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<p>HARRISBURG &#8212; Pennsylvania regulators fined Uber $11.4 million on Thursday &#8212; a record for the utility commission &#8212; for operating for six months in 2014 without the required approval. The company said it would appeal.</p><p>The Public Utility Commission, which also regulates buses and taxis, voted 3-2 for a penalty that was considerably lower than the $50 million fine recommended by a pair of administrative law judges in November.</p><p>Commissioners who voted for it justified the lower amount because they said the ride-hailing company has modified its practices to comply with state rules and has not generated many consumer complaints while operating under emergency and experimental authority.</p><p>San Francisco-based Uber Technologies, Inc. drew criticism from the judges last year for continuing to operate a month after being issued a cease-and-desist order and for what were described as obstructive actions during the investigation. Commissioners John Coleman and Gladys Brown said the company&#8217;s actions warranted punishment.</p><p>&#8220;It must be recognized that Uber has deliberately engaged in the most unprecedented series of willful violations of commission orders and regulations in the history of this agency,&#8221; they said in proposing the smaller fine. &#8220;A record number of proven violations should be expected to result in a record setting fine.&#8221;</p><p>The two commissioners who voted no said the fine was excessive compared to the commission&#8217;s past actions. Its previous record fine was $1.8 million over an electric generation supplier&#8217;s handling of a guaranteed savings plan for customers.</p><p>Uber spokesman Jason Post said the company was &#8220;shocked&#8221; by the fine amount, adding Uber&#8217;s actions did not harm anyone and the commission &#8220;subsequently approved the same operations.&#8221;</p><p>Other cases with large fines, said commissioner Pamela Witmer, &#8220;involved incidents of serious bodily injury, fatalities, significant property damage and/or patterns of unsafe business practices that jeopardized public safety.&#8221; She called for &#8220;a more measured and reasonable outcome.&#8221;</p><p>Commissioner Robert Powelson, the other no vote, said he would have preferred a $2.5 million fine.</p><p>&#8220;When Uber launched its operations in Pennsylvania, they were operating in a legally gray area,&#8221; Powelson said. &#8220;The commission should take this into account.&#8221;</p><p>The two judges wrote in November that Uber had argued it was providing needed alternatives, it used a broker license held by a subsidiary and there was no proof that harm occurred.</p><p>Uber was fined more than $7 million in January for failing to provide sufficient information to California regulators.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">In this Dec. 16, 2014, file photo a man leaves the headquarters of Uber in San Francisco. The ride-hailing company said Thursday, April 7, 2016 it will pay at least $10 million to settle a case in which California prosecutors alleged it misled passengers over the quality of its driver background checks. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_AP_16098822118763-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>In this Dec. 16, 2014, file photo a man leaves the headquarters of Uber in San Francisco. The ride-hailing company said Thursday, April 7, 2016 it will pay at least $10 million to settle a case in which California prosecutors alleged it misled passengers over the quality of its driver background checks. </caption0><photoCredit0>AP Photo/Eric Risberg </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By The Associated Press</p></bylineMeta></div>

Pennsylvania fines Uber $11M for operating without approval