Ridesharing to Become Legal in Philadelphia
After much legislative drama, it appears that ridesharing services like Lyft and Uber will become legal in Philadelphia – for good, this time. Governor Tom Wolf is set to sign a bill that overwhelmingly passed the state Senate after clearing the House of Representatives last week legalizing the popular form of commuting through which riders use apps to connect them with individually-contracted drivers.
Ridesharing will now be legal all throughout Pennsylvania.
The bill will replace the two-year experimental bill permitting ridesharing in Pennsylvania, one that was due to expire early next year. Ridesharing had been temporarily legal in all parts of the Keystone State except for Philadelphia, minus a three-month exemption that took place in coincidence with the Democratic National Convention over the summer.
On Monday night, Governor Wolf released a statement regarding the bill:
I am pleased the legislature worked with me to finally pass a long-term solution for ride sharing companies like Uber and Lyft to operate everywhere in Pennsylvania. The commonwealth has proven itself to be a place where these companies can invest and grow, and we must continue to find ways to fuel the development of these and other high-tech companies. We can do this by fostering an economic climate like we have seen in Pittsburgh that has resulted in the surge of tech development.
It is also encouraging that this legislation puts an end to any question about the operations of these companies in Philadelphia. Equally important is that two-thirds of the revenue derived from ride sharing in the city of Philadelphia will go to the Philadelphia School District to help the district continue to strengthen its financial footing. This funding, on top of the additional $97 million I worked to secure in my first two budgets for the school district, will help provide the resources our children need.
I applaud the legislature for passing this into law and I look forward to signing the bill.
Lyft and Uber had been operating illegally in Philadelphia in willful defiance of the laws against ridesharing, which had the support of the taxi industry behind them. As mentioned in the statement, Philadelphia schools will benefit from taxes derived from ridesharing under the new law.
