New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has signed legislation clearing the way to save Ithaca Carshare.
Ithaca Assemblymember Anna Kelles, along with state Senator Lea Webb, sponsored the legislation effectively saving the carshare, which allows users to rent a car from a shared fleet of vehicles for short periods of time.
The bill fixes a nuance in insurance law that effectively banned out-of-state car insurance providers from providing auto insurance to non-profit organizations.
Carshare Director Liz Field thanked the governor, legislators and everyone involved in passing and signing the bill, which came just in time.
“Last week, we were going to start selling our cars and this week we know we can reopen," Field said. "So we have a lot of planning, we have a lot of fundraising to do. We've lost almost half a million in revenue this year, but we're so grateful to everyone."
The governor agreed to the legislation after narrowing the scope to only apply to transportation-based non-profit organizations serving 15 people or less at a time. Kelles said that also opens opportunities for other non-profits like Gadabout, which provides transportation for seniors, as well as programs like Meals on Wheels.
The state is imposing a six-month waiting period for the legislation to go into effect. Field said she expects the carshare to be back up and running by early March.