With thousands of people making the trek to Austin for SXSW, getting around town during the festival can be tricky.
But don't fret! We've compiled a big list of transportation methods so you can roam around Austin with no problems. If all else fails, you can always hop on your hover-board, but it's best to avoid that.
Photo Credit: car2go
It's like renting a car but without all the hassle. All you have to do is find a car2go at one of their stations around town, take the car, drive it, and then park it back in any car2go space. Easy peasy. At only $0.47 per minute and free of parking, fuel, and yearly fees, car2go provides a great way to get around Austin during the festival.
As the Official Rideshare Partner of 2018, Lyft is making sure you ride safe throughout the festival. They are giving away codes for $5 in ride credit and will have designated pickup and drop-off zones around Austin. With its sleek user interface, access to real-time fare information, active promotions, and ride history, Lyft is one of Austin's best rideshare platforms.
Ride, for when you wanna feel like you're in an episode of Gossip Girl with your own personal driver. Download the Ride Austin app, or sign up on the site to get cruising. Wherever you are, your Ride Austin driver will come to you and drive you to wherever it is you need to go. It's a trusty rideshare app.
Capital Metro runs extended hours and increased service throughout SXSW. Offering direct access to the downtown area, catch a ride on the Airport Flyer a.k.a. 100 MetroAirport Flyer, a frequent transfer, low-cost option to and from the Austin Bergstrom international Airport (ABIA). Buy discounted passes and plan your trip on the CapMetro App to turn your smartphone into a bus ticket.
MetroRapid Extended Service
A single ride on MetroRapid costs $1.75. MetroRapid will operate until 2:30 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays during SXSW (March 9-10 and March 16-17). Hours will also be expanded on Sundays with service running until 12:30 a.m.
MetroRail Extended Service
Festival goers can enjoy MetroRail's free Wi-Fi and convenient Downtown Station location next to the Austin Convention Center at 4th and Trinity. A single ride on MetroRail costs $3.50. A day pass costs $7.00.
Late Night Options
Festival attendees staying out extra late can catch a ride home using Capital Metro's Night Owl and E-Bus services. From March 9-18, Night Owls will run every 15-20 minutes (depending on location) Monday through Saturday from midnight until after 3:00 a.m. Night Owl buses have pick-up stations on North Lamar, Riverside, South Lamar, Cameron, and South Congress. A single ride on the Night Owl costs $1.25.
For more details and schedule, visit www.capmetro.org
The SXSW Festival Shuttle is the free circulating shuttle that runs every 7 - 10 minutes between the Austin Convention Center, Auditorium Shores on Lady Bird Lake and many SXSW Film and Interactive Festival Venues. Track the shuttles in real time on the SXSW GO app or at shuttles.sxsw.com. The shuttles shut down at 3 AM.
SXSW is working with many hotel transportation services to provide rides at the lowest cost from the most popular hotels outside downtown, including morning and evening shuttle passes. Whether for yourself or a large group, check out the Hotel Transportation Guide to compare options that service individual hotels along with the estimated cost.
Photo Credit: Austin B-cycle Facebook
SXcycles combines the easy to use infrastructure of Austin’s bike-sharing program,
Austin B-cycle, with the excitement of SXSW. B-cycle stations are conveniently located throughout downtown and each b-cycle comes with a basket and built-in lights.
Pedicabs are one of the most exciting ways to get around during SXSW, you can hail one down pretty much anywhere downtown and depending on how far you're going or how hard the adventure is to get there they only cost about $10-20. You can probably negotiate a lower price if you're extra friendly, but despite the cost the experience is worth it! Look out for one of these trusted pedicab companies in Austin.
For a traditional approach, you can catch a cab. It costs around $23 dollars to get from ABIA to downtown, often times you can book them in advance. The system can get backed up, so expect a bit of a delay. Yellow Cab phone number is 512-452-9999, and they offer the HAIL A CAB app. Austin Cab is 512-478-2222.
Got more ideas for getting around Austin?
