Phoenix City Council allows Uber, Lyft to pick up Sky Harbor passengers
Mar 1, 2016, 7:48 PM
(Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and AP photos)
(Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and AP photos)
PHOENIX — After an ongoing controversy surrounding the presence of ride-sharing companies at Phoenix’s Sky Harbor International Airport, the city council voted on Tuesday to allow companies like Uber and Lyft to pick up travelers.
In a 5-4 vote, city council members voted to improve the airport’s Ground Transportation Policy in order to accommodate passengers with disabilities.
Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton said in a statement Sky Harbor will be the largest airport nationwide to require transportation providers to make arrangements for travelers with disabilities.
“This is not just the right thing to do,” the statement read. “Disability travel is a multi-billion-dollar industry, and members of this community should not just be handed a list of phone numbers in hopes that they’ll somehow find transportation.”
The policy will allow ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft to pick up passengers at the airport as well as ensure that passengers with disabilities can be picked up at the airport with wheelchair-accessible vehicles within 30 minutes.
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has been behind the change since calling on Phoenix officials to remove “unnecessary regulations” placed on rideshare services during his State of the State address.
