US: Court upholds Phoenix Airport's Uber, Lyft fees

The Phoenix airport can raise fees for Uber and Lyft to operate on its property, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled Thursday. The justices unanimously upheld the $4 pickup and drop-off fees that led the ride-hailing companies to threaten to stop serving the airport. They rejected a complaint filed by Republican Attorney General Mark Brnovich, who said the fee hikes are “very likely” unconstitutional. The city currently charges $2.66 for each pickup but doesn’t charge for rider drop-offs. Brnovich says the fee increases violate a 2018 constitutional amendment that banned new fees on services. Lawyers for the city argued the higher fees are not taxes on services, but rather permissible charges for businesses to use the city-owned Sky Harbor International Airport, one of the largest US airports serving about 44 million passengers a year. “This ruling will allow all companies that do business at the airport to equally participate in its financial recovery from COVID-19,” Mayor Kate Gallego's office said.<br/>