Lyft can use older cars, PUC says
Drivers for Lyft, the electronic ride-hailing service, will be permitted to use older vehicles by late May, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission ruled Wednesday.
Drivers for Lyft, the electronic ride-hailing service, will be permitted to use older vehicles by late May, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission ruled Wednesday.
Lyft, which has been seeking to increase its number of drivers in Pennsylvania, will be able to use vehicles that are up to 10 years old, with fewer than 350,000 miles. But it must wait until new PUC regulations are approved by state authorities and published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin, which could be as late as May 26.
The new vehicle rules will replace the current standard, which requires that taxis and other for-hire vehicles be no older than eight years. Lyft said permitting older vehicles would allow more car owners to drive for Lyft.
Lyft was given authority last year to operate in all of Pennsylvania, except Philadelphia, where the Philadelphia Parking Authority - not the PUC - regulates taxi services. The parking authority has prohibited such ride-share services, but Lyft, like its larger competitor Uber, has continued to operate in Philadelphia in defiance of the ban.
215-854-4587
@nussbaumpaul