The PPA is fighting to keep uberX illegal in Philly and @joshk is not pleased

The Philadelphia Parking Authority is working to keep uberX illegal in Philadelphia, according to emails uncovered by the Philadelphia Daily News.
The news is at odds with the PPA’s messaging when uberX went rogue and launched in Philadelphia in the fall of 2014. From our story:

“We’re just enforcing the law,” said Taxi and Limousine Division Director Jim Ney. He added that it wasn’t a matter of being “for” or “against” uberX — if the state legislature legalize ridesharing in Philadelphia, the PPA would happily regulate.

Upon reading the Daily News story, Josh Kopelman, whose firm First Round Capital was an early investor in Uber, took to Twitter to express his displeasure.

1/ Regulatory Capture: a form of corruption; regulators protect the industry they regulate, instead of the public. pic.twitter.com/ZnVWvk8MRG

— Josh Kopelman (@joshk) January 28, 2016

2/Front pg stories at @Philly allege collusion between @PhilaParking & taxi medallion owners https://t.co/6A1xIBcFSk pic.twitter.com/K4nKr40VNq

— Josh Kopelman (@joshk) January 28, 2016

3/ Alleges that the PPA "has teamed w the taxi industry that it regulates…to ensure that ride-sharing services remain illegal in Philly."

— Josh Kopelman (@joshk) January 28, 2016

4/The story alleges PPA coordinated/colluded w/ taxi industry, paid for lobbyists and used taxi medallion owners to run stings on Uber/Lyft.

— Josh Kopelman (@joshk) January 28, 2016

5/ Who is going to regulate our regulators? https://t.co/6A1xIBcFSk

— Josh Kopelman (@joshk) January 28, 2016

The Daily News reporter who filed the story, William Bender, took note:
https://twitter.com/wbender99/status/692771371542286336

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