Getting a Ride in Downtown Orlando to Get Easier
Last updated on March 21, 2019
Getting a Ride in Downtown Orlando to Get Easier
City of Orlando to Launch Rideshare Hub Pilot Offering Service Late Night Fridays and Saturdays
March 20, 2019 – ORLANDO, FL – To further support downtown’s vibrant nighttime economy, the City of Orlando will launch a Rideshare Hub pilot program this spring aimed at enhancing the downtown experience and improving traffic and safety in the area.
The new hubs, one of the first transportation concepts like this in the nation, will offer dedicated pick-up lanes for cabs and rideshare drivers to help more efficiently move people out of downtown during late night hours. The new Rideshare Hubs will also feature public restrooms, enhanced lighting and dedicated security. Future plans include the addition of mobile food vending options at these hubs.
“Together with our community, we’ve grown a downtown Orlando that is vibrant, connected and one that continues to attract more and more residents and visitors,” said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. “These new Rideshare Hubs will help us ensure our downtown continues to offer world-class city amenities that further support our nighttime economy.”
The two Rideshare Hubs are part of a six-month pilot program and will be located at Magnolia Avenue near Heritage Square and Gertrude’s Avenue near Jefferson and Washington Streets. The hubs will operate on downtown Orlando’s busiest nights, Fridays and Saturdays from midnight to 3:00 a.m. During these peak times in downtown, several road closures are in place which can lead to navigation confusion for both downtown patrons and drivers therefore causing traffic congestion which the pilot aims to reduce.
The city’s Downtown Development Board/Community Redevelopment Agency Nighttime Economy Manager, Dominique Greco, is spearheading the development of this hub concept for the city, and brought together rideshare companies, Lyft and Uber, as partners on the pilot. Each company will create a functionality within their individual platforms to direct rideshare drivers and users to the hub closest to them when exiting downtown on Friday and Saturday nights.
“We’re thrilled to see the City of Orlando explore innovative projects like this one,” said Lyft’s Orlando Market Manager Yun Ling. “These hubs will not only make moving around the area more convenient and frictionless, but it can meaningfully reduce congestion and improve the experience for drivers, riders, and the greater Orlando community.”
“For the past year, Uber has been working with the City of Orlando to make it easier for everyone to get around downtown Orlando,” said Stephanie Smith, Senior Manager for Public Policy, Uber. “Working with the city to allow pickups to happen in the dedicated
rideshare hubs makes it safer, quicker, and easier for riders and drivers to find each other and be safely on their way.”
The Rideshare Hub pilot program is a result of the City of Orlando’s downtown Orlando visioning effort, Project DTO, which identified the creation of highly connected neighborhoods and districts as a key vision for the future of downtown. Additionally, through the work of the city’s Nightclub Task Force, a recommendation from the Responsible Hospitality Institute’s Downtown Orlando Hospitality Zone Assessment was to change the current late night “push” into more of a “pull” effect. The implementation of this new concept aims to meet that goal by helping disperse evening goers to a variety of organized locations with desired amenities.
“We appreciate the support received to accommodate the Rideshare Hubs pilot program,” said Thomas C. Chatmon Jr., Executive Director of the Downtown Development Board/Community Redevelopment Agency. “As the demand for rideshare continues to grow, the hubs will serve to better accommodate the thousands of patrons exiting from downtown’s vibrant entertainment scene on weekends.”
Through this pilot, the city will evaluate data and seek feedback from the community. Additionally, the pilot will explore the hubs’ effectiveness as gathering spaces and drawing the public to them in an easily identifiable and organized approaches to leave late night in downtown Orlando.
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***Linked here is an artistic rendering of the Rideshare Hub concept at Magnolia Avenue near Heritage Square.
PRESS CONTACTS:
* City of Orlando – Cassandra Lafser, Press Secretary, cassandra.lafser@orlando.gov
* Lyft – Daniel Roberts, Communications, DanielRoberts@lyft.com
* Uber – Javier Correoso, Public Affairs, jcorreoso@uber.com