JFK for Uber & Lyft Drivers: Lots, Queue, Terminal Pickups

In short: At JFK, app drivers wait only in a designated FHV staging lot, where the app puts you in a virtual first-in, first-out (FIFO) queue. When you get a request, you drive to the terminal pickup point. For Terminals 5 and 7, that point is the Howard Beach Ride App & Car Services Lot, not the terminal curb. Never accept a trip while sitting at a pickup area. That is a $250 TLC fine under rule 80-19(f). Never take a rider who isn't booked in the app: that is $500 for a first violation.

Pickup spots at JFK move with construction. Everything below was checked on October 12, 2026, and the terminal details come from the Port Authority's JFK pages and Uber's driver page. Always follow the airport signs and your app on the day. This page is general information, not legal advice.

Where to wait: the two staging lots

Uber's JFK driver page says drivers "should only wait in the two designated staging lots": the Cell Phone Lot and the Limo Lot. Both have free parking for up to 3 hours. Uber says a lot's spot does not matter. Your place in line is virtual, and you can see it in the driver app. It also warns that "parking or idling at terminals or elsewhere on airport property is strictly forbidden and does not enter you into the trip queue", that this "may result in a citation", and that Uber does not pay citations.

Two other points from the same page:

• Only NYC TLC-licensed drivers get JFK pickup requests.
• The queue has a cap. Uber says the number of for-hire vehicles allowed in airport waiting queues varies by time of day and demand.

Lyft gives its own instructions in the Lyft driver app. We have not checked them for this page, so follow the app if it differs.

Staging lots are not the same as the public wait lots

The Port Authority's pick-up and drop-off page lists two free places for anyone picking someone up:

• Free wait lot at the Lefferts Boulevard AirTrain Station. You "must stay in your vehicle at all times". It is closest to Terminals 1 and 4.
• Cell Phone Lot (East) near the JFK Expressway, under five minutes from all terminals. It is closest to Terminals 5, 7 and 8.

Uber's page names only the Cell Phone Lot and the Limo Lot as staging lots. Waiting at Lefferts may be fine for a private pickup, but according to Uber it does not put you in the app queue.

Terminal-by-terminal pickup points

Terminals 5 and 7. The Port Authority's JFK ride-share page says ride-app pickups for these terminals "have temporarily relocated to the Howard Beach AirTrain Station due to construction". Uber adds that FHV pickups "will not be permitted at Terminals 5 and 7 until further notice" and that drivers can wait in the new FHV Hold Lot 3 at Howard Beach.

Accessible pickups. The Port Authority's T5/T7 relocation advisory says "ADA-accessible ride shares will remain available to customers at the front of the terminal". Uber says that if a rider tells you they need a curbside pickup for an accessibility reason, you may meet them at the terminal curb. At Terminal 5, these pickups use the outer curb of the pedestrian island.

The queue, step by step

What loses your place in line

Uber lists four things that can drop you out of the FIFO queue:

1. You go offline in the driver app.
2. You drive outside the FIFO zone.
3. You don't accept several requests in a row.
4. You cancel several rides. If the rider cancels, you stay at the top of the queue.

Uber also says drivers who cancel too much, or ask riders to cancel, "may lose the ability to receive trip requests to and from the airport". For more on queue problems, see why you can lose your place in the airport queue.

The rules that can cost you money

Two sets of rules apply at once: TLC's driver rules and the Port Authority's airport rules.

The TLC fines are as printed in Chapter 80. Appearance at OATH is not required for either code. The Port Authority rules come from its Airport Rules and Regulations, section V. Port Authority Police can write TLC summonses too. See the full 80-19(c)(2) page and our guide to Port Authority airport rules for drivers.

Curbs are for active pickups only. The Port Authority says you can't wait at the curb unless the passenger and bags are ready, and that unattended vehicles "will be towed at the owner's expense".

The airport access fee went up in March 2026

The Port Authority charges an airport ground transportation access fee. For for-hire vehicles, including app-based cars, it applies to both pickups and drop-offs.

TLC's own trip records show the change. In the app trip files for September 2025 to August 2026, the most common airport_fee on JFK and LaGuardia pickups was $2.50 through February 2026 and $3.50 from March 2026 (TLC Trip Record Data, our count). The Port Authority document does not say whether the rider or the driver pays it inside the app's price. Check your pay statement. More detail is on the access fee page.

How busy JFK is for app drivers

App trips made up most JFK pickups in TLC's records over the last 12 months. For the hour-by-hour picture, see when airport pickups happen.

Waiting lots at LaGuardia and Newark

The same idea applies at the other airports, but the lots are different:

• LaGuardia. The Port Authority's free Cell Phone Lot is off-airport on 94th Street between 23rd Avenue and Ditmars Boulevard, open 7:00 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. daily (LGA page). App drivers have their own FHV Hold Lot. See LaGuardia for app drivers.
• Newark. The free Cell Phone Lot is next to the P4 parking garage, with more than 100 spaces and portable restrooms (EWR page). Newark is in New Jersey, so different rules apply.

For a quick answer on waiting, see can Uber drivers wait at JFK or LaGuardia?. For the whole airport, see our JFK airport page and the airports topic. If you also drive a green cab, read can green cabs pick up at JFK or LaGuardia?.