Located just five miles from downtown Tampa, Florida, Tampa International Airport saw more than 22 million passengers in 2019. During peak season up to 90 flights per day out of TPA travel to 75 nonstop destinations. It’s a busy airport and one with an incredible amount of potential for rideshare drivers. After all, those millions of passengers need rides, right? Well, that’s where you come in.
But before you jump in your car and head toward the airport, there are a few rules you’ll want to know. To maximize earnings (and avoid a ticket), it’s important to understand how to navigate the airport, join the queue, and legitimize your vehicle.
To help rideshare drivers be successful, we put together this blog post as a guide. The following topics are covered:
- What should you do before arriving at Tampa International Airport?
- Where is the rideshare waiting area at Tampa International Airport?
- What are the passenger pick-up rules at Tampa International Airport?
- What are the passenger drop-off rules at Tampa International Airport?
- When is the best time to drive at Tampa International Airport?
- What is the best Tampa International Airport driving strategy?
Let’s dig in!
What should you do before arriving at Tampa International Airport and entering the airport queue?
Before you start driving at Tampa International Airport, you’ll need your trade dress, which (as you know) is the Lyft or Uber decal that goes on your front passenger windshield facing outward.
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 closures), or print out a temporary version at home.
You can order a Lyft decal from your Dashboard and print a temporary emblem to use while waiting for yours to come in the mail.
Where is the rideshare waiting area at Tampa International Airport?
Tampa International Airport has two different staging lots: a primary and a secondary. The primary staging area is located at 2412 N. Westshore Boulevard, Tampa, FL 33507. The secondary staging area is at 2496-2406 Co Road 587, Tampa, FL 33607.
When entering any of these staging areas, make sure you are logged into driver mode so you can be placed within the queue. Leaving the staging area or exiting driver mode in your app can result in losing your spot in the queue. And if the staging areas are full, you must leave the airport.
What are the passenger pick-up rules at Tampa International Airport?
The driver who has waited the longest in the queue will receive the next request. Once you receive a request to pick up a passenger, you’ll follow the signs leading to rideshare pickup.
Exactly where to pick your passenger up will be indicated in your app by a passenger pin.
What are the passenger drop-off rules at Tampa International Airport?
Dropping off passengers is a piece of cake at TPA. You can drop yours off anywhere on the departures level. Once you have dropped your passenger off, sometimes you’ll be rematched with another passenger, or a rematch trip. Rematching is a feature that allows you to be matched with additional passengers shortly before or after you have dropped off passengers.
If you are not rematched with another passenger immediately, you cannot wait around in the departures area. Just head back to the staging area to wait for another trip.
When is the best time to drive at Tampa International Airport?
Using the Gridwise app is a great way to figure out what times you should head to the airport. You can find all of this information in the Airports tab in the app.
TPA has a huge peak time of arrivals starting around 6:15 p.m. This would be a great time to go pick up some riders.
What are some good airport strategies?
Pick up a passenger on the way to the airport
If you’re using Gridwise, you’ll know when the peak times are. Hang around nearby hotels to help boost the chances of an airport ride.
Be prepared to show your waybill
A waybill is considered the receipt of your last trip completed; you can find yours in your rideshare app. Always be prepared to present it as airport officials and law enforcement can request it at any time while you’re driving at TPA or any other airport.
Always be prepared
Remember, law enforcement can show up at any time. Make sure you keep within reach your proof of insurance, driver’s license, registration, and your properly placed trade dress.
Congrats! Now you’re all set to make some pickups and dropoffs at Tampa International Airport.
Happy driving!
