PUC Judges Make Right Call on Ride-Share Services

HARRISBURG, Pa., Sept. 25, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The PA Taxi Association and the Taxi Workers Alliance of Pennsylvania issued the following statement following a recommended decision by two Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission Administrative Law Judges to deny the petition by Rasier-PA LLC to launch ride-sharing services across much of the Commonwealth.

"Our members are pleased that the Commission's ALJs are focused on public safety," said Ronald Blount, President of the Taxi Workers Alliance of Pennsylvania. "We are hopeful that the full Commission will embrace this decision and, again, compel all services to play by the same rules."

In the recommended decision, the Administrative Law Judges found that, "The evidence demonstrates that the Applicant has failed to propose adequate insurance, education and training for Applicant's drivers, its passengers and the general public, and it leaves unanswered several crucial insurance-related issues.  As such, the application fails to protect the public and must be denied, on this basis alone."

Blount noted that allowing new services to operate under different rules would punish working families. "Taxi drivers are required to have insurance. They should be required to have insurance. Our vehicles are inspected twice a year – and their vehicles should be inspected twice a year," said Blount, who added that many drivers make less than $5 an hour after all their expenses, including insurance, are paid.

The Alliance represents 1,200 drivers throughout the southeast corner of the state. The Taxi Association and the Taxi Workers Alliance support HB 2445, which would require that all TNCs:

• Obtain commercial liability insurance as primary coverage, rather than a secondary umbrella policy
• Obtain a Certificate of Public Convenience from the Commission
• Obtain and file criminal background checks on the network drivers with the Commission
• Obtain a special tag from PennDOT to provide easy identification for passengers.

Blount and Alex Friedman, President of the PA Taxi Association, also noted that HB 2445 would exempt TNC service in Philadelphia, to ensure continued oversight by the Philadelphia Parking Authority. "Local, on-the-ground oversight is important in a city as large as Philadelphia," Friedman said. "We support that local control and these new carriers should be made to play by the same rules as we do."

The full recommended decision can be found at: A-2014-2424608 Application of Rasier PA LLC Statewide RD

SOURCE PA Taxi Association