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No owner or driver of a public hack, not licensed in accordance with the provisions of this Chapter, shall operate, or permit to be operated, the vehicle with a cab roof sign or top containing the terms "taxi", "taxicab", "cab", "hack", or "public hack".
(Ord. No. 1510-2019. Passed 12-2-19, eff. 12-4-19)
It is hereby determined that five hundred (500) licenses issued to owners of public hacks is sufficient to serve adequately the need for hack service in the City of Cleveland. Each public hack license shall be prominently displayed in the interior of the licensed vehicle.
No owner or company shall be issued more than 350 cab licenses.
(Ord. No. 1820-06, § 2. Passed 12-11-06, eff. 12-14-06)
(a) No license for the operation of public hacks in excess of the limitation prescribed by Section 443.03 shall be issued unless Council shall by resolution declare that public convenience and necessity require the issuance of additional public hack licenses in the number set forth in such resolution. Upon the passage of such resolution, approved by the Mayor, the Commissioner of Assessments and Licenses shall be authorized to issue the specified additional number of public hack licenses.
(b) Before the adoption of such resolution, Council shall provide for public hearings as may be necessary to determine whether public convenience and necessity require the issuance of additional public hack licenses, and the number of any of such public hack licenses which should be issued to meet such public convenience and necessity. In determining whether public convenience and necessity require the issuance of any additional licenses for public hacks, Council shall take into consideration:
(1) The number of public hacks then licensed;
(2) Whether the requirements of public convenience and necessity can be met and complied with only by the issuance of additional licenses;
(3) The resulting effect upon the business of existing licenses and upon the existing agencies of mass transportation;
(4) The effect on traffic congestion and safety of the public using the streets;
(5) The effect upon working conditions and wages or other compensation paid to drivers of public hacks of existing licensees;
(6) The financial responsibility of the applicant;
(7) Any other fact which Council may deem relevant.
(c) No finding of public convenience and necessity shall be required for the issuance of licenses within the limitation of Section 443.03 and holders of existing licenses shall be entitled without such finding of convenience and necessity to retain their present licenses and secure renewals thereof upon the payment of the annual license fees.
(Ord. No. 1684-76. Passed 6-29-76, eff. 7-6-76)
(a) No license shall be granted for a vehicle over four (4) years old, except that an existing license for a vehicle not more than eight (8) years old may be renewed if the Commissioner of Assessments and Licenses determines, after careful inspection of the vehicle, that it is in a thoroughly safe condition for the transportation of passengers, clean, fit, of good appearance, and well painted. For purposes of this section, the age of the vehicle shall be determined by comparing the calendar year in which the application for license is being considered to the model year of the vehicle.
(b) When licenses or renewals of existing licenses are issued for any public hacks which may have been disabled, disqualified, sold or may otherwise not be available at the time of the granting of such licenses, no such vehicle which may thereafter be acquired for use in connection with any such licenses shall be placed in operation until it has been thoroughly and carefully inspected and examined and found to be in a thoroughly safe condition for the transportation of passengers, clean, fit, of good appearance and well painted. The Commissioner of Assessments and Licenses shall thereafter make inspections of such vehicles at least semiannually and may make inspections more frequently at his or her discretion.
(c) The Commissioner shall refuse to permit the operation of any vehicle found by him or her to be unfit or unsuited for public patronage or to which a taximeter or acceptable radio receiver and transmitter is not affixed. He or she shall examine any taximeter attached to any public hack and see that the same is accurate before permitting the use thereof upon any public hack which may be placed in operation. The Commissioner is authorized and empowered to establish reasonable rules and regulations for the inspection of public hacks and their appurtenances, construction and condition of fitness.
(d) The Commissioner is authorized to charge and collect an inspection fee of fifty dollars ($50.00) per hour, or any portion thereof, for any inspection performed under this section.
(Ord. No. 1510-2019. Passed 12-2-19, eff. 12-4-19; Am. Ord. No. 1222-2022. Passed 11-28-22, eff. 11-28-22)
(a) Each taxicab shall be equipped with at least one (1) of the following:
(1) A safety partition meeting the requirements of division (b) to completely separate the driver from the passenger section of the taxicab, and power windows and door locks that can be operated by the driver; or
(2) A surveillance camera or cameras meeting the requirements of division (c); or
(3) A safe meeting the requirements of division (d).
The Commissioner shall inspect each taxicab for compliance with these requirements as part of the vehicle inspections conducted pursuant to Section 443.05.
(b) All safety partitions installed in taxicabs shall meet the following design standards, and such additional requirements as may be established by regulation:
(1) The partition shall be constructed of a bullet-resistant material;
(2) The partition shall be designed to prevent a person in the passenger compartment from reaching the driver;
(3) The partition shall be designed to afford the driver safe rearview vision;
(4) The design of the partition shall allow for ventilation and heat to the passenger compartment of the vehicle;
(5) The partition shall be designed to enable the driver to collect payment without leaving the vehicle, by use of a change slot, sliding partition, or similar means;
(6) The partition shall not contain any sharp edges or sharp points that may injure the driver or passengers.
(c) All surveillance cameras installed in taxicabs shall be suitable in design and placement to record the actions of the driver and passengers and, without limiting the scope of this requirement, suitable in design and placement to record acts or attempted acts of violence or criminal conduct. The camera(s) shall meet such additional requirements as may be established by regulation.
(d) All safes installed in taxicabs shall be suitable in design to provide a taxicab driver with the ability to deposit money in a safe that may not be removed from the taxicab and may only be opened under limited circumstances so as to protect the driver of the taxicab. The safe shall meet any additional requirements that may be established by regulation. Each taxicab driver with a safe shall possess no more than ten dollars ($10.00) in cash and a sign shall be posted conspicuously stating, "Driver carries no more than $10.00 in cash." Such sign shall be legible from the interior and exterior of the taxicab.
(e) Equipment necessary to enable the driver to accept and process credit and debit card payments for all fares and charges due.
(f) No taxicab company, association or independent operator shall increase its drivers' lease rates for the cost of compliance with this section. Any increase in drivers' expenses that may otherwise be allowable under Section 443.261 may not be implemented unless the taxicab company, association or independent operator first certifies to the Commissioner by affidavit that the costs of compliance with this section will not be borne by the taxicab drivers. The Commissioner may require the taxicab company, association or independent operator to produce books and records to demonstrate compliance with this division.
(g) The Commissioner of Assessments and Licenses is hereby authorized to issue such rules and regulations, not inconsistent with the provisions of this chapter, as the Commissioner deems necessary to carry out the provisions of this section, including equipment specifications, card payment processing rules, and regulations related to credit card surcharges. Such rules and regulations shall become effective ten (10) days after their publication in the City Record.
(Ord. No. 598-13. Passed 5-20-13, eff. 5-23-13)
(a) No person shall operate a public hack or other vehicle kept for hire or permit such to be operated, nor shall any license be issued until the applicant deposits with the Commissioner of Assessments and Licenses the following:
A policy or certificate of liability insurance for each hack for which a license is sought, acceptable to and approved by the Commissioner and the Director of Law with the following limits: one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000.00) per person, three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000.00) per vehicle, and one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000.00) for property damage, or a combined single limit policy of three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000.00). The license shall expire upon the lapse or termination of the policy of insurance;
(b) Such policy of insurance shall contain a provision for a continuing liability thereunder to the full amount thereof, notwithstanding any recovery thereon. If at any time, in the judgment of the Commissioner, the policy is not sufficient for any cause, the Commissioner may require the owner of such public hack to replace such policy with another approved by the Commissioner and the Director of Law;
(c) A self-insured retention plan that is equivalent or better, in the judgment of the Commissioner of Assessments and Licenses, than the insurance described in this section may be accepted by the Commissioner in lieu of a policy or certificate of insurance.
(Ord. No. 599-11. Passed 6-6-11, eff. 6-13-11)
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