The Port Authority has a contract with a Taxi association that has exclusive rights to run the airport pickups - you will see the chalk board outside on the wall listing the taxis waiting to be in line to even come into the baggage lot to load in order , if you notice the smaller lot outside the ticket gates on the left it is filled with taxis waiting their turn to get a fare- often waiting for hours.
A non member of that Association now has to pay a fee to do pre-arranged pickups - that is what Kevin and others are being charged now.
If you think the system is crazy now only imagine what it would look like if any STT taxi could park anywhere and wait for a fare instead of the [semi organized] situation that is being run pretty efficiently overall - and the fares are regulated not negotiated which would easily be the case if wide open competition was the norm - it sounds like a free market taxi would benefit the consumer but the chaos it would create is surely a non benefit in reality.
The system is actually a grand improvement and pretty well managed.
Taxis like Kevin, who is a good friend of mine for years, are allowed to make prior arrangements and with the fee imposed somewhat avoid the wrath of the taxis that may having been waiting hours for their place in line.