Jon Campbell

@JonCampbellGAN

ALBANY - The next three days could be critical in deciding whether ride-hailing apps like Uber and Lyft will be heading for upstate New York and New York City's suburbs.

New York's state budget is due Friday night, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo and state lawmakers have spent the last three months negotiating whether a final ride-hailing plan will be a part of it.

The final days of those negotiations will have a major impact on whether Uber and Lyft will expand statewide — and how quickly the companies can ramp up.

Cuomo on Tuesday signaled an agreement on ride-hailing was within reach, but lawmakers were more circumspect.

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Here's a look at what it means for you.

What are they debating?

Uber and Lyft are seeking statewide regulations that will allow them to pick up and drop off passengers across county and town lines without having to worry about different rules in each municipality.

They're also seeking a change in state insurance law, which would allow the companies to have a blanket policy for its drivers' personal vehicles while they're being used for ride-hailing.

It's not that easy, though.

Cuomo and the Senate's Republican majority have proposed plans that would require the state to regulate the industry while setting minimum insurance coverage limits for the companies.

The Democrat-led Assembly, on the other hand, is pushing for measures that would give local governments more control. Assembly Democrats also want higher insurance coverage limits.

Another point of contention that hasn't been resolved: How much should the state tax rides.

Cuomo has proposed a 5.5 percent tax on rides on top of a 2 percent surcharge to cover workers' compensation. The Senate GOP — as well as Uber — wants that lowered; the Assembly wants riders to pay sales tax of about 8 percent and allow for local oversight of the operations.

Are they close to a deal?

Cuomo says they are. Lawmakers were less bullish.

On Tuesday, the governor said a deal with top lawmakers on ride-hailing is likely.

"Ride-sharing, we basically have agreement," Cuomo told reporters Tuesday.

He didn't offer more specifics. But he said budget negotiations in recent days haven't focused on policy issues like ride-hailing as much as they have on financial issues.

"Those are not the issues," Cuomo said. "The issue is spending and the spending is in two places: Medicaid and education."

Why is this week so important?

Every year, there are two major law-making sprees at the state Capitol.

The first comes in late March following budget negotiations. The second comes in late June, just before lawmakers are scheduled to end their session at the Capitol each year.

If a ride-hailing plan does make it into a final budget this week, it would start at least a 90-day period for the state to set up its regulatory system.

That would push the potential launch of ride-hailing to the beginning of July, at the earliest.

If it falls out of the budget, lawmakers would likely revisit the issue in June. If a plan is passed then, ride-hailing likely wouldn't launch until late September.

Wait — isn't Uber already in NYC?

Yes, but Uber and Lyft are operating under the city's taxi regulations there.

That means its drivers have commercial licenses and only use city-approved black cars, not a random assortment of personal vehicles.

The companies say they need a statewide regulatory system to expand, particularly upstate. Taxi companies, which operate under local regulation, have pushed back at the suggestion.

So what happens now?

Proponents and critics of ride-hailing are ramping up their lobbying efforts as the budget deadline nears.

Uber on Tuesday launched a new statewide television advertisement, likening New York and Alaska to a pair of tortoises in a slow race to become the second-to-last with ride-hailing.

It's part of an aggressive lobbying push: In January and February, Uber and Lyft spent more than $700,000 total on lobbying and advertising in New York, on top of the $2.7 million they spent in all of 2016, according to state records.

Alix Anfang, a spokeswoman for Uber, pointed to Twitter, where thousands of New Yorkers have been warning their representatives "not to come home without passing ride-sharing."

"We're hopeful that progress is finally being made," she said.

The Upstate Transportation Association, a coalition that includes upstate taxi companies, has sought to highlight scandals surrounding Uber in other areas of the country, including the New York Times' uncovering of the company's "Greyball" system that sought to avoid enforcement officers seeking rides.

"UTA has called for a halt to ridesharing legislative discussions under New York officials can investigate the Greyball program and whether Uber has used it in our state," the group wrote in a press release Tuesday.

What about public transit?

Public transit authorities across the state say they're on board with ride-hailing — so long as they get a cut of the tax revenue.

Bill Carpenter, CEO of the Rochester Genesee Regional Transportation Authority, said local transit agencies are supportive of ride-hailing, in part because it would help passengers get to areas of a city or region the transit systems don't cover.

Carpenter heads the New York Public Transit Association, which represents transit systems across the state.

Cuomo's proposal would distribute about 27 percent of the tax revenue from ride-hailing trips to public-transit systems outside New York City.

"The state association's position is that if revenues are generated, a portion should go into the local communities to support the public transit," Carpenter said. "It makes for a full system of mobility for the communities."

JCampbell1@Gannett.com

Jon Campbell is a correspondent for USA TODAY Network's Albany Bureau.