Tourists and locals can use ride-hailing services from Lyft and Uber after the transportation companies won regulatory approval.
The Nevada Transportation Authority on September 14 unanimously approved 2,500 licenses for Lyft and an unlimited number for Uber, both of whom working to have cars on the road as soon as possible, the Las Vegas Review Journal reported.
“We’ve had our eye on Las Vegas for a long time and we’re so excited to finally be a part of the city,” Lyft Communications Manager Chelsea Wilson told the Review Journal.
“We are excited to be a part of the Nevada community and to offer another option for people from Henderson to North Las Vegas to Reno to connect with a safe, reliable, convenient ride at the touch of a button,” Uber spokeswoman Eva Behrend said.
The ride-hailing companies will charge a $2.40 base, $1.85 per mile, 30 cents per minute with a $5 minimum fare, and cancellations will cost $5. Lyft will charge a $1.55 “safe rides” fee, while Uber said it will charge $1.
A safe rides fee is a charge passengers pay to offset the cost of conducting background checks on drivers. Two Uber passengers in December filed a federal class action in San Francisco, saying they shouldn’t have to pay the fee.
Lyft plans to offer “Prime Time” pricing during busy times that will cost passengers more in fares in order to encourage more drivers to participate.
Lyft and Uber spent a year obtaining regulatory approval in Nevada and faced stiff opposition from the state’s cab and limousine companies. Uber has 1,000 cars and drivers screened, inspected and ready to hit the roads with hundreds more in the works, the Review Journal reported.
