Funke Announces Uber and Lyft to Launch in Rochester at 12:01 AM Thursday

Senator Rich Funke today announced that ridesharing carriers Uber and Lyft have confirmed to him they will officially start serving customers in Rochester at 12:01 a.m. on Thursday, June 29, the first day the services can legally be offered Upstate under recently passed state law. As Chair of the Senate Tourism Committee, Funke was a lead proponent of the legislation that will allow ridesharing Upstate and has remained in close contact with industry stakeholders to monitor progress related to the local roll out. 


“I’m happy to announce Uber and Lyft have confirmed they will be ready to serve riders in Rochester just after midnight on Thursday morning, the very first hour they can legally do so under state law,” said Funke. “The long awaited arrival of ridesharing here is a big win for Upstate communities like ours and will mean more jobs, safer roads, and better transit options for all of us. I know I speak for a lot of excited Rochesterians when I say we look forward to welcoming Uber and Lyft here early Thursday morning.” 


Funke cosponsored S.4159, which was used as a template in the negotiations that led to the passage of legislation legalizing ridesharing Upstate in the 2017-18 New York State Budget. Recently the Senate also passed S.5814, which accelerated the effective date to June 29 to allow ridesharing services like Uber and Lyft to launch before the Independence Day holiday, which typically sees an increase in demand and ridership.