EDITORIAL: McCarran wisely allows Uber, Lyft services

Resistance to transportation network companies such as Uber and Lyft has grounded their contract drivers at some major airports, where there's no shortage of people in need of a ride.

Washington, D.C., South Florida and Los Angeles area airports are among the terminals that have prevented travelers from being picked up by the smartphone-enabled services, largely out of fealty to the taxicab industry. Such bans are a tremendous disservice to travelers who use Uber and Lyft all over the country and prefer the services to overpriced cabs.

So McCarran International Airport is due a round of applause for not joining this particular club. The Nevada Legislature legalized transportation network companies this spring, and McCarran is taking steps to allow them to operate at the airport by the end of October.

As reported by the Review-Journal's Richard Velotta, Clark County officials held a workshop Tuesday on how and where they'll be allowed to work at McCarran. An enabling ordinance likely won't be approved by the County Commission until Oct. 20.

Uber and Lyft drivers will drop off passengers at departure curbs, just like taxicabs, limousines and locals who are giving friends and family a ride. However, transportation network drivers will pick up passengers in parking areas, not at the airport's designated passenger pickup area or in the cab line. Terminal 1 passengers will be picked up in garage level 2M and Terminal 3 passengers will be picked up near valet parking at Level V.

"We'll start with 32 stalls, but we have room for growth," said Rosemary Vassiliadis, director of the Clark County Department of Aviation.

It was important for Nevada, which famously shut down Uber last year because it didn't comply with the state's antiquated, anti-competitive taxicab regulations, to allow the service to operate here. Any prohibition on ride-sharing undermines the state's efforts to attract high-tech companies, diversify its economy and attract new trade shows for emerging industries. It would have made no sense for the airport to greet conventioneers while simultaneously telling them that innovation isn't welcome.

Moreover, Southern Nevada taxi rides, already among the costliest in America, are about to become more expensive. The Nevada Taxicab Authority on Monday approved boosting fares to $3.50 plus 69 cents per quarter-mile, plus a new 3 percent tax. Competition is needed to keep costs down.

Good for McCarran for providing travelers, the lifeblood of our economy, with the services they want.