UCLA Transportation has partnered with ride-hailing companies Lyft and Uber to designate 12 on-campus passenger pick-up locations that will be active Monday through Friday between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m.
The locations were selected in an effort to prioritize pedestrian and bicyclist safety, improve traffic flow and reduce traffic impediments. Both providers will use geo-fencing to create a virtual perimeter built into their apps, meaning a user can’t request a pick-up outside one of the 12 zones. After 6 p.m. each weekday and all weekend, Lyft and Uber drivers will be able to pick up riders on campus anywhere it is safe and legal to do so.
Beginning Monday, Oct. 2, people who are on campus requesting rides from either of these two ride-hailing companies from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays will need to select from one of 12 locations across UCLA:
- Dickson Court
- Slichter Hall
- Molecular Garden
- Gateway Plaza
- Dykstra Hall
- Carnesale Commons
- Rieber Hall
- Hedrick Hall
- Sunset Canyon Recreation Center
- Anderson School of Management
- Melnitz Hall
- Wyton Drive turnaround
In any campus building people on campus will be no more than a three- to five-minute walk from a pick-up location, all of which will be clearly designated with appropriate signage. Drop-offs can continue to occur throughout campus as long as drivers adhere to traffic regulations that restrict stopping in locations such as pedestrian priority zones, fire lanes, bus stops, gated areas and the middle of traffic.
Designated ride-hailing pick-up locations support UCLA Transportation’s policy of optimizing campus roadways and infrastructure to prevent dangerous traffic conditions.
“The campus wants to be proactive and not wait until there are injuries to pedestrians and bicyclists, or to students getting picked up in the middle of traffic, before we take action to create a safer, more orderly process,” said Dave Karwaski, senior associate director UCLA Transportation.
With an average daily campus usage of Lyft and Uber at a combined total of 5,500 pick-ups and drop-offs, the increasing popularity of these services has created a need for regulating where passengers can be picked up on campus. This need has become more apparent when factoring in the biking and pedestrian safety improvements UCLA has undertaken over the past few years, as there are more than 70,000 pedestrians on campus daily.
