Originally Posted by
SWCPHX
I've never used Uber or Lyft and I'm not necessarily opposed to either one, but anybody that thought you could act like a taxi but not be subject to taxi regulations was out of their skull. If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck it's probably a duck. Your friend with a car my a$$. Heck, why not start Uber Interstate and let people who own under utilized 15 passenger vans go up against Greyhound? Let me buy an old beater shuttle bus and start making runs between Vegas and LA with a group of "friends", no DOT permit or commercial license required, nah, can't be bothered with that kind of thing.
California now regulates Uber and Lyft under a new category of business called "transportation network companies". I believe California is the only state where these companies are licensed and regulated, although there may be others.
Pick-up, but not drop-off, at airports is controlled by the airport authority. Even regular taxi companies that are authorized to serve an area cannot pick up at the airport without special permission. As others have said, you can get picked up from an adjacent location.