Massport approves 'Goldilocks' deal to increase ride-hailing and parking fees at Logan Airport

People traveling to and from Boston's Logan International Airport will be paying more soon.

The Massachusetts Port Authority board approved a measure Thursday to increase the current $3.25 ride app fee for pick ups and drop offs at Logan to $5.50 starting in July.

Rates for other ground transportation services, such as taxi and limo pickups, as well as parking will also increase this summer — and again in fiscal year 2028.

Massport’s director of aviation and business finance, Daniel Gallagher, said the fee increases are necessary to address the airport’s “real and evolving” ground transportation challenges that “will only get worse as we grow.”

Gallagher said the demand for parking, curbside access and roadway infrastructure “oftentimes exceed our existing capacity.”

The added fees will help support capital investments, including a parking garage, that Gallagher says will be instrumental to helping Logan accommodate future travelers. Logan saw a record 43 million air travelers in 2024 and Gallagher said the annual number is "anticipated to reach 53 million travelers within the next 10 to 15 years."

A Massport spokesperson said the combination of fee increases is forecast to generate $1.1 billion in revenue toward the five-year capital plan covering fiscal years 2025 through 2029. Officials are eyeing a suite of work using that money, including construction of a new garage for Terminal E, deployment of "remote terminals" for Logan Express users, and roadway rehabilitation.

The board previously considered a proposal to increase fees on app-based ride hail services to $7.50 by 2028. Uber pushed back, saying the increase would make its trips to Logan the most expensive in the world.

During the board meeting Thursday, Massport CEO Rich Davey acknowledged that the increase was controversial.

“I think some folks thought we were maybe too hot, others too cold,” he said.

He called the updated proposal “the Goldilocks” — or the “just right” version.

“This is not a perfect proposal and we know we're going to have a lot to do to deliver on an ambitious capital plan,” he said.

The deal came on the eve of the Massport board vote. In exchange for capping the app-based ride hailing fee to $5.50 and considering expanded curbside access, Uber agreed to launch a shuttle and UberX share — programs meant to reduce the amount of single occupancy trips to the airport, among other measures.

Several drivers expressed concern during public comments that a rate increase would result in less take home pay for trips to the airport.

Among them was Cletus Awah, who said “these fees will cut drivers' earnings at a time when expenses are rising and take home pay is already on the decline. It's unfair.”

Awah said the increase would benefit Massport and Uber, and not drivers.

“It seems like everyone but us is making millions in profit, fees and taxes off of our work,” he said.

In a statement, Uber’s senior director of public policy and communications said the company was “pleased” with the agreement it reached with Massport. The statement said the effort “will get passengers to and from Logan Airport more efficiently, while at the same time reducing congestion in the area.”

Gold also said Uber would continue to work with Massport and “always advocate for the best service for riders and the best platform for drivers.”

In a statement, Lyft public policy manager Brendan Joyce said the company sees the agreement as "a step in the right direction" despite "concerns about increasing fees on riders."

Joyce said the compromise "allows us to improve the rider experience at Logan as we continue to look for ways to equitably fund the airport's future success.”

With reporting from State House News Service. This story has been updated with a comment from Lyft.