Ask the Mayor: Is it Legal for Uber & Lyft to Operate at Airport?

The rideshare company Lyft recently launched on Maui. Courtesy photo.

Mayor Alan Arakawa answers some of the questions submitted to his staff.

Submit your own questions about County of Maui programs, services, operations or policies to Mayor Alan Arakawa at AskTheMayor@mauicounty.gov, 270-7855 or mail them to 200 S. High Street, 9th Floor, Wailuku, HI 96793.

Questions submitted will be considered for inclusion in the “Ask the Mayor” column.

Mayor Arakawa,

Q: Since Lyft just announced it started up its ride-share service on Maui last week, what are the regulations for airport pickups and drop-offs?

I know there has been a lot of controversy with taxi drivers who pay the fees and get the permits getting undercut by Uber and now Lyft, so was wondering what the rules are.

Thanks for looking into this.

A: According to the Hawai‘i State Department of Transportation, which oversees our Maui County airports, Lyft and Uber do not have permits to operate on airport property.

The state’s requirement would be for operators to apply for a pre-arranged ground transportation permit. Most drivers don’t want to pay for the permit.

Currently, they can drop off passengers but not do pickups, as that would require a permit to do business on airport property.