Suffolk Legislators On Verge of Banning Ridesharing in County

This could turn out to be a short trip.

Suffolk County residents fought to legalize ridesharing services like Uber and Lyft in their communities. But their county legislature is a step away from slamming on the brakes.

County Legislator Bridget Fleming has proposed a six-month ban on ride-hailing apps.

This is a holdout move, meant to deprive the state of ridesharing revenue so the county can cut a deal to get some of the four-percent surcharge Albany imposed on ridesharing services.

The state’s ridesharing policy invited this move by putting in an opt-out. This put the vast majority of New Yorkers at risk of losing ridesharing if and when their counties saw fit to opt-out. The tax on ridesharing is also one of the highest in the nation, and makes services more expensive than in other states. Still, the state’s wrongs, don’t make a county opt-out right.

  • There are more than 7,000 Uber drivers in Suffolk County who depend on ridesharing income to help make ends meet in the Empire State.
  • More than 60,000 Suffolk residents have relied on Uber for hundreds of thousands of trips since ridesharing was legalized.
  • Mothers Against Drunk Driving reports that alcohol-related crashes with fatalities in Suffolk County fell from 35 in 2016 to 25 last year. The organization attributed ridesharing services to the drop.

If you don’t want to lose your ride home because of silly political bickering, you can get involved.

  • More than 80 Uber drivers have already spoken out against the proposal at a recent public hearing. You can make your voice heard at the Legislature’s next meeting on March 6.