NY Senate Votes To Accelerate Start Of Upstate Uber, Lyft

WAMC Northeast Public Radio | By Dave Lucas

Published May 17, 2017 at 4:36 PM EDT

Uber and Lyft may be coming to upstate New York in time for the 4th of July.

The New York Senate voted Wednesday to allow the two ride-hailing apps to begin service in cities like Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Albany on June 29, 10 days earlier than they can start under existing law.

Lawmakers voted earlier this year to allow Uber and Lyft to expand into upstate New York after years of being limited to the New York City area — though not before July 9.

Supporters of the accelerated timeframe say permitting Uber and Lyft to start before the July 4 weekend will benefit tourism and reduce drunken driving during the busy holiday.

The measure now moves to the Assembly, which could vote as soon as next week.

New York News

Dave Lucas

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.

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