Eastern Iowa Airport signs deal with Lyft

Travelers to and from The Eastern Iowa Airport soon will have the option of getting a lift from ride-sharing company Lyft Inc.

On Monday, the Cedar Rapids Airport Commission approved an agreement with Lyft to begin operating at the airport, according to a news release.

Per the agreement, Lyft will pay the commission a one-time $1,000 permit fee to operate at the airport. In addition, Lyft will pay the commission a $2 per pickup fee, paid monthly.

The rules also implement a geo-fence that sets up a virtual boundary around the airport. Transportation network company drivers are prohibited from the airport property within the boundary unless they have arranged a customer pickup or drop-off.

The one-year agreement is the airport's first with a transportation network company since the commission approved new rules and regulations pertaining to such companies.

The airport is finalizing a similar agreement with ride-sharing company Uber.

'We're thrilled that Lyft is now available for travelers at The Eastern Iowa Airport, and would like to thank the airport team for its collaborative efforts to bring safe, reliable and affordable transportation options to the airport,” Kirk Safford, senior manager of airports for Lyft, said in the release.

Ride-sharing companies will add to other transportation options at the airport that include taxi services, shuttles and limousines.

'One of the airport's core values is customer service and one of the ways to fulfill that is to provide a wide array of options,” Airport Director Marty Lenss said in the release.

l Comments: (319) 339-3175; mitchell.schmidt@thegazette.com