Following recent plans by the Pennsylvania Parking Authority (PPA) to impose a 50-cent fee on all ridesharing trips, Auditor General Eugene DePasquale issued a statement advising the authority to reconsider the move.
“While the PPA claims the fee will generate additional funds for the city and the School District of Philadelphia, the PPA needs to completely clean up its operations and rebuild some trust with residents before adding fees,” DePasquale said.
In December, DePasquale released the results of two separate PPA audits that identified more than $77.9 million in revenue the School District of Philadelphia potentially missed out on between 2012 and 2017 due to several problems within the PPA structure.
“Before the PPA imposes new fees on the citizens of Philadelphia, it should provide a full and thorough accounting for where it stands on implementing the 117 recommendations for improvement made in my audits last December,” he said.
Additionally, DePasquale added his concern over the fee having a huge impact on communities of color where ridesharing has seen a sharp increase due to its ease of access to transportation. The community impact of the 50-cent fee has also been a major concern for the Philadelphia NAACP, Urban League of Philadelphia and the African-American Chamber of Commerce.