Uber Drivers Banned From Airport Pick Ups. Uber Emails Drivers With News Of Temporary Suspension.

Uber drivers no longer will pick up passengers at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and Port Everglades, a withdrawal the company had hoped would keep Broward County from heading to court.

In an email sent by Uber on Monday evening, drivers were told that the company is "temporarily suspending pickups'' at both locations "until further notice.'' Uber will, however, continue dropping off passengers at both sites.

The withdrawal failed to soften opinions on the County Commission dais, though, where patience had worn thin after 10 months of fighting with the app-based ride service that refuses to fall in line with county laws. After hours of debate, Broward commissioners late Tuesday voted 7-2 to take on Uber in court.

The vote allows the county attorney's office to file litigation if necessary — to seek an injunction, for example — during commissioners' summer recess. Commissioners Chip LaMarca and Marty Kiar voted no. The authorization also applies to Uber competitor Lyft.

Uber executive Kasra Moshkani said the company wanted to keep negotiating with the county. But Commissioner Lois Wexler said she'd fallen for Uber's delay tactics in the past.

"It has been nothing but lies on top of lies on top of lies,'' she said. "... I'm done being the fool up here. OK? You pushed me to the edge. Now I have a different position. It's called a hammer.''

"This is all about buying time and about playing games,'' Commissioner Barbara Sharief said. "That time has run out for me.''

Uber, a California startup valued at as much as $50 billion, operates in all three South Florida counties, but Broward is the only one of the three to have passed a "transportation network company'' law tailored for such ride services.

Some speakers Tuesday implored commissioners to leave Uber alone, saying it's a desperately needed alternative to an inadequate transit system and a low-quality cab service.

"Uber is a social service,'' attorney and Uber driver Jonathan Sabghir said. "It is helpful. I'm giving rides to single mothers for a third of the price cabs can do it.''

The company has upended the traditional taxi industry across the globe, defying local taxi regulations that set fares and limit the number of vehicles, among other things.

At Broward's airport, for example, cab drivers wait in line to be dispatched to pick up a passenger, and they pay $3 to the county for each fare. Uber swoops up to the curb, avoiding the system.

Uber drivers may not carry the required county chauffeur registration, and their cars are not permitted by the county, Leonard Vialpando, director of the county's Environmental Protection and Growth Management Department, said.

But Uber made a last-minute attempt to smooth things over with county commissioners, hoping to fend off Tuesday's legal action.

The company hired lobbyist Mike Moskowitz, a politically connected and influential attorney, and reached out to the county Monday night to talk about obtaining the legally required transportation network company license. Uber also announced it was withdrawing from pickups at the county's port and airport, a sensitive point over the past months.

"You will no longer receive pickup requests at [Fort Lauderdale airport] and Port Everglades,'' the Monday night email to Uber drivers reads. "Please note that any partners attempting to circumvent this restriction may have their Uber account subject to deactivation, and Uber will not cover any citation received as a result of pickup at FLL and Port Everglades.''

In a statement to the Sun Sentinel, Uber said: "We have temporarily suspended airport pickups at [Fort Lauderdale airport] while we work toward a permanent operating agreement with county administrators. We look forward to partnering with county and airport officials in establishing a rideshare framework that reduces curbside crowding, increases landside efficiency and provides travelers with convenient, reliable transportation options."

The email to drivers says they can "feel free to take any passenger to [Fort Lauderdale airport] and Port Everglades as normal. Uber will continue to honor its policy of resolving any citations received as a result of drop-offs.''

The company previously said it will withdraw from the county entirely if new laws applying to transportation network companies are enforced. But enforcement has been ongoing, and Uber is still here.

Lyft issued a statement after Tuesday's meeting, saying the vote "limits competition, restricts consumer choice, and makes it harder for residents and visitors to get around Broward County. In contrast to states and major cities across the country, Broward County's ordinance treats Lyft just like a taxi and places unnecessary burdens on individual drivers. We urge the Commission to revisit this ordinance and continue conversations focused on crafting common-sense rules for this new industry.''

The county sent Uber Technologies Inc. and Lyft Inc. "cease and desist'' letters last November, directing them to stop operating until they followed Broward laws. That didn't work.

After that, the county revised its laws to legalize companies such as Uber and Lyft, allowing unlimited vehicles and not regulating fares.

But that new law, passed in April, requires drivers to be licensed by the county, to undergo fingerprint-based FBI criminal background checks done by the county, and to drive vehicles inspected by county-approved mechanics.

The companies must obtain Transportation Network Company licenses and provide a list of all drivers and vehicles under their permit. The vehicles must carry insurance required by the state, which the county attorney believes is around-the-clock commercial insurance.

Uber's attempt to get state insurance laws changed this year failed, as did the company's efforts to prevent local governments from regulating them.

    Source: Sun-Sentinel