A group representing Uber, Lyft and other ride share drivers opposes the Port Authority’s plan to double pick-up and drop-off fees at airports, because it puts an unfair financial burden on drivers and passengers from New Jersey and other states.
Officials from the Independent Driver’s Guild want Thursday’s Board of Commissioners vote on the Port Authority’s $45 billion 10-year capital plan postponed. Airport pick-up fee increases are among several toll and fare hikes proposed in the plan to help fund it.
The proposal would double the current $2.50 drop-off and pick-up “airport access fee” for Lyft, Uber and other ride share drivers to $5 on March 15, 2026. The pick-up and drop-off fees for taxis would increase to $2 from the current $1.75 fee and increase 25 cents annually for two years after March 2026.
The guild, which represents an estimated 200,000 ride share drivers from the metro area including New Jersey, contends drivers are barely breaking even and will face the equivalent of a $71 million annual increase.
The guild contends its estimated 200,000 ride share drivers from the metro area, including New Jersey, are barely breaking even and will be hit with the equivalent of a $71 million annual increase. That fee would likely be passed on to customers.
In a Dec. 2 letter to the Port Authority, the guild asked it to postpone Thursday’s vote in order to consult with labor groups, and establish rate parity for all for-hire vehicles, instead of shifting the burden.
“This proposal is nothing short of reverse Robin Hood,” said Brendan Sexton, Guild President, in a statement.
“It takes from the hardworking ride share drivers and the local outer-borough and suburban families who rely on Uber and Lyft and gives a free pass to the wealthiest Manhattan business travelers and tourists who benefit from yellow taxi exemptions,” he said.
The policy exempts private cars and company vehicles that use the airports from the access fee, he said.
The proposed fee would prompt travelers to avoid app-based ride share vehicles, reduce drivers’ trip volumes and cut the incomes of thousands of drivers, the Guild contends.
“We have not heard back from the Port Authority. We reached out to Governor Hochul’s office and spoke to staff in her office,” said Moira Muntz, a Guild spokesperson. “Staff listened but ultimately said it was up to the commissioners.”
Both Gov. Phil Murphy and Hochul have the power to veto authority actions.
Increases in airport pick-up fees are among other toll and fare hikes proposed in the plan to help fund it.
Drivers will see the gradual end of their E-ZPass discounts starting in 2027. This would reduce the difference between the lower off-peak and higher peak period E-ZPass toll by 50 cents starting in 2027. Additional annual 50 cent reductions in the off-peak E-ZPass rate will happen in the three years after 2027.
That would raise an estimated $75 million in revenue for the plan. However, this adjustment preserves lower rates for regional E-ZPass use, as opposed to non-E-ZPass drivers, who are billed at a higher toll rate. The Staten Island Bridges Plan is unchanged.
A 3% toll increase indexed to Consumer Price Index increases would also take effect Jan. 4, in addition to a 25-cent annual increase approved last year to fund the proposed $10.1 billion authority 2026 budget, which also is up for a vote on Thursday.
PATH fares will ultimately rise to $4 for a single ride. Changes start with a 25-cent increase on May 3, 2026. Further 25-cent increases will occur during the next three years on the first Sunday in January in 2027, 2028, and 2029. That will help bankroll increased service on all four PATH lines.
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