UberX at LAX

I travel frequently for business, and I usually take Uber to and from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). For many years, I’ve been able to summon an UberX car for curbside pickup from any of several ride sharing zones distributed throughout the airport. However, starting October 29, 2019, UberX pickups at LAX were transitioned to a new location called LAX-it. Note that Uber Black and Uber Black SUV continue to pick up passengers curbside at the terminals.

I thought I’d share my experience after summoning my first Uber ride from LAX-it. The first thing I had to do was find the shuttle that would take me from the terminal to the new Uber pickup point. Although Uber pickups were formerly on the departure (upper) level, the LAX-it shuttle is boarded from the arrivals (lower) level. Pickup points are shown in the following figure:



Depending on the terminal where you arrive, the shuttle may take up to 15 minutes to drive you to the Uber pickup point. According to the LAX-it website, it is about a 3-minute walk from Terminal 1 and an 8-minute walk from Terminals 7 and 8.

My next decision was when to summon my UberX ride. I arrived at Terminal 4 which is about a 10-mimute shuttle ride to LAX-it. Out of curiosity, I searched for available cars immediately upon boarding the shuttle, and the Uber app quoted me an UberX ride for $24. However, not knowing exactly when I’d arrive, I didn’t want to summon a car and keep the driver waiting so did not request the ride just yet. As the shuttle took me closer to LAX-it, I kept checking UberX fares, and I saw the prices increase to $30, $40, and eventually $50. I hypothesized that this was due to surge pricing as a result of a busload of passengers all requesting UberX rides at around the same time. I decided to wait until I knew exactly where I was going before officially requesting my UberX car.

After the shuttle dropped us off at LAX-it, there were plenty of signs that directed me to the UberX pickup area. Note that Uber Pool and Uber XL pickup points are in a different area. There are also separate designated areas for Lyft, taxis, and other ground transportation.



When I arrived at the UberX pickup area, I saw a short line, along with signage that provides travelers with instructions on how to request an UberX car. After you request UberX, instead of being paired with a specific UberX driver, you are provided with a 6-digit PIN. When you get to the front of the UberX line, you approach the next available UberX driver and provide your PIN. The UberX driver enters the PIN into his/her app, and that provides the driver with your destination.

   

My ride was priced at $45, almost double the fare that I was initially quoted. I wonder if it would have honored the initial $24 fare, despite me being more than 10 minutes away from my Uber driver. Next time I take UberX from LAX, I will try to request my PIN immediately after getting on the shuttle to see if it will let me lock in a rate while I am still en route to LAX-it. If you have any thoughts on the optimal time to request your UberX PIN, leave a comment below!