The Phoenix City Council has voted, once again, to raise fees for rideshare companies at Sky Harbor International Airport. The new fees are set to go into effect Feb. 1.
Rideshare companies currently pay $2.66 for pick-ups at Sky Harbor. That fee is now rising to $4, and it will be assessed for drop-offs as well. The fee will increase to $5 by 2024.
The City Council had already voted in October to raise the fees, but requirements for posting advance notice of the vote hadn’t been followed, so the council had to re-vote with 60 days’ notice.
Ahead of the most recent vote, Mayor Kate Gallego argued Phoenix is one of the fastest-growing cities in the nation and Sky Harbor deserves to compete with other cities' airports. Many other large cities charge similar or higher fees or do not even offer curbside service, she said.
“In fact, both D.C. airports just raised their pickup and drop-off fees for rideshare fees to $5," she said.
Uber and Lyft have threatened to pull their services from the airport if the fees are imposed. Councilman Sal DiCiccio argued the impact of the new fees will be harmful to the local economy.
“Phoenix will be known as an anti-business, anti-worker city," DiCiccio said in the meeting.
The council heard public comments and discussed the issue for over an hour, but again voted 7-to-2 for the rate change. No members changed their vote from the October meeting.
State Rep. Nancy Barto (R-Phoenix) has said she would file a complaint with the state Attorney General’s Office if the City Council voted this way. Barto joined The Show to talk about why she believes the complaint is necessary.
