Getting out of LAX can be a nightmare. From the moment you exit the plane, you’re lost amid a sea of confusion that hopefully leads to the baggage area and a cab, Uber, or Lyft home. In this guide, we’re going to cover what you need to know about getting an Uber from LAX.
When you arrive at LAX, head to the downstairs part of the arrivals area and take the LAX-It shuttle. If you’re looking to get an Uber from LAX, you’ll need to order it directly to the LAX-It parking lot. Simply open up the Uber app, set your destination, and a driver will be on their way.
The lot is only temporary until LAX can unveil its Automated People Mover in 2023, but until then it’s caused more headaches and congestion than anything. This blog will explain how to get to the LAX-it lot as well as a few other details you need to know.
How To Get Uber From LAX
Until 2019, no one had to worry about how to get Uber from LAX, it was as easy as using the app in any other location. The new system, however, was a nightmare from the outset and it hasn’t gotten much easier. Passengers can find themselves waiting nearly an hour for a ride.
One passenger was even forced to pay $80 for an 8-minute cab ride.
The system is working a little better now, however complaints and annoyances from customers are still regularly heard. They have made some improvements.
How Hard Is It to Get an Uber at LAX
At LAX, you can schedule an Uber ride in advance. Nonetheless, you can’t reserve an Uber outside the terminal, unlike at other airports. If you need a taxi or a rideshare, you’ll have to wait at the LAX-it pickup location.
LAX-It Shuttle Will Make Getting an Uber at LAX Easier
If you’ve been to LAX recently, you’ve probably seen the lime green shuttles that move along just outside the terminal. These are the LAX-it shuttles, and they’re pretty hard to miss. During peak hours, the shuttles come every five minutes to every terminal in the airport.
The whole experience should take no more than 15 minutes from when you pick up your baggage. So, once you arrive at LAX, where to get Uber won’t be such a fuss.
How to Catch Uber at LAX – at LAX-It Lot
The LAX-It lot can be found approximately a five-minute walk from Terminal 1. If you’re departing from a terminal further away from the lot, there should be large banners directing you all the way should you choose to walk. From Terminal 7, the lot is about a half-mile distance.
The lot itself has seven pickup lanes for cabs, Uber, Opoli and Lyft. However, unlike from your home or a restaurant where you can just connect with a driver, the app will direct you to wait at the pickup zone.
Los Angeles can be an oppressively hot city, but they’ve done what they can to make the wait as comfortable as possible. The airport included four restrooms, umbrellas, and benches. On some days, food trucks swing by the area to feed waiting for passengers.
How to Get an Uber at LAX – Finding A Ride
After finding your luggage, log into the Uber app on your phone for getting uber at LAX. The app will tell you which specific pick-up zone your driver is in. On hours when the airport is busiest, rather than being paired with a driver, you’ll receive a 6-digit pin code to match you with your driver, who has been background checked in advance.
If you have any difficulties, attendants wearing lime green LAX-It vests are there to assist you. Lyft and Uber also have staff on-site in pink and black vests, respectively.
Where to Catch Uber at LAX With Pickup Order Option
Once you learn all about how to take Uber from LAX, you need to know where exactly to wait for your vehicle. So, if you’re asking yourself where to get Uber at LAX, be aware there are seven lanes, color-coded, for each rideshare service. They are currently as follows, and it’s unlikely any change will happen soon:
Lane 1 (Yellow) – Taxis and Opoli,
Lane 2-4 (Green) – Uber and Uberpool,
Lane 5-7 (Pink) – Lyft.
How to Catch an Uber at LAX – Warning: Price Surges
Remember the passenger who was forced to pay $80 for a short ride? The complaints about wait times at the LAX-It lot are coming both from passengers and rideshare drivers, who resent waiting for maybe one fare an hour.
Note: Uber Pass is a great way to avoid these price surges.
Rideshare drivers need a little incentive to actually go to the LAX-It lot and this has led to some irregular price surges. If you really don’t want to deal with the hassle the LAX-It lot has created, then it might be best to rent or park a car at the airport before you arrive.
Unfortunately, things such as the lot are necessary to control the flow of traffic. The lot was initially created to clear congestion, which it unbelievably has in some areas of the airport. It’s just too much of a headache for most passengers to deal with, especially if they’re getting off a painfully long plane ride.
Still, there was no other alternative. Almost 100,000 cars travel through the LAX terminal loop daily, creating a constant traffic jam. They clearly had to take drastic measures, and until the Automated People Mover is in place, the LAX-It lot will have to suffice.
Getting Uber From LAX – Learn All There Is and Have a Safe Ride
It used to be that as soon as you collected your luggage at the airport, a ride would be waiting for you. The LAX-it lot is a marked staging area adjacent to Terminal 1 where you can meet your driver. At that point, you can request an Uber ride.
But, why is there an LAX-it area in the first place many people might wonder? There will be three elevated automated people transporter stations inside the terminal with three outside stations as part of LAX’s ongoing modernization project.
