Uber seeking city’s nod to pick up fares at Eisenhower National Airport

Uber, an on-demand car service, is seeking official approval from the Wichita City Council to provide transportation to and from Eisenhower National Airport.

Uber customers use an app on their phones to set up pick-up and drop-off locations with Uber’s contracted drivers. The app automatically charges the user’s credit card after the trip is taken.

Uber, which has become increasingly popular, has been driving customers to the airport but hasn’t had a contract with the city to provide services there.

As part of the agreement with the city, which will be voted on Tuesday, Uber would have a designated spot to pick up customers at the airport within the automated surface parking lot – not in the public lanes used by taxis and private vehicles.

Uber’s parent company has agreed to pay a 75-cent per trip fee for each Uber pickup at the airport. The collection of that fee would be subject to future approval by the Wichita Airport Authority. It’s unclear whether Uber would pass along that fee to customers.

The company would submit monthly reports of its activity at the airport to the city, which would be used to calculate its monthly fee to the Wichita Airport Authority.

The agreement also would require the company to have insurance for its drivers and for drivers to follow other rules, like cooperating with security and not drinking alcohol or using drugs on the job.

Also, vehicles would have to be clearly marked that they are Uber.

This story was originally published January 29, 2016 at 12:09 PM with the headline "Uber seeking city’s nod to pick up fares at Eisenhower National Airport."