Clear Cairns taxi fare guide based on official Queensland Government transport information last reviewed in June 2026, covering Regional Queensland maximum fares, booked trip rules, airport access fees, TSS, wheelchair-accessible taxi rules, card surcharge limits and customer rights.
Regional Queensland flagfall from 7am to 7pm on weekdays, excluding public holidays.
Applies at all other times including nights, weekends and public holidays.
$2.80 per kilometre plus $1.01 per minute when the taxi is not moving.
Airport access fees, tolls, approved booking fee rules and card surcharge limits may apply.
Cairns uses the regulated Regional Queensland metered fare structure. These maximum fares apply to rank and hail taxi trips, and also to Taxi Subsidy Scheme trips and wheelchair user trips where the Queensland rules require regulated maximum fares.
| Fare component | Amount | When it applies | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flagfall | $3.70 | 7am–7pm weekdays | Excludes public holidays |
| Flagfall | $6.00 | All other times | Nights, weekends and public holidays |
| Distance rate | $2.80/km | Regional Queensland metered taxis | Used for Cairns rank & hail maximum fares |
| Waiting time | $1.01/min | When the taxi is not moving | Included in metered fare calculation |
| Booking fee cap | $1.80 | TSS / wheelchair user rule | Not charged for ordinary rank or hail trips |
| Cleaning fee | Up to $166.90 | If the taxi is dirtied by passenger | Maximum charge |
| Card surcharge | Up to 5% | When paying by card | Maximum transaction surcharge cap |
| Luggage | No fare | Standard luggage carriage | No separate luggage fee applies |
Simple breakdown of how an estimated Cairns taxi fare is built using Regional Queensland fare components.
The trip starts with either the $3.70 or $6.00 start fare depending on time and day.
Distance is then added at the Regional Queensland rate of $2.80 per kilometre.
If the taxi is not moving, waiting time is added at $1.01 per minute.
Airport access fees, tolls or an allowed surcharge may be added where the rules permit.
This distinction matters because Queensland maximum fares do not apply the same way to every booked trip.
In Queensland, maximum fares generally apply to rank and hail work. For ordinary booked taxi trips, the provider should give a fare estimate before the journey starts.
Helpful customer-facing notes that work well on Cairns fare pages.
In metered taxi areas like Cairns, the driver must use the taximeter. For rank and hail, the meter starts when you enter the vehicle. If you are using a wheelchair, it may only start once you are safely loaded and secured.
You can request a receipt showing the total fare breakdown and any payment surcharge. If you believe you were overcharged or the driver refused the trip or failed to start the meter, contact the taxi or booked-hire service provider.
Queensland rules allow certain extra costs to be added where they are actually incurred during the hiring.
Airport access fees can be added to the fare where they are incurred as part of the trip. Queensland guidance groups these with other extra trip costs such as tolls and access fees.
Drivers may charge tolls, access fees or ferry charges if the passenger is in the vehicle at the time the cost is incurred. These can be paid directly or added to the final fare.
These extra notes are useful for a Cairns government-style fare section.
For journeys ending less than 40 km outside a taxi service area north of the Tropic of Capricorn, an additional charge of $1.00 per km may apply from the trip end point back to the service area boundary by the shortest practicable route.
If passengers share a taxi, each passenger’s fare must be less than what that passenger would have paid for a direct trip. The multiple-hiring tariff is generally set at 75% of the standard fare.
Clear customer-facing notes for airport and extras section.
Queensland rules state there is no separate fare applicable for carrying luggage.
Credit card transaction surcharge may apply, but it is capped at a maximum of 5%.
These trips follow special rules and should be shown separately because customers often confuse them with standard booked fares.
Useful accessibility notes for Cairns wheelchair taxi pages.
Queensland pays a $25 Lift Payment for each eligible Wheelchair Accessible Taxi trip involving transportation of a TSS member who is required to travel in a wheelchair. This is a driver incentive and is not part of the passenger’s fare.
For passengers using a wheelchair or mobility scooter, the taximeter may only be started once the passenger has been safely loaded and secured in the taxi.
These Cairns taxi fare details are based on official Queensland transport and disability support pages. Queensland maximum fares are reviewed annually, and the passenger fare information currently shown by Queensland Government applies from 1 July 2025.
