Talk of an email circulating throughout Buffalo has sparked hope that Uber is contemplating a return to the Buffalo area. The ride-sharing service, which allows private vehicle owners to act as contractors and drive clients around for a fee, has been a controversial figure in the news as it disrupts the traditionally staid business model of the taxi and limousine business.
A meeting is being set up for October 27th at 10:30 AM to discuss the company’s re-launch efforts in Buffalo, although the exact location has not yet been disclosed. The timing is no accident, as the state government will be holding discussions Wednesday with all stakeholders in the drive-for-hire business to discuss the potential of new regulations allowing ride-sharing services like Uber to operate. Residents may recall that another ride sharing service, Lyft, enjoyed a brief presence here in Buffalo for three months last year before being shut down by the introduction of new regulations.
Currently all ride-sharing services like Lyft and Uber are banned in the state with the exception of New York City, where a special licensing arrangement was put together.
Ride-sharing services have been the bane of licensed taxi and car-service companies since their introduction. The incumbents see the new ride-sharing services as having an unfair advantage in terms of being exempt from purchasing special insurance, licenses and permits. For example, a single taxi license “medallion” in New York City is treated as a type of currency, fetching prices in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Not surprisingly, taxi unions and their agents have been lobbying hard to have these services banned, despite strong interest and popularity amongst urban residents. When Buffalo Rising published an article on the controversial closing time discussions recently, a number of the comments questioned why Uber wasn’t yet operating in the city.