St. Louis Lambert International Airport is one of the most historical airports in the United States. Located in Missouri, STL serves roughly 19 million passengers a year and is the busiest airport in the state.
If you’re armed with the right knowledge, STL can be a great source of income as a rideshare driver. But in order to maximize your earnings, you’ll need a strategy, some tips and tricks, and the rules for driving at this airport. To help you out, we put together this blog post that can serve as your guide. We’ll cover the following topics:
- What should you do before arriving at St. Louis Lambert International Airport?
- Do you need any permits to drive at St. Louis Lambert International Airport?
- Where is the rideshare waiting area at St. Louis Lambert International Airport?
- What are the passenger pick-up rules at St. Louis Lambert International Airport?
- What are the passenger drop-off rules at St. Louis Lambert International Airport?
- When is the best time to drive at St. Louis Lambert International Airport?
- What is the best St. Louis Lambert International Airport strategy?
Let’s dive in!
What should you do before arriving at St. Louis Lambert International Airport and entering the airport queue?
First things first. Get your trade dress, which (as you know) is the Lyft or Uber decal that goes on the windshield of your car.
Uber sends out this decal when drivers sign up. If you’ve lost yours since then, there are a few easy ways to replace it. You can request that a new one be mailed to you, pick one up at your local Greenlight Hub (be wary of recent Hub closures), or print out a temporary version at home.
You can order a Lyft decal from your Dashboard and print a temporary emblem while waiting for yours to come in the mail.
Where is the Uber/Lyft waiting area at St. Louis Lambert International Airport?
There is one large staging area across the street from Dollar Rent A Car on Cypress street near Lot C. The area also extends to a small section of nearby neighborhoods.
Once you enter this staging area, you’ll automatically be entered into the airport queue. Your Uber Driver app must be online while you’re in the area; it cannot go offline or you will be kicked out of the queue. If the staging area is full when you arrive, you’ll have to leave or risk receiving a citation.
What are the passenger pick-up rules at St. Louis Lambert International Airport?
Once you’ve made it to the top of the queue and received a request, head to the airport where there are two pick-up areas. The first is on the upper level at Terminal 1, west of entry 6. Other pickups can occur on the lower level at Terminal 2, west of entry 15.
To put your mind at ease, when you accept the request, your rideshare app will let you know which pick-up zone to go to so you aren’t confused.
What are the passenger drop-off rules at St. Louis Lambert International Airport?
The drop-off area at STL is very similar to the pick-up area. You can drop off passengers at Terminal 1 on the departures level, or upper level, near the entry and exit zone 6. You can also drop off passengers at Terminal 2 on the lower level, by the entry and exit zone 15.
After dropping off passengers, you can be rematched by keeping your driver app open. The rematch feature allows you to match with another passenger who needs to be picked up rather than going back to the staging lot and waiting.
When is the best time to drive at the St. Louis Lambert International Airport?
A great way to plan your trip to the airport is to use Gridwise! If you tap the Airports tab on the app, it’ll show you arrival and departure information that makes it easy to plan your drive.
Evenings starting around 7:45 p.m. appear to be a great time to pick up passengers at STL.
What are some good airport strategies?
Get creative about your pickups and dropoffs
Don’t just be a driver who picks up passengers at the airport—also pick them up when they are heading to the airport. Another strategy to increase your chances of getting an airport-bound passenger is hanging out at nearby airports during a peak time of arrivals. That’s something else the Gridwise app can help you with.
Communicate with your passenger
Make sure you know where your passenger will be in order to make trips more efficient. Don’t wait or circle around the terminal if your passenger is late or delayed for some reason; head back to the staging lot to wait.
Always be prepared
Anything can happen so it’s important to be prepared at the airport. You never know when law enforcement will show up, so make sure your driver’s license, registration, and car insurance are all in reach. And don’t forget to have your trade dress displayed correctly.
This should be everything you need to make that drive to St. Louis Lambert International Airport.
Happy driving!
