2015 has been very kind of ride hailing services as they have now become more popular than ever before, Uber is becoming a behemoth in its own right as it now operates in dozens of countries across the globe. Lyft is holding its own against Uber in the United States, however both services are unable to provide pickups from Los Angeles International Airport as they don’t have required approval from the city. Lyft can chalk this up as a win though since it has now been given permission to pick up riders from LAX.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has said earlier this year that “at my direction” ride-share companies such as Lyft and Uber will be able to pick up riders from the airport. Summer came and went but the services remained unable to cater to customers who wanted to be picked up at the airport in Los Angeles.
The delay was basically caused by the permit process which took much more time than it was expected to, the summer deadline was later shifted to by Thanksgiving, before it was ultimately said that approval might be granted to these services before the end of this year.
Airport staff have held negotiations with both services and have asked for documents and data to ensure that these companies can meet terms of their airport contract. One the review process is finished only an announcement needs to be made that the process is over and the companies can then provide services at LAX.
Lyft overtakes Uber to achieve that aim first, mayor Eric Garcetti has given his blessing and Lyft users will be able to request pick ups from LAX starting 8am local time. The company will be paying a $4 fee for every pick up. It may not take long until Uber gets approval as well but for now Lyft can enjoy its monopoly over LAX as far as ride hailing services go.