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Getting to the airport is about to get a little pricier in Los Angeles. Officials at Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) have approved a significant increase in rideshare fees at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), meaning trips with Uber or Lyft could soon cost noticeably more.
Right now, rideshare drivers pay a $4 fee every time they pick up or drop off a passenger at LAX. That fee has not changed in roughly a decade. Under the new plan approved Tuesday by the Board of Airport Commissioners, it will rise to $6 by the end of April. And once the airport's new transportation system fully opens, the cost to access the busy central terminal area will jump even higher, landing at $12 per trip.
The new system in question is the long-anticipated SkyLink automated people mover, an elevated train designed to shuttle travelers around the airport loop in about 10 minutes. Though no opening date has been set, it's expected to open later this year, and officials hope it will become the primary gateway to the airport, linking passengers to terminals parking structures and transit connections.
Airport leaders say the price hike is part of a broader effort to manage congestion at one of the busiest airports in the country. By making it more expensive for rideshare vehicles to enter the central terminal area, officials hope more passengers will opt to get dropped off at the new ground transportation hub instead and take the people mover the rest of the way.
According to LAWA, the increase is also long overdue. Airport officials argue that rideshare companies have paid the same access fees for years while airports across the country have steadily raised theirs. Revenue from the new fees will help fund infrastructure upgrades and projects aimed at improving the airport experience for travelers and employees alike.
Rideshare companies are not thrilled. In a statement to ABC7, Uber said the changes could “punish travelers, working families and seniors who depend on affordable, reliable transportation.” Lyft also warned the new structure could make LAX the most expensive airport in the United States for rideshare pickups and drop-offs.
Still, airport commissioners say the increases are modest compared with the profits generated by the companies and may not necessarily be passed directly to riders. Courtney Moore, who heads head of LAX Revenue and Experience, told NBC Los Angeles that the hike would generate $100 million in revenue, and that "We would be disappointed if the rideshare companies pass that along to the riders or the driver."