Uber, Lyft not putting a dent into parking revenue at Spokane International

Ride-hailing companies Uber and Lyft are being welcomed at Spokane International Airport, where parking revenue has remained steady.

However, the airport has seen a decline in the use of taxis, airport spokesman Todd Woodard said.

The airport closely tracks ground transportation to and from the airport, he said. While some airports are seeing a decline in parking revenue because of the convenience of ride-hailing options, he said, the Spokane airport has not.

The relative ease of driving to and from the airport is apparently a major reason for that, Woodard said.

In addition, the airport serves a large geographic area and passengers from outlying areas are more likely to drive if they have some distance to cover to get to the airport.

“We don’t see any concern in the near term,” Woodard said about parking revenue.

Parking at the north shuttle lot at $4 a day is reasonable for most travelers, so use of that lot has remained strong. The airport counts on parking revenue to provide local matching money for federal aviation grants to improve facilities at the airport, Woodard said.

Uber and Lyft drivers have a designated space in the cellphone waiting lot. They also are allowed to use the same curbside spaces at the terminals as shuttle buses.

The airport charges ride-hailing services and other ground transportation providers, such as shuttles, limos and taxis, $1 per passenger pickup and $1 per drop- off. The funds generated are used to offset the annual maintenance costs of the airport’s roads.

The airport also has made arrangements with what they call “transportation network companies” to keep record of how many trips they make. Taxis and shuttles also have a system for reporting their trips.

Figures on the trip monitoring were not immediately available.