Gatwick pick-up points: where to meet your ride, North and South
Gatwick keeps its kerbs for drop-offs and coaches. Friends collect you from the Short Stay car parks or the Express Pick-Up bays inside them, app cars meet you in a car park, and the official taxi firm has a desk in each terminal. The two terminals are a two-minute shuttle apart, but a long way apart by road, so tell whoever is collecting you which one you land at. Here is where each kind of ride meets you, as Gatwick and the operators describe it.
The 30-second version
Airport Cars Gatwick, the official taxi firm, has desks and cars at both terminals. Uber collects in a car park: at the South Terminal, Level 3 of the Orange Car Park. A friend should use the Express Pick-Up bays (North: Car Park 6, Level 4; South: Car Park 3, ground floor) at Short Stay rates from £8, or the Long Stay car parks, free for two hours with a shuttle bus.
Have a driver waiting
Booked with
A driver meets you in arrivals with your name on a sign, at a fixed price agreed when you book. Booked and paid with Welcome Pickups through our partner Travelpayouts; we may earn a commission.
North Terminal
- Taxi
Airport Cars Gatwick booking desk, North Terminal arrivals; cars outside the terminal
Gatwick's official private hire firm. Book at the desk or in advance at a fixed rate; pay by card or cash. Other firms serve the airport too, but you need to book them yourself.
- Uber and ride apps
As directed in the app
Uber publishes step-by-step directions only for the South Terminal; at the North Terminal, request once you have your bags and follow the app.
- Pre-booked driver
The arrivals hall
A pre-booked driver meets you inside arrivals. Make sure they know you are landing at the North Terminal.
- Friends collecting you
Express Pick-Up bays, Car Park 6, Level 4 (Short Stay)
Your friend pulls into a bay and stays with the car, and you walk to them; charged at Short Stay rates, from £8 for up to 30 minutes. To meet you inside arrivals, they park in Short Stay Car Park 5 or 6, about a four-minute covered walk.
- Friends collecting you
Long Stay car park, by free shuttle bus
Up to two hours free. Shuttles run 24 hours, about every 10–12 minutes, taking 10–12 minutes to the North Terminal.
- Coach
Stops 4 and 5, lower level outside International Arrivals
National Express, with its ticket office inside the International Arrivals hall. Flixbus also serves both terminals.
- Bus
Stops 9 and 9a on Furlong Way, about five minutes' walk from arrivals
Metrobus local services, single fares capped at £3; some routes call only at the South Terminal.
- Hotel shuttle
Stop 11 on Furlong Way, about five minutes' walk from arrivals
Gatwick Hoppa and United shuttles to the airport hotels, 24 hours. Anyone can ride; pay the driver.
- Train
Gatwick Airport station, at the South Terminal, by the free inter-terminal shuttle
The shuttle leaves from the upper level, runs 24 hours, every few minutes, and takes two minutes. At the South Terminal, the shuttle stops near the railway station.
- Car hire
On-airport car hire, a short walk from the terminal
Alamo, Avis, Budget, Enterprise, Europcar, Hertz and National all operate at both terminals, with after-hours returns.
South Terminal
- Taxi
Airport Cars Gatwick booking desk, South Terminal arrivals; cars outside the terminal
Follow the signs to the exit; the taxi counter is just before the terminal doors.
- Uber and ride apps
Level 3, Orange Car Park, inside Short Stay & Express Pick Up
Uber's directions: from baggage reclaim follow signs for the airport exit, keeping right, then Exit and All Car Parks; walk through the pedestrian tunnel (a good point to request), turn right at the taxi counter to leave the terminal, go left towards Short Stay & Express Pick Up, follow signs to the Orange Car Park and take the lifts to Level 3.
- Pre-booked driver
The arrivals hall
A pre-booked driver meets you inside arrivals with your name. Give them your flight number so they track a delay.
- Friends collecting you
Express Pick-Up bays, Car Park 3, Level 0 (ground floor, Short Stay)
Charged at Short Stay rates, from £8 for up to 30 minutes; the driver must stay with the car. Short Stay Car Parks 1, 2 and 3 are about four minutes' walk from the terminal for meeting inside.
- Friends collecting you
Long Stay car park, by free shuttle bus
Up to two hours free. Shuttles run 24 hours, about every 10–12 minutes, taking 5–10 minutes to the South Terminal.
- Coach
Stops 1 to 5, lower forecourt
National Express, with ticket offices in the International Arrivals hall and on the lower forecourt; escalators, lifts and travelators connect the forecourt and the terminal.
- Bus
Stops on either side of the A23
Northbound stops (Redhill, Horley) by lift from South Terminal arrivals; southbound stops from the inter-terminal shuttle station near the railway station. Metrobus fares are capped at £3.
- Hotel shuttle
Stop 9 on the lower forecourt (Level 0), about five minutes' walk from arrivals
Gatwick Hoppa and United hotel shuttles, 24 hours.
- Train
Gatwick Airport station, about five minutes' walk from arrivals
Gatwick Express to Victoria, Southern, Thameslink and GWR. Tap in with contactless or Oyster for London; buy a ticket for Brighton or anywhere south. The station is step-free and staffed around the clock.
- Car hire
On-airport car hire, a short walk from the terminal
The same seven firms as the North Terminal; opening hours vary by firm, between 06:00 and 23:00.
Being picked up by a friend: where to wait and what it costs
Yes: the Long Stay car parks are free for up to two hours, with a free shuttle bus to both terminals every 10–12 minutes, day and night. For a quick collection, the Express Pick-Up bays inside Short Stay cost from £8 for 30 minutes. For meeting inside arrivals, park in Short Stay, a four-minute covered walk; the Premium Short Stay areas, from £12, have same-level access to the terminal.
The drop-off zones on the forecourt are not for collecting passengers, and the Express Pick-Up bays are not for dropping off.
- Short Stay or Express Pick-Up, up to 30 min
- £8
- 31–60 min
- £14
- 1–2 hours
- £18
- Long Stay, up to 2 hours
- Free
The drop-off charge
Yes. The drop-off zones outside both terminals cost £10 for up to 10 minutes, then £1 a minute up to 20 minutes, with a maximum stay of 30 minutes. There are no barriers: pay online, by phone or by AutoPay by midnight the day after, or receive a £100 Parking Charge Notice, £60 if paid within 14 days. Taxis and private hire firms add the charge to your fare. Blue Badge holders are exempt once registered.
Meeting a pre-booked driver
Pre-booked drivers wait in Gatwick's private hire waiting area by the South Terminal, open 24 hours, until you land, then meet you in the arrivals hall. Airport Cars Gatwick can meet you with a name board on request; otherwise its passengers go to the booking desk in either terminal. On Uber Reserve, drivers wait up to 45 minutes after your landing for UberX before late fees apply.
Late at night
Gatwick never closes. The inter-terminal shuttle, the Long Stay buses and the Hoppa hotel shuttles all run 24 hours, the railway station is staffed around the clock, and most National Express services run through the night. Thameslink runs an hourly train through the night to Blackfriars, taking about 50 minutes.
Accessible pick-up
Book assistance through your airline at least 48 hours before you fly. For same-level access, park in Premium Short Stay: Level 3 of Car Park 5 at the North Terminal and Level 2 of Car Park 3 at the South. There are 18 Blue Badge bays in North Short Stay and 55 in South, Assisted Travel phones in the Short Stay car parks and by the Long Stay shuttle stops, and help points at bus stops and terminal entrances. The railway station is fully step-free.
Questions people ask
Good questions about London Gatwick
Where do Ubers pick up at Gatwick?
At the South Terminal, on Level 3 of the Orange Car Park, reached by following signs to Short Stay & Express Pick Up. At the North Terminal, follow the directions in the app.
Is there a drop-off charge at Gatwick?
Yes: £10 for up to 10 minutes, then £1 a minute to 20 minutes, paid by midnight the following day. Blue Badge holders are exempt, and Long Stay is free for two hours.
Where is the Express Pick-Up at Gatwick?
North Terminal: Car Park 6, Level 4. South Terminal: Car Park 3, ground floor. Both charge Short Stay rates, from £8 for 30 minutes.
Where is the taxi rank at Gatwick?
Airport Cars Gatwick, the official firm, has booking desks at both terminals and its cars outside them. At the South Terminal the taxi counter is beside the exit.
Where do I meet my driver at Gatwick?
In the arrivals hall of your terminal. Check which terminal you land at: North and South are two minutes apart on the shuttle but much further by road.
Can I be picked up at Gatwick for free?
Yes, from the Long Stay car parks, free for up to two hours, with free 24-hour shuttle buses to both terminals.
Image credits: Sunil060902 (CC BY-SA 4.0)