The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced on Sept. 24 progress on two key initiatives to upgrade taxi operations at Port Authority airports: a new contract for a cutting-edge mobile app to modernize the taxi hailing system at the region’s airports and new and improved airport driver facilities at LaGuardia and Newark Liberty Airports. The contract for a modern, digital Airport Ground Transportation Management System has been awarded to IBI Group, a global design and technology firm. This custom technology will replace the archaic taxi dispatch system that has been in use for 20 years and improve the flow of taxis to passenger pick up areas. New, permanent restrooms, washing stations, and meditation areas specifically for airport drivers will be built at LaGuardia, and at Newark Liberty, the Port Authority will make significant utility improvements to existing facilities in the for-hire vehicle hold lot. These announcements come after a year of delivering on improvements for taxi drivers which include physical, operational, and communications improvements and enhanced efforts to crack down on illegal pick-ups and hustling.
“The Board’s commitment to delivering modern airports means investing in new facilities airport-wide,” said Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole. “Today’s announcement follows through on our support for the taxi and for-hire vehicle drivers who ensure that air travelers reach our terminals. Providing restrooms and meditation spaces that meet the needs of drivers who serve the region’s airports will vastly improve the experience for them and passengers who travel with them.”
“The Port Authority committed a year ago to work with the taxi driver community on a multi-part agenda to improve both taxi operations and to address short-comings that drivers have lived with for years. We are delivering on those commitments across the board,” said Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton. “Our procurement of a modern digital taxi dispatch system will be vastly more efficient and effective for customers and vastly more respectful of drivers’ time, especially today when drivers are under huge economic pressure.”
Building on the agency’s September 2019 commitment to work with taxi drivers to better integrate their services to improve the functionality of ground transportation at the region’s airports, the contract with IBI Group calls for a mobile application to virtually connect New York and New Jersey taxi drivers to the ride hailing dispatch system, changing the status quo which has left taxi drivers no choice but to wait hours in taxi hold lots on the airport. This 21st century, automated taxi dispatch system will finally respect drivers’ time and connect them to airport fare opportunities in a more efficient manner. The system will also allow the Port Authority to communicate with drivers via an easy-to-use mobile application. The technology follows IBI Group’s GTMS-Smart Airport Taxi — Virtual Dispatch Systems and will be specifically designed for use at John F. Kennedy International, Newark Liberty International and LaGuardia Airports.
The new technology and facility improvements are also part of a renewed investment in customer experience at the region’s airports. While making facilities improvements like larger, touch-free restrooms and high-speed Wi-fi, the agency recognizes its responsibility to assure attractive options for ground transportation. The Port Authority has worked to improve the speed and efficiency of loading passengers into taxis by loading multiple cabs at the same time, moved taxi and shared ride waiting areas indoors, and partnered with airlines and terminal operators to install wayfinding signage that anticipates travelers’ needs and guides them to taxi and shared ride pick up.
“We’re thrilled to launch this first-generation solution, in partnership with the Port Authority. Our solution provides benefits to airport operators and commercial vehicle drivers, saving them valuable time and resources through the use of smart technology,” said Tissa De Silva, director, senior practice lead, intelligent systems for IBI Group. “We look forward to adding additional features to the current iteration of the solution throughout the three-year contract, ensuring the Port Authority is equipped with a responsive, forward-looking ground transportation management system for years to come.”
“Building and maintaining a transportation network that promotes our city’s success means optimizing efficiency at each and every part of a journey, and this app will make life easier for both the travelers and taxi drivers that New York City relies on,” said Julie Samuels, executive director of Tech:NYC. “Enhancing the travel experience is an important step for our city’s recovery, and we commend the Port Authority for making this investment.”
In September 2019, the Port Authority’s board unanimously approved a series of recommendations from the Executive Director that respect the role that taxis play in airport transportation. With the goal of improving driver satisfaction at the airport, the plan the Board agreed to included making immediate hold lot improvements to bathrooms and cell service, improving communications through working groups and information sharing, and developing the new, 21st-century taxi dispatch system.
In the past 11 months, the Port Authority has:
- Upgraded hold lot restroom facilities and increased the cleaning frequency
- Created meditation rooms and wash stations
- Improved cell service at taxi hold lots
- Established a Port Authority email for direct driver feedback and enhanced dispatch information shared on Twitter
- Paved, striped and installed speed bumps where needed in holding and staging lots
- Moved taxi-cab pickup locations to the curb at LaGuardia’s Terminal B
- Created a working group with NYTWA
- Installed bulletin boards at hold lots for NYTWA/stakeholder communications.
In addition to these changes for drivers at its facilities, the Port Authority also committed to crack down on the influx of illegal ride hustling at JFK, Newark Liberty, and LaGuardia Airports. The agency took a three-pronged approach featuring increased enforcement based on new laws which the Port Authority and expanded customer education.
The Port Authority Police Department increased staffing at the airports, both uniformed and plain-clothed officers to focus on catching hustlers through innovative enforcement techniques.
The Port Authority worked with Governor Cuomo and the NYS Legislature to add new provisions to the Vehicle and Traffic Law to provide vital enforcement reforms against hustling and hacking at the Port Authority’s Airports to protect its passengers and users and support legitimate taxi and FHV operations. These measures, effective August 1, include higher fines and license suspension for repeat offenders, registration suspension by the State DMV in prescribed circumstances, and faster adjudication of these violations through the department of motor vehicles.
At all three airports, new signage was added to warn arriving passengers of the dangers of illegal hustlers. The Port Authority has also elevated its terminal wayfinding to ensure that all arriving customers can quickly and easily access designated taxi, for hire vehicle, and public transit pick-up areas.
The Sept. 24 announcement builds on that progress, and the Port Authority will continue to work with taxi drivers to implement other measures to include them as key participants in the airport community.
The first of the facilities announced will be built at LaGuardia Airport, across from the new Terminal B. The Board authorized the design and construction of a 2,500 square foot permanent facility including restrooms, washing stations, and meditation areas, along with associated plumbing, electrical, and heating ventilating and air conditioning. The project will be delivered in phases, with Phase 1 including the utilities and restrooms beginning in 2021, and Phase 2 including washing stations and meditation areas beginning in 2022. Construction work will be closely coordinated with the LaGuardia Redevelopment Program, to minimize impacts to construction phasing.
The Board also authorized the construction of utility, water, and sewer connections to the existing facilities in the for-hire vehicle hold lot at Newark Liberty International. This work is anticipated to be completed by the end of the year.
The new automated dispatch system will enable the Port Authority to monitor and control the flow of commercial vehicles at the airports. Using Bluetooth technology to supplement available GPS data, this system will enable swifter and more accurate virtual dispatching. The IBI-developed technology will provide the Port Authority with real-time data and streamline communication with taxi drivers. By spring, drivers and passengers should begin to benefit from an upgraded dispatching experience and by the end of 2021 drivers can expect to phase into virtual queuing via a mobile app.
