San Diego International Airport — Reported Airport Trip Fee Location
A new $5 fee per airport pick-up or drop-off from the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority is squeezing drivers who ferry passengers in Uber Black and Lyft Black vehicles, with one driver saying he took home less than $200 for all of October after accounting for the charge. Operators are invoiced monthly based on their airport activity. The fee change, which began in October 2026, has shifted charter operators from an annual vehicle fee to a trip-based structure, and some drivers say the math no longer works in their favor.
Aws Hamzah, who has driven for Uber Black and Lyft Black since 2025, told FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News that he was invoiced more than $1,000 for October alone, on top of nearly $5,000 in expenses he said he had already paid. He said he spent 76 hours online and ready to work that month but took home less than $200 once costs were tallied. Hamzah said he left other jobs after a decade, hoping to support his family and his daughter by driving premium rides.
Drivers Rejecting Low-Paying Trips
Hamzah said he rejected roughly 400 airport rides in the previous month because the math stopped making sense: a ride from the airport to downtown costs riders at least $70, he said, while he receives no less than $30. He said lower-priced rides are no longer affordable or worthwhile for him under the new fee structure, and he hopes conditions change or he will need to find another way to earn a living. Other rideshare drivers described similar experiences and voiced concerns about possible retaliation from the rideshare companies they drive for, according to the same report…