Any New Yorkers who are planning on spending time in the Hamptons this summer unfortunately won’t be able to organise a ride using Uber.
The East Hampton town board has just changed its licensing rules to ensure that every taxi driver must have a physical office in the town itself. Uber said on Friday that after the change it would end operations immediately from East Hampton to Montauk, saying that it would be impossible to comply with the new regulations.
No more Uber in the Hamptons
“There is an unquestionable need and demand for Uber in the Hamptons because taxi service has been historically unreliable”, said Matt Wing, a spokesman for the car booking service via email.
“Unfortunately the East Hampton town supervisor and Town Board have changed the rules, banning Uber from the town and denying their constituents access to our service”.
Uber is a popular app with New York City folks heading to the Hamptons beaches for the summer, producing a so-called pop-up market where drivers mainly operate during high demand periods.
On Long Island, the typical trip is three times the distance as a ride in New York City itself, which generates more revenue for drivers, the company says.
Uber for its part has sent an email to its East Hampton riders to make their voice heard and to contact Supervisor Larry Cantwell in order to help bring Uber back.
Cantwell has apparently told the Southampton Press that his office has receive over 100 calls and 600 emails after the Uber announcement, but the office has not yet responded to requests for comment.
SOURCE: Bloomberg.
Larry Banks is a keen follower of technology and finance. He has worked for a variety of online publications, writing about a diverse range of topics including mobile networks, patents, and Internet video delivery technologies.