An existing car is usually the simplest choice from Court Square in Memphis to Public Square in Nashville, especially when you share it. Coaches spare you the driving, while Southwest’s nonstop flight needs airport transfers at both ends. Compare the complete cost and the time before and after the main journey, not just the ticket or flight duration.
Car, bus or flight?
| Criterion | Existing car | Greyhound / FlixBus | Southwest nonstop |
|---|---|---|---|
| Travel components, not total elapsed time | about 3 hours, continuous driving, excluding breaks and parking | About 3 hours 40 minutes, using FlixBus’s 2 hours 55 minutes minimum, excluding waits and boarding | About 1 hour 25 minutes, using 59-minute scheduled average, excluding airport processing and pickupBest |
| Boarding changes | NoneBest | Taxi to coach, then walk, nonstop departure assumed | Taxi to flight to taxi |
| One-way cost components | Estimated $20–$35 fuel per vehicle, plus parking | Ticket per person: —, plus estimated $25–$40 Memphis taxi per vehicle | Estimated $100–$300 ticket per person, plus estimated $30–$45 Memphis taxi per vehicle and $30 BNA taxi per vehicle, plus $2 per extra passenger |
| Published service frequency | Leave when ready | FlixBus: five daily route listings, not necessarily all nonstop | One nonstop daily, weekdays and weekends, September 2025 schedule averages |
| Latest listed departure | Any timeBest | FlixBus: 7:15pm, varies by day and route | — |
These journeys all connect Court Square to Public Square. The coach estimate includes taxi access and the final walk, while the flight estimate includes both taxi legs. Southwest’s scheduled average covers 1–30 September 2025, and departures vary by date.
Share a car for luggage, children or a late start. Choose a coach when tickets plus access cost less, or fly when the departure fits your available time. Buying earlier can reduce ticket costs, but airport waits can erase the flight’s time advantage.
Amtrak does not connect Memphis and Nashville by passenger rail. The City of New Orleans serves Memphis between Chicago and New Orleans, not Nashville. Amtrak bus links to Nashville explain coach connections rather than an all-rail alternative here.
Driving via I-40
From Court Square, I-40 east is the direct highway corridor to Nashville. The journey to Public Square covers about 215 miles and takes about 3 hours of continuous driving. It is straightforward motorway driving rather than a chain of local-road connections, although leaving Memphis and entering central Nashville still require attention to city junctions.
There are no road tolls on the direct I-40 route. Traffic, a meal or rest break, and finding arrival parking add elapsed time to the continuous-driving estimate. Leave room for a stop rather than treating the uninterrupted drive as an arrival promise.
The fuel estimate assumes roughly 25–35 miles per US gallon and petrol at around $3–$4 per gallon. A less efficient vehicle or higher pump price raises the bill. Fuel is a vehicle cost, not a ticket for each traveller, so sharing an existing car can make the journey economical.
A rental changes that calculation: add the hire charge, any one-way fee and collection time, as well as Nashville parking. With your own car, bags stay with you throughout the journey, and you can choose when to stop. That flexibility matters more with children or bulky luggage than a small difference in travel-component time.
Greyhound and FlixBus
Greyhound and FlixBus connect Memphis with Nashville without you having to drive. FlixBus lists five daily rides and a minimum scheduled journey of 2 hours 55 minutes. That minimum is not the duration of every departure. Route listings can include different stopping patterns, so choose a nonstop departure for the journey compared above. The first listed departure is 12:30am daily, although times can vary by travel day.
From Court Square, take a taxi to Memphis Bus Station at Airways Transit Center, rather than expecting a central Memphis departure. The access journey is about 11 miles and about 16 minutes driving. Traffic, waiting and tips affect the taxi cost. Add taxi pickup time and a boarding margin before the coach departure.
Keep your ticket ready on your phone for boarding. Greyhound accepts the QR code in your confirmation email or its app, while FlixBus accepts a digital ticket shown to the driver. Neither requires a printed ticket. Save it before leaving so you are not searching through email at the entrance.
- Name
- Airways Transit Center
- Location
- 3033 Airways Boulevard, Memphis Maps
- Essential fact
- The transit centre on Airways Boulevard in Memphis used as an intercity coach departure point.
You arrive at Nashville Bus Station south of downtown, not at Public Square itself. The final walk to the square is about 1.2 miles and about 28 minutes. With a light bag, walking avoids another transfer charge and takes you into central Nashville. Heavy cases, children or a late arrival make a taxi more appealing, but that changes both the cost and the arrival journey used in the comparison. Keep that final leg in your budget rather than comparing the coach ticket alone with fuel.
- Name
- Nashville Bus Station
- Location
- 709 Rep. John Lewis Way South, Nashville Maps
- Essential fact
- The intercity coach terminal on Rep. John Lewis Way South in Nashville.
Nonstop flights and airport transfers
Southwest operates nonstop flights from Memphis International Airport (MEM) to Nashville International Airport (BNA). From Court Square, taxi access to MEM is about 12 miles and about 16 minutes driving. Allow roughly $30–$45 per vehicle, depending on traffic, waiting and tips.
The airfare range in the comparison is a planning estimate: advance purchase and quieter departures can cost less, while short-notice travel and busy dates can cost more. Include baggage charges for your chosen fare, as well as both airport transfers, before deciding that flying suits your budget. Checked bags also mean handing luggage over and reclaiming it rather than keeping it with you.
From BNA, the taxi journey to Public Square is about 8.2 miles and about 11 minutes driving. The downtown taxi tariff is $30 per vehicle, plus $2 for each extra passenger. Sharing helps spread the transfer charge, but each traveller still needs a flight ticket.
Check-in, security, boarding, baggage reclaim and taxi pickup add time beyond the travel components. The limited nonstop schedule also makes the departure’s fit important: a short flight is less useful if you spend much of the day waiting for it. Flying is not automatically the fastest centre-to-centre choice, despite having the shortest time in motion.
Sources & fact-checking
Checks against the sources below cover: fares and charges, as well as services.
- Bus from Memphis, TN to Nashville, TN – Affordable bus tickets
- Nashville, TN to Memphis, TN Bus – Affordable Bus Tickets
- Greyhound — service
- Bus Memphis, TN to Nashville, TN – Buy affordable tickets
- Bus to Memphis, TN | Cheap Bus Tickets
- Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) — fares and charges
- Southwest Airlines — service
- Metropolitan Nashville Transportation Licensing Commission — fares and charges
- Amtrak — service
