Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Andrew Cuomo

Albany’s Three Men in a Room Squash Transparency Measures in Statewide Uber Bill

The budget deal Albany reached over the weekend includes the legalization of "transportation network companies" like Uber outside of New York City, but not the transparency measures advocates had called for.

Access to TNC trip data is essential for policymakers to understand the companies' impact on the transportation system as a whole. In New York City, for instance, trip data collected by the Taxi & Limousine Commission has illuminated how traffic from Uber, Lyft, and similar companies is contributing to rising congestion.

Without similar data access in place statewide, policy makers will be left to guess at the impact of TNCs. Advocates and watchdogs have also warned that the absence of transparency measures may make oversight of ride-hailing in New York City more difficult, since drivers based outside the city could make trips in the five boroughs without being subject to NYC's disclosure requirements.

The Assembly version of the statewide "Uber bill" explicitly gave the state DMV access to this trip data upon request. But the final language in the budget bill does not include this provision [PDF, Section AAA on page 93].

TNC's will be required to maintain six years of trip records. However, in keeping with Governor Cuomo's initial proposal, the bill only grants DMV the right to visually inspect "randomly chosen" samples of that data.

Uber has argued that the law enables DMV to create rules requiring the release of trip data, a position that advocates rejected as inadequate and "irresponsible."

The bill does allow individual counties and cities with a population over 100,000 to opt out of the DMV regulation system. These governments could then require TNC's to operate under local regulations.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

And the Winner Is…: Streetsblog’s New Video Team Honored with Deadline Club Award

Streetsblog's social media team, led by Engagement Editor Emily Lipstein, received the Deadline Club's award for digital video reporting on Thursday night.

Friday Video: The ‘Clear’ Benefits of Daylighting

The doyen of daylighting is back with a new video.

May 16, 2025

How One Anti-Gov’t Republican Signed onto a Street Safety Bill to Rein in Reckless Drivers

State Sen. Anthony Palumbo went from "government overreach" to reaching across the aisle in a single day.

May 16, 2025

‘All in the Family’: NYPD Commissioner and Power-Broker Mom Are Both Crusading Against E-Bikes

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch has justified her criminal crackdown on cycling by saying that complaints about cyclists are the most frequent concerns she hears. Such complaints could be coming from inside the house.

May 16, 2025

Puddles Plague Hudson River Greenway As Rain Batters NYC

Greenway cyclists face dangerous conditions when it rains — as Streetsblog observed this week in Manhattan.

May 16, 2025
See all posts