Parking Authority Grants Licenses To Uber, Lyft
by Pat Loeb
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Ride-sharing services Uber and Lyft finally have their licenses to operate legally in Philadelphia.
The Parking Authority Board approved the licenses at Friday's meeting.
After years of feuding, debates, public hearings, and legislation, the vote to approve licenses for Uber and Lyft was anti-climactic.
They've been operating under a grace period granted by state law and, as James Walker of Freedom Taxi noted, long before that.
"This doesn't change anything. They've been operating with or without it," he said.
But Parking Authority attorney Christine Kirlin says the operating licenses will allow for more stringent monitoring.
"There's certain vehicle age and mileage requirements that they're going to abide by, and their vehicles will now be subject to random inspections by the Parking Authority," she explained.
The Authority will also be generating regulations, as they do for taxis and limousines. There will be public hearings scheduled on those in the near future.