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Home  >  Los Angeles LAX • Lyft • Uber  >  Pilot Stranded Miles Away from Airport by Angry Lyft Driver
Los Angeles LAXLyftUber

Pilot Stranded Miles Away from Airport by Angry Lyft Driver

Matthew Klint Posted onApril 9, 2018April 9, 2018 16 Comments

It happens often, but it is not always captured on video. An airline pilot was ditched in a grocery store parking lot seven miles from Los Angeles International Airport. Why? His Lyft driver had no desire to travel to LAX.

Rideshare services like Uber and Lyft have revolutionized the way many travel. Instead of overpriced, cash-only taxis, we can now get just about anywhere with a few taps on our phone.

But there’s certainly a downside, calling into question the sustainability of this business model. Regulated taxis cannot refuse service, no matter how short the journey nor the destination. While Uber and Lyft drivers are not supposed to choose rides based upon destination, it is becoming increasingly common. And the root of the problem, according to most drivers, is a simple cost/benefit analysis: some rides are simply not worthwhile.

Take the case of the pilot trying to get from Hermosa Beach to LAX. Once the driver found out the pilot was going to LAX (wasn’t that obvious from the start, since the driver was in uniform?), he started complaining…but kept driving.

He was visibly angry and responded to that anger by allegedly speeding and running stop signs.

But as they approached LAX, he had enough and dumped the pilot in a Trader Joe’s parking lot, complaining he would only make $6 for one hour of work.

Here’s video from the incident:

On the one hand, I truly feel the pain of the driver. The reason I generously tip on Uber now (despite my aversion to it) is because I know the drivers are underpaid. On the other hand, some drivers seem genuinely cheerful to drive for Lyft and Uber and proudly boast of earning a living wage from the job.

> Read More: A Disappointing Relief: Tipping Officially Comes to Uber

CONCLUSION

I’m not a fan of whipping out the cell phone and trying to humiliate. At the same time, I understand that cell phones encourage accountability, even as they tend to encourage bad behavior like shaming and extortion.

This is a huge problem with Uber and Lyft. I’ve experienced it myself. I’m not sure if the only solution is to raise prices, but we are seeing an equilibrium shift as Uber and Lyft become less reliable and in some cases, approach the point of not being even worth the savings over Uber Black or a real taxi.

> Read More: Uber Annoys in Washington, DC

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About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

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16 Comments

  1. Santastico Reply
    April 9, 2018 at 8:48 am

    I stopped using Uber X if my journey is over 5 miles. I get Uber Black. Uber X is only to replace a quick taxi ride when walking is not an option. Unfortunately Uber and Lyft businesses has gone to the toilet. Too many bad apples driving for them.

  2. Adil Reply
    April 9, 2018 at 8:49 am

    Interesting, to say the least.

    I think you mean “since the pilot was in uniform” instead of “since the driver was in uniform”.

  3. DavidB Reply
    April 9, 2018 at 9:46 am

    Did the pilot not enter LAX when booking the pickup? Seems odd a driver knowing the destination would bid on the trip. Did I/we miss something in the recounting of this incident? Did the pilot enter a different destination, then change it when getting into the car?

    • Talha Reply
      April 9, 2018 at 9:56 am

      @DavidB The drivers don’t see the destination till they actually start the trip

    • MeanMeosh Reply
      April 9, 2018 at 10:04 am

      Several Uber and Lyft drivers have told me that the driver can’t actually see the destination when a passenger hails a ride. Ostensibly this is to stop drivers from refusing rides they don’t want to accept (too short, too long, opposite side of town from where they want to go, etc.). Of course the flip side to that is you sometimes see bad behavior from drivers when they realize they’ve picked up a ride they don’t want…

      • Santastico Reply
        April 9, 2018 at 10:51 am

        That is correct but many times immediately after a driver accepted my ride without knowing where I am going I get a call from the driver asking details about the ride and sometimes he says he cannot do it and will cancel it. Both services have been horrible lately.

        • Kevin Reply
          April 9, 2018 at 11:30 am

          This is why you don’t answer those calls.

          • Quakerunner
            April 9, 2018 at 11:45 am

            And you just wasted both people’s time cause they can refuse and cancel even if you get into the car. Don’t like it, get a taxi.

          • Santastico
            April 9, 2018 at 11:56 am

            Well, that he will either cancel it anyway or ask as soon as you enter the car and may end the ride right there. We are at their mercy. Too bad.

  4. DaninMCI Reply
    April 9, 2018 at 9:56 am

    I’m not a fan of social media shaming but think about this driver. What if this same driver had dropped off a passenger in a bad area of town at say midnight. How about a female passenger in an area dangerous to females or an Asian passenger in an area dangerous to Asian people. As much of a PC world that we live in there are situations you don’t want to put yourself in. I think the funny part is that a driver would be surprised by someone actually wanting to go the LAX from Hermosa Beach. Can’t be that unusual. Maybe just having a bad day but that is no excuse. Much of the ride share platform is built on trust.

  5. Jeff K Reply
    April 9, 2018 at 10:00 am

    David B.

    Contrary to popular belief, Uber and Lyft drivers DO NOT know the destination when accepting a ride. It is not until they get to the rider and start the trip that destination becomes known.

  6. Mark Reply
    April 9, 2018 at 10:38 am

    Uber drivers in Dallas tend to give you 1-star ratings if you get picked up at DFW and only go a short distance. i’m sure this is similar in other states as well but it is definitely a shady practice where the riders really have no recourse since you can’t see individual scores given to you unless you get an angry driver that tells you.

    There are a lot of growing pains for uber and lyft thay need to be sorted out and this is just one of those items where a happy medium needs to be found for both riders and drivers

  7. AL Reply
    April 9, 2018 at 11:05 am

    At no point ever does it take an hour to get from Hermosa to LAX.

  8. John Bucher Reply
    April 9, 2018 at 4:37 pm

    Look at it now! Uber is becoming a ride of the past as their drivers become more and more entitled in their own minds. It will be only a short time until we all go back to regular taxis even though it costs a feww bucks more.

  9. Alan Carr Reply
    July 30, 2018 at 11:11 am

    This gives a bad rap to the companies, as much as I can see how drivers are treating passengers poorly there are definitely still good seeds left — they’re just getting trumped over the bad drivers that give the companies a bad name. This would take a lot of seminars or intervention from the heads of both companies.

  10. Pingback: How to Be Interesting When You Travel and an Amazon Payment Trap - View from the Wing

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