--- title: "Public transport from MIA on a budget · MIA Airport Guide" description: "Take the $2.25 train downtown or bus to Miami Beach. Find the MIA Mover, check the real wait, and avoid a costly wrong turn." url: "https://miaairportguide.com/guides/public-transport-from-mia-budget/" updated: "2026-10-21" airport: "MIA" type: "guide" --- > Independent guide, not the official MIA website. All pages: https://miaairportguide.com/llms.txt # Public transport from MIA on a budget Take the $2.25 train downtown or bus to Miami Beach. Find the MIA Mover, check the real wait, and avoid a costly wrong turn. Updated October 21, 2026 ![Glass platform doors at a MIA Mover station](https://miaairportguide.com/images/mia/mover-platform-v2.webp) MIA Mover platform [Every way into town, compared](https://miaairportguide.com/to/): Pick where you are going: time, cost, and the first and last departure for each way. You can reach downtown Miami or Miami Beach for $2.25 per person. First, take the free MIA Mover from the terminal to the Miami Intermodal Center. Then choose Metrorail for downtown or Route 150 for the beach. | Where you’re going | Listed low-fare route from MIA | Published fare | Time to account for | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Downtown or Brickell | MIA Mover, then Metrorail Orange Line | $2.25 per person | Trains are scheduled about every 10 to 15 minutes. Some trips require a change at Earlington Heights. Allow for the Mover and walks at both ends. | | Mid Beach or South Beach | MIA Mover, then Metrobus Route 150 | $2.25 per person | The bus runs about every 30 minutes. Traffic, your stop and the trip through the airport add time. | | Fort Lauderdale or West Palm Beach | MIA Mover, then Tri-Rail | Round trips $3.50 to $9.25 by zone | Tri-Rail’s own timetable sets the wait, after the Mover ride. | These are separate rides from the Miami Intermodal Center. Don’t board Metrorail to get to the Route 150 bus. The [MIA Mover guide](https://miaairportguide.com/transport/mia-mover/) shows the first connection for all three. ## Get to the Miami Intermodal Center first After collecting your bag, follow signs to Level 3 and the MIA Mover. Its airport station sits between the Dolphin and Flamingo garages. MIA lists moving walkways from the Central Terminal, but the approach can still feel long with luggage. The Mover takes you to the Miami Intermodal Center, also called Miami International Airport Station. The Mover is free and runs about every three minutes. Its listed service runs from 5:00 a.m. until about 4:41 a.m. the next morning. Check the [MIA Mover guide](https://miaairportguide.com/transport/mia-mover/) if you’re arriving during that short overnight gap. The Skytrain above Concourse D is a different train. It moves you along that concourse, not to buses or Metrorail. If the signs send you toward rental cars, you’re still going the right way for transit: the Mover serves the Rental Car Center and the Miami Intermodal Center. One traveler filmed the MIA Mover out of service and followed staff directions to a replacement bus. If the Mover is down when you arrive, ask a uniformed MIA employee for directions instead of relying on an old door number. ## Downtown and Brickell: take Metrorail At the Miami Intermodal Center, follow Metrorail signs to the fare gates. The Orange Line serves Government Center and Brickell, among other stops. See our [Orange Line guide](https://miaairportguide.com/transport/metrorail-orange/) for the route and schedule. Miami-Dade lists a $1.10 discount fare. If you’ll make several rides, its Metrorail passes cost $5.65 for one day, $29.25 for seven days or $112.50 for one month. A bus-to-rail transfer is free. Compare the pass with your planned rides before buying. MIA’s general public transportation page says you need an EASY Card pass. Miami-Dade also accepts contactless bank cards, phones and watches at Metrorail gates. An EASY Card, EASY Ticket or the GO Miami-Dade Transit app works too. The gates take no cash, but you can buy an EASY Card or Ticket at the vending machines there. Don’t assume every Orange Line train runs straight through. On weekdays, the first train leaves MIA at 5:04 a.m. Through trains to Dadeland South run until 7:44 p.m. From 8:02 p.m., airport shuttle trains run to Earlington Heights, where you change for the rest of the line. The last weekday shuttle leaves MIA at 12:17 a.m. the next morning. On Saturdays and Sundays, the shuttle runs from 5:11 a.m. to 12:21 a.m. the next morning, with the same change. ## Miami Beach: take the 150 bus Route 150, the Miami Beach Airport Express, boards at the Miami Intermodal Center’s ground-level bus pickup on the west side. It serves Mid Beach and South Beach, has luggage racks and comes about every 30 minutes. Our [Route 150 page](https://miaairportguide.com/transport/metrobus-150/) lists its beach stops. The bus is a single paid ride after the free Mover. There’s no need to pay for Metrorail first. From the Miami Intermodal Center, Route 150 runs 5:23 a.m. to 11:18 p.m. on weekdays, 5:22 a.m. to 11:16 p.m. on Saturdays, and 5:24 a.m. to 11:18 p.m. on Sundays. Your actual trip also depends on the wait, traffic and how far along the beach you’re going. For payment, MIA points to EASY Card vending machines at the Miami Intermodal Center. The tourism board also recommends the GO Miami-Dade Transit app for payment and live bus information. Check the [Route 150 payment details](https://miaairportguide.com/transport/metrobus-150/) before assuming your bank card will work on the bus. ## Farther out, or heading for a cruise? Tri-Rail is the rail option for Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. It boards at the Miami Intermodal Center too. Our [Tri-Rail page](https://miaairportguide.com/transport/tri-rail/) gives the zone fares and the station for each city. If you’re bound for PortMiami, MIA suggests the Mover and City of Miami Trolley routes through Flagami, Little Havana and Coral Way. The free Flagami trolley boards at the Miami Intermodal Center’s Tri-Rail Drop-off stop. It runs roughly every 15 to 45 minutes, Monday through Saturday from 6:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., with no Sunday service. The [City trolley page](https://miaairportguide.com/transport/miami-trolley/) covers the Flagami connection. Check the city’s route map and your cruise terminal before setting off. The cruise lines’ own transfers cost more but drop you at the ship. Carnival’s, for example, starts at $22.99 per person and leaves MIA hourly from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on cruise day. MIA lists two pickup points on Level 1: the North bus station at Concourse D, Door 1, and the South bus station at Concourse J, Door 33. Cruise-line counters open on demand at baggage claim in Concourses D (near Door 3), F and G. Our [cruise transfer page](https://miaairportguide.com/transport/cruise-transfers/) lists which lines use which counter. If a departure deadline makes the trolley route uncertain, ask at the taxi stand. Flat fares have ended, so a taxi to PortMiami runs on the meter, about $30 to $36 plus tolls. The meter starts at $2.95, with a $15 minimum for trips from MIA, and our [taxi page](https://miaairportguide.com/transport/taxi/) has the rest of the rates. Other Metrobus routes leave from the same ground-level pickup on the west side. Route 110/J also goes to Miami Beach. The standard listed Metrobus fare is $2.25. Use the [other airport bus routes](https://miaairportguide.com/transport/metrobus-other/) to check the day, stop and next bus rather than changing to a downtown train by habit. For a car instead, compare the [taxi stand](https://miaairportguide.com/transport/taxi/) with a [ride app pickup](https://miaairportguide.com/transport/ride-app/). MIA allows ride app pickups on both Level 1 arrivals and Level 2 departures. Your app gives the assigned door. ### Sources - [MIA Mover](https://miaairportguide.com/transport/mia-mover/), [Metrorail Orange Line](https://miaairportguide.com/transport/metrorail-orange/), [Metrobus Route 150](https://miaairportguide.com/transport/metrobus-150/), [Tri-Rail](https://miaairportguide.com/transport/tri-rail/), [City of Miami Trolley](https://miaairportguide.com/transport/miami-trolley/), [cruise transfers](https://miaairportguide.com/transport/cruise-transfers/) and [taxi](https://miaairportguide.com/transport/taxi/) guides - Our [transport directory](https://miaairportguide.com/transport/) and [terminal guide](https://miaairportguide.com/terminals/) - Miami-Dade Metrorail - Greater Miami tourism board’s Miami Beach airport guide - Our [ride app pickup](https://miaairportguide.com/transport/ride-app/) guide - Miami-Dade County taxi fare guidance and MIA FAQ