When it comes to fitness app development, understanding how airport fees impact your ride is crucial for a seamless and cost-effective travel experience. In this article, we'll explore why Nashville International Airport (BNA) has some of the highest fees in the country and what it means for rideshare passengers.
Most major airports add mandatory passenger dropoff and pickup fees for Uber, Lyft, and other ride-sharing apps that are passed on to riders. However, these surcharges are rarely disclosed to passengers. At BNA, a roundtrip surcharge of $12 is added to the total cost of your ride, with $5 each way funding airport improvements and a unique $2 tax on airport rideshare and taxi pickups that funds Music City Center.
This adds up quickly, with the airport generating a total of $14.7 million in 2024 in rideshare surcharges, up from $8.8 million in 2022. The city's $2 rideshare airport tax has generated an average of about $4.3 million for the Convention Center Authority over the past three years.
What Do Airports Charge in Rideshare Fees?
BNA's roundtrip ground transportation surcharge is comparable to peer airports, which charge equal or higher fees for pickup and dropoff. However, the additional $2 city surcharge puts BNA higher than most. San Francisco International charges $11 roundtrip, while Los Angeles International Airport charges $8. New York's LaGuardia charges $5 roundtrip, though the city adds other surcharges.
Memphis International charges $4 roundtrip, while Washington Dulles, Reagan National, and Detroit Metro charge $10. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport charges a $3.85 pickup fee. The surcharges have been rising in recent years at some airports, leading to pushback from rideshare companies.
How is BNA Spending the Surcharge Funds?
BNA is using the surcharge funds for infrastructure and service enhancements as it continues to grow as an international hub. The improvements include a new rideshare holding lot, expanded sanitation services, enhanced security measures at the holding lot, and ground transportation center reconfiguration.
The airport is currently investing more than $360 million in roadway improvements and more than $800 million in a new Consolidated Rental Car Facility. Additional plans are underway for a new parking garage and an expanded Ground Transportation Center.
What About the Nashville Convention Center Surcharge?
The $2 convention center fee for rideshare and taxi pickups at the airport was added as a local ordinance in 2007 to be used exclusively to build and operate Music City Center. The Convention Center Authority said the funds are used for capital needs and debt service tied to the $623 million center, which opened in 2013.
The funds are part of a revenue stream that includes hotel occupancy taxes and other tourism tax dollars that have ballooned over the past decade as Nashville's tourism has exploded. The convention center's surplus revenue has led to a power struggle between local and state leaders over control of how the funds are spent.