Jamie McGee

jmcgee@tennessean.com

Uber and Lyft have gotten the green light to pick up curbside passengers at the Nashville International Airport, the first U.S. airport to officially recognize the popular ride-sharing services.

Ride-sharing drivers will now be able to pick up passengers in a designated area at the airport's commercial ground transportation level. To offer services on airport property, the companies will be required to obtain a permit, pay user fees and be clearly identified.

Uber and Lyft drivers currently pick up passengers at many major U.S. airports, but airport operators and taxi services have consistently claimed that they are operating illegally. The service is banned at airports in LosAngeles, San Francisco, Memphis and Raleigh-Durham.

"This is a major milestone to embrace ever-evolving technology and accommodate new app-based transportation service operators," said Rob Wigington, MNAA president and CEO.

A s it stands, taxi companies pay $1.50 per airport pickup, with the service detected with taxi transponders. Instead of paying for transponders for each ride-sharing driver, who often use the service more irregularly or as a side job, the ride-sharing companies will pay $3.50 each time, with the service tracked through its geo-fencing technology.

Lyft is currently permitted for the designated areas in Nashville and Uber is still in the process of obtaining its permit.

"By recognizing Lyft's peer-to-peer model, the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority has set the highest standard of public safety while preserving access to innovative transportation options for Nashville visitors and residents," said Bakari Brock, Lyft's director of business development.

The airport has been in discussions with Lyft and Uber for several months to develop a system that would respond to customer demand for the ride-sharing services and to address taxi operators' concerns that their companies were being treated unfairly.

"We know they will operate here anyway," said Nashville airport spokeswoman Shannon Sumrall. "But, we need to be fair. We are trying to accommodate both our operators and our passengers who do want to use this service."

The permitting is a welcome development for ride-sharing drivers who have in the past been directed to wait in short-term parking area and who will now be able to respond to requests more quickly.

"It's a giant step for ride-sharing in general," said Lyft driver Matt Ratliff, who has been driving for the San Francisco-based company since it expanded to Nashville last year. "The difference is going to be the convenience for the driver and the people arriving on the flights."

Reach Jamie McGee at 615-259-8071 and on Twitter at @jamiemcgee_.