The Village of Geneseo is incredibly small—Geneseo students walk almost everywhere, especially when the weather is warm. Trips farther off campus to places like Wegmans, however, require a car or a trip perfectly scheduled with the campus shuttle bus.
Unlike other SUNY schools, such as SUNY Oneonta, it is not popular for students to use taxi services to travel around the greater village area. Ride-sharing apps such as Uber and Lyft have become increasingly popular across the country—yet its absence is not particularly missed in our small college town.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo proposed a deal within the New York State budget to allow ride-sharing companies to operate in upstate New York on Tuesday March 28. Currently, upstate New York and Alaska are the only areas in the United States that do not have explicit legislation approving—or rejecting—ride-sharing services.
Even in our small college town, ride-sharing can drastically change the transportation and travel habits of students.
If services such as Uber or Lyft come to Geneseo, businesses on Lakeville Road could potentially see an increase in business. While the campus shuttle bus makes frequent daily stops on Lakeville, students who want to travel on their own schedule—or travel late at night—can do so easily even if they don’t have their own car.
During the winter weekends, students would not need to plan their nights out per the shuttle bus schedule to avoid walking up hills or walking in the snow. Even though the shuttle bus is free, the cost of an on-demand Uber ride for such a short distance could be worth the traveling freedom.
Students—in addition to residents—can benefit from the job opportunities that ride-sharing services would bring to Geneseo. Students who are at least 21 years old and pass proper background checks can earn extra money as drivers on weekends and can potentially help monitor the safety of their peers at night.
Although it’s easy to be independent and to walk around Geneseo, there is no doubt ride-sharing services would change the way students explore our village.