Los Angeles International Airport is set to become the largest US airport to allow popular ride-sharing services such as Uber and Lyft to pick up passengers at the terminals, following a vote by a local commission on 16 July.
The Board of Airport Commissioners adopted the rule changes by a vote of 5-0, said Jeff Millman, a spokesman for Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti who had pushed for allowing greater ride-sharing at the airport known as LAX.
Ride-sharing is becoming popular in Los Angeles and we want to give LAX passengers the same transportation options that they have throughout our city, Garcetti said in a statement.
The move by the airport commissioners was a victory for Web-based ride-sharing companies that have faced heated opposition from their rivals in the taxi industry.
Drivers with ride-sharing companies could, under previous rules, drop off passengers at LAX. But airport authorities prohibited them from picking up passengers, reserving that service for taxis, limousines and shuttle buses.
As a result, passengers have climbed onto shuttle buses bound for nearby businesses and hailed ride-sharing drivers from those locations, Garcetti said.
Under the proposal adopted by the commission, ride-sharing services would be required to park in a designated staging area to pick up passengers.
They also would be required to pay the airport a $4 (£2.56) fee per trip, Garcetti said.
We thank the Los Angeles World Airports Board and Mayor Garcetti for taking a big step in the right direction toward allowing consumers to choose Lyft at LAX, Lyft said in a statement.
Following the commission vote, ride-sharing companies will need to apply for a license to service LAX.
