PHOENIX — Lyft, a popular ride-sharing company, announced on Monday that the City of Phoenix has left it with no choice but to end service at Sky Harbor International Airport should a proposed increase in fees occur.
Councilman Sal DiCiccio shared a letter on social media from Lyft to the Phoenix Aviation Department dated November 4, in which the company explains why they may be forced to end operations at the airport in January 2020.
Sal DiCiccio Interview with James T. Harris
#550KFYI #JamesT.Harris #Circus https://t.co/0QHLVUgWNW— James T Harris (@JamesTHarris) November 19, 2019
“This tax punishes riders who rely on Lyft for affordable and convenient transportation to and from the airport, and unfairly burdens them with a $26 million price tag tied to the PHX Sky Train — a capital improvement project that is unrelated to their choice of transportation,” the letter stated.
“I just received a copy of this email from the rideshare companies that was sent to the airport last week. Sounds to me like Uber and Lyft are trying to make this work, but that airport officials aren’t willing to negotiate and would rather keep vital information from the public,” stated Diciccio on Facebook.
“After failing to notify the council or the public that Lyft was ready to pull out of Sky Harbor, airport officials secretly met with the rideshare companies,” continued DiCiccio. “Following that meeting, the rideshare companies sent this email, offering an alternate proposal that the airport again failed to tell the council about until today.”
The Phoenix City Council voted 7-2 in October to charge ride-share companies a $4 fee for each ride to and from the airport and a $2.80 fee to and from the 44th Street PHX Sky Train Station, beginning in 2020.
Because the City Council violated State law, a revote has been scheduled for Dec. 18.
“There is still time to stop all this from happening. The City failed to follow State law the first time this horrible tax was voted on, so it is scheduled for a new vote on December 18,” advised constituents. “I strongly urge the other members of the council to think about what they are doing and pull back on this enormous tax on the public.