Legislator Calls For Moratorium On Ride Sharing

Suffolk County Legis. Bridget Fleming wants to put the brakes on ride sharing.

Fleming has proposed legislation to establish a temporary moratorium on ride-sharing services in Suffolk County; a public hearing on the issue will be held at 2:30 p.m on Tuesday at the William H. Rogers Legislature Building, located at 725 Veterans Memorial Highway in Smithtown.

In a letter to public transportation supporters, Fleming wrote, "My bill was originally introduced last year after the New York State Legislature approved legislation that allowed mobile ride-sharing services, such as Uber and Lyft, to operate in communities across the state, without allowing those communities to either regulate the services or share in surcharge revenues in any way."

But, according to Danielle Filson, an Uber spokesperson: “Legislator Fleming should listen to the tens of thousands of Suffolk County riders who rely on Uber to move around their communities with ease and the tens of thousands of local drivers who depend on the platform for flexible earning opportunities."

Those who advocate for ride-sharing cite the much needed services provided, including rides from train stations and a way to prevent drunk driving.

A Lyft spokesperson responded: "Since Day One, Lyft has been focused on increasing occupancy in cars on the road and reducing individual car ownership. We are committed to ensuring that passengers in Long Island can reliably and affordably get around and recognize that that’s possible through a combination of public transit and on-demand service."

In fact, the Lyft rep said, many top destinations on Long Island are transit stops, showcasing how many people in Long Island are using Lyft to connect with the Long Island Rail Road. "We look forward to continuing to find ways to ensure all options available to Long Island residents are convenient and affordable.”

While there are "undeniable benefits" associated with ride-sharing services that may be welcome in local communities, Fleming said she believes there are also areas of concern that should have been carefully considered before such services were allowed to kick off in Suffolk County "without any financial support for county infrastructure or local rules and regulations governing the services while ride-sharing may provide benefits to our community."

The resolution she proposed, Fleming said, places a temporary moratorium on ride-sharing in Suffolk County "until our critical need for public transportation funding is met. Currently, the State Legislature imposes a 4% tax on mobile ride-sharing service revenue but none of that revenue is shared with Suffolk County or any other local government — this at a time when public transportation services in the county are grossly underfunded."

Fleming said she re-introduced the bill this year in an effort to protect local businesses and "capture" a fair share of revenues to support Suffolk County's public bus system while allowing Suffolk County's public transportation working group to study the costs and benefits of ride-sharing services.

"It is my hope that the public transportation community will stand together and demand that Suffolk County receive a portion of these critical funds," Fleming said.

The legislator asked public transportation users and supporters to advocate for much-needed services and express the need for funding for those services.

In Sept., 2016, seniors, the physically challenged, and students implored the Suffolk County Legislature not to cut bus lines that some said are literal lifelines, explaining that they depended on public transportation to survive.

Others, however, have applauded the ride-sharing services since they drove up on the Long Island canvas six months ago.

According to Uber, the top 10 Long Island drop-off destinations are:

1. Hicksville Train Station
2. Roosevelt Field Mall
3. Mineola Train Station
4. Valley Stream Train Station
5. Babylon Train Station
6. Nassau Community College
7. Ronkonkoma Train Station
8. Garden City Hotel
9. Hempstead Transit Center
10. The Tap Room

While most Long Island riders are most likely staying local with their Ubers, one resident used to app to go a little further. According to Uber, the longest trip recorded was 506 miles going from Roslyn Heights to Hubbard, Ohio.

The average driver rating for Long Island drivers is a 4.8 with Friday and Saturday evenings and morning/evening commute hours on weekdays being as the busiest time.

"More and more, Long Islanders are choosing to leave their cars at home and take Uber to the train station, freeing up parking lots, which could be repurposed for much-needed housing and open space," Filson said.

AP Photo/Seth Wenig