Crackdown by Puc Nets Jitney Arrest

Summary

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The arrest threatens to have a chilling effect on the unlicensed vehicles, which have a long history of providing service to Pittsburgh's Black community. The jitneys, immortalized by the late August Wilson's play, "Jitney," have filled a need by providing door-to-door service when licensed taxicabs, particularly Yellow Cab, have shunned minority and poor neighborhoods.

"The safety of the traveling public is a priority of the PUC," said PUC Communications Director Cindy Page. "It's important that people transporting the public are properly insured and licensed. We do it as often as our schedule permits--cracking down and making sure people that are transporting people in a cab-like service are authorized by the PUC."

"I wouldn't want to be bothered with it," said a Hill District jitney who did not want to be identified. "My insurance rate would go up. You would be doing just like Yellow Cab and we couldn't compete."

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Extract

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Crackdown by Puc Nets Jitney Arrest

Pittsburgh's jitney drivers are used to the possibility of being ticketed or fined while carrying fares, but those lenient penalties may be a thing of the past.

The Public Utility Commission has confirmed their ...

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