Taxi drivers protest ride-sharing services outside City Hall

CENTER CITY (WTXF) - An organization of Philadelphia taxi drivers held a protest outside of City Hall Thursday afternoon.

The pair of organizations include Philadelphia's Cab Association and the Taxi Workers Alliance of Pennsylvania.

The drivers protested what they call the illegal operation in the city of ridesharing services UberX and Lyft.

Drivers parked their cars all around city hall, creating traffic problems for other vehicles.

Uber released the following statement in response to the protests:

"Philadelphia has shown tremendous demand for more affordable options like uberX, and the Mayor as well as the City Council have expressed their support for ridesharing. At the same time, the taxi industry has resisted competition and innovation at every turn, even going so far as working with the PPA to make sure Philadelphia is excluded from the regulations that currently govern uberX in 66 out of 67 counties in Pennsylvania."

"By partnering with paratransit services, Uber has helped make accessible transit work in Philadelphia. Riders with disabilities can get a ride in minutes through Uber, while they're often left stranded by taxi services. Although we are always looking for new ways to better serve all individuals who are disabled, Uber has in fact been praised by the author of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for increasing the mobility and freedom of drivers and riders with disabilities."