Rosa Acheson and Victoria Addison are reporting for Columbia-Greene Media officials in Greene and Columbia counties said Tue., Apr. 11, newly authorized ride-booking companies like Uber and Lyft, will benefit local tourism and safety, and also help people in rural areas get around. The 2017-18 state budget authorized Transportation Network Companies to operate across the state. Local residents are expected to have access to services by summer. The Greene County Legislature has received input from business and hotel owners that access to ride-booking services would be a good thing, Windham Legislator Lori Torgersen said. But Torgersen questioned how services such as Uber could affect taxis that operate on the mountaintop. "I think we want to figure this out in such a way that it doesn’t hurt our local businesses in any way," she said. Columbia County Board of Supervisors Chairman Matt Murell said ride-booking will be a good thing for the county. "Especially in a rural county like ours," Murell said, "transportation is a positive thing, especially at night and evenings. We have some public transportation, but nothing during the evening hours and I think this would help with that." Law enforcement in both counties, including the Columbia County Sheriff's Office, Hudson Police Department and Greene County sheriff Greg Seeley, are all in favor of ride-booking services. Seeley thinks services such as Uber could help prevent drunk driving "It will help if people use it," he added. Read the full story in the Register-Star.