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Five Florida Cities Ink Deal with Uber for Public Transport Needs

The Uber app being used in favor of a traditional taxi.
Photo: Núcleo Editorial via Flickr Creative Commons
The Uber app being used in favor of a traditional taxi.

Five central Florida cities are teaming up with the ridesharing company Uber to offer discounts on rides within the five-city area, as well as to various SunRail stations. The citys tout the partnership between a major technology company and government as a way to deliver " alternative transit options" that also help reduce the number of cars on the road.

The initiative was expanded to four neighboring cities after a year-long pilot program in Altamonte Springs north of Orlando. Altamonte Springs City Manager Frank Martz joins Gulf Coast Live to discuss how the program came about, how residents have responded, if the deal with Uber is meeting the needs for public transport in the area. 

Also joining the program is  Javi Correoso with Uber Florida, who will discuss how Uber's data collection can help with expansion in Florida, from new insights into transportation use and roadway traffic to self-driving cars and more.

Copyright 2020 WGCU. To see more, visit WGCU.

Matthew Smith is a reporter and producer of WGCU’s Gulf Coast Live.
Julie Glenn is the host of Gulf Coast Live. She has been working in southwest Florida as a freelance writer since 2007, most recently as a regular columnist for the Naples Daily News. She began her broadcasting career in 1993 as a reporter/anchor/producer for a local CBS affiliate in Quincy, Illinois. After also working for the NBC affiliate, she decided to move to Parma, Italy where she earned her Master’s degree in communication from the University of Gastronomic Sciences. Her undergraduate degree in Mass Communication is from the University of Missouri at Kansas City.
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