Uber now allowed at Calgary airport, formerly exclusive domain of Associated Cabs

The Calgary Airport Authority is now allowing ride-hailing services like Uberand TappCarto pick up travellers using their mobile phone apps.

In the past,only drivers with Associated Cabs,which hasan exclusive contract with the airport to supply taxi service, couldpick up up fares at the terminal.

• Uber resumes operations in Calgary under newly amended bylaw
• 'It just doesn't work for us,'WestJet says of Calgary's new international terminal

Effective Wednesday, drivers with Uber the world's largest ride-hailing service will also have access to a waiting lot and be able to pick up customers from designated zones, said airport authority spokesman Henry Stevens.

Three smaller"transportation network companies" TappCar, Cowboy Taxi and Ride Please have been operating out of the airport "for a while now," Stevens said.

"Our focus is on making sure that we have a full range of options available for travellers," he said.

CBC News asked Uber for an interview but a spokesman replied by email to saythat "might bedifficulttoday."

Roger Richard, president of Associated Cabs, said he's not worried about losing customers to Uber.

"We have more professional drivers and I'm sure that people will recognize that the superior service will always be the winner," Richard said.

• MORE CALGARY NEWS|'Cheater' drivers actually ease traffic jams with late merges, AMA says
• MORE CALGARY NEWS|Calgary house prices to 'remain unchanged' in 2017 while condos fall 2%, CREB forecasts