Now You Can’t Get Uber or Lyft at Five U.S. Airports
Jackie Reddy October 22, 2019
Despite their ubiquitous popularity, a number of airports around the nation are halting the convenience of curbside pickups. Facilities in Austin, San Francisco and Seattle already have special areas set aside for taxis and ride-hailing services, with Boston and Los Angeles soon set to follow suit.
Ride-hailing services are undeniably and understandably popular among air passengers, but as SmarterTravel.com reports, some airports are now looking to halt the convenience of curbside pickups.
At Austin–Bergstrom International Airport (ABIA), curbside pickups for taxis and apps like Uber and Lyft have been shunted down to the ground level of the car rental area. Likewise, the outlet states that San Francisco (SFO) and Seattle-Tacoma (SEA) international airports have now set up designated spaces for all ride-hailing services.
Boston, it says, will soon follow suit, as will Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
Thanks to problems with traffic and construction at the latter facility, the outlet explains that, as of October 29th, “…if you want to catch a taxi, Uber, Lyft, or other ride-hailing services, you’ll no longer be able to catch your ride on the arrivals level roadway of any individual terminal. Instead, in order to be matched with a rideshare car you’ll you have to take a 15-minute shuttle ride (shorter to/from terminals 1 and 7; longer from terminals 4, 5, and the international terminal) to a singular pick-up area dedicated to app-based rides.”
“This kind of solution is a temporary fix to traffic problems. At LAX, it’s until the pending 2022 completion of an automated LAX transit system that will connect terminals with an new ground transportation center. That center will combine rental car operations, taxi, ride-hailing, and the new light rail line,” it adds.
Misleading title...
"you can't get uber or Lyft at five U.S. airports" is the exact opposite of the truth. You can get Uber or Lyft at all of these airports.
At SFO, traffic circulation around the terminals has vastly improved. However, off-airport, it’s a mess as Uber/Lyft drivers try to find places to wait for a pickup. Holding lots at the north and south ends of the airport overflow onto city streets, causing jams outside the airport.
This is different from Uber/Lyft being banned outright, as was the case at several Florida airports until recently. The airports usually had heavily-corrupt contracts which granted a single taxi company a complete monopoly on the airport's taxi services. Some of the airports still have these contracts in place and only one overpriced taxi company can service them, but the state legislature forced them to allow ridesharing, thankfully.
The traffic at LAX is out of control. Thankfully on the rare occasions I fly to/from there, I'm on Delta so getting to the terminal isn't bad. But it took 30 minutes for the Alamo shuttle to make the rounds from T2 to the end and then get to the Alamo facility. Moving app based cars off the poorly designed LAX loop will hopefully help.