Fixed fares, live driver tracking and 24/7 cover across Nottingham city centre, the suburbs and East Midlands Airport. Quote and book in under a minute.
Getting a taxi in Nottingham should be simple: you tap in a pickup, you see the fare before you commit, and a driver arrives when the app says they will. That is what CabsOn is built for. Whether you are heading to East Midlands Airport for a 6am flight, catching the Midland Main Line from Nottingham Station, or just crossing town from Lace Market to West Bridgford after a match at the City Ground, you can book with a fixed fare and watch the car approach in real time on the map.
Nottingham is a busy East Midlands city — roughly 340,000 residents, two large universities, a well-used tram network and a compact centre that fills up quickly on event nights. Traffic patterns around Trent Bridge, the Motorpoint Arena and Old Market Square are unforgiving during rush hour and match days, so we route around known congestion and keep pickup windows realistic rather than optimistic. Book minutes ahead for a local hop, or schedule an airport run days in advance and we will confirm your driver the night before.
The quickest way to book is through the CabsOn app or the online quote form. Enter your pickup postcode — a hotel on Maid Marian Way, a house in Sherwood, a lecture theatre on University Park — and where you are heading. The system returns a fixed fare based on distance and time of day, not a metered guess that changes if traffic stalls on the ring road. You confirm, and a driver is dispatched from the closest available vehicle. Pre-book at least three hours ahead, and allow extra time on Friday and Saturday evenings when the Lace Market and Hockley are busiest.
If you do not have the app, you can book on the web or on WhatsApp. Corporate customers with an account can raise a booking against a cost code and receive a consolidated monthly invoice rather than a shoebox of receipts.
Drivers know Nottingham the way local drivers should: not just the tourist stops, but the awkward one-way streets and the "where do I actually wait" question that catches visitors out.
East Midlands Airport (EMA) is the default airport for Nottingham. It sits just off the M1 near Castle Donington, and a taxi from Nottingham city centre is typically around 20 minutes off-peak — plan for 30-40 minutes during morning rush hour or if there is standing traffic on the M1 between J24 and J23A. Drivers include a short waiting allowance for flight tracking on inbound arrivals, and the meet-and-greet point at EMA is the short-stay car park opposite the terminal.
Birmingham Airport (BHX) is roughly an hour to an hour and a quarter down the M42, and a common choice when EMA does not have the route. Manchester Airport (MAN) is around 90 minutes to two hours via the M1 and A50 — worth remembering that Terminal 1 closed in 2024 as part of the Manchester Airport Transformation Programme, so all flights now depart from Terminal 2 or Terminal 3.
Nottingham Railway Station on Carrington Street is the main hub for East Midlands Railway services to London St Pancras (roughly 2 hours), plus CrossCountry links to Birmingham, Sheffield and Leeds. Taxi pickups run from the station forecourt off Queens Road.
Queens Medical Centre (QMC) on Derby Road is one of the largest teaching hospitals in Europe and shares a site with the University of Nottingham Medical School. Nottingham City Hospital on Hucknall Road covers many outpatient and cancer services. Both have clear taxi drop-off points and can be booked as fixed-fare journeys from anywhere in the city.
Two football grounds sit almost opposite each other across the Trent. The City Ground is home to Nottingham Forest, and Meadow Lane is home to Notts County — often cited as the oldest professional football club in the world. On match days the roads around Trent Bridge, Radcliffe Road and Meadow Lane fill up early and clear slowly, so we recommend booking a post-match taxi in advance and using pickup points a short walk from the ground — Loughborough Road for The City Ground, or Iremonger Road for Meadow Lane. Trent Bridge Cricket Ground on Fox Road runs the same pattern during Test matches and T20 fixtures.
CabsOn covers Nottingham city and the surrounding suburbs, including West Bridgford, Beeston, Wollaton, Sherwood, Mapperley, Arnold, Carlton, Bulwell, Bilborough, Clifton, Ruddington and Long Eaton. We also run cross-county routes to Derby (typically 25 minutes via the A52), Leicester (35-45 minutes via the M1), Loughborough, Mansfield and Newark. If you are travelling to or from a village outside the tram network — Keyworth, East Leake, Woodborough — book ahead so we can allocate the nearest driver rather than relying on a live rank.
Luggage. A saloon comfortably takes four passengers with cabin luggage or two passengers with two large cases. If you are heading to East Midlands Airport with a full family load, book an estate or MPV rather than hoping a saloon will swallow it — drivers will not overload the boot for safety reasons and we would rather resize the vehicle at booking than at the kerb.
Child seats. We can provide baby seats (0-12 months), toddler seats (9 months to 4 years) and booster seats (4-11 years) on request. Please add the seat type in the booking notes and confirm the child's approximate age so the driver brings the right seat. There is a small handling charge which will be shown before you confirm the fare. Payment methods. 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. Corporate account holders can raise bookings against a cost code and settle by monthly invoice.
Fares and quoting. Fares are fixed at the point of booking based on route and time of day. Fares are fixed when you book, with no night or peak surcharges; the only surcharge is 50% over Christmas and New Year. There is no meter that keeps running if traffic is heavy on the ring road — the fixed fare is the fare. Cancellation policy.
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 a flight is delayed we will not charge you extra — we track the flight number and re-time the pickup automatically. Please request one at booking and, where possible, give a couple of hours' notice so we can dispatch a suitable vehicle rather than the nearest driver. Assistance dogs travel with their owners at no extra charge on every booking, in line with the Equality Act.
Lost property. If you have left something in a vehicle, contact us as soon as possible with your booking reference and a description. Drivers are asked to check the cabin between fares, and recovered items are held at the depot for collection or return.
Fixed fares from Nottingham to the nearest airports, from our live price list — the price you see when you book is the price you pay.
| Airport | Distance | Drive time | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Midlands Airport | 15.1 miles | about 28 minutes | £42 Saloon |
| Birmingham Airport | 50.4 miles | about 1 hr 9 min | £88 Saloon |
| Manchester Airport | 90.4 miles | about 1 hr 53 min | £140 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.
Fixed fares from Nottingham city centre to East Midlands Airport typically fall in a similar band day to day, with a surcharge for late-night and early-morning journeys between roughly 11pm and 6am. You will see the exact fare before you confirm the booking — there is no meter running once the fare is set.
The journey is around 20 minutes off-peak via the M1 to J24, and 30-40 minutes during morning rush hour or with heavy traffic on the ring road. For an early flight we recommend booking a pickup that lands you at the terminal at least 90 minutes before boarding.
Yes. You can pre-book any time in advance — most airport transfers are booked a day or two ahead so the driver is confirmed the night before. Same-day local rides are fine with at least three hours' notice.
Yes. 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. Pre-booked airport transfers are always card-paid up front so you are not queuing at the terminal.
Pre-booked taxis meet you on the station forecourt off Queens Road. Once your train is in, your driver will send a message with the exact meeting point and you can track the car on the map before stepping outside.
Yes, but book ahead. Roads around Trent Bridge, Radcliffe Road and Meadow Lane fill up early on match days, so we recommend a pre-booked post-match pickup using kerbside points a short walk from the ground rather than trying to hail from the exit.
We track the flight number on inbound airport pickups and re-time the collection automatically — you will not be charged extra for a delay. If a flight is significantly early we will do our best to bring the pickup forward, subject to driver availability.
