Taxi and Limo Drivers Threaten to Boycott DNC

The Democratic National Convention, due to be held this summer in Philadelphia, promises to bring a big economic boost to the city. Delegates, politicians, reporters, and spectators will need hotel rooms to sleep in, restaurants at which to order lunch and dinner, and attractions at which to entertain themselves in between convention events. Philly has them covered on all those bases. What visitors will also need, however, is a way to get around the city before, during, and after convention events. With the city’s taxi and limo drivers threatening to boycott the DNC over the continued presence of ride-sharing services like UberX and Lyft, however, the city might find itself in a pickle.

The DNC could find itself with a shortage of taxis if a planned protest comes to fruition.

On Monday, the Philadelphia Limousine Association, which represents the vast majority of the city’s limo, taxi, and Uber Black drivers, issued a statement threatening to leave their vehicles idle during the DNC and refuse to pick up passengers during the Convention, which will be held July 25th – 28th, unless city officials crack down on services like Lyft and UberX, which the PLA says have operated illegally in the city since 2014.

Ali Razak, the head of the Limousine Association, told press that drivers would, instead of picking up passengers, protest outside of the Convention Center. Khalid Alvi, President of the Philadelphia Cab Association, confirmed to Fox News that the protest would have “the majority of drivers” along with it.

This isn’t the first time that cab and limo drivers have vented their spleen over unregulated ride sharing – and it wouldn’t be their first protest, either. In both December and February, drivers blocked traffic around City Hall as a means of stating their point about Lyft and UberX.

In the statement released Monday, the drivers stated that they were against unregulated ride sharing because it allowed those drivers to skirt labor laws and operate without paying for a special license, as taxis have to. “They operate without any oversight, fail to serve the disabled, engage in so-called ‘surge pricing,’ do not have to pay for any licenses to operate in the city and do not guarantee minimum wage,” it continued.

The groups have been meeting with Mayor Jim Kenney to discuss potential future legislation of the ride-sharing industry.