CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Uber drivers will be allowed to service Yeager Airport once a contract is finalized Friday.
The deal, announced Thursday at the Kanawha County Commission meeting, means Uber can begin dropping off customers at the airport, something it had not done previously because of disagreements over service fees.
Yeager Airport Director Terry Sayre said officials have long desired to make a deal with the ride-booking service, which started operating in West Virginia in July 2016.
“We just wanted a fair deal for what’s good for Uber and what’s good for Yeager Airport,” Sayre said.
The one-year contract worth $3,200 includes parking spaces specified for Uber drivers. Uber plans to collect ridership data in order for new contracts to be renegotiated.
Sayre called Kanawha County Commissioner Ben Salango instrumental in starting recent contract discussions.
“He stepped in and contacted Uber for us,” Sayre said. “He was kind of like the middle man in negotiating this.”
Salango talked to Uber representatives Tuesday about striking a deal with the airport after receiving questions from business leaders about Uber’s restricted use.
“When you have business leaders coming in trying to determine on whether or not they’re going to relocate to Kanawha County, and then they can Uber everywhere in Charleston but Yeager Airport, I think it looks bad,” Salango said.