ORLANDO, Fla. – Rideshare drivers working for Uber and Lyft may be evading tolls on Central Florida expressways by blocking their vehicles’ license plates with rear-mounted bicycle racks, a News 6 investigation revealed.
Uber and Lyft policies require drivers to display their vehicle’s license plates, in part for passenger safety and to comply with Florida law.
But News 6 cameras captured video of rideshare vehicles operating with bike racks partially or fully concealing the tag numbers while picking up passengers at Orlando International Airport, Port Canaveral and Sanford Orlando International Airport.
[INSIDER EXTRA: See how News 6 investigated Uber, Lyft drivers using bike racks to dodge tolls]
While it is possible some rideshare drivers could have mistakenly blocked their tag numbers when installing the bike racks or forgot to remove the devices before picking up passengers, Richard Hansen believes many of his fellow rideshare drivers are doing it on purpose.
“I see it every day,” said Hansen, who estimates several dozen Central Florida rideshare drivers regularly obscure their license plates with bike racks. “They don’t want to pay tolls.”
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Rideshare apps like Uber and Lyft automatically charge passengers for tolls as part of the total ride price.
That extra money is then deposited in the drivers’ accounts to reimburse them for tolls they are expected to pay personally using either cash, a transponder like E-Pass and SunPass, or through “Pay By Plate” invoices mailed to the vehicles’ registered owners.
If rideshare drivers make their license plates unreadable by toll plaza cameras to avoid being billed later and do not pay tolls directly, they still receive the passengers’ toll payments.
“They get that money for free,” Hansen said. “It’s extra money in their pocket.”
Tolls between Orlando International Airport and area theme parks range from $2.11 to $7.44 each way, depending on payment method, while it can cost between $7.28 and $14.21 in tolls to travel between the theme parks and Orlando Sanford International Airport in Seminole County.
“Sometimes you’re doing that (trip) more than 10 times a day,” Hansen said, who reportedly pays hundreds of dollars in tolls each month while driving for Uber.
Hansen and other rideshare drivers who pay their tolls said it is unfair that some Uber and Lyft drivers are making extra money by obscuring their license plates with bike racks.
“I consider it stealing,” Hansen said. “They’re stealing from Uber. They’re stealing from the passengers. And they’re stealing from the toll companies.”
Freddy Hurtado, who said he drives for both Uber and Lyft, frequently picks up passengers at the airport in Sanford and drives them 44 miles down the 417 Expressway to the Disney area.
Hurtado told News 6 that he pays his tolls electronically. He pointed to an E-Pass transponder sticker lying loose on the dashboard of his Honda Odyssey that was not attached to the windshield, in violation of the E-Pass user agreement.
“They charge me tolls (with) the sticker,” Hurtado said.
When a News 6 reporter approached Hurtado in a rideshare waiting area near the Orlando Sanford International Airport, a bike rack attached to his minivan was obscuring most of the license plate.
“My son has to take the car to carry the bicycle,” Hurtado said. “Today I didn’t remove it.”
Unbeknownst to Hurtado, News 6 cameras had captured video of him on multiple occasions driving the minivan as the bike rack covered the license plate, including a trip he made between Sanford and Disney three days earlier.
Toll payment records provided to News 6 by the Central Florida Expressway Authority through a public record request indicate that no tolls were collected from Hurtado’s vehicle as it passed through at least three different toll plazas that day.
The records also showed the minivan’s license plate was at least partially unreadable by the toll plazas’ cameras.
Florida law prohibits motorists from altering license plates by attaching any material that interferes with the legibility or the ability to record any feature on the license plate. Violators can be cited with a moving violation that carries a fine of more than $100.
Motorists who fail to pay tolls can receive additional fines plus the cost of tolls.
“The Central Florida Expressway Authority (CFX) urges all motorists to drive in a safe and responsible manner, and to comply with Florida’s traffic laws which clearly state that license plates shall not be obscured and must be visible and legible at all times,” a CFX spokesperson said. “CFX’s expressway system is patrolled by Florida Highway Patrol troopers who are vigilant in the enforcement of these laws.”
Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise, which operates toll plazas on the 417 and 528 expressways near the airports, encourages drivers to report any suspicious activity or incidents to the Florida Highway Patrol by dialing *FHP (347).
“It is important to emphasize that what these drivers are doing is against the law,” an agency spokesperson said in an email to News 6. “Transactions associated with an obscured plate are approximately .006 (about one-half of one percent) of all transactions on the Turnpike system. However small, it is still important to ensure that vehicles are properly operated on our system, and that includes the proper display of a valid license plate registered to the vehicle.”
Uber and Lyft require drivers to keep their license plates visible to ensure passenger safety.
The rideshare companies encourage riders to check the license plate displayed on the app and verify it matches the driver’s tag number before getting into the vehicle.
“Safety is fundamental to Lyft. All drivers are expected to comply with state laws and our guidelines and may face deactivation if found in violation of intentional license plate obstruction,” a Lyft spokesperson said.
Uber encourages riders to report unmatched license plates, traffic violations, fraud or any other potential violations of the company’s community guidelines.
Hansen said the majority of rideshare drivers obey Florida laws governing toll payments and license plate use.
“We’re all paying tolls. Why can’t they pay?” Hansen said. “If (passengers) cannot see the plate, I would automatically cancel that ride if I was them.”
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