ALBANY — Uber’s most powerful lobbyists might be its riders.

The ride-share company is leaning on the thousands of New Yorkers who use its car share services to magnify the company’s lobbying power as it seeks to shape the conversation around Gov. Kathy Hochul’s proposals to lower auto insurance costs.

For weeks, Uber has blanketed state legislators’ inboxes with emailed form letters from riders and drivers urging them to support bills that Hochul and Uber say will drive down the cost of auto insurance in the state.

In the last two weeks, some state legislators’ have received hundreds of emails.

WHAT NEWSDAY FOUNDUber is marshaling the thousands of New Yorkers who use its car share services to increase the company’s lobbying power as it seeks support for Gov. Kathy Hochul’s proposals to lower auto insurance costs.For weeks, Uber has blanketed state legislators’ inboxes with emailed form letters from riders and drivers urging them to support bills that Hochul and Uber say will drive down the cost of auto insurance in the state.The ride-sharing company says it is the largest purchaser of auto insurance in the country, with 27% of a rider’s fee going toward covering those costs.

“I think the Uber-connected auto insurance letters have been some of the most voluminous in our inboxes,” said Assemb. Rebecca Kassay (D-Port Jefferson).

Josh Gold, a spokesman for Uber, said its riders and drivers sent more than 75,000 letters to state legislators.

For Uber, the proposals to lower auto insurance costs could have a major impact on its bottom line.

Uber is the largest purchaser of auto insurance in the country, with 27% of a rider’s fee going toward covering the company’s insurance costs, Gold said.

And under state law it carries much more uninsured/underinsured motorist insurance than a personal car owner — $1.25 million per car vs. a typical policy of $50,000.

The reforms touted by Hochul and Uber would change several aspects of the state’s auto insurance industry.

It would cap the damages a victim can receive for pain, suffering and emotional distress at $100,000 if they are uninsured, impaired or committing a felony.

It also would change the formula for awarding compensation depending on who is at fault in a crash. Drivers found to be at least 51% at fault would have their compensation capped at trial.

And it would significantly narrow the legal definition of serious injury for victims, potentially limiting compensation.

Hochul is also pushing reforms to crack down on staged car accidents which result in large payouts from insurance companies.

There were 1,729 staged crashes in New York in 2023, the second highest in the country, according to the state. Last year, insurance companies reported 43,811 cases of suspected motor vehicle insurance fraud to the state Department of Financial Services, an increase of 80% in five years.

Uber recently launched a new aspect of its campaign, specifically promising riders that if Hochul’s proposals pass, the cost of their Uber rides will decrease.

Sending legislators form letters urging them to support a policy is far from revolutionary when it comes to lobbying in Albany.

But Uber, which boasts hundreds of thousands of rides a day in the state, has perfected using their customer base to influence policy agenda in the state Capitol, said John Kaehny, executive director of Reinvent Albany.

“It is a very efficient way of translating money into political power, much more efficient than hiring lobbyists,” he said.

It’s a tactic Uber has used before, including when the company was first trying to get legalized in the state.

Kaehny expressed frustration at the lack of public debate over proposed auto insurance changes, noting that other major policy changes, such as the introduction of public campaign finance several years ago, resulted in days of public hearings.

There have been no public hearings on auto insurance reform.

“It’s one of the more amazing, eye-opening and discouraging examples from a government reform perspective that we’ve seen in a long time,” he said.

Kaehny said Reinvent Albany has not taken a position on the proposed changes because they are so sprawling. He questioned why there hasn’t been an examination of the frequency and types of crashes that might be heavily affecting the state’s auto insurance rates.

“It is a fact free zone on an issue that is super complicated and involves very polarized political interests,” he said.

Uber isn’t just relying on its riders and drivers. The company is bankrolling a lobbying group called Citizens for Affordable Rate and spending more than $8 million, according to public records.

And Hochul’s office has sent reporters talking points written by the group, emphasizing that the reforms will reduce drivers’ insurance rates.

The reforms are similar to changes made in other states, including Florida, that eventually led to reductions in drivers’ premiums or rebates from insurance companies.

Another powerful group in Albany is fiercely opposed to the governor’s proposals. The New York State Trial Lawyers Association has called the reforms a gift to insurance companies.

Assemb. Jarett Gandolfo (R-Sayville) said he believes Uber’s approach and messaging were clever.

“I can’t even think of another time where I saw a large company kind of throw their weight around in this manner,” he said.

Gandolfo cautioned that he didn’t believe Hochul’s proposed changes would immediately lower rates if they passed. But he thought it was a good idea for the state to see what other states had done to lower insurance premiums.

Kassay agreed.

“We need to move in the direction of savings, whether they come this year or take a couple of years to come through,” she said. “The best time was five years ago. The second-best time is now.”

Kassay said Assemb. Jen Lunsford (D-Rochester) is providing insight to members on what the proposed reforms might mean for drivers.

Lunsford, a former trial attorney, told reporters during a news conference last month she believes there are problems with the governor’s ideas that would potentially harm people involved in traffic accidents while benefiting insurance companies.

“When we’re talking about trading away victim rights in exchange for savings to regular New Yorkers, we need to see if the return on our investment will be sufficient to justify the loss of the rights of people who are injured or who lose loved ones, and from my perspective, I don’t think they will,” Lunsford said.

Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins told reporters legislators wanted to see whether the proposed changes would actually lower rates before agreeing to them as part of the larger budget deal.

“Give me the data that tells me that certain things that you’re proposing will lead to lower rates,” Stewart-Cousins said during a recent news conference.