O.R. Tambo airport transfers

7 min read Updated November 2026 Compare all tours

O.R. Tambo International Airport, previously known as Johannesburg International, lies in the Ekurhuleni municipality and handles more than 21 million passengers a year, according to Airports Company South Africa (ACSA). There are four ways into town: the Gautrain, an accredited metered taxi, an e-hailing app or a private transfer booked in advance. Which one suits you depends mostly on when you land and where you are going.

What the travel advisories say

The British government warns that criminals have followed people from O.R. Tambo to their destination and robbed them, often at gunpoint. It advises leaving public areas of the airport promptly and arranging your pickup in advance. The U.S. Department of State gives the same warning about travellers being followed and robbed on reaching their home or hotel. Germany’s Foreign Office adds that checked luggage is sometimes opened without permission, so keep valuables and documents in your hand luggage. None of this means the airport is a place to fear; it means you leave with a plan rather than looking for a ride in the hall.

Private transfer with a meeting in the hall

A private transfer suits late arrivals, families with luggage and anyone going to an address away from a Gautrain station. The drivers meet you in the arrivals hall after immigration and baggage reclaim, holding a board with your name. Operators differ in the details. One tracks your flight when you give the number and adjusts for delays at no extra charge, and its drivers hold professional driving permits. Another runs around the clock, every day of the year, serves any suburb of Johannesburg, Sandton and Pretoria, and sends an emergency WhatsApp number once you book. Both list wheelchair-accessible vehicles and infant seats.

Read what the price covers. The car-and-minibus transfer into the city includes 60 minutes of waiting time from the slot you choose, so pick a slot that leaves time for immigration on an international flight. Its standard rate covers central Johannesburg only, with an extra charge for other addresses, and the vehicle depends on group size, from a sedan for up to three people with one standard suitcase each to a minibus for eight. The listing excludes a meet-and-greet service while its description says the driver meets you at arrivals, so confirm the meeting point by message. Most guests mention clear messages and a calm drive; one was met late in a much smaller car than expected and took a ride-hailing app for the return.

Smaller operators have their own limits. One runs sedans only, for up to four people with two large and two medium suitcases, and also serves Lanseria. Another uses a minibus that seats up to ten and books one way only, with the amount paid online taken as a deposit and the final fare depending on distance.

The Gautrain

The airport line runs from O.R. Tambo via Rhodesfield and Marlboro to Sandton, which takes about 15 minutes. For Rosebank and Park Station you change at Sandton to the north-south line; for Pretoria and Hatfield you change at Marlboro. The airport trains have dedicated cars with space for luggage. You pay with a contactless bank card or a Gautrain Card, and cash is not accepted on trains or buses.

Two points matter on arrival. The usual service ends at about 20:30, and extended evening services for events do not include the airport line. No Gautrain buses run from the airport station, so at the other end you still need a ride from the station to your door. Check the times on the Gautrain website for your day. More on the network on getting around.

Metered taxis and e-hailing

ACSA introduced accredited metered taxis to stop touting at the airport. You book them at the ACSA information desk in the terminal, and they wait at the taxi and shuttle terminus behind the hotels; follow the taxi signs. Buses and coaches leave from a terminus in the multi-storey car park behind the car-hire desks.

For e-hailing, Germany’s Foreign Office recommends only verified services such as Uber or Bolt, and advises against minibus taxis and hailing taxis in the street. The British government reports that tensions between e-hailing and metered taxi drivers have led to armed violence and deaths, and advises booking only through the official app of an internationally known service. Canada’s advice mentions the same conflict. ACSA does not name a pickup point for app rides, so agree the meeting place with the driver in the app.

Tours for a long layover or arrival day

If you land in the morning and do not need to rest, a tour can start at the arrivals hall. One drives through the southern suburbs to the city centre and then to Soweto, past the Hector Pieterson Museum and Mandela House on Vilakazi Street and back via FNB Stadium, and drops you at your accommodation. The vehicle takes three items of luggage in total, and the length of the tour depends on your arrival time.

A private Soweto tour with pickup at O.R. Tambo lasts one to five hours, so it can be fitted to a layover; lunch is not included. Ask the operator in advance to bring you back to the airport rather than to a hotel. To leave the airport at all you must enter South Africa, which for German passport holders means a passport valid for at least 30 days beyond departure with two blank pages. For Soweto with more time, see Soweto tours.

Lanseria, the second airport

Lanseria International Airport, the city’s second airport, lies north of Randburg and Sandton. The airport gives driving times of about 45 minutes and 30.9 km to Sandton, 40 minutes to Randburg and 41 minutes to Pretoria. It is not on the Gautrain network, so plan a transfer; one of the sedan operators above serves both airports.