Ride-hailing apps like Uber and Lyft aren't just a thorny issue at LAX; they're also starting to "erode" parking profits at Burbank's Bob Hope Airport, the executive director of the airport said at a recent Airport Authority meeting. The LA Times reports that some airport officials have also charged that Uber and Lyft drivers are jamming up traffic in the short-term parking area as they wait for their next fare. So, to stem the problem before they lose even more parking money, officials at the Burbank airport have put together a pretty solid short-term set of solutions.
Parking yielded between $1.5 to $1.8 million a month last year for the airport, and parking taxes also provide about $2 million to Burbank's coffers. The airport's newly-hired parking manager is in fact tasked with figuring out ways to optimize parking revenue—maybe even through demand-based pricing like the successful Downtown LA program—but while they figure out a long-term strategy, airport officials have also implemented an "interim measure."
That agreement will allow for curbside passenger drop-off and Uber/Lyft-specific loading zones in the short-term parking structure, meaning drivers will have to pay the $3 structure fee in order to get their pickups, but it will also come with penalties for those who don't comply (like a driver who tries to pick up in a non-designated zone). The program will last three years, and could lead to $2,700 more in parking fees per month for the airport.
· Bob Hope Airport officials grappling with impact of Uber, Lyft [LAT]
· Uber Has Been Delaying the Process to Make Pickups at LAX [Curbed LA]