Can we ask "how many minutes are from ...to" by omitting "there"?
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If you ask someone by phone, "How many minutes are you from my house?" the person is likely to understand exactly what you mean—and can provide a reasonable approximation. There is certainly nothing wrong with the construction. If, on the other hand, you ask "How many minutes is San Francisco from Oakland?" the question is till coherent, but the answer is almost sure to be, "It varies depending on time of day, events in the area, roadside accidents, and other factors." In other words, the particularity of the first question makes it meaningful. – Sven Yargs Apr 30 '16 at 05:29
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It would be better as 'How many minutes is [it/that] from X?' but it depends on the context.
If it's in the context of someone else mentioning a place then the second location you're talking about is implied. Otherwise you would have to mention the second location for it to make sense.
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1So, as I see the answer will be not "There are 15 minutes from ...to...." but "It's 15 minutes from...to....", am I right? – user170800 Apr 20 '16 at 10:32
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@user170800 agreed. You can think of it being short for "It's a journey of 15 minutes from ..." – David Garner Apr 20 '16 at 10:38