It might be tough to find a taxi in Philadelphia this July 4th.
Philly cabbies upset with the power given to the Philadelphia Parking Authority in a proposed bill are joining together on Independence Day by halting all taxi traffic in the city, according to Taxi Workers Alliance of Pennsylvania president Ron Blount.
The taxi black out is set to be officially announced on Monday but cabbies took the street Friday afternoon for a motorcade from the airport to Old City to protest some of the powers proposed in House Bill 2390.
The bill before the state legislature would put 15 wheelchair accessible cabs on Philadelphia streets for the next 10 years -- meaning 150 new taxi medallions would be issued.
Blount tells NBC10 that drivers are OK with the new cabs but not all the wording with the bill. Blount says it’s the wrong way to impose the new standards because of the extended power it would give to the Philadelphia Parking Authority -- the body in charge of issuing taxi cab medallions and governing city cabs.
The union is most worried about a regulation within the bill that would eliminate the current safety shield between drivers and passengers. Such shields already don’t exist in cabs in towns like Washington, D.C. but the union is worried that the safety of drivers could be compromised if the shields go down in Philly.
Members of the TWAPA hope the bill is amended so that they won’t have to protest Wednesday, Blount said.
