(A) No person shall engage in the business of operating, or causing to be operated, any taxicab upon the streets, alleys or public ways of the city without having first obtained a license for each such taxicab. Exceptions to these requirements may be granted by the Police Chief to taxicabs transporting passengers whose trips originate from another community, and to those taxicabs that are operating at the request of the local transportation authority in conjunction with state or federally funded return-to-work programs. These taxicabs must be currently licensed in another community, and provide proof of licensing and certificates of insurance in the amounts required under § 74-43, to be able to operate in the city.
(B) No such license shall be granted except upon certification of the Chief of Police and upon approval of the City Council.
(C) Upon application made for any new taxicab license, as distinguished from any renewal thereof, the Council shall first consider the question of whether public convenience and necessity require the operation of such taxicab. The Council shall consider the number of taxicabs operating in the city and whether the demands of the public require additional taxicab service; traffic conditions on the streets of the city and whether the additional taxicab service will result in a greater hazard to the public; and such other relevant facts as the Council may deem advisable. The judgment of the Council on the question of public necessity and convenience shall be conclusive.
(D) The fee for such license shall be as prescribed in § 74-42.
(1993 Code, § 74-41) (Ord. passed 2-25-2002; Ord. passed 6-26-2006)