Uber Lyft started service Saturday at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport. The two ride sharing companies were already providing service to passengers in Phoenix. This included service to the airport, but they were not allowed to pick up at the airport due to city regulations. The two providers had been petitioning the City of Phoenix for more than a year to add airport pickup authorization. Travelers that previously wanted to catch a ride on Uber or Lyft from Sky Harbor Airport had to leave the facility by taking the free Sky Train service over to the 44th Street station. Their they would be able to request a ride home. Sky Harbor is the 10th busiest airport in the country. Uber and Lyft will also announced that they will begin service at Tucson International Airport this week.
The country’s top two ride sharing services are cheaper than taking a taxi. To hail a ride share for pickup, the user just opens their mobile app and enters their location and destinations. The drivers are independent, and use their own personal automobiles.
Uber Lyft leave Austin, Texas
Uber and Lyft continue to grow nationwide, despite recently deciding to leave Austin, Texas. That departure followed the defeat of a measure called Proposition 1 by voters. The proposition would have required ride share drivers to be fingerprinted. The proposition was defeated by voters on May 8th, despite the two ride sharing companies spending over $8 million on an advertising campaign. Lyft stopped its Austin service at 5 a.m. on the Monday following the vote. Uber stopped its service as well at 8 a.m. the same day. Both companies stated that the stronger background checks would hurt their drivers, and not allow true ride sharing to operate. The city has stated that they are “hopeful” that both Uber and Lyft will reconsider their decision to leave town.
Image from www.skyharbor.com