LAX Ride Fees May Double
LAX is proposing to nearly double pickup and drop-off fees for ride-hailing services, taxis, and limos. The sharp fee increases could significantly impact the cost of Uber, Lyft, and taxi trips to and from the airport. While not yet finalized, this reflects growing efforts by major airports to manage congestion and fund infrastructure upgrades.
The proposed fee hike would be implemented in two stages to encourage the use of new airport infrastructure. Initially, the base fee for ride-hailing and taxi services would rise to $6 for both pickups and drop-offs, including those at the remote LAX-it lot. The second, more significant increase to $12 for curbside pickups and drop-offs outside Terminals 1-8 would take effect upon the opening of the new automated people mover, known as Skylink. This marks the first proposed increase in a decade for these fees at LAX. The current access fees are $4 or $5 each way, depending on the pickup location. If the new proposal is approved, a round trip with curbside service could cost $24 in airport fees alone, a 140% increase from the current approximate $10. The Board of Airport Commissioners is scheduled to vote on the proposal at a special meeting on Tuesday, March 10. If approved, the initial $6 fee could be implemented as early as April. Ride-hailing companies have voiced their opposition, with an Uber spokesperson calling the proposed 140% hike "indefensible" and stating it would "punish travelers, working families, and seniors." The fee increase is intended to help manage traffic congestion in the Central Terminal Area and help fund the nearly $3.5 billion SkyLink people mover project. This 2.25-mile elevated train system is a central part of LAX's broader modernization efforts and is designed to connect terminals to a consolidated rental car facility and the regional Metro rail system. The move to incentivize off-curb pickups follows the establishment of the LAX-it lot in October 2019, which moved all taxi and ride-hailing pickups to a location adjacent to Terminal 1. That initiative was also implemented to reduce the notorious traffic within the airport's central loop. When ride-hailing services were first permitted to operate at LAX in late 2015, they were charged a $4 fee for each pickup and drop-off, a cost that was passed on to passengers. By fiscal year 2018, these fees generated $44.3 million in revenue for the airport. The newly proposed fee structure is estimated to generate as much as $100 million in its first full year after the Skylink is operational. Compared to other major U.S. airports, the proposed $12 curbside fee would be significantly higher. In early 2024, curbside pickup or drop-off fees at San Francisco International were $5.50, Chicago O'Hare charged $5.00, and New York's airports had fees around $2.50.
