Los Angeles International Airport is poised to become the largest in the nation offering complete access to rideshare companies like Uber and Lfyt. The proposal, which has been touted for some time, was finally approved by LAX’s Board of Commissioners on Thursday. The plan must now be approved by the city attorney and could be implemented by the end of summer.
“Customers want them,” Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce senior vice president Ruben Gonzalez said of the popular rideshare services at the airport commission meeting. “These are all realities.”
Thursday’s decision deals a major blow to thousands of shuttle, limousine, and taxi cab drivers who currently dominate transportation services at the nation’s third-busiest airport.
Taxi drivers gathered outside the meeting Thursday to protest the decision. Alluding to questions over safety issues, many of them wore yellow T-shirt with the words: “Uber Driver or Convicted Felon? BOTH.” Yellow Cab of Los Angeles General Manager William Rouse, meanwhile, said the commissioners had missed “a major opportunity to protect the public and level the playing field.”
The latest development represents a victory for Uber in particular, which has been involved in numerous regulatory fights with city and state officials. Just last week, a state administrative judge recommended that the company suspend operations and pay a $7.3 million fine for failing to comply with state reporting requirements.
Read more about Thursday’s vote here.
Image Credit: Flickr User prayitnophotography, https://flic.kr/p/tCRXPj via (CC BY 2.0)