The vast majority of passengers choose taxis to get to Phoenix because of the short distance and therefore lower cost.

The terminals are served by the PHX Sky Train, which takes you to the city's light rail and public bus stations.

Taxi, Uber, Lyft

You'll find taxi stands and ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft outside both terminals on the arrivals level.

Normal taxi fares from PHX are as follows:

• Phoenix Center - USD 15
• Mesa - USD 23
• Phoenix-Mesa Airport - 52 USD
• Phoenix Zoo - 17 USD

Rent a car

Traveling by car outside of cities is the only practical transportation option in Arizona and surrounding states. Even large cities prefer automobile transportation entirely.

Rates for weekly rentals range from 250 usd to 350 usd, depending on the season, yet many car rental companies charge no fee for returning it to another location, such as Las Vegas.

• Compare prices - book a car at PHX

Car rental companies are located about 5 miles west of the airport campus in a separate large building. From both terminals, the rentals are a free 7-minute ride on the automated PHX Sky Train. Hours of operation are 24/7 and frequency is 3-5 minutes.

Valley Metro Rail

Public transportation in downtown Phoenix is provided by a combination of the automated "PHX Sky Train" to the "44th Street" train station (10 minutes) and then the Valley Metro Rail rapid transit (20 minutes).

The automated PHX Sky Train runs 24 hours a day at 3-5 minute intervals and transportation is free.

The tram, known locally as the "subway", runs about once every 15 minutes (every 20 minutes on Sundays) from about 5:30am to 11:45pm. The tram/metro also runs to downtown Mesa.

• Ride time Phoenix Central - 18 minutes
• First streetcar from downtown (Van Buren) - 5:38 a.m.
• Last streetcar from 44th Street - 11:56 p.m. to Mesa; 11:49 p.m. to Phoenix

Detailed schedules can be found on the website: valleymetro.org/maps-schedules/RAIL

Tickets can be purchased from the ticket machine at the metro station (card and cash payments are available).

• 2 USD - 1 ride
• 4 USD - all day for metro and buses in Phoenix (valid on calendar day only)
• Current ticket prices: valleymetro.org/fares

Buses

Several city buses also run from stops near the "44th Street" streetcar station.

Ticket prices are the same as streetcar/metro. Click on the line number to view schedules and a map.

• Line 1 - runs along Washington Street virtually parallel to the streetcar into downtown Phoenix
• Line 32 - runs north-south through the eastern suburbs of Phoenix
• Line 44 - goes to the north end of Phoenix