Court Ruling On Ride Sharing Services Topic Of Discussion At Parking Authority Board Meeting
By Pat Loeb
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- For the first time, a court has confirmed that the ride-sharing services Uber X and Lyft are operating illegally in Philadelphia.
The ruling, last Thursday, came to light at today's Parking Authority board meeting.
Judge Linda Carpenter ruled in ten cases brought by ride-share drivers, appealing fines the Authority imposed on them for operating without a license. She says state law giving the Authority jurisdiction over taxis in Philadelphia applies to ride-share services.
Uber says it will appeal the ruling to Commonwealth Court.
Authority General Counsel Dennis Weldon applauds the decision but he also says the law was written before ride-share apps existed and new laws are needed for the new service.
"Is it going to be legal? Is it not? And if it's going to be legal, what's it going to look like? Is it going to appear in a form that's just going to put cabs out of business?"
Tom Earle hopes not. He's head of Liberty Resources, which serves the disabled. He says ride-share drivers discriminate against his clients.
"They are charging passengers with disabilities 3 to 4 times more than a passenger without a disability."
Earle is part of a group that has sued ride share services. They asked the Authority to join their suit. Weldon says the Authority is pursuing its own action.
