The Syracuse University Student Association and student governments at other colleges in New York state are putting the finishing touches on a joint letter arguing for the legalization of ride-hailing services in the state.

The organizations plan to send the letter to the New York State Assembly before it convenes in January for its next legislative session. At the session, the assembly will consider bill A.6090, which would change state law to include ride-hailing services such as Uber and Lyft in its insurance regulations. That would allow the services to operate throughout the state.

SA President Aysha Seedat and Parliamentarian James Franco began drafting the letter in September. They presented it to the SA assembly for the first time at its Oct. 26 meeting, and the assembly voted to take an official stance supporting the legalization of ride-hailing services at its Nov. 2 meeting.

In recent weeks, Seedat has been accepting revisions on the letter from the Student Assembly of the State University of New York — the student governing body for all State University of New York campuses — and the student governments at several other schools, including Le Moyne College and the University of Rochester.

The letter highlights student safety and job creation as the main benefits of legalizing ride-hailing services. It also attempts to dismiss what Seedat called misconceptions regarding how Uber drivers get their jobs.

If bill A.6090 passes, the letter argues it would reduce drunk driving accidents, since students who might otherwise be tempted to drink and drive could instead get rides from an Uber driver. The letter cites a January report conducted by Temple University professors Brad Greenwood and Sunil Wattal that found a “significant drop” in the rate of alcohol-related motor vehicle homicides from 2009-14 after Uber was introduced in 14 California counties.

Additionally, the letter argues that Uber drivers are qualified for their jobs, noting that Uber conducts background checks of potential drivers and that drivers in New York state would need to obtain a commercial driver’s license.

“You’re not just getting into a car with a random stranger (who signed up for an app),” Seedat said. “I don’t think people realize that.”

The letter also says that Uber would facilitate job creation in the city of Syracuse. Last month, Uber estimated that its ride-hailing service would create 13,000 jobs in upstate New York if it were legalized.

Critics have argued that ride-hailing services can hurt the taxi industry, but Franco said that wouldn’t happen in Syracuse.

“I don’t think the taxi industry here is developed enough to be hurt from it,” he said. “And I feel like that’s true elsewhere in New York. … (The taxi industry) is almost nonexistent.”

For the few taxi companies that are in Syracuse, Seedat said she hopes a ride-hailing service would incentivize them to better themselves. Specifically, she would like to see all taxi companies accept forms of payment other than cash. Uber customers pay through the service’s mobile application.

With the state assembly set to convene in January, Seedat said her deadline for sending the letter is the end of the semester. Before the letter is sent, the SA assembly will need to vote to approve sending it. SA also plans to send an official memorandum pledging support for the bill.

Published on November 8, 2015 at 9:51 pm

Contact Michael: mdburk01@syr.edu