Be careful if your plans involve using Uber or Lyft at RDU

[SFspiderman]

It's of course not solely an RDU issue...requiring permits and fees for airport taxis is standard for airports. And to be fair (fare?), they're not truly public roads, so they have the authority to restrict access.

On the flip side, you have traditional taxis queuing up, and that incurs some dedicated cost for the airport...building out curb space for queues, etc. Uber/Lyft drivers generally aren't using those resources, just driving in for a drop off like a personal vehicle.

[Myghost]

Originally Posted by Jkgourmet

I agree that Uber and Lyft are a good addition to the transport system because I believe in competition. But the competition needs to be fair. If the taxi drivers have to have a license to pick up and deliver to an airport, then Uber and Lyft needs to follow the same rules.

The way to accomplish this would be for RDU Authority to remove the requirement. As others have hinted, the license is really just a hidden tax. The answer is not to pass it along to Lyft or Uber, but rather to allow for free competition to thrive by removing barriers. By doing this, the RDU experience would be enhanced, which theoretically should drive more business. (Theoretically, because the closest regional or larger airports are 1-3 hours away...)

[wheelsup]

Airports in general are cash cows by local and federal government. 1/4 to 1/5 of the price of a typical airline ticket is taxes and fees. It's sickening. There is a bill right now circulating to revert back to the way they used to be advertised. TSA charges are set to double sometime this month as well.