Debate continues over Uber in Hillsborough

Will Uber stay on the road? Or will Hillsborough County run them off?

That battle is now brewing in a civil court.

"They waited over a year for this emergency injunction," explained Uber's attorney Doug Cole.  

Uber is fighting a temporary injunction filed by the Hillsborough Public Transportation Commission, which regulates public transportation.

"Uber has been operating for over a year and the PTC is trying to change that status quo," said Cole.

They claim Uber is not following the PTC's rules -- which all taxi cab drivers must do.

So they want a judge to take Uber off the road until they do.

"PTC and its lawyers would very much like to have Uber operating here in Hillsborough County we simply want them to do that in accordance with the rule," said an attorney for the agency.

However, Uber says it isn't a taxi company. It's a ride-sharing service -- that connects drivers and riders through a mobile app. It's been around for a year and keeps growing in popularity.

Meanwhile, the PTC says Uber puts the public at risk by not following the PTC standards when it comes to insurance and proper background checks on drivers.

Uber Attorneys got the PTC Director Kyle Cockream to admit those standards haven't stopped taxi drivers with felony convictions from getting licensed.

The PTC believes the Uber app -- which allows drivers to request a ride and pay with a credit card -- operates like a taxi meter and therefore should follow taxi cab pricing regulations.

A judge appeared to disagree.  In an apparent reference to those taxi meters, he said we shouldn't resort to dinosaur technology when smart phones have proven to be reliable.

The judge will provide a written ruling in the next few weeks.