LAX to Studio City: Transport Options and Route Planning

Treat drive estimates as route-planning references rather than guarantees of your total journey time: traffic and waiting at the airport can affect the trip. For a stay in the area, Studio City Inn - Near Universal Studios Hollywood is in Studio City.

LAX’s ground transportation setup matters as much as the drive itself. Taxi and standard ride-app passengers use a designated pickup area, while private cars, hotel shuttles, and premium ride services have different pickup points. Check the airport’s current directions before choosing where to meet your driver.

A car gives you a direct road journey, while taxis and standard ride apps have a specific airport pickup point. Arriving passengers using taxis or standard ride-app services leave from LAX-it, next to Terminal 1; you can walk there or take the free LAX-it shuttle.

Uber, Lyft, and Prime Time Rideshare use LAX-it for pickups. For a taxi, head to LAX-it on foot or aboard its free shuttle, then hail one there. Taxi and ride-app service is available continuously, but check the airport’s official guidance before you go for current pickup instructions.

Premium or larger ride-app services have a different arrangement: Uber Black, Uber Black SUV, Uber XL, Lyft Black, and Lyft Lux pick up at the terminals. Limousines, town cars, and executive car services pick up at the outermost curb on the first level outside baggage claim.

If someone is collecting you in a private vehicle, passenger pickup remains available at the first-level outer curb outside baggage claim. This arrangement is unchanged by LAX-it, which applies to arriving taxi and standard ride-app passengers.

Shuttle pickup points at LAX depend on the service, and Metro’s routes do not by themselves establish a complete airport-to-Studio City journey. Confirm the connection and current service details before relying on either option.

Hotel shuttles pick up on Level 2 in the departures area. Rental-car and parking shuttles use the ground-level outer curb, while FlyAway buses use the ground-level inner curb. These are distinct pickup locations, so follow the airport’s current directions for the service you plan to use.

Line 167 runs between Chatsworth Station and Studio City via Plummer Street and Coldwater Canyon Avenue. Line 111 runs between the LAX/Metro Transit Center and Norwalk Station via Florence Avenue. The routes do not confirm a direct connection between the two lines, so check the Metro trip planner or schedules for a workable itinerary.

For more context on local rail and bus travel, the guide to getting around Studio City by transit covers the area’s transit options.

Choose a route by matching your arrival plan to the pickup point and the service information you can verify. If you want a taxi or standard ride app, account for the walk or free shuttle to LAX-it; if you have arranged a hotel shuttle, head to Level 2 in the departures area.

For public transit, check the current Metro schedules and connections for your arrival time rather than assuming Line 111 and Line 167 join into one journey. Line 167 service hours are listed as 5:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. in a City of Los Angeles planning document, but those hours may not be current. Use Metro’s current schedule to confirm.

If you are comparing airports for the same trip, Bob Hope Airport is about 42 minutes by car; its guide to arriving from Bob Hope Airport to Studio City covers that route.

Before leaving the airport, verify your service’s pickup location and whether its instructions have changed. LAX pickup arrangements differ for taxis, standard and premium ride apps, private vehicles, hotel shuttles, rental-car shuttles, parking shuttles, and FlyAway buses.

Check your chosen operator’s current service details and, for transit, confirm the route and schedule with LA Metro. Check the official site before you go.