Uber, Lyft now available outside NYC

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) - The Uber and Lyft ride-hailing services are up and running in upstate New York and on Long Island.

The apps became available for those regions as of 12:01 a.m. Thursday under legislation approved by state lawmakers and signed into law by Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo this month.

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The original measure called for the services to begin upstate and on Long Island on July 9, but Cuomo and the Legislature worked out a deal to push up the start to just before the busy Fourth of July holiday.

The two ride-hailing apps had been limited to picking up passengers in the Big Apple until lawmakers voted to permit the expansion.

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Buffalo, the state's second-largest city, had been one of the largest cities in the country without access to the services.