Land. Walk out.
The fare hasn’t moved.
Melbourne Airport sits about 23 kilometres north-west of the CBD — roughly 25 to 30 minutes on a clear run, longer in peak. Your fare is agreed before you book and does not change while you sit in it.
Already booked? Manage it here.
Tolls in. Access fee in.
Unchanged by traffic or time of day.
4
terminals
covered
A pre-booked ME CABS transfer between Melbourne Airport and the CBD is a fixed-fare trip of roughly 23 km, typically 25 to 30 minutes outside peak — quoted before you book, tolls and the airport access fee included.
Everyone books an airport transfer for the same reason: the trip has a deadline attached to it, and the deadline belongs to someone else. A plane leaves at a set time. A relative lands at a set time. Missing it costs more than the fare ever did. That is the whole job of this page — not to sell you a taxi, but to remove the part of the trip you would otherwise spend worrying about.
Where you meet your driver, terminal by terminal.
Melbourne Airport has four terminals under one connected roof: T1 (Qantas domestic), T2 (international, including Qantas international), T3 (Virgin Australia) and T4 (Jetstar, Rex and Link Airways). Your ME CABS driver sends the exact meeting point by message once your flight lands, matched to the terminal you actually arrived at.
- T1
- Qantas and QantasLink domesticPublic pickup zone near the Parkroyal Hotel — look for the 1A or 1B signs.
- T2
- All international arrivals and departures, plus Qantas internationalPublic pickup zone near the Parkroyal Hotel — look for the 1A or 1B signs. Longest clearance time before you appear.
- T3
- Virgin Australia domestic and some regional servicesPublic pickup zone near the Parkroyal Hotel — look for the 1A or 1B signs. Connected to T1 and T2 along the same curve.
- T4
- Jetstar, Rex and Link AirwaysSeparate building with its own Transport Hub. Level 1 public pickup — take the lift up and follow the signs to the T4 pickup bay.
All four are walkable along one curve, and a free terminal transfer bus runs 24 hours, roughly every 15 minutes, from outside each arrivals exit.
Only use official transport
Melbourne Airport advises against accepting a ride offered anywhere other than a designated rank or an arranged booking. Touting is a live problem at MEL. A pre-booked car sidesteps it — you are not choosing a stranger in a terminal, you are meeting a driver assigned to you before you took off.
A booked car and a rank car do not take the same road in.
This is the mechanic almost nobody publishes, and it is the whole reason one car is waiting when you walk out and the other is not.
Rank taxi
Must first enter the airport’s Primary Holding Area on Airport Drive and queue its way through. The wait is the system working as designed, not a bad day.
Pre-booked with us
Uses a separate designated area at the northern end of the At-Terminal T123 car park, entered with a valid airport eTag. No queue to join, because it was never in one.
Which matters most at 1am. A late arrival into a thinning forecourt is the moment travellers feel most exposed — and your car was already assigned before you took off.
What happens when the plane is late.
A transfer booked for 9:15pm against a flight that lands at 11:40pm is not a transfer — it is a car that left. Giving us the flight number attaches the booking to the aircraft rather than to a time you guessed weeks ago.
Give us your flight number at booking and we track the flight, not the clock. If your aircraft lands two hours late, the pickup time moves with it. You are not charged for the delay and you do not need to call from the air to rearrange anything.
What we do without being asked
Watch the arrival status from the scheduled time, and adjust the driver's dispatch to the actual landing.
Allow for the walk out. Domestic arrivals move fast. International arrivals do not — immigration, baggage and customs sit between wheels-down and the kerb, and on a busy evening that is a serious block of time.
Hold the vehicle class. A delay does not downgrade you into whatever is free. If you booked a group vehicle, a group vehicle is what turns up.
Message you the meeting point after landing, so the instruction reaches you when your phone comes off flight mode.
The airport is changing — and most guides have not caught up.
From late 2026, Melbourne Airport opens a new T123 Transport Hub with free pick-up and drop-off zones for Terminal 1, 2 and 3 passengers, reached by a dedicated exit off the Tullamarine Freeway. Taxis and rideshare drop off at the new Level 3 zone and continue to pick up from the ground-level forecourt. Terminal 4 is unchanged.
- $4.5b
- International terminal expansionCommitted.
- 2031
- Third runwayMain construction under way.
- 2033
- Airport railPlanned, not built. There is still no train.
Every fact here is Melbourne Airport’s published information as at August 2026. Because the airport is mid-project, this section is reviewed on a schedule and updated the week the hub opens.
What changes, and when
- New drop-off zone
- T123 Transport Hub, Level 3. Six lanes, 74 spaces, free to use.
- New pick-up zone
- T123 Transport Hub, rear of Level 2. 100 spaces, roughly double the current capacity. Free to use.
- Taxis and rideshare
- Drop off at the new Level 3 zone; pick up stays on the ground-level forecourt.
- The old forecourt
- The current drop-off area closes on completion. Pick-up shrinks and is kept for bus, taxi and rideshare.
- Terminal 4
- Unchanged. Pick-up Level 1, drop-off Level 2, taxis and rideshare at ground level.
- A free wait zone
- Mercer Drive, off the freeway. Free for the first 60 minutes, five minutes from the new pick-up zone.
What it means if you have booked with us
Nothing, on your side. We send you the current meeting point on the day — the instruction in your message is the one to trust.
Fixed, tolls in, access fee in.
Your ME CABS airport fare is fixed at the time of booking and includes tolls and the airport access fee. It does not rise with traffic, time of day, demand, or how long the trip actually takes.
- Card on the day or in advance
- Cabcharge accepted
- MPTP for eligible members
- Cash with the driver
Included in your quote
- Tolls
- The direct route to Tullamarine runs through the CityLink section of the Tullamarine Freeway. Tolls are in your quote, not added afterwards.
- Airport access fee
- Melbourne Airport charges commercial vehicles an access fee to collect passengers. Ours is inside the quoted fare.
- Traffic
- A meter charges you for time as well as distance. A jam near the Bolte Bridge costs a metered passenger money. It costs you nothing.
- Time of day
- A 4am pickup and a 4pm pickup are priced by the trip, not by the hour or by how many people want a car at once.
Matched to your bags, not just your headcount.
You choose the tier at booking, and the tier you book is the tier that arrives — a delay does not downgrade you into whatever happens to be free.
Flex
The standard airport run, and the default for most bookings. The right tier when neither the seats nor the boot is the constraint.
Plus
More room for people and bags. The right call when the boot is the constraint, not the seats.
Group
Maxi capacity. One vehicle for a family, a team or a group with a full luggage load.
Mobility
Wheelchair-accessible vehicles for passengers who need them. MPTP accepted.
We lead with the category rather than a guaranteed model. Booking a tier tells us what the trip actually needs — how many seats, how much boot, whether the vehicle has to be accessible — and that is what gets allocated against your flight.
The questions people actually type.
Still have one? Call our Melbourne team on 1300 012 018, 24 hours.
How far is Melbourne Airport from the CBD?
About 23 kilometres north-west, typically 25 to 30 minutes by road outside peak. In heavy traffic it can stretch to an hour, which is why we set your pickup time against your flight rather than against the distance.
How much is a taxi from Melbourne Airport to the city?
With ME CABS it is a fixed fare, quoted before you book and inclusive of tolls and the airport access fee. Enter your pickup address for a live quote. A metered fare, by contrast, is only known once you arrive.
Where do I meet my driver at Melbourne Airport?
Your driver messages you the meeting point once your flight lands, matched to the terminal your aircraft actually parked at. The instruction you receive on the day is always the one to follow — the airport's layout is changing through late 2026.
What happens if my flight is delayed?
Nothing you need to do. We track your flight number and move the pickup to the actual landing time. You do not need to call from the air to rearrange anything.
Which terminal do I need?
T1 is Qantas domestic, T2 is international including Qantas international, T3 is Virgin Australia, and T4 is Jetstar, Rex and Link Airways. Check your booking confirmation or your airline's app if you are unsure — Qantas and Jetstar both split across two terminals.
Is there a train to Melbourne Airport?
No. As at 2026 there is no rail link to Melbourne Airport. A station is planned as part of the Melbourne Airport Rail project and is currently expected around 2033. Until then, every trip to and from the terminals is a road trip.
Is the pick-up area at Melbourne Airport changing?
Yes. From late 2026 the airport opens a new T123 Transport Hub with free pick-up on Level 2 and free drop-off on Level 3 for Terminal 1, 2 and 3 passengers, reached by a dedicated exit from the Tullamarine Freeway. Taxis and rideshare will drop off at the new Level 3 zone and keep picking up from the ground-level forecourt. Terminal 4 is unchanged.
Do you wait if I am held up in customs?
Yes. We allow for the clearance rather than the landing time, because immigration, baggage and customs all sit between wheels-down and the kerb. Call us on 1300 012 018 if you would like the waiting terms confirmed for your specific booking.
Can you take a large group and all our luggage?
Yes. Group vehicles carry a family or team with a full luggage load in one vehicle at one fixed fare. Book ahead, particularly for holidays and weekends — maxi capacity is finite.
Do you do very early morning airport pickups?
Yes, 24 hours. Pre-dawn departures are booked in advance at the same fixed fare, with a driver allocated to your booking rather than found on the night.
Do you take Cabcharge or MPTP?
Yes to both. Cabcharge is accepted including on business airport transfers, and MPTP is accepted for eligible members.
Do you have wheelchair-accessible vehicles?
Yes. Mobility vehicles are available for airport transfers — tell us what assistance is needed at booking so we allocate the right vehicle and the right amount of time. Melbourne Airport also runs a free assistance service inside the terminals.
Can you take me from the airport to regional Victoria?
Yes. Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, the Mornington Peninsula, Phillip Island, the Dandenong Ranges and longer runs are all available on a fixed-fare basis, booked ahead.
Do you cover Avalon Airport as well?
Yes, on the same fixed-fare basis — including airport-to-airport transfers when an itinerary uses both.