PPA in the Wrong When Setting Rules for Taxis
The Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court has passed a decision clearly stating the PPA has acted outside of it's regulatory authority. The ruling found that the PPA has been operating for years without following proper procedure in regards to setting rules for the taxi cab industry. The decision effectively voids regulation created by the PPA since it's establishment in 2004, calling the PPA's rules "void and unenforceable."
The court ruled in favor of Germantown Taxi Co., who brought the case because the PPA has set regulations without public comment or hearings, and without independent oversight - all required of other state agencies. "The Parking Authority was doing whatever it wanted to do arbitrarily, without any oversight," Ronald Blount, president of the Taxi Workers Alliance of Pennsylvania, told the Philadelphia Inquirer today. The Parking Authority stated to the Inquirer they will try to appeal the decision. The case was previously heard by the PA Supreme Court over a year ago, which then ruled in favor of taxi drivers as well, determining that the PPA was in fact a state agency subject to open processes when setting regulation.
When it comes to regulating the taxi industry Blount explained that in the past the PPA has operated like a rogue agency. "They were able to raise a fine in one day, reduce it the next, and raise it again the following day... they issued Executive orders over night without a public hearing and the court system for taxi violations is unconstitutional in that they would hold a hearing with no witness present and still find the driver guilty." Blount also told the Inquirer that drivers will "follow the parking authorities rules for now." With the authority looking to appeal the decision, it may be months until we see what will happen to the PPA and it's ability to regulate cabs. The Commonwealth's decision however clearly puts the law on the side of drivers, who have been fined and sanctioned by an agency that has yet to properly set regulation.
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