For TLC Car Rental is Uber and Lyft Airport Queues Worth It?

For Uber and Lyft drivers who either use their own vehicle or obtain a TLC car rental or TLC car leasing, the airports in the NYC area are arguably the most popular place for rideshares. Understanding the requirements, the distance, and the wait times in airport queues helps drivers make the best-informed decisions about when and where to be to take advantage of this resource.

Navigating the requirements for each airport can be annoying and somewhat confusing. You will need to display the signage of the company that you represent. For those who drive for both Uber and Lyft, you’ll need to pick one before getting to the airport. Be sure to check the regulations for each airport you intend to visit.

Airport Queues

The queues at airports are getting longer for a couple of reasons. First, many Uber and Lyft drivers arrive at the downtime and settle in. This tactic makes little sense given the time that is wasted, but it’s happening. The second is that Uber and Lyft are now pre-matching the drivers available with the passengers. While this actually increases the profit potential, it also means that wait time are now longer.

But the biggest issue for Uber and Lyft drivers is waiting in the airport queue, getting a passenger request, and finding out they only want to go to the nearby hotel. All that waiting for a short ride doesn’t seem worth it. But Uber and Lyft have been experimenting with systems that keep you first in the queue if the ride was minimum fare or less than 10 minutes.

Are Airport Queues Worth the Wait?

Most of the time, no. You are far better off picking up passengers at other locations. The only time an airport queue should interest you is if you are pre-matched with a passenger heading to the airport, then pick up another coming out. This means that only by happenstance should you consider the airport as a place to visit often. Going there just to sit in a queue is not going to be very profitable.

However, if the airport is well out of the way or you need time to clean up your vehicle, then spending an hour in a queue may make sense. At the very least, you can go when the airport is at its busiest. Otherwise, you are better off simply taking passengers to the airport and not waiting around. Every minute you sit in the queue is time wasted compared to being in the city picking up rideshares.

For those who use TLC car for rent, or use their own vehicles for Uber and Lyft, understanding the dynamics of airport queues and whether they are worth the wait is vital to their business. For drivers who want to maximize their profit potential, understanding if all the trouble is worth it will help dictate the pace in which your ridesharing service grows.