Taxis in Nashville
How I got from Nashville International Airport (BNA) to my downtown hotel as a person using a wheelchair — including the backup plan I almost needed.
Table of Contents
- Calling Ahead: The Taxi Companies That Couldn’t Deliver
- My Backup Plan: The City Bus
- What Actually Happened at the Taxi Stand
- Arranging the Return Trip
- The Verdict
Calling Ahead: The Taxi Companies That Couldn’t Deliver
Before the trip, I did what I always do and called several Nashville taxi companies in advance to book a wheelchair accessible taxi for pickup at the airport. Every one of these companies advertised wheelchair accessible vehicles on their website. In practice, none of them could confirm anything. Some told me they couldn’t book a wheelchair accessible taxi in advance at all, and others said outright they didn’t currently have an accessible vehicle available, despite what their site claimed. It was a frustrating reminder that a company’s website isn’t always a reliable indicator of what they can actually provide on the day.
My Backup Plan: The City Bus
With no confirmed taxi, I came prepared to take Nashville’s public bus into downtown if I needed to. WeGo Public Transit’s Route 18 runs directly between BNA and downtown, ending at the Elizabeth Duff Transit Center at WeGo Central. The airport stop is on the ground transportation level — follow the signs from baggage claim toward “Public Transit / WeGo.” The ride takes roughly 40 to 55 minutes depending on traffic and stops, and the fare is a couple of dollars, which is a fraction of a taxi fare. It’s a solid fallback if you’re comfortable navigating a bus with your mobility equipment and aren’t in a rush, though it obviously takes longer and drops you further from most downtown hotels than a taxi would.
What Actually Happened at the Taxi Stand
In the end, I didn’t need the bus. I rolled up to the taxi stand at the Ground Transportation Center, explained that I needed a wheelchair accessible vehicle, and the dispatcher made a call on the spot. Within about ten minutes, a wheelchair accessible taxi pulled up. We were at the hotel roughly fifteen minutes after that. It ended up being faster and easier than the advance booking process had been, which was a nice surprise after all the calls that went nowhere beforehand.
Arranging the Return Trip
Our driver, Jay (Gizaw) phone to call or text is 626-266-0458, was excellent — professional, careful with the wheelchair, and easy to talk with. Before we got out at the hotel, we got his business card and arranged for him to pick us up directly from the hotel for the return trip to the airport. Having a driver we already knew could handle the scooter made the return trip completely stress-free, with no repeat of the advance-booking runaround.
Highly recommend contacting Jay at least a day in advance for any ride you want. He was great.
The Verdict
My advance calls to Nashville taxi companies were a dead end, so I planned to take WeGo’s Route 18 bus from the airport as a backup. I didn’t end up needing it — the taxi stand at BNA found me a wheelchair accessible taxi within ten minutes, and we were at the hotel fifteen minutes later. Getting a business card from the driver and booking him directly for the return trip made the whole round trip smooth from that point on.
This review reflects my personal experience and observations. Accessibility features can change over time, so I’d recommend confirming current accessibility details directly with the taxi company, WeGo Public Transit, or your hotel before you travel.