SEAAirport Guide

Seattle Airport to Tacoma: Rideshare, Shuttle, Bus and Link Compared

Compare rideshare, taxi, van and rental car from SEA to Tacoma. By transit, take Link to Federal Way or the 597 night bus to Tacoma Dome.

The Museum of Glass in Tacoma with its slanted steel cone, seen across the plaza.
Museum of Glass, Tacoma

Tacoma is about 23 miles from SEA by Uber’s route page. Link light rail stops at Federal Way, short of Tacoma. By road you choose between rideshare, a taxi, a Premier van and a rental car. By transit, take Link to Federal Way and then a bus, or the 597 night bus to Tacoma Dome Station.

The options side by side

Option Cost Time Where it boards
UberX or Lyft Uber’s page: $81 average for UberX over one month, not a quoted price. $78 for Wait & Save, $112 for UberXL Uber’s page: 33 minutes Garage Level 3, stalls 1 to 34
Taxi $20 minimum from SEA, metered. Rome2Rio estimates roughly $100 to $130 Rome2Rio: about 26 to 27 minutes Garage Level 3, north and south curbs
Premier door-to-door van Quoted by Premier when you reserve Cross Skybridge 4 to the kiosk at the Level 3 Ground Transportation Plaza
Rental car Rental cost depends on your booking. The airport shuttle is free Rome2Rio’s drive estimate: about 26 to 27 minutes Free, 24-hour shuttle from the lower drive, curbside near Doors 24 and 2
Link to Federal Way, then route 574 $3.00 adult Link fare. Rome2Rio gives $9 for the whole Link-plus-574 trip Rome2Rio: 44 minutes for the whole trip SeaTac/Airport Station
Night Bus 597 to Tacoma Dome Station Rome2Rio: $4 to $7 Rome2Rio: 35 minutes International Boulevard and S 176th St, Bay 1

By car: rideshare, taxi, van or rental

Uber and Lyft board at the Ground Transportation Plaza in the middle of Level 3 and run 24 hours a day. Cross a skybridge one level below ticketing, then go down one level.

Our taxi listing gives metered taxis only, with a $20 minimum for trips from SEA and a $1 on-demand surcharge allowed. Taxis run 24 hours a day, including wheelchair-accessible vans. Mobility pickup is on the baggage claim level by Skybridge 2 near Door 10 or Skybridge 5 near Door 22.

Premier Airport Shuttle runs shared and private van service to any home, hotel or business address in the Greater Puget Sound area, and the Port of Seattle’s directory lists Tacoma and Lakewood by name. Cross Skybridge 4 to its kiosk at the parking garage’s Level 3 Ground Transportation Plaza. The shared van is the cheaper service, and the private van runs non-stop. Fares depend on distance, passenger count and service. Reserve at 800-962-3579 or Premier’s site. The Port of Seattle’s Premier listing says the operator monitors flights and can adjust a reservation. Call the office about delays or changes.

Every rental company is off-site, so you’ll take the free shuttle from the lower drive, curbside near Doors 24 and 2. It runs 24 hours a day, every day. The facility is at 3150 S. 160th St., about a five-minute drive. To bring the car back from Tacoma, the Port of Seattle says to take I-5 north to exit 154A, then SR 518 west, then the airport exit.

Link goes as far as Federal Way, where you change to route 574 for Tacoma. Route 574 runs between Lakewood and Federal Way and doesn’t stop at the airport.

Board the 1 Line toward Federal Way. Sound Transit’s Passenger Care offers trip planning help at 1-888-889-6368.

To reach SeaTac/Airport Station from carousel 16, go up one floor, cross Skybridge 6 and turn left through the parking garage. You can take the free Train-to-Plane cart between garage Level 4 by Skybridges 5 and 6 and the station, daily from 5 a.m. to midnight. King County Metro’s RapidRide A Line also runs from the airport’s International Boulevard stops to Federal Way, so it can stand in for Link on the first leg.

Tap a bank card or an ORCA card at the reader, and tap the same card again within 2 hours to have your fare credited toward the transfer.

The Port of Seattle lists FlixBus among its scheduled airporters. It runs southbound from SEA to Tacoma, Olympia, Portland, Corvallis and Eugene, and Rome2Rio says it serves the SeaTac-to-Tacoma route twice daily.

Night Bus 597

Route 597 is the Sound Transit bus toward Tacoma overnight, because it also stops at Federal Way and Tacoma Dome Station. It stops at International Boulevard and S 176th St by the airport, with Bay 1 toward Lakewood. Toward Lakewood it also stops at International Boulevard and S 182nd St.

Our Sound Transit Express listing gives these times toward Lakewood at the airport stop:

Night Toward Lakewood from the airport stop
Most nights 1:23 a.m. to 5:23 a.m.
Saturday night Last bus 6:23 a.m.
Sunday night First bus 12:23 a.m.

The Port says the pedestrian bridge to International Boulevard is open around the clock, and the elevator and stairs on the west side of the station reach street level on International Boulevard.

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