ORLANDO, Fla. – If you’re counting on Uber for a ride home from the Orlando International Airport over the holidays, you may have to wait for a pickup — longer than at any other airport in Florida, according to Uber.
News 6 has learned about a major change at MCO — requested by the City of Orlando and made by Uber in the past few weeks — that the ride sharing company claimed is causing some of the longest airport pickup delays in the state for both airline and Brightline passengers.
Uber drivers said they’re now forced to cram into a single parking lot on airport property to pick up passengers creating a dangerous, chaotic traffic jam.
During the busy Thanksgiving travel period, News 6 reported how drivers were parking illegally on MCO’s main entrance roads leading up to the terminal.
Since then, we learned many of those drivers were ride-share drivers waiting for customers from the airport. Drivers were also waiting off airport property in restaurant and hotel parking lots along South Semoran Boulevard.
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The Orlando Police Department cracked down on those drivers parking illegally and Orlando City Commissioner Tony Ortiz said restaurant and business owners asked him for relief to move waiting ride-share drivers out of their parking lots. Ortiz said he asked Uber for a meeting to discuss the owners’ concerns.
But Ortiz claimed Uber, without a meeting, went ahead and changed its geofencing to prevent drivers from picking up rides off airport property.
Uber admitted its driver app now only allows drivers to enter the in-app virtual rider pickup queue while they are physically located in one of two airport Transportation Network Company lots — the North TNC lot and the South TNC lot.
That means the North and South TNC lots are the only places Uber drivers can now be assigned a passenger to pick up.
The problem?
Cell phone reception, which of course is required to use the Uber driver app, is poor to non-existent in the South TNC Lot. So, if Uber drivers want to pick up a ride and make money, they must cram into the North TNC lot.
That crush of cars, especially on busy nights surrounding the holidays, is creating “absolute pandemonium” in the North TNC lot, according to Uber driver Scott Ellis.
He shared his video showing cars filling every spot, parked bumper to bumper in rows down every lane, and drivers honking at each other and struggling to make U-turns.
“Look at this, look at how nuts this is! And packed,” Ellis said.
Ellis said some drivers will park elsewhere and run across the streets into the North TNC lot with their cell phones just to enter the Uber pickup queue. Ellis fears for his and other Uber drivers’ safety.
“Every spot is full, people are trying to figure out what to do now because they have to stay in this lot,” Ellis said.
Ellis said the traffic jam in the North TNC lot is making it difficult for Uber drivers to enter and exit the parking lot, adding extra wait time to passenger pickup.
Uber spokesperson Javi Correoso said Uber willingly made the change because it was asked to but the result isn’t good for drivers or passengers.
“In November, the city of Orlando asked Uber to make operational changes preventing Uber drivers from joining the airport queue from areas outside of MCO, which means that more drivers will have to wait within the airport’s property to receive airport trips,” Correoso said. “For years, Uber has communicated logistical and safety concerns to MCO’s leadership regarding staging operations for drivers. Given that consumers are paying a $7 pickup fee, the highest in the country, the Orlando airport needs to invest in making the rideshare experience safe and efficient for drivers and riders.”
Angela Starke, MCO Senior Vice President of Public Affairs and Community Relations, said the airport opened the North and South TNC only after it discovered the Uber geofencing change.
“The Greater Orlando Aviation Authority (GOAA) puts safety, including safety on roadways, as its no. 1 priority,” Starke said. “Any traffic congestion is managed by our law enforcement partner, the Orlando Police Department, as well as GOAA staff. The Aviation Authority was not told in advance of the changes that would impact the Transportation Network Companies, also known collectively as rideshares. Please contact the rideshare companies for information. Once we learned of these changes, we opened two staging areas. The first area is currently situated on Bear Road, in close proximity to the B-52 park. The second area is situated on the South Access road, specifically behind the 7-11 plaza. There are 176 spaces between the two staging areas.”
Starke said the airport is working to improve cell phone service.
“GOAA operates two cell phone lots for customers and has ample Wi-Fi coverage throughout its terminals,” Starke said. “Our IT team has been working with cell providers, in conjunction with the Federal Aviation Administration, to improve coverage in the cell phone parking lots. Those activities include providing temporary antennae by providers. We will continue to work with our partners to ensure improved cell phone coverage, which will allow both staging areas to better serve rideshares.”
Ortiz said he is asking MCO if there is an alternative staging location for Uber drivers while the airport improves its cell phone service.
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