FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Uber is suspending services in Broward County at the end of the month.
The ride-sharing service said in an email Monday that it would cease pickups in Broward County beginning July 31.
"Since Uber came to Broward County last August, thousands of local drivers have provided more than one million safe rides throughout the county. And during that time, dozens of states and municipalities have embraced innovation and consumer choice by passing sensible ridesharing regulations," the email stated. "Unfortunately, the Broward County Board of County Commissioners has taken the opposite approach, creating one of the most hostile regulatory environments in the nation."
Uber users who open the app on their smartphones in Broward County receive a message that reads, "No pickups in Broward County starting July 31."
"It is impossible for Uber to continue providing the high standard of service and affordability the community has come to expect under the burdens of these unnecessary regulatory barriers," Uber's email stated. "Rather than provide substandard service, we have decided to suspend operations while we seek a path forward. "
Uber said riders will still be able to get dropped off in Broward County. Operations will still continue in Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties.
The company announced last month that it was suspending pickups at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and Port Everglades.
"It is our hope that the Board of County Commissioners will revisit the issue and pass a sensible regulatory framework in line with the more than 50 other jurisdictions that have created a permanent home for ridesharing in their communities," Uber's email said.
Broward County commissioners insisted that Uber drivers have chauffeur registration, a vehicle permit and commercial insurance. The county also wanted to conduct its own background check on drivers and vehicle inspections, something Uber said it already does.
"These are all for the benefit of the public, ultimately," Becker & Poliakoff attorney Mark Stempler, who represents Yellow Cab, told Local 10 News. "If Uber doesn't want to comply with them, that's its prerogative."
Commissioner Chip LaMarca said he was disheartened by Uber's decision, noting that the county hasn't had fingerprinting for other public transportation companies before.
"Nobody in the other industry has ever asked to be fingerprinted before, but as soon as the new guy came on the block, they wanted to make sure that, you know, that was the one thing they put up as a roadblock," LaMarca said.
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