Jacksonville International Airport can be a Gold mine for rideshare drivers. The airport sees more than 6.4 million passengers each and every year, which means a ton of opportunity for smart drivers.
But if you’re going to maximize your earnings at airports, you’re going to need to understand the ins and outs of Jacksonville International and develop a solid airport strategy.
Well, we want you to earn a boatload of money at Jacksonville International, so we’ve put together this instructional guide to help Uber and Lyft drivers be successful when driving JAX.
See the topics covered in this blog post below:
- What do I need to know or do before arriving at Jacksonville International?
- Do you need any permits to drive at Jacksonville International?
- Where is the rideshare waiting area at Jacksonville International?
- What are the passenger pick up rules at Jacksonville International?
- What are the passenger drop off rules at Jacksonville International?
- When is the best time to drive at Jacksonville International?
- What is the best Jacksonville International driving strategy?
Let’s dive in!
What do I need to do before I arrive at Jacksonville International and enter the airport queue?
Step #1: Get your trade dress
Never forget your trade dress! Every rideshare driver knows that you have to always have your trade dress visible on your car, and it’s especially important at the airport. If you are seen picking up passengers with no trade dress, be prepared to receive a ticket! So before you do anything you must make sure that you have your Uber or Lyft decals. You can easily pick these up from one of the rideshare companies.
To get your Uber Decal you can visit the local Greenlight Hub.
To get your Lyft Decal you can place an order on your dashboard. You can also print a temporary decal if you lose yours or are waiting for one to come in the mail.
Step #2: Know the airport regulations
One of the nice things about JAX is that you don’t need a specific airport decal to drive there, however, there are a few key rules and regulations that you must follow.
- Always keep one of your rideshare apps on at all times while on airport property
- Don’t wait in any other areas except the designated staging areas (see the map below). Not only is this against regulations but you also won’t be added to the queue. So if there is no room in the staging lot you must leave. This means NO WAITING ON AIRPORT PROPERTY!!!
- DO NOT pick up passengers directly from the terminal.
Where is the Uber/Lyft waiting area at Jacksonville International Airport?
Many airports have a “staging lot” where Uber and Lyft drivers can wait for airport pings. Well, not Jacksonville International.
Instead, rideshare drivers can only wait in the FiFo zones off airport property. Check out the map below to see where that zone is.
Note that this is NOT the “cell lot”. Rideshare drivers are not allowed to wait on airport property and can expect a $250 fine if caught waiting on the property.
Once you get
How should Uber and Lyft drivers pick up passengers at Jacksonville International?
Picking up passengers is fairly easy at Jacksonville International. Simply drive to the arrivals level of the airport and meet your passenger at the TNC area. You should expect a 5 or so minute drive to pick up your passengers since you’ll be waiting somewhere off airport property, so it would be a good idea to send your passenger a heads up that you’re on your way.
The Uber/Lyft app will automatically direct the rider to go to the designated area depending on their terminal.
How should Uber and Lyft drivers drop off passengers at Jacksonville International Airport?
Dropping off passengers at Jacksonville International is easy as can be. You can simply drop passengers off at their requested terminal and that’s it! No special rules here.
When is the best time to drive at Jacksonville International?
As we said at the beginning of our guide Jacksonville International is one of the busiest in the world and there are tons of passengers traveling through every single day no matter the season. However, you’re not the only driver that knows that. So there is also usually a ton of drivers at the airport.
So the best time to drive at JAX is when the ratio of passengers to drivers is at its absolute highest.
To understand when this ratio is highest, check your Gridwise app and compare queue times to passenger arrival times.
There are of course certain times of year that receive more passengers like Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Years, and the Saturday before big basketball games (Go Suns!), however, the best way to understand rider demand at your airport is with Gridwise.
You can also use Gridwise airport alerts to remind you when rider demand is increasing. You can simply set up alerts that will remind you when demand at the airport is at a certain level so you don’t need to continuously check.
What is the Best Strategy to use at JAX?
Pick up a passenger on the way to the airport!
Don’t just be a driver that picks up passengers at the airport! Also, pick them up when they are heading to the airport. Gridwise does a great job of telling you when there is also a peak in airport departures, so you can hang around near hotels at that time to maximize your chances of an airport ride.
Do not cancel on a passenger after you’ve accepted a fare
If you do, you will be bumped to the bottom of the queue and your wait starts all over again. The good news is that if it’s a short ride, some companies let you jump back in line after you’ve dropped that passenger off.
Look out for your short ride bump
After waiting for some time at the airport for a passenger, there is nothing worse than getting a ride that’s 5-minutes away. That’s why the major rideshare companies have some form of a short ride bump that allows you to jump back into the front of the line if you get a very short ride request.
To take advantage of a short ride bump, simply complete your short ride and look out for a text message or in-app message that gives you the option to head back to the TNC lot for a preferred spot in the queue.
Always be prepared
You never know when law enforcement will show up, so always keep your driver’s license, insurance card, and registration handy. And don’t forget to have your placard displayed.
Now you should be ready to make that drive to JAX and actually earn money instead of snacking on candy from Sunoco. I’m not the only one who does that, right?
