Lyft, UberX Are Legal Everywhere In Pennsylvania--Except In Philly
YOU CAN'T BLAME the on-demand ride-hailing service Lyft for thumbing its nose at the Philadelphia Parking Authority. After all, the San Francisco-based startup operates with a different business model from traditional taxis. Its MO is to disrupt the status quo, not to kowtow to it.
Lyft (like its larger hail-by-app competitor UberX) lets customers use a smartphone app to book and pay for its service. That's not quite the way business is conducted between riders and licensed Philly taxis.The Public Utility Commission has approved two-year licenses for "experimental service" for both UberX and Lyft to operate throughout the state - but not in Philadelphia, which is under the purview of the PPA.
And the PPA says its hands are tied. Spokesman Martin O'Rourke said that the authority can only enforce existing state law and that the PPA doesn't have legal jurisdiction to license private ride-hailing companies without a change in state law.
Read more at: www.philly.com
Lyft (like its larger hail-by-app competitor UberX) lets customers use a smartphone app to book and pay for its service. That's not quite the way business is conducted between riders and licensed Philly taxis.The Public Utility Commission has approved two-year licenses for "experimental service" for both UberX and Lyft to operate throughout the state - but not in Philadelphia, which is under the purview of the PPA.
And the PPA says its hands are tied. Spokesman Martin O'Rourke said that the authority can only enforce existing state law and that the PPA doesn't have legal jurisdiction to license private ride-hailing companies without a change in state law.
Read more at: www.philly.com
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