Gov. Ed Rendell has been in town this week touting tourism initiatives. What he wasn't aware of is the revolt by members of one of the city's primary tourism industries.

While thousands of tourists stream through Independence Hall every day, there may soon be a showdown between the operators of tour vehicles and the city if they can't come to an agreement about location and fees. The showdown comes as accusations of extortion, street brawling and dirty deals are flying.

The tour operators—Philadelphia Trolley Works, Land Sharks, Big Bus, Ride the Ducks and Super Ducks—are up in arms because the city wants them to pick up passengers at a new location, one that they think will hurt business, and wants the operators to rent space in the Independence Visitors Center (IVC) and give the IVC 12 percent of their gross sales.

The tour vehicles are now based around Independence Mall. Tourists can buy tickets from vendors near the vehicles, on board or at the IVC.

The vendors say they wouldn't mind paying a fee to park, but are resistant to what one vendor called the "extortion" of demanding huge fees they say could essentially put them out of business. They already pay IVC a commission on tickets sold there.

According to the vendors, the city wants to move them from Fifth Street and Sixth Street on the south side of Market to North Fifth and Sixth streets. Because of the configuration of traffic at those sites, passengers would be forced to enter and exit the vehicles from the street, which is prohibited by state law. The operators' bigger problem is that they'd have to move their doors from one side of each vehicle to the other, a costly endeavor.

Equally galling to the operators are the fees that would go to the IVC.

They say Bill Moore, Independence Visitor Center Corporation CEO and president, wants the IVC to have exclusive right to sell tickets. He wants each vendor to pay 12 percent of gross sales to IVC as well as a rental charge for locating a kiosk inside—a kiosk they must pay for themselves. Each kiosk would cost $22,522 and each vendor would have to pay someone to staff it.

Jim McDonald, the U.S. president of Big Bus, a U.K. company, said he wouldn't mind moving to the new location because his buses come from the U.K., and so have doors on the left anyway. But he objected to the fees: "[IVC is] acting like a capitalist venture, not a nonprofit."

Michael Kates is director of operations of Philadelphia Trolley Works, the largest and oldest of the local tour vehicle operators. He owns the trolleys, the Land Sharks and the 76 Carriage Company. Trolley Works also operates the Phlash buses for the city.

"We have helped to increase tourism in the city," said Kates. "The ideal place for us to park would be in front of the Bourse. But we have to move. For me to change the doors on each trolley would cost me $90,000."

Steve Dutcher, general manager for Ride the Ducks, said that while the situation is fluid and negotiations with the city are continuing, no vendor is happy with the situation. "The amount they want to charge is disproportionate. Fifty percent of the riders come from Philadelphia and limiting them [to buying tickets in the Visitors Center] would hurt our business," he said.

Moore and Mayor John Street's press office did not return calls for comment. Rendell press secretary Kate Philips said that while it is an important city issue, Rendell is not involved enough to take a position.

Brian Abernathy, legislative assistant to Councilman Frank DiCicco, whose district the mall area encompasses, said he has been working on this problem since the beginning of 2004.

"Things have to change," said Abernathy. "We need a licensing structure. Our office received many calls from residents and business owners about the tourist vehicles illegally parking. They were saying it was like Disneyland out there. We are working with the managing director's office to come up with a plan. We asked the vendors to come up with their own plan but they never did."

He cited several locations that his office and IVC found appropriate. As for tickets being sold at IVC only, Abernathy said that was because of the fighting (some of it physical) between vendors, an allegation Kates denied.

As for the extra fees, Abernathy said the percentage going to IVC will be lower than what they're paying now and that the fee will pay for extra security and extended hours and will offset losses to IVC from special events that would otherwise be held where they want to put the kiosks.

Abernathy added he was not aware of the high cost of the kiosks.

Alfred Krawitz, owner of the Trolley Works-operated Super Ducks, said that streamlining all ticket sales to the IVC would be a disaster.

"It would be impossible for thousands of people to all fit in the IVC at one time to buy tickets," he said. "It just wouldn't work."