THE Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday, Aug. 5, overrode a recent decision by airport commissioners that would allow ride-hailing companies Uber and Lyft to pick up passengers from Los Angeles International Airport.
The companies are allowed to drop off passengers at the airport but are prohibited from pickups.
The move to temporarily stall Uber and Lyft was spearheaded by Councilman Paul Krekorian, with backing from five other councilmembers who cited that “significant questions remain” in regard to the companies’ compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, background checks for transportation network company (TNC) drivers and environmental requirements.
Krekorian and City Councilman Paul Koretz on Wednesday said they sent a letter to the board in May about the issues, but that the commissioners did not respond.
“Given the security and safety concerns unique to the airport and the surrounding area, it is our view that TNCs (transportation network companies) currently lack the necessary regulatory framework to do business at LAX,” they wrote. “We would therefore oppose any potential agreement between LAWA (Los Angeles World Airports) and TNCs that does not incorporate a regulatory framework substantially similar” to that imposed on taxi companies.
Koretz further questioned whether TNCs are picking up passengers in low-income neighborhoods.
“TNCs are going to wind up at the airport. The real question is: Are we going to do any regulations?” Koretz said, according to the Los Angeles Daily News.
Koretz’s position on the issue received support when the Los Angeles Times reported on Tuesday, Aug. 4, that at least four Uber drivers who were ticketed by Los Angeles International Airport Police have criminal convictions that would ban them from operating a taxi in Los Angeles. Court records indicate that the men have been convicted of child exploitation, driving under the influence, identity theft and manslaughter.
Whether or not the companies will be allowed to pick up passengers at LAX is an issue being closely followed not only be individuals who fly in and out of the airport, but by other cities also debating on allowing or barring ride-hailing at their airports.
California’s Public Utilities Commission oversees TNCs, but did not weigh in on rules for them at LAX.
Other airports, such as San Francisco International Airport and John Wayne Airport in Orange County, allow for pick-ups.
If Uber and Lyft are permitted to pick up and drop off passengers at LAX as taxis and shuttles do, the airport would become the largest in the United States to authorize such operations.
LAX is the most profitable and closely guarded part of the traditional taxi industry’s stronghold in Southern California, the Times reported. Taxi leaders have battled to prevent companies like Uber from operating there, claiming they create unfair competition since drivers are held to a lower standard than licensed taxi drivers, according to the Times.
Background checks for ride-hailing service drivers, for instance, do not include a fingerprint scan.
Taxi representatives, who have suffered losses since Uber and Lyft – which are normally cheaper – started operating two years ago in Los Angeles. They will be fighting for more stringent requirements like fingerprint-based background checks and insurance requirements.
“We’re focused on things that we think will make passengers and the airport more safe,” said William Rouse, general manager of Yellow Cab of Los Angeles and president of the Taxicab Paratransit Assn. Of California, the Times reported. “But we don’t have any guarantee that even one punctuation mark will change in these regulations.”
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has pushed to permit the services at LAX, saying that “transportation network company service is an important part of my plan to improve the passenger experience and build the world-class airport that Los Angeles deserves.”
In his State of the City speech in April, he said ride-hailing would be made available by this summer.
In a statement, Uber spokesperson Michael Amodeo said Los Angeles residents desire safe and affordable transportation options like Uber.
“We look forward to working with airport officials and city leaders to bring ridesharing to LAX by summer’s end,” Amodeo said.
Ruling against the companies in an 11-2 vote, councilmembers have prompted a 20-day period in which they will discuss regulations. Councilmen Mike Bonin and David Ryu voted against the motion, while Gil Cedillo and Joe Buscaino were absent from Wednesday’s meeting. (AJPress with reports from FOX 11, Los Angeles Daily News and Los Angeles Times)
