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Council questions parking, rideshare fees and veterans’ parking as Houston Airport System nears rate limits
Summary
Council members pressed Houston Airport System leaders on garage rate ranges approved under Chapter 9, a $3 per-trip rideshare fee, off-airport parking revenue shares and the veteran-parking program during the FY26 budget workshop.
During the budget workshop Vice Chair Castillo and council members asked detailed questions about parking policy, rideshare fees and veteran parking programs after airport staff presented FY26 revenue projections that rely heavily on parking gains.
Chapter 9 authorization and rate ranges
Jim Sechniak said parking rates for garages were set under Chapter 9 (city code) and that the airport generally requests a range when it seeks council authorization. The airport is close to the upper bound of its approved range for garage rates and will need to consult with council before proposing rate increases, Sechniak said. He told council the airport is focused on improving the parking experience before seeking higher rates.
Parking experience and performance metrics
Sechniak said recent equipment upgrades that enable frictionless entry (license-plate reading, account billing) and traffic improvements reduced congestion and sharply improved customer satisfaction on the airport’s CDE garage: the net promoter score moved from negative 35 to positive 35 after equipment and traffic-flow improvements.
Rideshare, peer-to-peer and off-airport parking
The airport charges a per-trip fee for rideshare operators; officials said the current fee is $3 per trip (applies to Uber, Lyft and similar operators). The airport does not collect a percentage of rideshare fares. The airport also said it settled issues with a peer-to-peer car platform (Turo) and is reassessing how that model should be regulated at airport facilities.
On off-airport lots, Sechniak said Houston’s revenue-share for remote parking operators is about 8% and that peer airports such as DFW operate at higher shares (he cited 12% at DFW), prompting conversations with off-site providers about fairness and market competitiveness.
Veterans’ parking
Sechniak said veterans traveling through the airport qualify for free parking but that limits apply. For garage use, the airport provides free veteran parking for up to seven days; some remote lots offer longer periods. He said the airport processed roughly 14,000 veteran parking transactions last year. Council members asked for additional data to evaluate the balance between free veteran parking and limited garage capacity.
Ending
Council members asked staff to review Chapter 9 rates and fees and to provide peer comparisons and data on veteran parking usage. Sechniak said staff is reviewing fees and will supply further information to council.
