23.30 to Brisbane City stations. Our full comparison of the train, shuttle, taxi and private options is in Brisbane Airport to the Gold Coast: every option compared. Bigger parties should read when one van beats two cars and group transfers Gold Coast and Brisbane.

At Gold Coast Airport, the public bus is the low-cost option. The airport's transport page lists Translink routes 777 to Burleigh Heads and 760 to Varsity Lakes and Robina, and Translink states a 50 cent flat fare across all its services, though Airtrain fares are charged separately.

What the price does not show

Cost is one column. A few others often decide it.

• Certainty. A fixed fare is known before you fly. A meter is known when you arrive, and a rideshare price is known when you request it.
• Child seats. With us you add rear-facing, forward-facing or booster seats by quantity at booking. Rules on seats in taxis and rideshare differ by state; see child seat rules in Queensland and NSW.
• Luggage. Our sedan takes 2 bags and our vans 5. Our private transfer vehicles page shows which fits your party.
• Pre-booking for flights. We ask for your flight number when you book an airport pickup. Arrivals at either airport are covered on Gold Coast Airport transfers and Brisbane Airport private transfers.
• Days out. For the theme parks, the trip is short and a taxi or bus can be cheaper; our Gold Coast theme park transfers page and the guide to Gold Coast theme parks without a car lay out both.
• Work trips. Fixed fares make expense claims simple; see corporate transfers Gold Coast and Brisbane.

If you are getting around the coast between suburbs, our Gold Coast suburb transfers page lists the shorter runs, and the private transfers Brisbane to Sunshine Coast page covers the northern trips.

Frequently asked questions

More about booking is on our private transfer questions page.

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