You Can Now Grab A Lyft Or Uber To And From The Airport [UPDATE]
By Emma G. Gallegos in News on Nov 24, 2015 6:43PM
Need a ride to or from this airport this fine holiday weekend? If you don't want to take the train, you're going to either have to grab an old-fashioned cab or hail a Lyft.
The city has officially approved Lyft to pick up and drop off passengers at both O'Hare and Midway (as well as Navy Pier and McCormick Place). What about Uber? "Uber still is stuck somewhere in paperwork land," Crain's reports. Lyft filed its application last week, and Uber, for some reason, only filed theirs yesterday afternoon. (Update: Uber got their application approved just in the nick of time. Updates below!)
The new regulation is a part of Mayor Rahm Emanuel's new budget package passed in October, according to NBC Chicago. To do airport pick-ups and drop-offs, drivers need to register with the city, undergo airport-specific training and install specific signage on their vehicles.
Ride-share drivers will be charged $5 each time they go to the airport for a pick-up. As we noted before, ride-sharing services will be charged an extra 52 cents per ride from the original 30 cents. Ten cents is for the city, 10 cents is supposed to help make taxis more wheelchair-accessible and 2 cents goes to lower costs for traditional cabs.
Rideshare drivers will only be allowed at certain parts of both airports, NBC reports.
Drivers can pick up O'Hare passengers on the upper level of the domestic concourse between Terminals 1 and 2, and betwteen Terminals 2 and 3.
Domestic pick-ups (Lyft)
There is also a designated spot on the lower level for international passengers at O'Hare.
International pick-ups (Lyft)
Drivers can pick up and drop off Midway passengers at the south end of the upper level of the terminal. There will also been 15 parking spots set aside in the south end of the cellphone lot where drivers can wait.
Midway pick-ups (Lyft)
UPDATE 3:30 p.m.: We just got an e-mail from Uber saying that uberX, has been approved to take you to and from the airport this holiday weekend. The uberX prices from O'Hare start at $28, and the prices from Midway start at $22.