A user on TikTok has sparked discussion after complaining about the cart prices in American airports.
For context, in many countries, carts are provided at airports for little to no cost. Berlin’s Brandenburg offers luggage trolleys for 1 to 2 Euro. At Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport in Canada, carts are provided free of charge.
That may be why TikTok user Yahya (@m_yahya_h) was so shocked to discover the price of a cart at San Francisco International Airport: a staggering $8.
“Okay, these carts are usually free, right? But here, you have to pay,” he says standing in front of a Smarte Carte stand. “You have to pay 8 US dollars just to get a cart.”
@m_yahya_h SFO built different #sfo #exchangestudent #airport #carts ♬ original sound – Yahya
The company offering these rental carts is Smarte Carte, which claims on its website that they “can be found at more than 2,600 facilities worldwide.”
Given the expense required for these carts—and the relatively short distances for which they’re generally used—such carts have drawn the ire of users across the internet for years.
Two years ago, a user on Reddit lamented the $7 cart rental fee he was asked to pay at LAX. The complaints continued when that price went up to $8 a year later.
In the comment section of Yahya’s video, many users claimed they had gotten out of paying this fee by borrowing carts left in the parking lot by other flyers.
“I grabbed free ones people leave in the parking lot at SFO,” wrote one user.
“It is free.. park at the terminal, find a cart, drop off the family, and leave,” added another. “You have 15 minutes before you pay for parking.”
Others took to the comment section to complain about the high cost of many goods and services in the United States.
“Don’t forget to tip too,” joked a commenter.
“If its 8 dollar I’m bringing it home,” shared a second.
“Welcome to America! Everything is an added charge here,” proclaimed a further TikToker.
We’ve reached out to Yahya via Instagram direct message.
