What's Happening in Yonkers, NY…

Ride sharing services, made popular by companies such as Lyft and Uber, recently started operating in Yonkers and the rest of Westchester County.

However, the service looks slightly different in the county to how it does in other parts of the world. County officials have worked with various companies to put together a deal that puts the safety of passengers at the front and center.

Uber, Lyft, and other companies will participate in a program known as ‘Thumbs Up’. If a driver with one of the ride sharing companies passes a criminal background check, he or she will be given a sticker that looks like a thumbs up to put on the windshield of the vehicle. The program is not mandatory.

It is the first such program in the country, and is designed to give riders some peace of mind that they are getting a lift from a trustworthy person, and that their driver has passed a rigorous background check.

If other areas decide to copy the program, they can use printing companies to produce the decals for each driver's windshield.

Not everyone is happy about the arrival of ride sharing in Westchester. Virginia Perez, a county legislator, believes that there are still not enough safeguards in place for the passenger. She also thinks that the service puts cab drivers at a disadvantage.