The Port Authority is proposing to double Airport Access Fees for rideshare and for-hire vehicle (FHV) drivers to $5 for pick-ups and $5 for drop-offs, creating a $10 round-trip fee—while yellow taxis would continue paying far less and remain exempt from drop-off charges.
This unfairly targets rideshare drivers who already carry heavy state, city, and congestion-related fees, and it disadvantages riders in outer-borough and suburban communities who rely heavily on FHVs because taxis often don’t serve their neighborhoods.
These changes deepen an economic divide: riders from places like Paterson, East New York, or Yonkers would pay more to access the same airports that many Manhattan riders reach without equivalent fees. This proposal is inequitable, economically unsound, and harmful to drivers’ earnings.
Drivers should consider contacting the Port Authority and urging them to reject the increase and adopt a fair, mode-neutral fee structure.