Fixed fares to and from EMA with meet-and-greet, live flight tracking and a support team. Book in under a minute from anywhere in the East Midlands.
When you're flying in or out of East Midlands Airport, the last thing you want is a scramble for a ride at the kerbside or a surprise fare after a long flight. Sitting just off Junction 23A of the M1 between Nottingham, Derby and Leicester, EMA is one of the UK's busiest single-terminal airports — a big draw for Ryanair, Jet2 and TUI holiday flights and, on the freight side, home to DHL's East Midlands Hub, one of the largest air-cargo operations in Europe. CabsOn runs a dedicated East Midlands Airport taxi service around the clock, with fixed fares agreed at the point of booking, live flight tracking so drivers arrive when your plane actually lands, and a meet-and-greet option inside the terminal for passengers who'd rather not walk to the pick-up zone. Whether you're catching the early Ryanair flight to Alicante, connecting from a Jet2 return, or arriving off a late TUI charter, we can put a licensed driver on your kerb from Nottingham, Derby, Leicester, Loughborough, Long Eaton, Melton Mowbray, Coalville, Ashby-de-la-Zouch and villages across the Peak District. Every booking is confirmed by SMS and email, and you'll see the driver's location on the live map from the moment the job is accepted.
East Midlands Airport (IATA code: EMA) sits in Castle Donington, Leicestershire, roughly 15 miles from each of Nottingham, Derby and Leicester. Because the airport is almost equidistant from all three cities, the typical journey time by road is around 20 minutes from any of them in light traffic — usually 25 to 35 minutes in the morning peak. It's directly accessed from Junction 23A of the M1, with the A453 linking straight into Nottingham and the A50 running west to Derby, Stoke and the Potteries. Loughborough sits closer still, around 10 miles down the A6, and Leicester connects via the M1 or the A6 through Kegworth. For travellers coming from further afield — Birmingham, Sheffield, York, or the Peak District — the M1 and A50 make the airport reachable in around an hour.
EMA operates a single passenger terminal, which makes meet-and-greet very simple compared with larger hubs like Manchester or Heathrow. The short-stay drop-off zone sits directly outside Departures and is free for the first ten minutes; after that a charge applies, so most of our drivers hold in the free waiting area on Beverley Road until you text to say you're at the doors. For arrivals, drivers monitor your flight number on the airport's live feed and only start moving to the kerbside when you're ready to be collected — that avoids car park charges and means you're not paying for time your driver spent circling. If you've booked a meet-and-greet, your driver will wait inside the terminal near the arrivals gate holding a name board, help with bags to the vehicle, and the short-stay car park charge is included in the fixed fare.
As a rough guide, and outside peak traffic, here's what to allow for a taxi journey to and from East Midlands Airport:
Bank Holiday weekends and school-holiday getaway peaks — typically the last Friday of July and the Bank Holiday Mondays — can add 15-30 minutes to any of these journeys, so we recommend leaving a little earlier where possible.
We match the vehicle to the group and the amount of luggage, not the other way round. For a couple with two large cases plus hand luggage a saloon is usually enough, but families and groups almost always want the extra space of an estate or MPV, especially on holiday flights where the cases come home heavier than they went out.
Fares depend on distance, time of day and vehicle class, but the price is fixed at booking — no meters, no post-trip surprises. As a rough guide for a saloon at standard daytime rates, journeys typically fall in these bands (an online quote will confirm the exact price for your booking and postcode):
EMA is home to DHL's East Midlands Hub, one of the largest air-freight operations in Europe, along with UPS, Royal Mail and TNT/FedEx traffic that keeps the airport busy long after the last passenger flight has left. If you work on the cargo side of the airport, or need a taxi to any of the freight buildings off Beverley Road or Ambassador Road, just let us know at booking and we'll route the driver to the correct gate rather than the passenger terminal. Overnight shift-change pick-ups from Long Eaton, Kegworth and Castle Donington are a regular part of what we do.
Alongside the three big cities, our regular East Midlands Airport pick-ups include Beeston, West Bridgford, Arnold, Bulwell, Ilkeston, Long Eaton, Sandiacre, Belper, Ripley, Alfreton, Mansfield, Newark-on-Trent, Grantham, Melton Mowbray, Oakham, Uppingham, Coalville, Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Hinckley, Market Harborough, and villages across Charnwood Forest and the Vale of Belvoir. Longer runs into the Peak District — Matlock, Bakewell, Buxton, Ashbourne — are quoted per journey and are usually cheaper on a fixed-fare basis than the cost of parking your own car at the airport for a week.
EMA is a natural gateway not just to the three cities but to the Peak District National Park, Sherwood Forest, Rutland Water, the National Space Centre in Leicester, and the East Midlands' cluster of motorsport venues at Donington Park, Mallory Park and Bruntingthorpe. If you're arriving for an event or a break, mention it at booking — our drivers know the local shortcuts, and we can usually save you 10-15 minutes on getaway-day M1 traffic by taking the back road through Kegworth.
As a general rule, one large suitcase plus one piece of hand luggage per passenger fits comfortably in a saloon for up to two people. Three passengers travelling with a large case each are better served by an estate, and four or more travellers should book an MPV so no bags end up on laps. Golf clubs, prams, wheelchairs, ski bags, oversized musical instruments and bicycles are all fine — just flag them at booking so the driver arrives with a vehicle that has the boot space, or the roof rack where required.
We can supply infant carriers (0-12 months), toddler seats (9 months-4 years) and booster cushions (4-11 years) for £20 per seat on request. Please book child seats at least a few hours in advance — during peak school-holiday getaway periods we occasionally run out at short notice, and it's easier for both sides to confirm ahead than for the driver to have to swap car en route.
Payment is taken online when you book (card, Apple Pay or Google Pay) or billed monthly to a corporate account; we don't take cash. Business customers can settle on a corporate account with monthly invoicing — useful if you're moving colleagues to and from EMA on a regular basis, or booking crew transfers for the freight side of the airport. There is no separate fuel or airport-drop surcharge on top of the fixed fare shown at booking.
Our standard airport pick-up is a kerbside collection outside Arrivals in the short-stay drop-off zone, which is included in the quoted fare. If you'd prefer a meet-and-greet at the arrivals gate — with the driver waiting inside the terminal holding a name board and helping with your bags — you can add it at booking; the short-stay car park charge is included in that price. Meet-and-greet is particularly popular with older passengers, families with young children, and business travellers arriving late at night after a long flight.
Cancel more than 24 hours before pickup for a refund minus £7 or 10% of the fare, whichever is higher; within 24 hours of pickup there is no refund. If your inbound flight is delayed or diverted, there's nothing to do — our dispatch team tracks your flight number against the airport's live feed and adjusts the pick-up automatically at no extra cost, up to a full 24-hour delay window.
One-way fixed fares from East Midlands Airport to the cities our passengers travel to most, from our live price list.
| To | Distance | Drive time | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nottingham | 14.5 miles | about 28 minutes | £41 Saloon |
| Coventry | 40.7 miles | about 54 minutes | £75 Saloon |
| Birmingham | 40.6 miles | about 53 minutes | £75 Saloon |
Drive times are with clear roads; allow longer at rush hour. Larger vehicles (MPV, people carrier, 8-seater) are priced on the quote page. Airport pickups include 60 minutes' free waiting from landing.
Get an exact quotePickup time auto-adjusts to actual landing. No driver-side panic if your flight runs late.
Counted from when your flight actually lands, with airport parking included. Plenty of buffer for immigration, baggage claim and customs. After that, waiting is £9 per 15 minutes in a saloon.
The airport drop-off fee is included in the quote, not added at the kerb. So is any congestion or road charge on your route.
Driver waits at the terminal arrivals exit with a name board. Add it when you book; the price is shown in your quote.
Pay securely by card when you book. Corporate accounts get monthly invoicing with PO numbers and itemised receipts.
£20 per seat, fitted before pickup. Confirm the seat type at booking so we match the right vehicle.
A saloon transfer from Nottingham city centre to EMA typically costs between £30 and £45, depending on your exact pick-up postcode and whether you're travelling overnight or on a Bank Holiday. Enter your postcode on the booking page for an instant fixed fare.
Yes. Once we have your inbound flight number we track it against East Midlands Airport's live feed. If your flight is delayed or diverted your pick-up is automatically rescheduled at no extra charge, and the driver is only dispatched when you're ready to be collected.
The default is a kerbside collection outside Arrivals in the short-stay drop-off zone. If you'd rather have your driver wait inside the terminal holding a name board, add meet-and-greet at booking and the short-stay car park charge is included in the fare.
In light traffic Derby to East Midlands Airport takes around 20-25 minutes via the A50 and A453. Allow 30-40 minutes in the morning peak, and a little longer during Bank Holiday getaway weekends or the school-holiday Friday rush.
Payment is taken online when you book (card, Apple Pay or Google Pay) or billed monthly to a corporate account; we don't take cash. Business customers can also settle on a monthly corporate account with invoicing across all named travellers.
For a standard European flight we suggest arriving at the terminal about two hours before departure, so from Nottingham, Derby or Leicester allow a pick-up around three hours before scheduled take-off — a little more during school-holiday getaway peaks.
Yes. We support business accounts with named travellers, cost-centre tagging, and monthly invoicing — useful if you're moving colleagues to EMA regularly for meetings or flights out of the DHL East Midlands Hub on the freight side.
