No Saskatoon airport pickups for Uber drivers — at least not yet

People may not be able to catch an Uber from the Saskatoon airport just yet, but the company hopes that won't be the case for long.

"Presently, riders can use Uber for an affordable trip to the airport," Jean-Christophe de le Rue, Uber Canada's public policy manager, said via email Wednesday. "We hope to be permitted to do pickups at the airport in the near future."

De le Rue went on to say that "we have had good initial conversations with airport management about operating at YXE."

That matches the vibe coming off the Saskatoon Airport Authority, also known as Skyxe.

"Our initial conversations with Uber have been going well and we look forward to further discussion regarding operations," Chad Munchinsky, the airport's terminal services manager, said via email Wednesday. 

"A PTP (personal transportation providers) ride-share loading and unloading area will be established on our public curbside if it is required," he added. 

A post on the airport authority's website Tuesday — the day Uber launched its least expensive variant, UberX, in Saskatoon — said that airports across the country are rolling out the welcome mat to ride-sharing companies. 

"Skyxe is committed to bringing ride-sharing to our curb as quickly as possible," the authority wrote.

• 'It's a great day in Saskatoon': City the 1st in Sask. to have Uber

The authority recently launched a new pricing scheme for Skyxe-licensed taxis. It's a flat rate, depending on which part of the city the passenger is picked up from. 

The flat rate for pickups in the downtown core is $20.

By comparison, someone wanting to hitch an Uber to the airport from the downtown core late Wednesday morning, and who typed "Saskatoon Airport" into the app, would see a fare of $24.57, according to the Uber app.

Uber is advising people to enter the street address of the airport, 2625 Airport Drive, into the app because that accurately captures the price of a ride to the airport. Mid-afternoon on Wednesday, the price was $14.22