SMF to Downtown Sacramento: Bus, Taxi and Rideshare

Downtown Sacramento is about 12 miles from the airport by road, around 17 minutes without traffic. Your options:

• SacRT Route 142 express bus: $2.50, both terminals
• Yolobus 42A or 42B: $2.25, both terminals
• Airport taxi: $40 outbound to downtown on the airport's round trip rate
• Uber, Lyft or Wingz: pickup in designated zones by terminal

Prices change, so confirm with the operator before you go.

Route 142 runs express between the airport and downtown Sacramento. It serves Terminals A and B and has multiple downtown stops. SacRT lists daily service from 5:15 a.m. to 10:33 p.m.

The standard fare is $2.50, or $1.25 for eligible riders. A SacRT daily pass is $7.00. You can tap a contactless card or phone on the bus. Transit Connect replaced the old ZipPass app on July 1, 2026. There is no light rail at the airport. SacRT says light rail riders transfer to a downtown shuttle: at 8th & Capitol for the Gold and South Sacramento Blue lines, or at 10th & K for the North Sacramento Blue Line.

Frequency: SMF says the express bus runs every 20 to 30 minutes, counting Yolobus 42A and 42B together. SacRT says Route 142 itself runs every 60 minutes. Check the schedule at sacrt.com or call (916) 321-2877.

Yolobus runs two loops through Woodland, West Sacramento, downtown Sacramento and Davis. The 42A runs clockwise and the 42B counter-clockwise. Buses stop at Terminal A and Terminal B on the arrivals level.

Service is every 30 to 60 minutes, 7 days a week, from 5:00 a.m. until midnight. From SMF the first 42A leaves at 5:20 a.m. and the first 42B at 7:05 a.m. The last 42A leaves at 10:36 p.m. and the last 42B at 11:43 p.m. (Terminal A times; Terminal B is two to three minutes later.)

The fare is $2.25, or $1.00 for seniors and riders with disabilities. Youth 18 and under ride free. Take the 42A for downtown and for Sutter Health Park (get off at Cabaldon Pkwy). For UC Davis, take the 42B to County Fair Mall, then catch the next 42B from the same stop. Bring exact change if you pay cash.

Taxis wait in the ground transportation area next to baggage claim. The airport contracts with the Sacramento Independent Taxi Owners Association (SITOA). All its cars are white and carry airport branding.

The meter starts at a $4 flag drop, then $3.00 for each additional mile. Waiting costs $28 per hour. A round trip between SMF and downtown is $70 combined: $40 for the outbound trip and $30 for the return voucher. Seniors and military personnel get 20% off.

Reservations: (916) 444-0008. Customer service: (916) 284-6878. Courtesy phone at the airport: ext. 24360.

Uber, Lyft and Wingz have agreements to operate at SMF. The airport has designated pickup areas by terminal. Its ride share page links to one map for Terminal A and another for Terminal B, and its ground transportation map marks Ride App Pickup Zones 1, 2 and 3. The pages give no written directions to each zone, so follow the pickup pin in your app.

The airport's FAQ describes the meeting point as the ground transportation curb where hotel shuttles and off-site taxis operate. The two pages differ, so trust your app's instructions.

We found no published rideshare price. The app shows it before you book.

The airport gives no official travel times. By road, downtown Sacramento is about 12 miles away, around 17 minutes without traffic.

For other areas, Yolobus 42A reaches Sutter Health Park, and the 42B reaches UC Davis with a transfer at County Fair Mall. We found no published times for other neighborhoods; ask your app for a live estimate.

SuperShuttle and ExecuCar stopped serving SMF on December 2, 2019. Use the options above.

Paratransit offers airport rides to registered disabled customers. Reserve at (916) 429-2744 at least two business days ahead. Local riders must register first at (916) 557-4685, which can take up to 21 days. Visitors can use it if they are registered with a similar service at home.

Med Star also runs shuttle service for passengers with disabilities: (916) 669-0550.

Curbs are for active loading only. Waiting vehicles may not stop at the terminal curb. Your driver can wait for free at the Free Waiting Area (cell phone lot) near the Interstate 5 entrance, for up to three hours, until you are ready.