Uber and Lyft drivers commuting to Preston Smith International Airport have faced a new “roadblock” when picking up and dropping off passengers.
“It seems the fare increase went up sometime last year and that was the same time they made these rules with the airport. All the X fare went up 40 cents and the XL went up 50 cents. We don’t pay the airport directly but the rideshare company has to pay them,” Kasey Sakmar, a driver for Uber said.
The airport requires drivers to pass through a waiting area, receive a ticket from an automated machine and show that to an attendant prior to dropping off or picking up any riders. Some drivers said it just slows the whole process down and costs riders a little extra.
“It’s so the airport can keep track of Uber’s and Lyft’s at driving through the airport. Also they can get a dollar or two dollars for every ride,” Sakmar said. “I’ve seen people get in trouble and seen attendants chase them down and write down their license plate for not giving them a ticket.”
We did reach out to LIA for comment on why they decided to start this policy, but we haven’t heard anything back.
