An unusual practice by the Philadelphia Parking Authority was the main subject of a segment on "The Daily Show" on Wednesday night, with correspondent Michael Kosta investigating "courtesy towing" for comedic relief.
The concept refers to when a legally parked car is moved because of weather, road work or a special event, and two Philly residents who were interviewed by Kosta said their vehicle was left in an illegal spot.
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Gary Isaacs said his car was towed while he was out of town and a temporary "no parking" sign was put near his vehicle. He said he had a street parking permit, but his car was towed to an illegal spot, impounded, put up for auction and damaged, with ticket and repair costs coming to $1,469.
"Did you park s---y? Just be honest," Kosta joked, which Isaacs denied, saying he was a "very legal parker."
Another Philly driver, Rachel Sclarsky, told Kosta that she understood the reasoning for courtesy towing, but she complained that her legally parked car was towed and left on a turn lane, where it received four parking tickets.
Kosta turned his focus to the PPA, questioning why the authority was seemingly courtesy towing cars in the first place. In response, the PPA pointed to reporting from the Inquirer in 2023 saying that the PPA "does not handle most courtesy tows."
The "Daily Show" segment said revenue from the PPA is meant to go toward Philly schools, claiming that the authority is withholding $78 million from the school district due to "alleged financial mismanagement."
The show also highlighted the Pay Up PPA Coalition, which according to its website "demands $25 million in dedicated annual funding for Philly’s kids."
Pay Up PPA organizer Rochelle Nichols Solomon told Kosta that she believed that the PPA's leaders "were lying" or are "grossly incompetent." The interview briefly paused, as it appeared that a crew member of "The Daily Show" ran off in the background because he was apparently receiving a ticket from the PPA.
"What can Philadelphians do to combat some of the corruption of the PPA, other than throw batteries or riot on Broad Street?" Kosta asked. Solomon encouraged people to show up at PPA board meetings.
Kosta was then filmed walking into a PPA building and asking for an on-camera interview before being ejected from the property, telling the camera he was "courtesy towed" out of the building. The segment ended with Kosta returning to his car to find a comically absurd number of parking tickets covering his windshield and windows.
"F--- this city and f--- the PPA," Kosta says.
Watch the entire segment from "The Daily Show" below: