(a) For purposes of this section, "payor" means the person paying for transportation-for-hire service.
(b) An operating authority shall inform the payor of the rate for the transportation-for-hire service before the transportation-for-hire service is provided.
(c) An operating authority must disclose its rates on a publicly remotely accessible data site. An operating authority must also disclose its rates on a sign placed in or on all hailable transportation-for-hire vehicles operated under the operating authority's permit.
(d) A driver or operating authority shall provide the payor of a fare with a legible receipt at the time of payment. The receipt, alone or in combination with additional contemporaneously produced document(s), must contain the following information:
(1) the fare rate;
(2) the total fare;
(3) an itemization showing how the fare was calculated;
(4) the trip distance (if fare based in whole or in part on distance);
(5) the duration of the trip in minutes (if fare based in whole or in part on time);
(6) the name of the operating authority under which the driver was operating at the time of the ride;
(7) the driver's first name and driver permit number; and
(8) the vehicle permit number.
(e) The receipt may be submitted to the payor electronically if the ride was dispatched electronically or if the payor agrees to accept an electronic receipt.
(f) Hailable vehicles shall not charge any fare for providing transportation-for-hire service in the city that exceeds the maximum rates of fare authorized by the following schedule:
(1) General fares.
(A) Initial meter drop: $3.00;
(B) Each 1/4 mile: $0.70;
(C) Traffic delay time/waiting time, per 1 minute: $0.40; and
(D) Each extra passenger (up to manufacturer's rated seating capacity): $2.00.
(2) Love Field Airport fares.
(A) Each trip departing from the airport (in addition to the general fare) shall include the trip fee as that trip fee is set in Chapter 5 of this code, as amended.
(B) Minimum charge for each trip departing from the airport: $10.00.
(C) Flat rate for each trip either originating at the airport and terminating at a location within the Dallas Central Business District area or originating at a location within the Dallas Central Business District area and terminating at the airport: $26.00.
(D) Flat rate for each trip either originating at the airport and terminating at a location within the Dallas Market Center area or originating at a location within the Dallas Market Center area and terminating at the airport: $20.00.
(3) Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport fares.
(A) Minimum charge for each terminal transfer: $10.00.
(B) Minimum charge for each trip that requires exiting the Airport parking plaza and terminates inside of airport property: $18.50.
(C) Minimum charge for each trip that requires exiting the Airport parking plaza and terminates outside of airport property: $22.00.
(D) Flat rate for each trip either originating at the airport and terminating at a location within the Dallas Central Business District area or originating at a location within the Dallas Central Business District area and terminating at the airport: $55.00.
(E) Flat rate for each trip either originating at the airport and terminating at a location within the Dallas Market Center area or originating at a location within the Dallas Market Center area and terminating at the airport: $47.00.
(4) Gasoline surcharge.
(A) A gasoline surcharge approved by the director may be added to a hailable vehicle fare when the average weekly retail price of regular grade gasoline in the State of Texas exceeds $2.00 per gallon as determined by the United States Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration.
(B) The gasoline surcharge is calculated in $0.50 increments and applied per trip. For every $0.50 increase or decrease in the average price per gallon of gasoline above the $2.00 threshold, the per trip surcharge fee is adjusted $0.50 up or down to reflect the change in the average gasoline price. For example:
AVERAGE PRICE OF GASOLINE (PER GALLON) | AMOUNT OF SURCHARGE (PER TRIP) |
$2.00 or less | No surcharge |
$2.01 to $2.50 | $0.50 |
$2.51 to $3.00 | $1.00 |
$3.01 to $3.50 | $1.50 |
Each additional $0.50 increase in the average per gallon price of gasoline | Additional $0.50 per trip |
(C) The director shall determine the gasoline surcharge on a quarterly basis each year by checking, in accordance with the following schedule, the average price per gallon of gasoline as posted by the United States Department of Energy in its weekly updates:
DATE OF QUARTERLY PRICE CHECK BY DIRECTOR | DATE OF QUARTERLY ADJUSTMENT (IF REQUIRED) |
December 20 | January 1 |
March 20 | April 1 |
June 20 | July 1 |
September 20 | October 1 |
(g) Each driver of a hailable vehicle shall charge the rates of fare prescribed in Subsection (f) in accordance with the following terms and conditions:
(1) "Dallas Central Business District area" includes:
(A) the Dallas Central Business District, which is the area bounded by Woodall Rodgers Freeway on the north, Central Expressway on the east, R. L. Thornton Freeway on the south, and Stemmons Freeway on the west; and
(B) all points located within 1,000 feet of the Dallas Central Business District boundaries described in Paragraph (1)(A) of this subsection.
(2) "Dallas Market Center area" includes:
(A) the Dallas Market Center, which is the area bounded by Medical District Drive on the northwest, Harry Hines Boulevard on the northeast, Oak Lawn Avenue on the southeast, and Irving Boulevard on the southwest; and
(B) all points located within 1,000 feet of the Dallas Market Center boundaries described in Paragraph (2)(A) of this subsection.
(3) "Extra passengers" means the total number of passengers, less one, riding in the same vehicle whether or not going to the same destination.
(4) "Traffic delay time" is that time, as set and determined by the meter, during which the vehicle is stopped in traffic or proceeding at a speed of less than 11.5 miles per hour due to traffic conditions.
(5) "Waiting time" may be charged only when a passenger or party requests a vehicle to wait and be held exclusively for the use of that passenger or party.
(6) Passengers in the same vehicle traveling between the same points must be considered as one trip, and a multiple fare may not be charged. The only extra charge permitted for additional passengers is the $2.00 allowed under Subsection (e) for each extra passenger.
(7) When passengers in the same vehicle have different destinations, the fare must be collected and the meter must be reset at each destination point, except when the vehicle is engaged by, and the fare for the entire trip is paid by, one passenger or party. The $2.00 charge for each extra passenger is permitted under this paragraph only when the fare for the entire trip is paid by one passenger or party or when more than one passenger disembarks at a single location.
(8) A passenger or party must reimburse the driver for all lawful tolls paid during the time of engagement only if the passenger or party was notified of the toll route beforehand by the driver and did not object to the toll route.
(9) Flat rate fares provided in Subsection (f) of this section, as amended, shall include all fares described in this section, except for the extra passenger fare, also as described in this section.
(h) The director shall periodically review the hailable vehicle rates of fare and, after receiving input from operators and drivers of hailable vehicles, recommend any change to the city council. The city council shall hold a public hearing to consider the proposed change in rates of fare. After the hearing, the city council may approve, disapprove, or modify the proposed change.