Mitch Perry
Hillsborough County Public Transportation Commission executive director Kyle Cockream wants to emphasize that his agency has never wanted to boot Uber from operating in the county. He just wants them to abide by a few of the agency’s rules, which the popular ridesharing company has rejected.
On Friday, a Hillsborough County Circuit Court judge denied the PTC’s request for a preliminary injunction that could have taken Uber drivers off local roads.
“Interestingly, the PTC stated that it wants Uber here,” Circuit Judge Paul Huey wrote in his opinion. “Why would the PTC want Uber to stay if as a general proposition it thought the Uber model was unsafe. This is contrary to the typical injunction case wherein the plaintiff wants the defendant shot down and/or kicked out of Dodge.”
“This ruling is a win for the thousands of local entrepreneurs who rely on Uber to help support their families and for the people throughout the Tampa Bay area who depend on safe, reliable transportation options,” said Matthew Gore, general manager for Uber in Florida.
But the PTC’s Cockream says their only concern is that Uber comply with current safety standards.
Specifically, the issue of the quality of background checks is where the PTC has drawn a line. Cockream said that the PTC’s Level 2 background checks are the gold standard, and better than Uber’s background policies. Level 2 is a fingerprint-based check on the state and federal level.
“I would only pose that you ask your readers to employ common sense on that issue that if their (Uber’s) Internet background checks were as good, then the U.S. government would be using those for important positions around the world,” Cockream said. “But they don’t.”
Judge Huey also wrote in his opinion that “there is no credible proof that Uber drivers are less trustworthy or safe than other for-hire drivers.”
Not yet, Cockream said. Citing an incident between an Uber driver and passenger in Clearwater in late June, he said it’s just a matter of time, however: “I will tell you this: In the 15 months that I’ve been in this job, I’ve seen more incidents occur with Uber drivers nationally that have come across my desk than taxi cab and limousine drivers put together.”
There’s a website called Who’s Driving You? that provides links to reports of assaults, kidnappings, DUIs and other offenses committed by ridesharing drivers. Perhaps not surprisingly, it was created by the Taxicab, Limousine & Paratransit Association (TLPA).
The PTC continues to spend thousands of dollars monthly in a deal with ClearChannel Outdoor on advertising to warn potential users of Uber and its ridesharing rival Lyft. “Be cautious of illegal transportation drivers,” the billboards read.
In light of Huey’s ruling, Gore says it’s time for the agency to knock that off.
“We hope that the Hillsborough County PTC will see this as an opportunity to reconsider its publicly funded campaign against ridesharing and help us lead Tampa Bay toward a brighter transportation future with modern regulations that ensure access to safe and affordable options like Uber,” Gore said a prepared statement to Florida Politics. The company suspended operations in Broward County last month, citing too many restrictions from county commissioners.
Cockream says he will meet up with other high-ranking officials with the PTC to decide what move to make next in the wake of the ruling against them.
