A city in Florida is betting that transportation network companies can help reduce congestion and increase transit ridership.
Reuters broke the news that Altamonte Springs, a suburb of Orlando in Florida, will be the first city in the United States to subsidize the cost of Uber rides.
The program will launch March 21, in the hopes of reducing the number of cars on the road and increasing transit ridership. So far Altamonte Springs has budgeted $500,000 for the year-long pilot project. The city will pick up 20 percent of the bill for all Uber rides within city limits and 25 percent for all rides to or from a SunRail station.
WKMG ClickOrlando provides additional local coverage of the subsidy. The Times of India also picked up the big news.
Read the full story: First City In the Nation Plans to Subsidize Uber Rides
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Ride-hailing companies have yet to deliver on many of the transportation system improvements that they, and their supporters, have been promising. Streetsblog USA provides a scathing critique of the consequences of widespread ride-hailing.
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