Subject:
Title
Consider approving a substantial rewrite of the city’s ordinance regulating Taxicabs - Title 14, Chapter 1 as amended
Body
Presented By: Chris Brown, city attorney
Recommendation and Review
For some time now, the Department of Public Transportation, HPD, and the City Attorney’s office have been working on a complete re-write of the City Code sections regulating all aspects of the taxicabs operating in the City. This proposed new Title 14, Chapter 1 cleans up many issues in the existing ordinances, shortens and streamlines the chapter, changes the regulations regarding background checks, and, perhaps most significantly, allows the taxicab companies to determine their own rates instead of having those rates set by City Council. This new ordinance re-write seeks to place taxicab companies on more equal footing with Transportation Network Companies (“TNCs”) such as Uber and Lyft, which have significantly affected the taxicab industry in the City and across the country.
On March 22, 2022 City Council approved on first reading. Since then additional amendments have been made.