New rules in East Hampton have forced Uber out of the tony town — driving celebs and other users of the car-hailing app up the wall.
The town’s taxi-licensing law requires taxi companies to have a physical business address in town.
But Uber isn’t a traditional cab company. It doesn’t own any of the cars in its fleet but simply connects customers with independent drivers through its mobile app.
“New rules would require every single Uber driver-partner to have an office in East Hampton to continue to hold their license, which is impossible for our partners,” the app told its users, urging them to protest the new rules.
Uber pulled out on Friday, and the town has been slammed with hundreds of e-mails and phone calls ever since, officials said.
“Its CRAY CRAY better they UBER THAN HAVING DRUNKS ON the ROAD — wake up,” tweeted Sandra Ripert, wife of celebrity chef Eric Ripert.
And Bravo TV’s Andy Cohen, host of “Watch What Happens Live,” added: “I am trying to be a responsible citizen. I don’t drink & drive. Plz don’t ban my designated driver in EHampton.”
Since Memorial Day, 20 Uber drivers have been slapped with misdemeanors for failing to comply with the ordinance, the company said.
But East Hampton Town Supervisor Larry Cantwell said Uber pulled out on its own accord.
“Uber has chosen to make a big deal of it,” Cantwell told The Post.
In the three years since Uber came to town, the area had faced “a serious impact, especially in Montauk, especially on weekends, with hundreds of cabs taking up parking spaces, causing congestion and creating a mess,” he noted.
There are already more than 220 cabs in East Hampton, said Cantwell, who said that nothing is stopping drivers from pooling their resources and opening an office in town.