State Senator Jeff Brandes wants Uber, the tech-savvy car service, to be a Tampa Bay transit option, according to Mitch Perry in Creative Loafing’s Daily Loaf.
First, Brandes must eliminate the Hillsborough Public Transportation Commission (PTC) and the “arcane rules” that holds Tampa back from a pursuing this “phenomenal product.” At issue is a mandated $50 charge for premium cars and limos set by the Hillsborough PTC.
Uber is an alternative to taxis that made an appearance in Tampa during the Republican National convention. Beginning in San Francisco in 2010, the service has now expanded to Washington D.C, New York and Chicago.
The PTC is not the only local transportation commission preventing Uber from making headway in Florida. Miami-Dade County also has a similar charge for premium transportation; there the minimum is $70.
Both Brandes and his Hillsborough GOP counterpart Jamie Grant have made motions to terminate the PTC through legislation in Tallahassee. In a transportation forum this spring, Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn also suggested terminating the troubled agency.
Hillsborough County Commissioner Victor Crist told Creative Loafing this week about his misgivings of PTC prior to assuming the committee chair earlier this year. However, PTC does offer some benefits for the county, Crist said.
Regardless of any benefits, Brandes feels that in a struggling economy, having a law that requires a $50 payment to get into a limo is not worth Tampa losing an innovative small business like Uber.
As a member of the Florida Senate, Brandes can make the necessary changes. Since the PTC was created in 1976 by an act of the Legislature, it can only be changed by legislative action.
