Hobby Airport Transfer — HOU

William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) is Houston's second airport and the closer of the two to downtown, about 21 km away by road to the southeast. It handled 13.9 million passengers in 2025, most of them flying Southwest, and it has had international flights again since 2015.

For many trips it is the better airport to land at: Hobby is closer than IAH to downtown, the Texas Medical Center, NRG Park, Space Center Houston and the cruise port in Galveston. A LocalsRide transfer has a driver waiting when you land, at a price fixed when you book, and each offer shows the languages your driver speaks.

Transfers start from $50, fixed price, confirmed at booking. No meter, no hidden fees, no surge pricing.

Transfer time and distance

• Texas Medical Center: 18 km, approximately 15 to 40 minutes
• NRG Park: 20 km, approximately 15 to 30 minutes
• Downtown Houston: 21 km, approximately 15 to 40 minutes
• Space Center Houston and Clear Lake: 26 km, approximately 20 to 35 minutes
• The Galleria and Uptown: 30 km, approximately 20 to 60 minutes
• Sugar Land: 44 km, approximately 30 to 55 minutes
• Galveston cruise terminals: 68 km, approximately 45 to 75 minutes
• George Bush Intercontinental (IAH): about 52 km, approximately 30 to 55 minutes

Most of these trips start on I-45, the Gulf Freeway, which runs from Hobby north to downtown and south to Galveston.

Where your driver meets you

Hobby has a single terminal, which keeps the pick-up simple. Pre-booked drivers meet passengers in baggage claim on the arrivals level; if you ask for a name sign, each offer shows whether the driver will meet you with one there, and otherwise you agree a pick-up point in the LocalsRide chat.

Right after you book, you get the driver's name and phone number and the car's details, including the plate. Your driver comes for the pickup time you booked, and the first 60 minutes of waiting from that time are free.

Galveston cruise transfers

Hobby is 68 km from the Port of Galveston, approximately 45 to 75 minutes by road, against 1 hour 5 minutes to 1 hour 40 minutes from IAH, which makes it the natural airport for a cruise. The port has four cruise terminals and around ten ships based there in the winter season.

On sailing days, a fixed price booked ahead holds however busy I-45 gets, and one car takes your party and its luggage to the terminal door.

What does the alternative cost?

Taxis at Hobby charge Houston's zone rates, and the airport's own estimates are about $29 to downtown, $35 to the Medical Center or NRG, $41 to the NASA area and $59 to the Galleria. A taxi across town to IAH costs around $76.

METRO buses from the Hobby Transit Center cost $1.25, and route 40 reaches downtown in about an hour. Ride-hailing prices move with demand, which in Houston means rodeo nights in March and the big games at NRG.

Why book a private transfer from Hobby?

• A fixed price agreed before you fly, with no meter and no surge
• Medical appointments, straight to the right entrance at the Medical Center, 18 km away
• Cruise days, with the whole party and its luggage in one car
• Child seats can be requested at booking
• 24/7 service, including late arrivals

What vehicle should you book?

• Sedan, up to 4 passengers, for couples and patients travelling with a companion
• Minivan, up to 8 passengers, for families with cruise luggage
• Minibus, up to 15 passengers, for groups sailing together

Long-haul and most international flights use Houston Bush Intercontinental (IAH), and routes between cities are on the United States page.