Uber, Lyft Can Now Pick You Up At Hartsfield-Jackson

ATLANTA, GA -- Uber and Lyft drivers are flying high at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, thanks to new rules that went into effect on Jan. 1.

Prior to the new year, drivers for the ride-sharing companies could only drop customers off at the airport, although many skirted the rules. But now passengers opting to take Uber and Lyft can be picked up legally.

The ordinance, approved in September by the Atlanta City Council, was a hard-fought victory for the ride-sharing companies. Both companies opposed government-regulated background checks, which they see as unnecessary burdens to their operations.

As part of the deal, Uber and Lyft won the right to perform background screenings through private companies, according to news reports.

"The city background checks cost $35 per driver annually," Atlanta City Councilwoman Felicia Moore told the Marietta Daily Journal back then. "We’ve shifted from that to a $2.35 surcharge [Uber and Lyft will] pass onto the consumer for each trip to and from the airport."

Along with that surcharge, Uber and Lyft pick-ups will also have to pay a $3.85 fee, which goes to the airport.

Uber Atlanta general manager Luke Marklin told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that some customers are experiencing sticker shock, but that the added-on fees are simply the price of doing business.

"Uber is known for being a very affordable option and the fee that is placed on Uber pickups that is above other modes of transportation doesn’t seem to fit with most travelers’ expectations,” he was quoted as saying.

A designated waiting lot on the airport's lower level will be made available for ride-sharing providers.

Hartsfield-Jackson is the world's busiest airport, handling more than 101 million passengers a year.

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