Discussions about the sharing economy at Albany Law
This might be a bit wonkish*, but it's a topic that a lot of people here are interested in: Albany Law is hosting an event next Tuesday, April 19 about regulating sharing-economy services such as Uber, Lyft, and AirBnB.
The event includes a series of talks and discussions about various topics. Here's the lineup for an afternoon panel discussion at 1 pm about "ride sharing and the future of transportation":
Moderator: Dean Antony Haynes
John T. McDonald III, NYS Assemblymember
Josh Gold​, Esq., Senior Policy and Research Associate, Uber
Peter Mazer, Esq., General Counsel, Metropolitan Taxicab Board of Trade
Bhairavi Desai, Executive Director, New York Taxi Workers Alliance
As you might remember, taxi-app services such as Uber don't currently operate in New York State outside of NYC because of the way state law is currently structured. There's been a push to change that, though publicly at least, it appears the effort has recently been in the slow lane because of the budget.
"Law and The Sharing Economy: How to Regulate Collaborative Consumption" is Tuesday, April 19 with events from 12:30 pm through 6 pm. It's free and open to the public. It's a presentation of the Albany Law Journal of Science and Technology and The Government Law Center.
*Not necessarily a bad thing.
Earlier on AOA: A few more thoughts about the push for Uber, Lyft, and similar services upstate
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Comments
As someone who recently called a Troy cab company to get a ride to the airport, I would welcome Uber or Lyft with open arms.
The 15 minutes late, horn honking, cigarette smelling, worn out, break squealing hunk of a bucket that came to pick me up was unfit to be on the road as it seemed was the driver.
If the local cab companies clean up their acts, fleet, drivers and demeanor, having Uber or Lyft come to town would be a non-issue, because we wouldn't need them and this meeting and government intervention would be unnecessary.
To some visitors to the Capital Region the cab ride is their first interaction with our area and it seems more often than not, there are unpleasant stories.
Last year a colleague spent an hour touring around Troy in a cab as it proceeded to pick up three other people, all who were paying full fair to go to four different destinations.
I didn’t know about you guys but if I have to sit squished up next to a stranger for an hour, someone should be paying me. Particularly when a few minutes after you get out of a cab, and you notice that your coat smells like the perfume of the lady who was sitting next to me.
... said Cyril on Apr 14, 2016 at 1:56 PM | link
Well said Cyril!
... said Jolene on Apr 14, 2016 at 11:39 PM | link
Can someone please explain how it is a "sharing economy" if you are paying for the service?
... said Herbert on Apr 16, 2016 at 5:41 PM | link