Cuomo Proposes ‘Statewide Regulatory Framework’ for Uber

Andrew Cuomo wants to clamp down on Uber in his own way.

An Uber app. (Photo: Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images)
An Uber app. (Photo: Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images) (Photo: Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images)

A day after proclaiming that the government should not “restrict” job growth and over-regulate Uber (UBER), Gov. Andrew Cuomo proposed a “statewide regulatory framework” for the e-hail app.

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Speaking with WCNY’s Susan Arbetter, Mr. Cuomo said he would be discussing the idea with “Uber people” later today.

“If they’re going to be operating statewide, I want to make sure we have a regulatory structure: insurance, taxes, vehicles, they want access to the airports, you know,” Mr. Cuomo, a Democrat, said this morning.

While he called Mayor Bill de Blasio’s since-tabled proposal to cap the growth of Uber and other for-hire vehicle companies at 1 percent a “rush to judgement,” Mr. Cuomo was less exuberant today about Uber–compared to a radio appearance he made on the same show yesterday.

“Uber is one of these great inventions, start-ups, of this new economy. And it’s taking off like fire through dry grass. And it’s offering a great service for people, and it’s giving people jobs. I don’t think government should be in the business of trying to restrict job growth. I don’t believe you can restrict job growth,” Mr. Cuomo said yesterday.

“I believe now they are establishing a statewide footprint,” he said today, echoing the more tempered comments he made last Friday about Uber. “This would make them a statewide transportation network and the consumer now needs representation and that’s where I think we have to start to move because we’re going to need a statewide regulatory framework for Uber.”

City Hall and Uber were locked in a bitter spat over the last few weeks over a pair of de Blasio-backed City Council bills that would have capped its growth and mandated a traffic study to determine how much for-hire vehicles were contributing to increased roadway congestion. The two sides agreed yesterday to undertake a four month traffic study and set aside an Uber cap. In turn, Uber would provide additional data on their trips to the city and agree to “maintain” their current rate of growth.

Mr. Cuomo, who is often at odds with Mr. de Blasio, said he played no role in the temporary accord between Uber and City Hall.

Cuomo Proposes ‘Statewide Regulatory Framework’ for Uber