London Luton pick-up points: taxi, Uber, DART and friends
Luton has one terminal, and almost everything leaves from right outside it: the Luton DART to the railway, the coaches and the black cab rank. The exception is cars. Pre-booked taxis and friends collect from the Pick Up Zone, a five-minute walk away through a tunnel, or from the Long Stay car park by free bus. Here is each pick-up point as the airport and the operators describe it, with what it costs.
The 30-second version
The Luton DART leaves from the terminal entrance for Luton Airport Parkway station in under four minutes, 24 hours a day, and coaches leave from the bus station just outside. Black cabs wait at the rank just beyond Bus Bay A, metered and with a marshal. Pre-booked taxis and friends collect from the Pick Up Zone, 260 metres from the terminal through a tunnel, at £9 for up to 12 minutes. The free option is the Long Stay car park, two hours free, ten minutes by free shuttle bus from Bus Bay B.
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Main terminal
- Train
The Luton DART station at the terminal entrance
Follow the signs for the Luton DART from arrivals. The driverless shuttle takes under four minutes to Luton Airport Parkway, for Thameslink and the Luton Airport Express, and runs 24 hours: every 5 minutes at peak, every 8 off-peak and every 15 between 22:00 and 04:00. It costs £4.90 on its own, or nothing extra on a rail ticket to Luton Airport (LUA).
- Taxi
The Hackney carriage taxi rank, just beyond Bus Bay A, close to the terminal
Follow the signs for the taxi rank from arrivals and join the line; a marshal directs you to the next cab. These are licensed, metered black cabs, available 24 hours, wheelchair accessible and taking all major credit cards. The airport suggests them for groups heading to St Pancras or Euston, with room for up to six passengers to share the fare.
- Pre-booked driver
The Pick Up Zone (also the Drop Off Zone), a five-minute, 260-metre walk from the terminal
Follow the signs for the terminal's Pick Up Zone, through the tunnel under the road; the route is mostly flat. Your driver pays £9 for up to 12 minutes there and is likely to add it to the fare, so check when you book and give them your flight number. The zone has two entrances, so tell your driver which side you are walking to.
- Uber and ride apps
The pick-up zone shown in your app
Uber's instructions to drivers are to wait off the airport, at the Long Term Car Park or Luton Retail Park on Gipsy Lane, and drive to the pick-up zone once a trip is confirmed. Request the car when you have your bags and follow the meeting point the app gives you.
- Friends collecting you
The Pick Up (and Drop Off) Zone, postcode LU2 9QT; ignore the satnav at the roundabout before the tunnel and follow the signs
For friends and family. £9 for up to 12 minutes and £1 a minute after that, with a 30-minute maximum. Cameras record the number plate and the driver pays online by midnight the next day; there is no barrier and no pay machine. The zone is on the ground floor of Terminal Car Park 2.
- Friends collecting you
Long Stay Car Park, postcode LU2 9NW
The free option: up to two hours free, then £7 for three hours. The driver waits in the car park, and you take the free shuttle bus from Bus Bay B outside the terminal, about ten minutes, running every 20 minutes, 24 hours a day.
- Bus
The airport bus station, a short walk from the terminal
National Express runs the A1, A2 and A31 to London 24 hours a day, three an hour by day and every 30 minutes overnight, and Green Line's 757 runs to Marble Arch and Victoria every 30 minutes by day and hourly at night. The fastest coaches reach central London in about 50 minutes.
- Car hire
The Car Hire Centre, President Way (LU2 9NL), reached by free shuttle bus from Bay C
Avis, Budget, Enterprise, Europcar, National and Alamo share the centre. Desks close in the evening and earlier at weekends, so check your company's hours if you land late.
Being picked up by a friend: where to wait and what it costs
In the Long Stay car park. The airport gives two hours free there, enough to cover a delay, and your passenger rides the free shuttle bus from Bus Bay B, about ten minutes, every 20 minutes around the clock. Stay longer than two hours and it is £7 for three, paid at a machine before you leave.
The closest option is the Pick Up Zone, a five-minute walk from the terminal: £9 for up to 12 minutes, then £1 a minute to a 30-minute maximum, paid online by midnight the next day. Wait for the message that your passenger has their bags before you drive in. For a longer wait close by, Terminal Car Park 1 is a four-minute walk over a link bridge, at £15 for up to 30 minutes.
- Pick Up Zone, up to 12 min
- £9
- After 12 min
- £1 a minute, 30 min maximum
- Long Stay, up to 2 hours
- Free
- Terminal Car Park 1, up to 30 min
- £15
Overstaying and penalties
Yes, the same zone serves both, at £9 for up to 12 minutes and £1 a minute after that. Stay past 30 minutes and the airport issues a £95 enforcement charge, reduced to £55 if paid within 14 days; a car left unattended is towed. Taxi drivers can drop you free in the Long Stay car park instead, with two hours to leave before they are charged.
Meeting a pre-booked driver
Pre-booked taxis wait in the Pick Up Zone or at a meeting point you agree. Luton is outside London's taxi meter, so the price you agreed when booking is the price, though the driver is likely to have built in the zone charge. Walk out through the terminal, follow the Pick Up Zone signs and take the tunnel under the road; it is 260 metres and about five minutes, mostly flat.
Late at night
Luton keeps moving all night. The DART runs 24 hours, every 15 minutes between 22:00 and 04:00, and Thameslink trains run through the night from Luton Airport Parkway. National Express coaches leave every 30 minutes overnight, the Long Stay shuttle bus runs around the clock and the black cab rank is staffed by licensed cabs 24 hours. The airport's wifi is free and unlimited, so messaging a driver from reclaim is easy.
Accessible pick-up
Blue Badge holders get no concession in the Pick Up Zone, so the airport recommends Terminal Car Park 1 or 2 instead: 30 minutes free with a validated ticket, then reduced rates, £7.50 up to an hour. Terminal Car Park 1 has 82 Blue Badge bays on levels 0 and 1, a short walk from the terminal; the Long Stay car park has 113 by bus stop 7, served by fully accessible shuttle buses every 20 minutes. The Hackney carriages at the rank are fully accessible, and the Mid Stay car park has no bus, so avoid it if walking is hard.
Questions people ask
Good questions about London Luton
Where do taxis pick up at Luton Airport?
Black cabs wait at the Hackney carriage rank just beyond Bus Bay A, close to the terminal. Pre-booked taxis collect from the Pick Up Zone, a five-minute walk through the tunnel.
Where do Ubers pick up at Luton Airport?
At the pick-up zone your app shows. Uber drivers wait off the airport until your trip is confirmed, so book once you have your bags.
How much is the pick-up charge at Luton Airport?
£9 for up to 12 minutes in the Pick Up Zone, then £1 a minute, with a 30-minute maximum, paid online by midnight the next day.
Can I pick someone up at Luton for free?
Yes, in the Long Stay car park, free for up to two hours. Your passenger takes the free shuttle bus from Bus Bay B, about ten minutes.
How far is the Pick Up Zone from the terminal at Luton?
About 260 metres, a five-minute walk through a tunnel under the road, mostly flat.
Where does the Luton DART leave from?
From the terminal entrance. It takes under four minutes to Luton Airport Parkway and runs 24 hours a day.
Do Blue Badge holders pay to pick up at Luton?
Yes, in the Pick Up Zone. Terminal Car Parks 1 and 2 give Blue Badge holders 30 minutes free with a validated ticket.
Image credits: Peter Richardson (CC BY-SA 2.0)