Uber gets OK to operate in Philadelphia during convention

Philadelphia’s main transit agency says its daily number of passengers has dropped by almost half after it sidelined 120 regional rail cars due to structural problems. Uber says its carpooling service, UberPool, will be a major draw while rail is hobbled.

FILE – In this April 13, 2010, file photo, conductor Richard Murray stands in front of one of the first Silverliner V passenger train coaches delivered to Philadelphia’s main transit agency, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, during a news conference in Philadelphia.

SEPTA has hired consultants to pinpoint the source of the problem, which SEPTA General Manager Jeff Knueppel said could be a design flaw, bad materials or faulty workmanship.

But the transit agency expects to add 1,700 seats Monday as officials close deals to lease three train sets from neighboring New Jersey and Maryland transit services as well as Amtrak.

The transit union said Tuesday the transit agency knew about the problem for at least a month, a claim which SEPTA disputed.

Although this agreement was an immediate stop-gap measure, the move toward allowing Uber to operate within the city (as well as rival company Lyft) was already in process thanks to bills in the state legislature on top of financial settlements being reached between the companies and the local transportation and parking authorities.

“Sometimes there’s a need for people to come together and make an exception”, he said. The company is investigating the cause of the defects and will determine the measures it will take next after talking with SEPTA, Hyundai Rotem said in a statement from its headquarters in Uiwang, South Korea.

Knueppel said the transit service should be able to handle the extra traffic during the July 25-28 convention because riders are expected to largely use the rail system during off-peak hours.

“It’s taking away the stigma”.