Making Streets Safer
The rise of hail-by-phone applications such as Uber and Lyft placed increased attention to the quality of taxi and livery service in Upstate New York and Long Island – the last region in the United States without these services. Regional taxi and livery service had been rated poor from a survey by an Upstate tourism development organization, harming business and limiting economic growth.
The business owners’ coalition worked with Relentless to draft and execute a strategy to gain the attention of local and state officials, media, and the general public. Relentless coordinated a public relations campaign and viral media push to drive the ridesharing concept for the region, attracting the attention of Uber and Lyft – combining collective efforts to increase attention.
Due in part to our agency’s efforts to attract ongoing attention to the issue, legislation passed in the SFY 2017-2018 budget that allowed for ridesharing services to operate Upstate New York and in Long Island.