Pennsylvania Taxi Association President: UberX Is Like ISIS

"I try to equate this illegal operation of UberX as a terroristic act like ISIS invading the Middle East," Alex Friedman said.

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At a Philadelphia Parking Authority board meeting Wednesday, Pennsylvania Taxi Association President compared UberX to ISIS.

“I try to equate this illegal operation of UberX as a terroristic act like ISIS invading the Middle East,” Alex Friedman said at the meeting, which was recorded by Plan Philly. “It is exactly the same menace.”

UberX, a lower-cost version of the company’s Uber Black car service, launched in Philadelphia on Friday. The PPA then began impounding UberX cars in a sting operation, which Uber called a “deplorable charade.” The PPA later released the impounded cars.

Friedman is also the general manager of All City and Checker Cab companies, which own about half the taxi medallions in the city.

Erin Pelton, a spokeswoman for Taxi Facts — an advocacy group that includes Uber as a member — emailed a statement regarding Friedman’s comments. “Mr. Friedman’s comments are outrageous–they disrespect and diminish the grave danger posed to the international community by terrorists at home and abroad,” she wrote. “Clearly, Big Taxi is so desperate to stifle competition and distract regulators and consumers from its disastrous record that it will say and do anything. If Big Taxi spent as much time improving its service or demanding its vehicles carry adequate insurance to protect Philadelphians in the case of injury as it does inventing wild claims about its competitors, it would not be so opposed to innovation and consumer choice.”

[PlanPhilly]