Airport transfer or taxi: which should you take?

What is the difference between a transfer and a taxi?

A taxi waits at a rank or answers a phone or app order, and its fare comes from the local tariff. A pre-booked transfer is arranged before you travel: you say where and when, you see the price, and one car is assigned to that trip.

In Germany the two are separate under the Passenger Transport Act. A taxi may stand at a rank and take whoever gets in. A private hire car, the usual legal form of a transfer or chauffeur service, may only carry bookings that reached the operator's base first, and it has to return there after each trip unless a new booking comes in. That is why you cannot hail a transfer at the kerb, and why it is requested before you land.

In Denmark one permit now covers all commercial passenger transport, taxi and chauffeur driving included, and a nationwide price ceiling applies to taxi trips. For you, the practical difference is the same as in Germany: a taxi is there when you arrive, and a transfer is arranged before you set off.

How are taxi fares set?

A German taxi driver does not set the fare. Each state, or the city it delegates to, sets the tariff by ordinance under § 51 of the Passenger Transport Act. The same section lets the authority allow set prices for trips ordered in advance, or a range within which a price is agreed before the ride starts.

Cities use that rule in different ways. In Munich you can only agree a set taxi price when you order ahead by phone or app; a taxi taken at a rank or stopped in the street runs on the meter. In Berlin the tariff adds €1.50 to every trip that starts at BER, and the city's own visitor portal puts the fare from Alexanderplatz to the airport at about €58.

In Copenhagen, the official visitor guide gives about DKK 250 to 400 for a taxi from the airport to the city centre, depending on traffic. The same trip on Metro line M2 takes about 15 minutes to Nørreport and costs DKK 30. The Berlin, Munich and Copenhagen pages set the taxi beside the train and a private transfer from each airport.

When is a taxi the better choice?

A taxi is often the simpler answer. It suits you when:

• your hotel is close to the airport and you travel with one or two bags;
• your plans may change, for example on a working day that could run late;
• you land in the daytime at a terminal with a staffed rank and a short queue;
• you are happy to pay what the meter shows at the end.

Use the official rank outside arrivals, and turn down offers from people inside the terminal. In German cities the meter fare is the regulated price, and you can ask for a receipt for your expenses.

When is a pre-booked transfer the better choice?

A transfer earns its place when the ride is long, the group is large or the timing matters. It suits you when:

• you land late at night or very early, when trains run less often; at Munich Airport, for example, the S8 runs only every 40 minutes between about 1 a.m. and 4 a.m.;
• you travel as a family or a group, with more luggage than one taxi boot takes;
• your address is outside the city, so a metered fare would be long and hard to predict;
• you have a meeting, an event or a connection, and want the ride agreed before you fly;
• you want to know the price for the car before you commit.

With Reserviox, the airport transfer and chauffeur booking service in Europe and the UAE, you send one request with the route, date, time, passengers and suitcases. You approve the price first, nothing is booked until you agree, and a local transport operator drives.

What about the train or metro?

For one traveller with light luggage, rail is usually the cheapest way into the city. At Munich Airport the S1 and S8 reach the main station in about 40 minutes, with a train about every 10 minutes during the day. In Copenhagen the metro reaches the centre in about 15 minutes.

Rail stops being the obvious choice when you change trains with heavy bags, travel as four or more, or land after the last convenient service. Then compare the fares for the whole group, plus the last leg from the station to your door, with the price of one car that takes you all the way.

How do you compare the cost fairly?

Compare the whole trip, not the headline number.

1. Add up the rail fare for everyone in your group, then add the taxi or the walk from the station to your door.
2. For a taxi, take the official estimate for your route and add the airport surcharge where there is one, such as the €1.50 on trips from BER.
3. For a transfer, ask what the quote includes: waiting if your flight is late, tolls or bridges on the route, and any night surcharge.
4. Put the three totals side by side for your group and your arrival time.

A taxi fare depends on traffic and on the route the driver takes. A transfer quote is for the car, and you approve it before anything is booked, so you know the figure you are planning with before you leave home.

What should you check before you book?

Whichever you choose, a few checks prevent surprises on arrival:

• where exactly you meet the driver, or where the taxi rank is, at your terminal;
• what happens if your flight is late, and how long the driver waits;
• whether the car takes your group and your luggage, including a pram, skis or sports bags;
• whether you need a child seat, and whether one can be provided;
• how you pay, and whether you need a receipt in your company's name.

A transfer request lets you settle these points before you travel. With a taxi, you settle them at the rank.