BUFFALO, N.Y. -- March Madness will have Buffalo bustling with thousands of visitors for the NCAA Tournament.

"We're going to hear the same narrative, Buffalo's a great city,  Buffalo's on the move, we see a tremendous amount of progress before our very eyes, but where is Uber and Lyft?" said state Sen. Tim Kennedy, D-Buffalo.

It's a question state Sen. Chris Jacobs says thousands asked the night before Thanksgiving, which is popular for partying.

"43,000 in upstate New York went on their phones to try and see if they could access ridesharing, and of course they couldn't, and I hate to think about the number of people that probably may have driven that night when they were trying not to," said Jacobs, R-Buffalo.

As the state legislators work to bring ridesharing to upstate New York, they're asking the public to help accelerate their efforts by explaining why it's so important. There are four chances to speak out in support, starting with a public forum in Buffalo followed by events in Rochester, Syracuse and Albany, and Kennedy says they're inviting all downstate assemblymembers and senators to be in the audience. 

"What's wrong here is the unfairness that's unfolded, and that has to change," said Kennedy. "The fact that our downstate colleagues have unfortunately gotten in the way of allowing this initiative to pass has to change."

"Everybody in downstate already has it, so there's no consequence for not doing it," said Jacbos,"So when these lobbyists, these special interests that are pushing against getting ridesharing go to these downstate legislators, they have no problem saying, 'No problem, I won't pass it.'" 

That's why they hope to pack the auditorium at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery Feb. 11. 

"I think that alone is going to send a message loud and clear across the state and really get us off on the right foot," said Kennedy.  

The legislators say they'll make sure that message resonates at the Capitol. 

"I am a 'no' on the budget unless Uber is in there, or some type of ridesharing, that's how serious this is," said Assemblyman Mickey Kearns, D-Buffalo.