Uber, Lyft Ready for LAX Takeoff?

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Uber, Lyft and other ridesharing companies are a step closer to being able to pick up passengers at Los Angeles International Airport.

The Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners approved a plan Thursday to allow ridesharing companies to operate at the airport, though the plan awaits final approval from L.A.’s city attorney, according to the board’s agenda.

If approved, LAX would become the largest U.S. airport to allow ridesharing companies to pick up passengers. Right now, Uber and Lyft drivers are only allowed to drop off passengers.

Mayor Eric Garcetti had promised, during his State of the City speech in April, that Los Angeles would soon allow ridesharing companies to pick up passengers at LAX.

Despite Garcetti’s support, Uber and Lyft have not been welcomed by all. The taxi cab industry, for instance, has fought tirelessly to prohibit the increasingly popular ridesharing companies from picking up passengers from the giant L.A. airport, which has become one of the few places cabs can still find fares thanks to the growing ubiquity of ridesharing.

Regulators have also taken aim at the ridesharing companies. On Wednesday, for instance, the California Public Utilities Commission recommended Uber be fined some $7.3 million and be suspended from operating in California. Karen V. Clopton, the commission’s chief administrative law judge, said Uber had not complied with state laws that require ridesharing companies to provide specific data to ensure they operate fairly throughout the state.

Uber, however, has said it will appeal Wednesday’s recommendation.

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