In Albany, Uber meets with potential drivers
On Thursday, Uber invited people to attend a meeting at Wolff's Biergarten to hear about the online app that connects registered riders with drivers who use their own vehicles.
Both Uber and Lyft hire third-party vendors to do background checks that trace criminal history going back seven years on the drivers.
Riders have to provide identification and a credit card number so that the transaction is transparent and no cash is exchanged.
Both companies send riders an image of the driver, car and license plate.
The taxi cab industry has raised concerns about the safety of the background checks, saying the firms use private contractors, not law enforcement, to conduct them and do not run a check of fingerprints.
Alix Anfang, spokeswoman for Uber, said its checks have caught people with criminal histories a fingerprint search missed.
People use credit cards to pay, and the money is deposited in a driver's bank account.
Some cab drivers who came to the meeting said they worry about the impact on traditional taxi service.
Mack said the car-ride services are not allowed to pick up people who hail them on the street, and they do not staff cab stands at places like airports and train stations.
In mature markets (where the services are running), taxi has changed.