Several central Florida cities are on the leading edge of what seems to be a new nationwide trend – the integration of ride-sharing or ride-hailing services with public transportation. Altamonte Springs, Lake Mary, Maitland, Sanford and Longwood offer discounts on Uber rides that begin and end within each city. Orlando does not participate as of this writing.

Economic analyst Hank Fishkind says the economics driving this effort are ultimately to save money by reducing the need to build more roads. He tells 90.7’s Nicole Darden Creston that in the meantime, the aim is to reduce daily traffic jams and improve public transit by using ride-sharing to solve the “last mile” problem.