Bakari Brock, senior director of Lyft Business in
San Francisco, suggested in a Nov. 4 letter to
Phoenix that the increase would “unfairly burden”
people who live in low-income areas, many of
whom lack easy access to public transportation.
A city aviation commission had recommended
the fee increase after a study showed airports in
many other cities charge ride-hailing companies
more to drop off and pick up passengers.
Several speakers at the meeting said people
used many other transportation services to
get to the airport long before ride-hailing
companies, including rides from family and
friends, taxis, shuttles and light rail, which brings
people to the 44th Street station to catch the
PHX Sky Train into the airport.
The measure also included a second option for
ride-sharing, a $2.80 fee for the companies to pick
up or drop off people at the 44th Street station.
To make up for the higher fees, Sky Harbor
has offered to increase curb space inside the
airport for ride-hailing customers and improve
Wi-Fi services so passengers can find drivers
more easily.
The council initially voted in October to raise the
fees for ride-hailing companies, but the decision
was declared void because of a clerical error in
posting the measure for the amount of time
required by Arizona law.
Jenna Bentley, director of government affairs
for the Phoenix-based Goldwater Institute, said
in a recent online post that the move will leave
tens of thousands of people without one of the
most affordable and convenient ways to get to
the airport.