Orlando airport cracking down on unpermitted drivers, as rideshare vendors and users lament pricing model

OIA cracking down on unpermitted drivers

Rideshare drivers held a rally Tuesday arguing for a change and more regulation in their industry. Orlando authorities are working on that, but that regulation doesn’t come free, and consumers are the ones paying for it.

ORLANDO, Fla. - Rideshare drivers held a rally Tuesday arguing for a change and more regulation in their industry.

Orlando authorities are working on that, but that regulation doesn’t come free, and consumers are the ones paying for it.

"We rided in a car, a shuttle, feet, plane, feet," a young boy told FOX 35 Reporter Marie Edinger outside the Orlando International Airport (MCO).

After all that, his parents said, they were about ready to just get where they were going.

For the Eldredge family and for a lot of people, that means taking a rideshare, like Uber or Lyft from the airport.

"It was just convenient," said Dustin Eldredge. "Quick, easy."

However, in Orlando, you could be paying big bucks for that. Aniyah Armstrong wound up having to take a $100 Lyft from the airport when her arrangements with the cheer team she coaches fell through.

Those high costs have opened the door for some competition: unpermitted drivers going around airports, offering to drive people for a lower fare. Armstrong said she had heard of them, and she would consider taking one.

"I’m not saying nothing can happen to me or anything, but I just feel like – I mean, what’s the difference from Lyft? Things happen on Lyft and Ubers all the time, so what’s the difference?"

The Orlando airport charges rideshare companies a $7 fee to pick people up from the airport. Uber and Lyft both say that gets passed down to the consumer.

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MCO’s fee is the highest in the nation. Tampa’s airport charges a $5 service fee; Miami charges $2. FOX 35 News asked the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority (GOAA) what the fee covers.

The GOAA answered, "The amount of [Transportation Network Companies] activity increases the airport’s operation and maintenance costs, and the activity has steadily risen during the past few years. The pickup fee helps to offset costs associated with ground transportation operations, such as road maintenance and extra staff to handle curb congestion."

FOX 35's Marie Edinger asked Orlando District 1 Commissioner Jim Gray whether those high fees might push people to take a risk on the unpermitted drivers with cheaper fares.

"Undoubtedly, it does," he said.

Commissioner Gray just had a meeting Monday, talking about how to combat those unpermitted drivers.

"People are cost conscious, especially when you're traveling. I understand that," he said. "Our goal was to try, as best we could, give a general assurance that a vehicle for hire, a driver that's properly licensed and permitted."

Commissioner Gray said the police department is working on enforcement, and he’s working on resources to help the officers out.

Meanwhile, rideshare employees said the rule breakers are putting everyone in a bind.

"We're here today because fake and illegal driver accounts are taking away our work and income and put both the customer and us at risk," Terry Garcia, an Uber driver, told FOX 35.

GOAA argues the point of being the highest fee in the nation, noting that there are some airports that charge for pickup and drop-off. Uber told FOX 35 that MCO hadn't necessarily opted out of that by choice, as Florida law prohibits charging for both.

Florida law also mandates that airports charge the same service fee for rideshare drivers and taxicab drivers. All airports in the state except MCO do that – the fee for taxis is $4, which is $3 less than rideshare apps have to cover.

Uber told FOX 35 it has talked with MCO about that, but the airport said taxis are on-demand, whereas Uber is prearranged. There’s a meeting next week to discuss adjusting that fare.

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