Six members of the Los Angeles City Council want to halt a plan allowing rideshare companies like Lyft and Uber to conduct passenger pick-ups at LAX, citing safety and disability access concerns.
A proposal to allow LAX rideshare pick-ups was finally approved by LAX’s Board of Commissioners just last week with strong backing from Mayor Eric Garcetti. But in a motion introduced Wednesday, Council Member Paul Krekorian asked his colleagues to override it.
The motion contends that “significant questions remain” regarding a host of potential issues, including “the propriety of mandating background checks, clean fleet requirements, non- discrimination and equality of access.” That motion was backed by Council Members Paul Koretz, Bob Blumenfield, Mitch O'Farrell, Nury Martinez and Gil Cedillo.
The motion is expected to come before the city council for a vote next week. If it receives the necessary support (10 to 15 council members), the council could choose to veto the permit policy following a review.
Council Member Mike Bonin, whose district includes the airport, has already said he will vote against the motion.
“I’m happy with the provisions they’ve come up with," Bonin said. "I think it's the right thing for passengers and the right thing for our city."
Despite his assurances that Uber and Lyft would be operating at LAX “by the summer,” Mayor Eric Garcetti said he welcomed a discussion on the council members’ concerns.
Read more about Wednesday’s motion here.
Image Credit: Flickr User 96223380@N02, https://flic.kr/p/u22y1g, via (CC BY 2.0)