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Petition
for Providing Restroom Facilities for Rideshare Drivers at Ronald Reagan National Airport
We are a local law firm working to help rideshare drivers who serve DCA. Many drivers have told us they do not have access to safe and nearby restrooms while waiting in the staging area, which creates unnecessary difficulty and even safety issues.
We are preparing a petition to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority asking them to provide a simple and basic solution: safe restroom access for drivers.
There is no cost to you. We are doing this pro bono, as a service to the local driving community.
If you support this effort, please add your name below so we can include you in the petition.
TO:
John E. Potter, President & CEO
Ashley K. Carvalho, Senior Vice President and General Counsel
METROPOLITAN WASHINGTON AIRPORTS AUTHORITY
1 Aviation Circle
Washington, D.C. 20001
Alt: 2733 Crystal Drive
Arlington, Virginia
Subject:
Request for Construction of Safe, Accessible Restroom Facilities for Rideshare Drivers Operating at DCA
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WE, THE UNDERSIGNED Rideshare drivers who serve Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), respectfully submit this petition to request the construction, installation, or designation of dedicated restroom facilities for rideshare drivers operating in and around the airport’s designated staging and pickup areas.
Background
Rideshare drivers play a critical role in ensuring safe, reliable, and efficient transportation for thousands of passengers traveling to and from DCA each day. To provide this essential service, drivers often spend long stretches of time waiting in designated staging lots, sometimes for periods exceeding an hour, due to airport traffic patterns and dispatch operations.
At present, there are no designated restroom facilities available to rideshare drivers within reasonable proximity to the staging area. Drivers who leave their vehicles to use airport restrooms inside the terminal or surrounding areas report being ticketed or towed, despite having no practical alternative for meeting basic human needs. This creates a health risk, an unsafe working condition, and an unnecessary burden on the workforce that supports the airport’s transportation infrastructure.
Request
We respectfully request that WMATA and DCA leadership take action to:
1. Construct or install dedicated restroom facilities (such as permanent structures or maintained portable restrooms) within or adjacent to the rideshare driver staging area; or
2. Designate an existing restroom facility accessible to rideshare drivers without risk of ticketing or towing;
3. Implement appropriate signage, access procedures, or communication to ensure drivers can safely and lawfully use these facilities; and
4. Enforce legal and regulatory compliance, ensuring the airport maintains humane and reasonable working conditions.
Rationale
Providing restroom access is a basic matter of health and sanitation, safety and human dignity, fair treatment of contractors who support airport operations, and operational efficiency, as drivers who feel safe and supported are better able to meet passenger needs.
Additionally, major airport hubs across the country have successfully implemented similar accommodations for rideshare drivers, demonstrating the feasibility and importance of such facilities in modern transportation ecosystems.
At LaGuardia Airport (LGA) in New York, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced new, permanent restrooms and washing stations specifically for taxi and other for-hire drivers. At John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) the Port Authority added dedicated portable toilets at the cell-phone / waiting lot used by Uber, Lyft, and other for-hire drivers, so drivers waiting for trips would have bathroom access on-site.
In the same program, Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) in New Jersey committed to improvements including utility and facility upgrades at the for-hire vehicle hold lot, which include enhanced amenities for drivers, such as restrooms and related break facilities.
Nashville International Airport (BNA) has recently opened a rideshare holding lot near the airport which includes expanded restroom facilities with daily maintenance as an amenity for rideshare drivers.
Conclusion
We respectfully urge WMATA and the leadership of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to take prompt action to resolve this issue. Rideshare drivers are an essential part of the airport’s transportation network, and access to restroom facilities is an essential need.