It's More Expensive to Get an Uber Here Than at Any Other U.S. Airport
Fees for travelers using ride-hailing apps at this airport have surged, but relief could be coming soon.
Next time you're planning to get to or from Florida's Orlando International Airport via a ride-hailing app, it might be worth it to find an alternative way of transportation.
Last year, airport officials announced that the airport would increase passenger pick-up fees for rideshares, which automatically made it the most expensive place in the country to take a ride-sharing service both to and from the airport. As Fox Orlando reported then, the pickup fee at the airport was once $5.80. By October 2023, it went up to $7. In comparison, Uber told WESH that the pick-up fee at Tampa International Airport is $5. At Miami International Airport, instead, the fee is just $2.
That's a very steep 20% increase, and according to Uber, that is, to this day, the highest fee of any airport the ride-hailing app operates from. When the new fee got implemented, Uber was worried about the negative impact it would have on both drivers and passengers (higher prices usually mean decreased rideshare demand).
Last year, airport officials were set on the new prices, and were not willing to negotiate. According to them, the fee increase had already been approved by the authority board in September 2022, and the agreement was signed in July 2017.
"This is an issue that was negotiated and resolved when the operating agreement was signed in July of 2017, and we are not renegotiating it," Greater Orlando Aviation Authority CEO Kevin Thibault told Fox Orlando. "These fee increases were already approved by the authority board in September 2022 and there is no reason to bring them back to the board."
Now, however, things might be about to change for the better. Javier Correoso, director of public affairs for Uber, told Thrillist that the company has been working with state lawmakers, the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority's board, and Orlando Airport leadership to "bring parity to the fees that rideshare users are required to pay on all trips beginning at the airport." According to Correoso, they've "made significant progress on making sure that consumers are paying a fair rate irrespective of if they are taking a taxi or an Uber" from the Orlando Airport.
In part, the good news is the result of governmental action. In February, the Florida Senate Finance and Tax Committee unanimously passed a bill that would require both the state's airports and seaports to ensure fee parity when it comes to fees and taxes paid by taxis and rideshare companies. Action on the fee could be coming very soon, too.
"Although the bill did not get a final vote in the Senate, this development subsequently brought all parties together to try to resolve this issue. We have been meeting with the airport leadership to resolve this," said Correoso. "We are optimistic that this issue will be resolved in the coming weeks."