By DANIEL HICKS — Broward County recently ordered popular car service Uber to cease all operations inside county lines until it complied with existing laws that govern taxi drivers. Now the San Francisco-based company is rallying the faithful and fighting back.
In an email sent to South Florida customers today, Uber appears to be in open defiance of the county’s directive, providing names and phone numbers and urging satisfied riders to call and complain to their respective county commissioners.
“The Broward County Commission recently sent Uber a cease and desist letter. We wanted to let you know that Uber will operate as usual, and we plan to continue to provide Uber users like you with access to safe, affordable and reliable rides,” the email states. “Removing ridesharing from the County’s transportation ecosystem not only harms the thousands of riders who use Uber to find safe, affordable and reliable rides, but also hurts the entrepreneurs — your drivers — who rely on the platform to make a living.”
In the letter dated Nov. 25, County Attorney Joni Armstrong Coffey warned the company that its drivers could be arrested, their cars impounded and fines imposed against those drivers and the company. County taxi laws require drivers to obtain chauffer licenses, as well as permits or decals for the vehicles. Any driver picking up passengers at Port Everglades or Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport must pay a fee and display the appropriate decal.
The company claims all UberX rides are insured up to $1,000,000 per incident (more than three times what is required of taxi) and that every driver partner must undergo and pass federal, state and local background checks going back seven years before gaining access to the Uber platform, while the county’s background checks only go back five years, according to the email.
As a next step, Uber states that it will attend a county workshop on ridesharing in early January to educate commissioners about its service.
As of Dec. 4, Uber covers approximately 82 percent of the population of Florida after launching in the Florida Keys, Fort Myers, Naples, Sarasota/Bradenton and Ocala. Miami-Dade commissioners have yet to pass an ordinance that would actually authorize the car service.
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