Tourism Rep: Uber, Lyft Turning Indianapolis Into “First-Tier City”

“Ride-sharing” arrives at the airport for March Madness.

(AP Photo/Noah Berger)

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“Adding Uber and Lyft helps us market ourselves as a first-tier city,” an Indianapolis tourism rep told the Indianapolis Star. The city will be allowing Uber and Lift to serve the Indianapolis International Airport this week during the NCAA Final Four.

“These are the kind of choices sophisticated consumers expect,” Gahl told the Star.

Indianapolis is requiring that all taxis charge a flat rate during the busy week when thousands of travelers will be coming to watch their teams fight for the basketball championship. The charge will be $50 for all airport trips and $35 for trips throughout the downtown area.

But not everyone is thrilled with the decision to allow the app-based ride services into the city. According to the Star:

But the cab companies with which the unregulated car services compete said the airport was shortchanging them. Officials said no extra cabs will be allowed at the airport for the Final Four, as they were when the city hosted the Super Bowl in 2012.

“It’s not fair,” said TayeAliou, a manager at Gold Cab, which has 61 drivers. “The only extra drivers being allowed there are for Uber and Lyft.”

Currently, Uber serves 50 airports and Lyft serves six.

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Jenn Stanley is a freelance journalist, essayist and independent producer living in Chicago. She has an M.S. from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.

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Tags: ubertaxislyftindianapolisairports

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