Exclusive | LAX’s long, frustrating journey to your rideshare

Landing at LAX is one thing. Getting to your Uber is another.

As Los Angeles welcomes hordes of visitors for the World Cup, tourists are slamming the airport’s controversial LAX-it rideshare hub — saying the trip to the pickup lot can add another half-hour to an already exhausting journey.

The centralized hub was established in October 2019 after the airport banned most curbside pickups, moving Uber and Lyft pickups into a lot east of Terminal 1.

“It’s confusing,” said Kirsten Bolton, who had just arrived from Austin. “I usually fly into Burbank for this reason.”

Passengers can walk to the lot, but it’s only a relatively easy trek from Terminals 1 and 7.

“It just seems really far away,” Bolton added. “And it just doesn’t flow very well.”

Many travelers have no other choice but to take a free shuttle bus, but many complain the coaches are overcrowded and slow.

“It was pretty cluttered and we were jam packed in there,” Leanne Dupuis said upon her arrival from Boston. “And I didn’t really know we were going, which seems to be the sentiment from a lot of folks.”

Depending on the terminal and time of day, the shuttle ride can take upwards of 30 minutes.

“It’s not really close,” Ada Cruz, visiting from Delaware, said. “You have to get through traffic before you get here to even request a rideshare.”

Another frustration for passengers: Many rideshare apps don’t allow travelers to request a car until they reach the lot.

“When I got here, I’ve had to request Uber a couple different times… which was inconvenient to say the least,” said James Stephenson after arriving from Fort Lauderdale. “Waiting 15-20 minutes after your six-hour flight, you want to be able to get an Uber as quick as possible.”

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When Stephenson first left the airport, he was approached by a private driver, but the ride would have cost about $20 more than an Uber.

“Going through with my guitar, with my carry-on, with everything through the bus, I can do it, but it is very convoluted,” he said. “It would be a lot more fluid and easy if I was picked up from the terminal, and I’d pay for expense for that.”

Travelers can still be picked up curbside — but only if they pay for premium services such as Uber Black.

“I’ve seen influencers do it, but I looked at the cost and it was like double the price of the current Uber,” said Jenny Liu, who just graduated from USC. “I wish there was a better option. Having friends and family come to pick me up isn’t really feasible… a lot of students don’t have the means to come pick me u