"Business executives, college students and everyone in between utilize ridesharing apps when visiting cities around the nation and upstate New York riders should not be left at the curb," Seward, R-Milford, said in a statement. "This bill delivers economic, environmental and public safety benefits and is long overdue."

Senators from both parties spoke out in support of the bill on the Senate floor Monday. State Sen. Tim Kennedy, a western New York Democrat, said Buffalo is the largest city in the U.S. where ridesharing isn't available.

"The fact that ridesharing services doesn't exist to this point is unacceptable and it has to change," he said.

State Sen. Rich Funke, a Rochester-area Republican, noted that his region is home to 11 colleges and ridesharing services are important to young people.

"Ridesharing will mean more jobs, safer roads and better transit options for my community and those like it across upstate," Funke added in a statement.

Critics of the bill dismissed it as a "waste of time."

The Upstate Transportation Association, which has spoken out against proposals to allow ridesharing outside of New York City, blasted the Senate's proposal and referred to it as a one-house bill.