The Orlando Sentinel reporter Stephen Hudak wrote in Tuesday’s Paper edition that Uber is still operating even though it did not comply with the City’s demands and that Uber promised it’s drivers it would pay their fines. What Mr. Hudak didn’t report very well is the stipulations that were given to Uber to comply with the approved regulations.
The City of Orlando “welcomes” Uber as long as they go by the same regulations as the Taxi’s. In Mr Hudak’s article He mentions that the City requires Uber to have a minimum fare of 2.40 and that Uber presently has a minimum fare of 1 dollar. Although that is a fact, it is far from the main difference in what Uber now charges and what the City wants. The minimum fare is just a small part of the expense for the rider, the main factor is the price per mile.
The City is requiring that Uber charge 2.40 per mile after the starting fare of 2.40. Uber is currently charging .75 per mile after the One dollar staring fare. Uber also changing the rates at will without permission from Anyone or even notifying drivers in advance. The City also requires all drivers to pay 250 dollars per vehicle per year for inspection, right now Uber has no vehicle inspection. The inspection fee is down from 500 dollars that it was prior to Uber coming to Orlando and will be the same for rider sharing vehicles and taxis. This is a huge savings for the Mears Company, Who currently control 75 percent of Orlando’s taxis.

Minimum fare:
Taxis charge 2.40 as a starting charge.
Uber has a minimum charge of 4.00 but to compare it with taxis, it has a starting charge of one dollar.
Time waiting:
Taxis charge 60 cents per minute
Uber charges 13 cents per minute
A waiting Uber driver would make 7.80 in one hour, not even legal minimum wage
price per mile:
Taxis charge 2.40 per mile
Uber is currently charging 75 cents per mile

The Taxi rate is 2.40 per mile and Uber is currently charging “sweat shop” rates of 75 cents per mile, not even enough to cover the driver’s cost. This is because the total miles paid to the driver for a “trip” only includes the miles driven while the rider is in the vehicle. The actual cost to the driver includes the miles driven to pick up the rider, the miles with the rider and the miles to get back to a location ready for the next request.  The total miles for a “trip” can be 1.5 to 4 times the amount that the driver is actually paid for. According to the IRS, it cost 57 cents per mile to operate a vehicle and most drivers say they drive twice as many miles in a day than they are paid for.