Lyft trials taxi-like lines at airports
 

Being tested at SAN to start:

Personally I don't feel that having to look for my driver is that big of a hassle but it should be interesting to see how it goes.

At some airports (LGA and ORD come to mind), you get significant traffic generated by people trying to find "their" Lyft/Uber, which may be stuck behind other Lyft/Ubers looking to find "their" passengers, who might not be out yet, etc. Being able to just have a "taxi rank" where you get in and go, could be a nice positive.

They do. It's called a Taxi rank.

With less comfortable vehicles and higher prices.

The prices are higher because taxis charge a realistic amount/ride. As I'm sure you're aware, there have been many reports concluding that most Lyft/Uber drivers make little to nothing when all costs associated with using their private vehicles as taxis are accurately calculated.

Reports of Lyft lowballing on the initial ride request and then charging a higher actual rate (see other thread on this topic) don't surprise me at all, as they're likely figuring out that current prices are unsustainable. It of course may be an honest glitch...we shall see. In any event, prices will have to go up according to the reviews of the economics of ride sharing that I've seen.

If prices go up, they go up. I'd actually pay a premium for Uber/Lyft vs. taxis. Better vehicles, better customer service.

I'd be interested to see how the economics work for those drivers who are part of their rental programs, since maintenance is covered by the car rental companies and/or Uber/Lyft. In any event, as someone who knows people who've driven for those services, tipping is definitely appreciated and helps cover some of the gap (but that's a whole different discussion for another thread).

terrible idea.

In New York, it absolutely is.
It's my biggest complaint about the rideshare services and the reason I rarely use them here.
I'm usually so aggravated by the time I get into the car, I can't even "enjoy" the nicer vehicle, vs. a taxi.

Of course I understand that in most other cities that taxi service is pretty spotty.

The issue itself is not really specific to New York, IMO/IME, it’s just less tolerable because there are reasonable alternatives to ride sharing.

And if you want a car service experience, you can always...order a car service.

And if you want a Lyft, you can proceed to the Lyft stand. @:-)

Seriously, I can't see the downside of this.

The downside is simple. It takes space from something else. That may be a shorter taxi line or perhaps less pickup space for private vehicles, shuttles, and the like.

That might not be a problem for an airport with space. But, at an airport where every inch of curb space is used by something, adding another use means taking away from something else.