Massachusetts Port Authority Considers Charging Drivers for Logan Airport Pick-Ups and Drop-Offs

Aug. 30, 2017

•

2 min read

Massachusetts Port Authority Considers Charging Drivers for Logan Airport Pick-Ups and Drop-Offs

This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit this page.

Would you be willing to pay a fee every time you drop off or pick up a friend or family member at the airport? For those who live in metropolitan Boston and utilize Logan airport (BOS), it could soon become a reality. As the result of pressure from environmental groups, the Massachusetts Port Authority is now studying the effects of imposing a fee on those who drop off or pick up others from the airport.

The Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) hopes that this toll will encourage more people to utilize public transit and would lead to a reduction in emissions from cars traveling to and from the airport. According to Massport, the state's independent public authority, over 20,000 cars travel to the airport every day for drop-offs and pick-ups, while about 108,000 vehicles enter the airport in total on a daily basis. Air service has increased significantly at BOS — the airport has added more than 15,000 flights since 2015; 21% of all passengers arrive at Logan via personal drop-off.

The study is part of a compromise between the Massport and the CLF: Massport agreed to the study on the grounds that the CLF would not protest its plans to build 5,000 new parking spaces at Logan. The study is expected to be completed by July 2019.

Many airports across the country already add an additional fee to the total fare of those passengers who utilize a rideshare service or a taxi to get to the airport. Dallas Fort-Worth airport (DFW) has been charging drivers since the 1970s, but its fee is targeted more at drivers who use the airport road as a shortcut to get between two major highways in the area. Airports in the United Kingdom charge the equivalent of about $1.30 to $5 for those picking up or dropping off passengers at several locations, but it's unknown if these fees have been enough to reduce automobile traffic at the airport.

H/T: The Boston Globe

Would you pay a fee to drop off or pick up family and friends from the airport? Let us know in the comments below. ˜