Lyft to Launch in Philadelphia Despite Ban

Photo by John Sciulli/Getty Images for Lyft(PHILADELPHIA) — Despite warnings from Philadelphia officials, ride-sharing app Lyft will go live in the City of Brotherly Love on Friday evening.

The app is set to go live at 6 p.m., the company said in a blog post, even though the Philadelphia Parking Authority has made clear that ride-share services in the city are banned. Drivers operating under a ride-share service are warned that they may face $1,000 fines and impoundment of cars.

Still, Lyft plans on beginning to serve Philadelphia on Friday anyway. The company’s Chief Marketing Officer, Kira Wampler, told ABC News that part of the reason they will ignore the warning is “because we’ve had thousands and thousands of consumers tell us, very loudly and clearly, that they want Lyft in their market.”

Lyft was granted temporary authority to operate in most of Pennsylvania in December, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. That authority, however, does not include Philadelphia.

Wampler believes that once city officials see Lyft in action, they will be swayed. “It’s not about competing in the for-hire taxi or limo space,” she said. “It’s about unlocking every car, every seat, every driver…as we get to that it means fewer cars on the road, it means getting there faster.” Simply put, Wampler concludes, “as these cities grow, they can’t add highways and parking lots at the same rate they’re adding people.”

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