AMHERST — When Amherst Police handed him a $50 parking ticket one recent night, it was the last straw for Uber driver Pedro Perez.
The Holyoke resident quit driving for Uber a short time later, saying it wasn’t worth the hassle.
“Pretty much I stopped driving for Uber when I got ticketed at night for picking drunk people up,” said Perez, who claims police ticketed him for parking his car in a bicycle lane for, at most, 20 seconds.
Perez isn’t the only Uber driver frustrated at police. There is growing concern from those drivers about how aggressively officers are enforcing rules of the road, and whether such a crackdown will reduce safety by encouraging intoxicated people to get behind the wheel.
For police and town officials, though, the enforcement is about improving public safety, not decreasing it.
“There is a market in Amherst for Uber,” Town Manager Paul Bockelman said. “But they have to comply with traffic laws, they can’t double park, they can’t block bicycle lanes and they can’t park in front of the entrance to the fire department.”
Amherst is attractive to Uber drivers because of the number of college-age people who depend on the ride-hailing service to transport them safely after an evening at downtown bars or off-campus parties.
Even though the convenience of being able to quickly summon an Uber ride also benefits drivers who get paid for the service, some drivers say the benefits may not be worth it.
Todd Ellis, of Northampton, who remains an active Uber driver even though he recently received a $50 ticket for obstructing traffic, makes the case that police could be increasing impaired driving by reducing incentives for Uber drivers to work in Amherst.
“Uber drivers are a huge force preventing drunk driving,” Ellis said. “Cops have been giving out tickets to Uber drivers picking people up from the bars, rather than working with them to get drunk people home safely.”
Police acknowledge they are increasing enforcement of laws, and that the actions are being done to keep everyone safe.
On March 24, police issued seven tickets to Uber drivers for various traffic offenses on North Pleasant Street near the bars, and the following night Uber drivers were observed north of the University of Massachusetts campus ready to bring people home from a party, though none got tickets.
Police Chief Scott Livingstone said the enforcement is about promoting safety for pedestrians, other drivers and bicyclists who may be in the vicinity, as well as ambulances and fire engines that may be dispatched from the Central Fire Station to various emergencies in Amherst and surrounding towns.
“The Uber drivers have consistently blocked North Pleasant Street, while waiting for fares, conducted U-turns in traffic and speed from location to location,” Livingstone said. “It’s to the point where officers have had to issue more warnings and citations.”
Though he understands that the proximity to the bars means a better chance to get a fare, Bockelman said Uber drivers have to find a better way to meet up with their riders. He said their actions are posing a hazard as people jump into the road to find the driver they have summoned.
Livingstone said he has asked Uber management to send out emails to all drivers asking for their cooperation in obeying all traffic regulations.
A spokeswoman for Uber confirmed that the company has been notified by law enforcement in Amherst and is in regular communication with drivers about following all rules, including not obstructing traffic when passengers are being picked up and dropped off.
In fact, community guidelines on the Uber website outline how drivers and riders can lose access to the service: “We expect drivers using the Uber app to act in compliance with all relevant state, federal and local laws and the rules of the road at all times.”
Also, Uber advises that police, riders and other drivers report any violations directly to the company so that Uber’s safety team can review and investigate any issues.
Ellis said he appreciates that police are just doing their jobs, but he said giving tickets may be causing unnecessary fear among Uber drivers, as well as financial penalties they can’t afford.
“I just worry that, like myself, people just won’t want to provide the service anymore because they are afraid of the police, and that will lead to more people getting behind the wheel drunk,” Ellis said.
UMass spokesman Edward Blaguszewski said the university does not directly advocate the Uber service, and that a range of options are already available for students, including several licensed taxicab companies and use of PVTA buses that run until after bar closings.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.