Philly airport splits taxi pickup zone with Uber and Lyft. Cab drivers picket to reclaim space.

Taxi drivers picketed on Monday outside City Hall, carrying signs that read, “No compromise on Zone #5 at airport.” They hoped their message would reach Mayor Jim Kenney, who oversees the department that runs the airport.

After Philadelphia taxi drivers banded together earlier this year to oppose planned changes to taxi and rideshare pickup zones at Philadelphia International Airport, the airport presented a new plan in February that meant taxis could keep their prime pickup location but must share it with Uber and Lyft.

The taxi driver who led the charge agreed to the new pickup adjustments, which went into effect on Monday, but many of the drivers are still unhappy — and they want local leaders to help restore their designated space.

The taxi drivers’ discontent began in January when the airport proposed that taxis and rideshare services swap pickup locations. Uber and Lyft would have moved to Zone 5, just outside the airport doors, and taxis would have moved to Zone 7, which is farther from the doors and requires travelers to cross traffic. The change was meant to make pickup safer for rideshare customers, which now outnumber taxi riders at the airport.

The Taxi Workers Alliance of Pennsylvania and its vice president, Alassan Jalloh, sued the city over the proposal. They argued that Zone 7 would be just as unsafe for taxi riders and that the move would further harm their business, which had already been decimated by the rise of rideshare and effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The city presented another option that would keep taxis in their prime location, and Jalloh dropped his case. The compromise: Taxis, Uber, and Lyft must all share Zone 5.

Rideshare users can now meet the driver they hailed just outside baggage claim. The taxi queue is still there in Terminals A, B, and C, but it’s smaller. Taxi drivers said they used to have space for 21 cabs across the three terminals, but now they can only fit nine.

“We are really, really angry. We are really, really frustrated,” said driver Mohsin Mahmud, who protested at City Hall on Monday. The drivers sent a memo to Kenney about their complaints, he said.

The city made the changes to pickup zones “to ensure the safe usage of the roadway,” airport spokesperson Heather Redfern said in an email.

Before they get to the queue, taxis are “staged” in a holding lot, which has space for up to 80 cabs, according to Redfern. From there, they are dispatched to Terminals A, B, and C to fill the queue after a cab leaves, or they may be dispatched to Terminals D, E, and F, which do not have a taxi queue, if requested by a traveler.

“Passengers choose their preferred mode of transportation to and from the airport. Taxis will continue to be dispatched as requested by travelers,” Redfern said.

In the January lawsuit, the taxi drivers had argued that visibility is an important part of their business, and not being in Zone 5 would kill their ability to make money. Unlike Uber and Lyft, which have a smartphone app for travelers to hail rides, taxis rely on potential customers seeing them in real time.

The city said in court filings that the drivers’ argument was speculative and that it was a “bold assertion” to suggest that changing the airport pickup zones “could, perhaps, end the entire taxicab industry in Philadelphia.”

Before dropping the suit, Jalloh said he got input from other drivers — a committee of eight volunteers from various taxi groups in the city — and agreement from Ronald Blount, president of the Taxi Workers Alliance.

“After we agreed, few of them [came] back and say no, it’s a bad deal. That’s why some of them protest,” Jalloh said. “I said, ‘I’m sorry; it’s too late.’ ”

Philadelphia taxi drivers are not required to be part of the alliance, according to Jalloh, and many currently are not. Mahmud said some of those involved in protesting are considering creating their own organization to advocate for Philadelphia cabdrivers.

Blount, the alliance’s president, did not immediately respond to The Inquirer’s request for comment.

Asked whether the airport may adjust its pickup zones again, based on the taxi drivers’ protests, Redfern said, “We will continue to monitor the needs of our customers and will make changes as required.”

Drivers, both in January and now, made clear that they see no other alternative to save their livelihoods.

“This is the last resort,” Mahmud said, promising to continue seeking help from city and state government officials. “We’re not going to stop, trust me.”

Staff photographer Alejandro Alvarez contributed to this article.