When it rains, it pours. The latest setback for the LAX Automated People Mover pushes back its opening to an unknown future date.

The original 2018 plans for the LAX Automated People Mover

Take yourself back for a moment to the year 2018. That was when the original contract was signed to bring the LAX Automated People Mover to life. The original press release to honor the occasion referenced a $4.9B price tag for the entire project, including designing, building, operating, and maintaining. Of the $4.9B, it is widely estimated that the original cost of designing and building specifically would be $1.9B, or roughly 40%.

Additionally, the LAX Automated People Mover was intended to be complete and operational in 2023.

Officials at the time heaped tons of praise on the project, noting how it will help resolve the ever-lasting traffic bottleneck around the airport’s horseshoe. All LAX flyers know how frustrating traffic can be at the airport, so any news of ameliorating the delays was met with thunderous applause.

The project is now over budget and delayed again

What construction project is ever completed on time?

The year is now 2026.

When we last reported on the opening of the LAX Metro Transit Center in June 2025, we noted that the previous estimate for the opening of the LAX Automated People Mover was January 2026. Well, January 2026 came and went without any fanfare. Turns out that the delay moved to “Summer 2026” as of last October. But there is continued concern raised by the public about when exactly it will be available.

Los Angeles is set to host the FIFA World Cup in June and July 2026. Will the LAX Automated People Mover open in time for those games? Supposedly, the project is near completion (and has been since 2024) but the issue is ultimately a contractual dispute. If the dispute resolves in time for the FIFA World Cup, then there’s a good chance the Automated People Mover will be operational in time. But that’s a big “if”. Currently there is no promise from anyone involved that there’s even progress with resolving the contract dispute.

Moreover, the cost of the project has continued to balloon. From the original estimate of $1.9B for the designing and building of the project, it’s now up to $3.3B. That’s a massive increase in the cost of this project–nearly doubling from the original estimate. One wonders how much of this is driven by inability to create a realistic budget, corporate greed, or negligence.

A fee hike for Uber and Lyft is looming

LAX can’t get out of its own way when it comes to bad news lately. The LAX board just approved an increase to fees for Uber, Lyft, and other rideshare services once the Automated People Mover is operational. Talk about a celebratory move.

The stated hope with this fee hike is that it will encourage users to instead use the Automated People Mover over driving. That only works if the rest of the metro system is sufficient to get you where you need to go. While there are improvements to Metro, it’s not yet at a state where people will suddenly flock to public transit. Seems a bit of wishful thinking on the part of the airport.

Reportedly, Uber and Lyft both opposed the increase to the fee. While the companies haven’t officially stated who will ultimately pay for the fees, consumers are already fretting the rate hike. The airport seems convinced that the fee would be paid for by Uber and Lyft and not placed on drivers or passengers. But have they forgotten about Economics 101? A company isn’t going to pay a fee and reduce its profit margin out of the kindness of its heart. That’s not how business works, especially with publicly-traded entities.

This feels more like a cash grab from LAX to make up for the miss on controlling construction costs. They might think the number of riders will plummet, and so they want to make up for lost revenue, but they’re a little too optimistic on how quickly traffic will be impacted.

Where do LAX passengers go now?

The sad truth is that these days, LAX is forever stuck in a state of construction. So, what can LAX passengers do in the meantime?

Those looking to take the ever-expanding Metro should look for the shuttles to take them over to the LAX Metro Transit Center. From there, they can get around the city, including the most recent expansion to the D line (perhaps you’ll want a ‘ride the D’ t-shirt when they come back in stock).

The LAX Automated People Mover isn’t going to solve your ability to get around the city itself. The biggest time save will be to transport you from the airport to the rental car center and the LAX Metro Transit Center. It’s important to remember that with all these delays. It’s not like your travel woes for getting around Los Angeles (the city) will be resolved by this Automated People Mover opening.

Passengers looking to get between terminals will probably have the easiest time doing so by just walking. All of the terminals are connected air-side, while this Automated People Mover is a land-side only solution. It will take some time to walk between the terminals, but unless you’re moving from one end of the horseshoe to the other (such as from United in Terminal 7 to Southwest in Terminal 1), it’s easier just to walk.

In other words, keep doing what you’re doing and don’t rely on this thing that just will not open.

Suggested reading:

• LAX Terminal 5 To Be Demolished and Rebuilt
• WOW: Delta One Lounge LAX is Incredible
• United Club LAX: Better Than Your Average United Lounge