City Councilman Calls For Uber Regulation
by Pat Loeb
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Philadelphia city councilman David Oh has introduced a bill that would give the Streets Department the power to regulate ride-sharing services such as Uber X and Lyft. It's the latest effort to bring some accountability to a growing sector of the economy.
Taxi service in Philadelphia is regulated by the Parking Authority, which has strict rules about who can operate cabs. Freelance drivers, only lightly tethered to a larger business such as Uber, are NOT among them.
But that hasn't stopped such drivers from proliferating. Councilman Oh says, as long as they're here, they need to be regulated.
"They are an important part of our transportation system and there's an important place for them but they're not licensed, they're not regulated and they're not paying fees," said Oh.
He proposes charging drivers $500 for a license from the Streets Department.
Parking Authority officials declined comment, but noted they've been working for months on state legislation that would insure drivers get background checks, training and are insured.
Uber says it's focused on that state legislation too.