Airport gets ride-sharing services

Passengers at Palms Springs International Airport now have two ride-sharing services to choose from.

Uber began operating there Monday, said Tom Nolan, the airport’s executive director.

Lyft, a service similar to Uber that also operates exclusively by mobile phone app, completed its operating permit with the city Monday and was expected to begin transporting passengers soon.

“We’re waiting to hear that they’ve pulled the switch and gotten started,” Nolan said Tuesday. “I know that Uber had a very good day yesterday.”

Uber and Lyft are both based in San Francisco. Uber operates in more than 600 cities worldwide, while Lyft is confined to the United States and parts of Canada.

In January, the city council approved ride-sharing services at the airport.

“Ride-sharing is one more factor in the evolution of ground transportation at airports,” Nolan said. “It’s the way the industry works now, and everyone has to keep up.”

Palm Springs International expects to handle approximately 2.2 million passengers this year. It will continue to provide the customary modes of transportation found at major airports, including taxis, limousines, shuttle vans and automobile rentals.

How much demand there is for ride-sharing there remains to be seen.

“We’ve never had this before,” Nolan said. “I think we have to have it for a full year before we find out.”