Hundreds of taxi drivers held a one-day strike Monday at Los Angeles International Airport, demanding that city officials reinstate curbside passenger pickups at the nation’s second-busiest airport.
More than 200 drivers wearing their laminated city credentials marched around the 1.5-mile horseshoe in the central terminal area, holding signs and chanting: “What do we want? Curbside! When do we want it? Now!”
The airport’s decision to ban curbside pickups last year dealt another blow to taxi drivers who are struggling to make ends meet in an industry decimated by Uber and Lyft, drivers said.
“This is our last chance to survive,” said Arman Zohrabyan, who has driven for United Taxi for 17 years, as he marched down the sidewalk on Century Boulevard.
Taxi ridership in Los Angeles fell 77% between 2013 and 2018, city officials said. Drivers have long complained that Uber and Lyft had an unfair advantage because they were not required to comply with local laws, including higher fares set by city officials.
The airport has become the most important source of revenue for drivers as taxi ridership has declined, said Leon Slomovic, a spokesman for the Taxi Workers Assn. of Los Angeles. Fares from LAX are more plentiful and typically more lucrative than those from hotel cab stands or street hails.
In general, each taxi driver is allowed to pick up passengers at LAX every fifth day, which yields more than half of their take-home pay, drivers said.
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