When new Syracuse University students arrive on campus this week, some might be among the first SU students to ever travel around the area with ride-hailing services.

The services, such as Uber and Lyft that began operating in upstate New York earlier this summer, now join traditional taxi companies and public buses as transportation options for SU students.

Some say the ride-hailing service legalization will make it easier for SU students to travel off campus. A future partnership between the university’s Student Association and Uber might allow students to travel at a discounted rate, one SA official said.

“Uber and Lyft definitely make things more accessible and more convenient,” said Nikita Jankowski, communications director for Visit Syracuse, a marketing organization that promotes tourism in Onondaga County.

Ride-hailing users can request a ride through the Uber or Lyft smartphone app. The cost of traveling in an Uber is usually less than traditional taxi services, but more expensive than Centro bus fares.

An Uber ride from SU to Syracuse Hancock International Airport costs about 50 percent less than a taxi fare, according to a Daily Orange analysis of estimated fare costs taken from the Uber app and Suburban Taxi website.

Uber fares from SU to William F. Walsh Regional Transportation Center, Tops Friendly Markets near South Campus or Rosamond Gifford Zoo are each about 30 percent less than the taxi fare to those places.

An Uber from SU to Armory Square will cost riders about the same as a taxi fare, per the analysis. A ride from Schine Student Center to the intersection of Stratford Street and Ackerman Avenue is about $1 less in a taxi than an Uber.

Uber and Lyft fares are calculated using the elapsed time and distance of a ride in addition to a base fare, according to their respective websites. When demand for rides is high, additional fees are added to the fare. Data collected by The Daily Orange reflects Uber pricing at nonpeak hours.

James Franco, president of SU’s Student Association, said Uber will improve student safety because it gives students a transportation option that could be used anywhere in the city.

“You now have a way to get home that’s more accessible,” Franco said. If students get stuck somewhere, they can call an Uber to take them home, he said.

Uber will also make it easier for students to travel in winter weather, he added. Instead of walking in 10-degree weather, students can split an Uber fare with other people for a few dollars, he said.

Franco, former SA President Aysha Seedat and student governments from other colleges in New York sent a letter in 2015 to the New York State Assembly arguing for the legalization of ride-hailing services.

The legalization of services such as Uber and Lyft would help improve student safety and spur job creation, the letter said.

Franco said SA is now in preliminary talks with Uber to establish a partnership that might allow SU students to travel with the company at a discounted rate. One potential partnership might have SA subsidize student rides for certain weekends during the fall semester, he added.

“We really think this is something that can transform the student experience,” Franco said.

Debates in the New York state Legislature over ride-hailing insurance policies stalled legalization bills for years.

In April 2017, New York state Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the Legislature agreed on a measure that allowed ride-hailing companies to operate in upstate New York. The measure set regulations on companies’ minimum safety standards, including mandatory background checks and $1.25 million liability coverage while a passenger is in a car.

Uber and Lyft began operating in upstate New York on June 29.

 

Published on August 23, 2017 at 6:40 pm

Contact Jordan: jmulle01@syr.edu | @jordanmuller18