Lyft pick-ups start Monday at Louisville International Airport

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – Starting Monday, passengers flying into Louisville International Airport will be able to hail rides from the ride-sharing service Lyft.

Airport officials announced Thursday that Lyft, which entered the Louisville market in 2014, will be able to legally pick up fliers under a one-year pilot program. Lyft drivers will have a staging area in the airport’s cell phone lot; passengers are urged to look for “Lyft pink” signs near a bus loading area outside.

Bakari Brock, senior director of Lyft’s business operations, said in a press release said the company is “excited to be the first ridesharing partner” at the airport.

Skip Miller, executive director of the Louisville Regional Airport Authority, said companies like Lyft and Uber that arrange rides through smartphone apps are “popular with travelers as an affordable, convenient ground-transportation option.”

The airport will charge Lyft $2 for each pick-up and a monthly $500 charge, according to a news release.

The ridesharing companies always have been able to drop off people at the airport, but pickups were outlawed because of a franchise agreement that allows only cab companies to offer rides to arriving passengers.

After months of negotiations, Lyft and Uber have gotten the proper approvals to operate in the state, according to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. Statewide, Lyft has qualified 1,029 vehicles and Uber 833.

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