John Wayne Airport to propose fee increase for ride services such as Uber and Lyft

Shuttling travelers to and from John Wayne Airport could soon get more expensive for ride services such as Uber and Lyft under a proposal by airport officials.

Airport Director Barry Rondinella said this month at a Wake Up Newport event presented by the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce that officials plan to propose fee increases for smartphone-based ride services.

The proposal, which would affect Uber, Lyft and Wingz, is expected to be considered by the Orange County Board of Supervisors in late February or early March, according to Deanne Thompson, manager of public affairs for the airport. JWA is owned and operated by the county.

Airport officials declined to elaborate on specifics of their proposal, including the suggested new fees.

The companies currently are required to pay the airport $2.25 per pickup but are not charged for drop-offs, officials said.

In 2015, John Wayne Airport became one of the first large Southern California airports to permit smartphone-based ride services to operate alongside traditional fleets of taxis, shuttles and town cars.

But being one of the first made it difficult to determine what to charge the companies, Rondinella said.

“We’ve found that we’re way under market,” he said.

At Los Angeles International Airport, ride services pay $4 for each pickup or drop-off, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Rondinella said the services also are cutting into JWA’s parking revenue by about $5 million annually.

hannah.fry@latimes.com

Twitter: @HannahFryTCN