Ride-sharing services may be facing legal risks in some cities but the taxi alternatives have permission to pick up passengers at the airport in Music City.
Nashville has become the first U.S. airport to authorize pick-ups by Uber, Lyft and other so-called transportation network companies provided the companies obtain a permit, pay a fee and identify themselves clearly.
Drivers who satisfy the guidelines will be able to retrieve passengers in areas designated for such pickups.
“This is a major milestone to embrace ever-evolving technology and accommodate new app-based transportation service operators,” Rob Wigington, chief executive of the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority, said in a press release. “We are continuously listening to the needs of our passengers, so that we can better provide and enhance the Nashville Airports Experience.”
The authorization comes as ride-sharing services face questions from public officials in California and elsewhere about the services’ adherence to consumer-protection laws. On Thursday, the Wall Street Journal reported that district attorneys in San Francisco and LA are questioning whether the companies mislead customers in connection with how carefully the companies review the backgrounds of drivers.
Regulators in California, which is home to Uber, Lyft and Sidecar, also are asking the companies to discontinue their practice of allowing customers to share rides. California law reportedly bars transportation services from charging more than one person for the same ride.
Ride-sharing services tap smartphones and GPS to connect drivers and passengers. Drivers who hold licenses and satisfy certain criteria can use the services to earn money with their cars.
According to the Tennessean, officials in Nashville held discussions with Lyft and Uber to lay out a system that would respond to demand for the services while addressing taxi operators’ concerns that their companies are being treated unfairly. As part of the plan, the companies will pay $3.50 per trip to pick up passengers. Taxis pay $1.50.
Uber is available in about 112 cities throughout the U.S. and Canada. Lyft serves about 63 cities in the U.S., while Sidecar serves 10.
The companies now compete with taxis in many cities. In August, New York City council member Ben Kallos proposed legislation that would direct the city’s Taxi and Limousine Commission to create an app that would allow passengers to hail nearby drivers without having to wave down a taxi.
Kallos said the proliferation of ride-sharing services may mean the apps need an app.
“I think my nightmare would be hopping into a yellow cab in the future where they’ve got a phone for Uber a phone for Lyft a phone for Hailo…and they’ve literally got a dashboard covered in phones because they want to make sure they’re signed up for every single e-hail app,” Kallos told Mashable. “My preference would people to have one phone, one interface.”