At the top of the list of things people don\u2019t like about LAX are the traffic in and out of the airport and the high cost of a ride.<\/p>\n
Now, airport officials are proposing a plan they hope will ease one of those problems, while increasing the other.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday morning, Los Angeles World Airports board members are expected to vote on whether to increase the access fees for private transportation companies that ferry travelers to and from Los Angeles International Airport, which includes ride app companies such as Uber and Lyft, along with taxi and limousine companies. <\/p>\n
The thinking, according to airport officials, is to encourage riders to use the yet-to-open Automated People Mover, also known as Skylink, and to reduce vehicle traffic around the terminals.<\/p>\n
Travelers at the airport Monday who heard about the vote were incredulous.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe expect rides to be expensive like in every city but for it to go up even more is kind of crazy,\u201d said Jordan Conway, who was catching a ride into the city after arriving from Nashville with his friend for their annual trip to Southern California.<\/p>\n
Their ride from the airport was projected to cost about $80.<\/p>\n
At LAX, ride app companies including Uber and Lyft pay $4 to access the airport to pick up and drop off customers. Under Tuesday\u2019s proposal, the fee will rise to $12 to access the airport\u2019s central terminal area, and $6 for picking up and dropping off at Skylink. The increases will also apply to black car, taxi and limousine drivers who currently don\u2019t pay anything to drop off passengers curbside at the airport.<\/p>\n
Uber has begun reaching out to its customer base to rally them in opposition.<\/p>\n
In an email to them Monday, it said \u201cLAX is pushing through a proposal that would more than double the fees you pay to get picked up or dropped off by rideshare … if approved, LAX rideshare fees would be the most expensive in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
As word of the proposed fee increase aired on local TV news channels Monday morning, LAWA officials told The Times there was room to reconsider if and when new fees would be implemented \u2014 including until after the long-delayed Automated People Mover is actually open.<\/p>\n
The train, which was originally slated to open in 2023, has faced significant delays caused by clashes between the airport and contractor, LAX Integrated Express Solutions, over timeline, compensation and production. <\/p>\n
The people mover is scheduled to open in the early summer, said David Reich, deputy executive director for mobility strategy for Los Angeles World Airports. It\u2019s anticipated to run 24\/7 in four car sets, two minutes apart during peak hours, and accommodate 200 passengers. LAWA estimates the train will move 85 million passengers per year. <\/p>\n
\u201cBy distributing traffic amongst multiple locations rather than funneling it all into the central terminal area we can reduce gridlock, improve safety, and give passengers better options on how to get to LAX,\u201d Reich said. \u201cIt\u2019s just not sustainable anymore for all the vehicles, 80,000 to 100,000 a day, to come into that very limited curb front.\u201d<\/p>\n