San Diego County's Regional Airport Authority is considering an additional tax on ride-hailing companies to offset some of the environmental concerns in light of their popularity.
Ride-hailing applications like Uber and Lyft were allowed to do business at San Diego International Airport a year and a half ago.
The use of Uber and Lyft have become so popular that the Airport Authority is looking for ways to manage the unexpected increase.
Ever since the companies were permitted to function at the airport, business has been great, airport officials said. But the increased activity has led to more cars, traffic and contamination in the area, including concerns over greenhouse gas emissions.
At Lindbergh Field, ride-hailing companies have taken over an estimated 60 percent of the transportation market.
"In terms of consumer response, it's been overwhelmingly positive," said Angela Shafer-Payne, San Diego Airport's Vice President of Operations. "Operationally we've dealt with some hiccups. There's a lot of vehicles coming into the airport now that we are working through and I think we have been successful in trying to figure out the best path for the TNC's to get in and out of the airport."
Before any new tax is voted on, airport authorities are asking for statistics from the ride-sharing companies. Some of that data includes how many rides include carpools, the year and make of the car, and more.
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The purpose is to assess the greenhouse gas emissions that are set off by the transportation cars.
Passengers who take a taxi or an uber to the airport already pay a tax.
If yet another tax is approved, it would be charged directly to the transportation company. However, this also opens the door for companies to increase their fees.
On Thursday, the Board decided to extend the pilot program for another two months before it votes on a tax.
Taxi drivers are frustrated with the situation. They argue they have to comply with regulations that other transportation companies don't have to worry about.
