Almost exactly one year ago, New York state officially legalized ride-hailing services such as Uber and Lyft. While these services are convenient for passengers, their increasing popularity has come at the cost of taxi services. Taxis in Syracuse are regulated by the state and city, and are subject to inspections and other procedures that ride-hailing services do not have to go through — so taxi services are fighting for stricter ride-hailing regulations.

This lack of regulation for ride-hailing companies has disproportionately negative effects on taxi cab companies who employ central New York residents. It’s not fair, and officials should take that into consideration when considering possible regulations, moving forward.

Ramona Bellavia, general manager of Bellavia Transportation in Syracuse, said it’s concerning how freely ride-hailing services are able to do business, opposed to taxi services.

“I feel that if Uber is regulated, governed and charged by the city of Syracuse as a taxi is, then maybe we might be on the same field,” Bellavia said.

While Uber and Lyft apply their own minor requirements for vehicles and drivers, they’re essentially just like any other car on the road. While taxi drivers must be registered, Uber and Lyft drivers work like independent contractors. Taxi cabs go through rigorous inspections by the state and by the city, but cars used for Uber or Lyft must simply adhere to the requirements for any car to be on the road.

There is an uneven playing field: The efficiency and convenience of ride-hailing services have severely hurt business for taxi services.

Ride-hailing services haven’t gained popularity because of the lack of regulation, but because they’re convenient, available and affordable.

The issue is that ride-hailing services provide the exact same service as taxis do. More importantly, they are given numerous advantages that allow them to run their business more successfully in a world where both exist. Ride-hailing services could be more popular if they had the same regulations as taxi services. But that doesn’t mean those regulations shouldn’t be in place.

Taxi services aren’t asking for a lot. It should be expected that companies who provide a taxi service would be subject to the same regulations and inspections that taxi services are. Uber and Lyft may continue to gain popularity and dominate the taxi market, but regulations such as the ones placed on taxi companies are in place to ensure the safety of everyone involved. Ride-hailing services shouldn’t be an exception.

Nick Turner is a senior political science and policy studies major. His column appears weekly. He can be reached at nturner@syr.edu.

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Published on July 1, 2018 at 10:03 am