A measure to legalize and regulate airport pickups by Uber X and other ride-share companies is headed to the full Atlanta city council for consideration on Monday.
A bill from Mayor Kasim Reed’s administration, which passed out of a committee Wednesday, nixes a previous airport proposal to require fingerprint-based background checks of ride-share drivers. Instead, it gives the option for companies like Uber and Lyft to use their own private background checks.
Uber and Lyft had both threatened to stop serving Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport if the fingerprint requirement was put into place.
Uber drivers in blue shirts sat in the council chambers during Wednesday’s transportation committee meeting, and some spoke to the panel in public comments.
“People are looking to choose other options or other alternatives for rides from the airport,” Uber driver Leonard Shivers said.
Taxi drivers pushed for the fingerprint requirement to apply to ride-share drivers, but lost that fight in the administration’s proposal.
Early on, taxi drivers “were against Uber coming to the airport, but right now we realize, in the long term…this is what it is,” said Sharmarke Yonis, a taxi driver who represents cabbies.
Taxi companies say they still believe requiring fingerprints would be the best policy, but are “encouraged” by other changes proposed.
Under the new system, which would take effect Jan. 1, 2017, the airport would charge a $1.50 fee per ride for pickups at the airport by ride-share services — the same fee paid by taxis.
Companies like Uber and Lyft that use private background checks would be subject to an additional per-ride security surcharge of $2.35 per ride, for a total surcharge of $3.85.
Each ride-share company would also pay an annual permit fee of $50 per vehicle, up to $100,000 per year.
All fees would go to the airport, rather than to the city of Atlanta’s general fund, according to Hartsfield-Jackson spokesman Reese McCranie.
The airport also plans to set up a ride-share assembly area for ride-share drivers, who would not be allowed to use the cell phone lot.
The transportation committee voted to move the measure forward to the full council without recommendation. Some members said they had little time to review the legislation sent by the mayor’s administration that morning and that they still have questions and concerns.
Council member Felicia Moore said she still favors requiring fingerprints. “I just think it’s important, particularly in this age of technology which we’re talking about,” Moore said. The ride-share companies contend the fingerprint process is cumbersome and would discourage driver recruitment, and that their own checks are adequate.
Other elements in the proposal that have raised concerns are requirements for ride-share vehicles and taxis to be at most 7 years old, and to display an airport decal when picking up at the airport.
Taxi drivers say the requirement for newer vehicles will require an investment in new cars just as they struggle with increased competition from Uber. Ride-share companies are concerned about the decal requirement for drivers’ cars that are also their personal vehicles.
Uber also said it has “some concerns about additional fees for riders,” but added that the city’s proposal “marks a positive step forward for ridesharing at Hartsfield-Jackson.”
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