Ubering on Long Island

I haven't driven yet but while I was getting information from Town of Hempstead licensing the clerk told me that they were in the process of setting up their own licensing for Uber. He said that even though they didn't have it yet you would be ticketed for operating in Town of Hempstead. (I'm sure a lot of the red tape and extra $ to drive comes from having to protect all of the individual private cab companies that are licensed in each town and are usually headquartered at most LIRR stations.) He then said that each individual town (22?) will be doing likewise. I don't understand the difference between Black car Limo services that pick up anywhere with a regular Nassau County, Suffolk County or NYC TLC and Uber can't. Isn't using the app to reserve a ride and the ride being dispatched to a driver the same as someone calling a Black car service and them sending the car? In the meantime from what I see after reading this thread Uber might be over saturated and maybe I should look for another form of income.

robconner said:

I'll give it a shot anyway, like they say, the squeaky wheel gets the oil. If I can get a meeting with him I may be able make him rethink it. Suffolk county is a 1.6 million car reliant person demographic with atrocious local cab companies. I'll let you know if anything comes of it.

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I'm with you...interesting on the demographic. Let us know if anything comes of it.

I live on Long Island (Huntington, Suffolk County) but have been driving Uber X in NYC, mostly Manhattan. I, like Uber Rose, would much prefer to drive closer to home and avoid the grueling, nerve wrecking and expensive commute to the city every day. I can tell you Uber is alive and well on Long Island, at least in Suffolk County. My daughter takes Uber all the time in Bayshore and Babylon. Right now I have the passenger app open and I see 8 vehicles in my immediate area within Huntington, and the driver app is showing a surge just East of me! I've never worked out here (yet), trying to figure out the whole licensing/permits thing and it seems not only confusing but expensive. It seems you need a County TLC license/sticker then a permit from each township where you want to go point to point. I took 2 local Uber rides on purpose to talk to the drivers. Neither of the drivers bothered to pursue local licenses or permits. One did Uber part time and took calls from a local limo base (he had a nice BMW) to do airport runs the rest of the time. The other driver just did it full time here. He said he'd never been caught, just that he doesn't pick off/drop off at LIRR stations, drops/picks up pax a block away. Sure, that's where all the local cab companies are based, at the stations. But there seem to be lots of Uber drivers out here, don't know how many go through the licensing/permitting process, and I don't know how busy you get or how much you can make. Weekends nights apparently are good, surges and all. I've been reading that they're cracking down hard in Nassau County, hence the $700 ticket to Josephthirteen, but Suffolk seems a little more laxed. I don't know. I have to give it a shot. There must be a reasonable amount of demand if there are so many cars out.
And Lyft now actively advertises that they service Suffolk County (but don't mention regulations), check it out: https://www.lyft.com/cities/suffolk-county-ny. And Uber advertises they service the Hamptons now: https://www.uber.com/cities/hamptons/ and even has this new service called UberChopper, where you get an Uber SUV to a helicopter pad and get picked up the same way once there: https://newsroom.uber.com/us-new-jersey/uber-to-the-hamptons-and-down-the-shore/ . Scroll down on these and you'll see what Uber pricing is out in the Hamptons. There again, they don't mention regulations.

recruita said:

I haven't driven yet but while I was getting information from Town of Hempstead licensing the clerk told me that they were in the process of setting up their own licensing for Uber. He said that even though they didn't have it yet you would be ticketed for operating in Town of Hempstead. (I'm sure a lot of the red tape and extra $ to drive comes from having to protect all of the individual private cab companies that are licensed in each town and are usually headquartered at most LIRR stations.) He then said that each individual town (22?) will be doing likewise. I don't understand the difference between Black car Limo services that pick up anywhere with a regular Nassau County, Suffolk County or NYC TLC and Uber can't. Isn't using the app to reserve a ride and the ride being dispatched to a driver the same as someone calling a Black car service and them sending the car? In the meantime from what I see after reading this thread Uber might be over saturated and maybe I should look for another form of income.

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I was told directly by NCTLC after i appeared and paid (uber paid me back) for my ticket that technically there are multiple towns and villages (like Town of Hempstead for example) that have their own rules and regulations for working point to point within their town for all types of Cabs/FHVs but that NCTLC is pretty much the only enforcement in the entire county, and they only enforce County law, not local village or town law. Hope that answers your question.

labone said:

I'm with you...interesting on the demographic. Let us know if anything comes of it.

I live on Long Island (Huntington, Suffolk County) but have been driving Uber X in NYC, mostly Manhattan. I, like Uber Rose, would much prefer to drive closer to home and avoid the grueling, nerve wrecking and expensive commute to the city every day. I can tell you Uber is alive and well on Long Island, at least in Suffolk County. My daughter takes Uber all the time in Bayshore and Babylon. Right now I have the passenger app open and I see 8 vehicles in my immediate area within Huntington, and the driver app is showing a surge just East of me! I've never worked out here (yet), trying to figure out the whole licensing/permits thing and it seems not only confusing but expensive. It seems you need a County TLC license/sticker then a permit from each township where you want to go point to point. I took 2 local Uber rides on purpose to talk to the drivers. Neither of the drivers bothered to pursue local licenses or permits. One did Uber part time and took calls from a local limo base (he had a nice BMW) to do airport runs the rest of the time. The other driver just did it full time here. He said he'd never been caught, just that he doesn't pick off/drop off at LIRR stations, drops/picks up pax a block away. Sure, that's where all the local cab companies are based, at the stations. But there seem to be lots of Uber drivers out here, don't know how many go through the licensing/permitting process, and I don't know how busy you get or how much you can make. Weekends nights apparently are good, surges and all. I've been reading that they're cracking down hard in Nassau County, hence the $700 ticket to Josephthirteen, but Suffolk seems a little more laxed. I don't know. I have to give it a shot. There must be a reasonable amount of demand if there are so many cars out.
And Lyft now actively advertises that they service Suffolk County (but don't mention regulations), check it out: And Uber advertises they service the Hamptons now and even has this new service called UberChopper, where you get an Uber SUV to a helicopter pad and get picked up the same way once there . Scroll down on these and you'll see what Uber pricing is out in the Hamptons. There again, they don't mention regulations.

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I applied for the NCTLC License when i went in recently, once you get the license, was told it takes about a month, you can also get the sticker for the car and then you're good to go, talked to a few other uber drivers, some of whom have the Nassau License/Vehicle Reg and they've been fine ever since, they still have TLC Plates from the city, so it seems once you get the license/reg you're all good to work in Nassau.

All i can say about suffolk is what NCTLC said, because i rarely work there, is that they've recently made their own TLC, after Nassau so they might be behind in terms of enforcement, but expect that to be ramped up eventually once they get things going.

homeyt said:

Does anyone know how the proposal in the my state budget to allow uber on long island will work ? Will uber have a base in Nassau ? If so could we drop NYC TCL plates and insurance and get Nassau plates...Any thoughts

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Won't know definitive details until the bill is officially passed, but with Nassau/Suffolk i would think that it wouldn't change, the bill mentions an opt out system, so you can bet Nassau will opt out, and put the same rules/regulations in place they have now, just get the license/registration from them and you can work there!

NASSAU COUNTY RECIPROCITY AGREEMENT


NASSAU COUNTY RECIPROCITY AGREEMENT

NYC TLC * April 1, 2009

NEW YORK CITY -- New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (NYCTLC) Commissioner/Chairperson Matthew W. Daus, Nassau Consumer Affairs Commissioner Roger C. Bogsted and Westchester TLC (WCTLC) CEO and Chairperson Barbara Z. Monohan have announced that the Nassau County Taxi & Limousine Commission has met the requirements allowing vehicles and drivers licensed by the Nassau County Taxi & Limousine Commission (NCTLC) to provide inter-municipal transportation into and out of New York City and Westchester County.

Since December, 2006, vehicles licensed by the NYCTLC with a valid permit, and operated by a driver with a current, valid operator's license issued by the NYCTLC, have been able to discharge passengers within either Westchester or Nassau Counties on trips originating in New York City and may accept passengers by pre-arrangement from points within either Westchester or Nassau Counties for destinations in New York City. Vehicles and drivers licensed by the Westchester County Taxi & Limousine Commission have enjoyed similar eligibility to operate since that time.

Now, with the NCTLC having achieved eligibility for reciprocal service for its vehicles and drivers, vehicles licensed by the NCTLC, holding a valid permit to engage in intra-county transportation, and operated by a driver with a current, valid operator's license issued by the NCTLC, may discharge passengers within the City of New York on trips originating outside the City, and may accept passengers by pre-arrangement from points within the City of New York for destinations in Nassau County. The same will be true for trips into and out of Westchester County. No separate authorizations or permits from the NYCTLC or WCTLC will be required.