SYDNEY AIRPORT: Taxis to city a flat AU$60 fare – no more AU$100 surprises

We’ve all been there. You land, drag your suitcase out, hop into a cab, and before you hit the CBD, the meter’s already off to the races. Sometimes you’re out $100 for the very pedestrian 13-kilometre slog into town. And then they add all those extra fees.

Well, from 3 November 2025, a 12-month pilot will cap Sydney Airport-to-CBD taxi fares at a flat AU$60, inclusive of tolls and airport fees.

The new fare deal

• Standard taxi: $60 flat fare, end-to-end (Sydney Airport to CBD)
• Maxi Taxi (big van): $80 flat fare
• No separate tolls or access fees tacked on.

Why we care

Transparency, travel fairness—call it what you like, but it’s a long-overdue fix. Ride-share apps like Uber and DiDi have been lapping taxis thanks to their upfront pricing. Now, taxis might actually compete. Mind you, you still can’t guarantee that the taxi driver will know any more about the geography of Sydney than any share ride driver does. Those days are long gone!

What happens to ride-share and other destinations?

They will still price things dynamically, but at least you will still know how much it will be upfront, and your transaction will be processed before you get in.

For other destinations like the North Sydney, Parramatta, or Olympic Park, or closer in like Erskinville or Newtown, you will still be subject to meter-based trips.

The flat fee will bring Sydney into line with cities like London, New York, and Paris. They all have had flat airport fares for ages.

The Trial

It’s a one-year test program. If it doesn’t collapse the system, they might make it permanent. If it causes chaos… well, back to the meter games.

Price Battle: Taxi vs Uber vs DiDi (Airport → CBD)

Service	Typical Fare	Notes
New Flat-Rate Taxi	$60 (standard)	Toll + access fee included. Maxi Taxi = $80. No surge surprises.
Uber (e.g. UberX)	~$35 – $55	Pre-trip estimate in-app. Depends on time of day, demand, vehicle. Travel guides place it around $35–55.
DiDi	~$30 – $55	Same ballpark as Uber, again variable based on demand, time, etc.

What this table doesn’t show is what happens when surge pricing is in full swing, Uber/DiDi could edge closer to the taxi flat rate—$55 turning into $70 or more if you’re unlucky. Outside these peak demand times, ride-shares could save you $5–25 over the flat-rate taxi.

Maxi Taxi is available for those with extra luggage, multi-member families, or groups, and costs $80 for the trip. That might make a ride-share cheaper in those circumstances.

2PAXfly Takeout

I will probably continue to chop and change on using ride-shares and taxis from Sydney Airport, especially T3. My current practice is to catch an Uber there and a taxi back home. Although with the ride-share stand now side by side with the Taxi rank, the difference in convenience is much reduced.