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How To Get To And From LAX Using Uber/Lyft And Keep Your Great Rating
Arrivals at LAX (Photo by ckramer via the Creative Commons on Flickr)
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I'm Lexus Jones. I have a regular full-time job but on the weekends and occasional weeknights I drive for Uber. Over the last couple of years I have driven over 2,000 trips for Uber. At first I drove on the UberX platform. Now I drive a luxury car on the Uber Plus platform. Whenever I think that I have seen it all, something new happens. I will be sharing those stories here. I will also answer questions and give advice on how to get the most out of your rides.
It is very easy to take Uber (and Lyft) to any of the airports and yet I still see people doing it wrong. So sad.
First of all, if your whole family is going to the airport and you're all taking luggage, select either Uber SUV or Uber XL. A Prius (UberX) just simply cannot get four people in the car and four pieces of luggage in the trunk. You know this.
Give yourself time. LAX is crazy this time of year. Things happen at the busiest airport in the country. Plan on getting to the airport an hour before your plane takes off. It won't kill you to spend a half hour at LAX. Enjoy Gladstones. They have chowder bread bowls there for $11.50. Drink a pre-flight beer. It's the holidays! It won't be cheap, and if that bothers you, pack a lunch.
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But the last thing you should do is pressure the Uber driver to race down the 405 because you couldn't get it together at your apartment.
If you have a bunch of bags, and the driver got you there on time, and safely, and everything went perfectly, and I know this will blow a lot of your minds: tip the guy a few bucks. Maybe he can get a bread bowl one day thanks to your generosity.
Now the trip home out of LAX isn't so easy. You may have read a few months ago that Uber and Lyft should be able to pick up passengers at the terminals by now, but they still can't. Paperwork? Red tape? Incompetence? Probably.
You can get an Uber Black car or an Uber SUV if you want, and their prices are about the same as a cab. But if you want to get an Uber X there are a few ways you can do it, but it will take a little bit of time. The "trick" that many people use is they take an airport shuttle bus from the terminal to either a hotel, rental car, or parking place and then use the app from that location. Some are even using The Parking Spot shuttle where they get off, walk next door to the In-N-Out, grub out, and then order their Uber. The problem is, many of these businesses, including The Parking Spot, are getting wise to this and are asking for reservation numbers, etc. which can become uncomfortable.
What I have found to be a lot easier is taking the FlyAway bus to whichever location is closest to you (Santa Monica, Westwood, Hollywood, Van Nuys or downtown L.A.) and then taking an Uber or Lyft from there. You're going to have to get on a bus anyway, so you may as well get on one with free Wi-Fi that's actually heading near where you live.
Tip the Flyaway person a couple bucks, tip the Uber person a couple of bucks, and know it's more appreciated than you think.
Lexus will answer your questions. So leave them in the comments below or e-mail us at tips@laist.com. Follow Lexus on Twitter at @uberlexus
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Related:
Ask An Uber Driver: Is Bringing A Bunch Of Bags With You A Dick Move?
I Don't Care How Hot My Uber Passenger Is, We're Not Hooking Up
What It's Like To Drive Uber Or Lyft When You're A Woman
Not So Fast: Uber And Lyft Pickups At LAX Put On Hold
How Your Uber Driver Really Feels About Long Rides
The Pros And Cons Of Using An Uber For Drug Dealing, According To A Driver
What It's Like To Be An Uber Driver In 2015
10 Things That Make Your Uber Driver Sad
Tales From An Uber Driver: Why I'm Anonymous
6 Places Your Uber Driver Doesn't Want To Pick You Up
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