TL;DR: According to the Israel Airports Authority, in Terminal 3 the licensed taxis wait along the sidewalk on the ground floor, at the exit from Gate 03, and in Terminal 1 at the exit from the domestic flights' welcomers hall. The service runs 24 hours a day and the fare is by meter only. The licensed taxis at Ben Gurion are operated by Gett: you order in the app or at a self-service station, receive a ride code and go to the taxi line. Uber does not operate in Israel.
Is There Uber in Israel?
No. Israel is not on the list of countries on Uber's website.
At Ben Gurion, according to Gett, the company is the official operator of authorized taxis from the airport to all parts of the country. In Tel Aviv the Yango taxi app also operates.
How to Take a Taxi at Ben Gurion
According to the Israel Airports Authority:
- Terminal 3: the licensed taxis wait along the sidewalk on the ground floor, at the exit from Gate 03.
- Terminal 1: at the exit from the domestic flights' welcomers hall.
- The service operates 24 hours a day, and the fare is paid by meter only.
You create an order before going to the line. According to the Israel Airports Authority and Gett, it works like this:
- Create an order in the Gett app or at one of the self-service stations at the airport.
- Receive a ride code on the screen. Gett recommends keeping it, as it identifies you during and after the ride.
- Go to the taxi line, and when it is your turn show the code to the driver.
Even with a code you wait in the physical line. According to Gett, taxis are given in order of arrival at the line.
You can also book a future ride in the Gett app, at least two hours before the pick-up time. Its pick-up point is on the 2nd floor, Gate 23.
Under an order of the director of Ben Gurion Airport, a taxi may pick up passengers at the airport in two places only: the taxi line on level G, and on the public transport level next to Gate 23, where only taxis booked in advance and carrying an approval may park. Parking and picking up passengers by taxi anywhere else at the airport is prohibited.
How the Meter Works
The maximum taxi fare is set in the Israeli price supervision order on taxi fares, and the tariffs are updated on 1 April each year. According to the National Public Transport Authority, the fare is made up of a fixed starting price plus a charge for time and distance, set by when the ride takes place and the tariff that applies. The starting price is the same in every tariff.
The order has three tariffs, A, B and C. Tariff A is the cheapest and Tariff C the most expensive. This is how they fall by day and hour:
| Day | A | B | C |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday to Wednesday | 06:00-21:00 | 21:01-05:59 | |
| Thursday | 06:00-21:00 | 21:01-23:00 | 23:01-05:59 |
| Eve of Shabbat or a holiday | 06:00-16:00 | 16:01-21:00 | 21:01-05:59 |
| Shabbat and holidays | 06:00-19:00 | 19:01-05:59 |
Independence Day counts as a rest day in the order, like Shabbat and holidays.
On top of the meter:
- Rides from Ben Gurion: a fixed surcharge is added to every ride leaving Ben Gurion Airport (item 5 of Part D of the order).
- Toll roads: driving on Road 6 or the fast lane at the passenger's request adds the toll.
- Suitcases and passengers: the order has no surcharge today for suitcases or for extra passengers. The item on suitcases was deleted from the order, and the surcharge for a third and fourth passenger was abolished on 1 January 2020.
What It Costs
A regular taxi from Ben Gurion has no fixed price to Tel Aviv, Jerusalem or anywhere else. According to the Ministry of Transport, the intercity price list was abolished in 2020, and since then the fare for every ride is set by the meter only.
To estimate a fare before the ride there is a calculator from the National Public Transport Authority (in Hebrew): you choose an origin, a destination, a time, a date and the number of suitcases, and tick departure from an airport.
The order also sets a maximum fare per passenger for a shared taxi (sherut) from Ben Gurion to the Jerusalem area, Haifa, Akko, Nahariya and Maale Adumim. There are two kinds of ride: to a central stop set in the order for each line, or to an address the passenger asks for. Other ways to get from the airport are covered in the guide to public transport from Ben Gurion.
What the Driver Owes You
According to the National Public Transport Authority:
- Meter: the meter must be used on every ride.
- Payment: the driver has to let you choose between cash, card or an app (if the ride was ordered through it), according to the means shown in the car. A taxi does not take Rav-Kav.
- Destination: the driver may not refuse a ride to any destination in Israel.
- Extra passenger: the driver may not take on another passenger without your permission.
- Air conditioning: you may ask for air conditioning at no extra charge.
- Receipt: you are entitled to a receipt at the end of the ride.
- Accessibility: a taxi driver may not refuse a passenger with a disability, including a passenger in a wheelchair or with a guide or service dog. The driver must help getting in and out, and load medical equipment or a wheelchair at no extra charge.
On the Way Back to the Airport
The Israel Airports Authority advises passengers coming to the airport by taxi to check in advance which terminal their flight departs from, Terminal 3 or Terminal 1, and to ask the driver to go straight there.
Sources: Israel Airports Authority, Israel Ministry of Transport (price supervision order on taxi fares), National Public Transport Authority, Gett, Uber, Yango.
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