Readers React: Why it’s unfair to make cab companies compete with Lyft at LAX

To the editor: The quotes from Los Angeles City Councilman Mike Bonin and Mayor Eric Garcetti — Bonin says the city is “doing a lot of work to show that we’re a world-class airport,” and Garcetti believes that previously barring Lyft from picking up passengers at Los Angeles International Airport “made us look like a non-innovative city” — seem to suggest that raising public opinion of LAX is really what matters when it comes to allowing ride-sharing services greater access to the airport. (“Lyft can pick you up at LAX starting Wednesday,” Dec. 22)

Their statements are both myopic and disingenuous.

They’re myopic because they are not considering the long-term effect of allowing Lyft and Uber to undercut the price of transportation from LAX. These companies do business worldwide, allowing them to minimize their rates. L.A.’s taxi companies are local, so their fares are set at an amount that reflects their incomes and overhead in the L.A. market only. This is egregiously unfair.

Their statements are disingenuous because for Bonin and Garcetti, it’s about the new LAX income from Lyft and eventually Uber and spinning this as something that they have accomplished for the community.

Ron Goodman, Santa Barbara

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To the editor: Lyft and Uber have forgotten one sector of the population: senior citizens. As someone with a smartphone, I’ve ended up arranging transportation for some of my fellow old-timers who use their thumbs to pick up a morning paper.

Hopefully, someone will come to the rescue of folks who are not “with it” or have no idea what smartphones can do.

I feel for the taxi drivers and companies that currently transport passengers from LAX, but I blame the politicians who allowed a reality to take hold here that you don’t find in most European airports: a lack of dependable and low-priced transportation systems for travelers.

Eric David, Long Beach

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