The Chief of Police is empowered, subject to approval by the City Council, to make rules and regulations regarding the dress and conduct of drivers, and the maintenance, marking, and operation of taxicabs as may be necessary in the interest of providing safe and orderly service to passengers. No person shall fail to comply with any rule or regulation. Upon adoption or change in any rule or regulation, notice thereof shall be furnished to each taxicab licensee and taxicab driver licensee. The Chief of Police may require periodic reports to be submitted by operators and drivers in order to assist in the enforcement of the rules and regulations or the provisions of this chapter. Until changed or added to in the manner provided in this section, the following rules and regulations shall be applicable to taxicabs and taxicab drivers.
(A) It shall be the duty of every person driving or operating a taxicab to be courteous; to refrain from smoking while actually carrying passengers in his taxicab; to refrain from swearing, loud talking, or boisterous conduct; to drive his motor vehicle carefully and in full compliance with the traffic regulations of the city and orders of the police officers of the city; to promptly answer all court notices, traffic violation notices, or police notices; and to deal honestly with the public and with his employer.
(B) Any taxicab licensee who is a member of any cooperative association shall furnish the Police Department with the name of the association and shall notify the Police Department of any change in his membership or affiliation within 48 hours after the change.
(C) All taxicabs shall be kept in good running condition and clean and fit for public use. Each taxicab shall be inspected at intervals as the Chief of Police may direct.
(D) Only licensed taxicabs in a number as may be designated on any taxicab stand sign shall remain at that stand while waiting for employment, and each taxicab shall be parked in single file. The taxicab standing at the head of the parked line shall not be permitted to refuse to carry any orderly person who offers to hire the taxicab and agrees to pay the proper rate of fare, but any person desiring to hire any taxicab shall be free to select any taxicab he may desire on the stand whether it be at the head of the line or not. As the taxicabs leave the taxicab stand with passengers, those in the rear shall move up, and any taxicab entering the stand shall enter at the rear thereof and shall move up as closely as possible to the last taxicab on the stand.
(E) No person shall charge any fare for the hire of any taxicab other than in accordance with the current schedule of rates.
(F) No taxicab, while awaiting employment by passengers, shall stand on any public street or place other than upon a taxicab stand; nor shall any taxicab driver seek employment by repeatedly and persistently driving his taxicab to and fro in a short space before, or by otherwise interfering with, the proper and orderly access to or egress from any theater, hall, hotel, public resort, bus station, or other place of public gathering, or by in any other manner obstructing or impeding traffic. However, any taxicab driver may solicit employment by driving through any public street or place without stops other than those due to traffic and at a speed so as not to interfere with or impede traffic, and may pass and repass any theater, hall, hotel, public resort, bus station, or other place of public gathering, provided that after passing the public place he shall not turn and repass until he shall have gone a distance of two blocks beyond that place.
(G) No person shall solicit passengers for a public taxicab upon the streets of the city except the driver of the taxicab when sitting upon the driver's box of his vehicle. Every taxicab driver shall remain on the driver's seat or inside his vehicle at all times when the vehicle is standing upon any taxicab stand or when actually engaged in carrying passengers; however, every taxicab driver shall be permitted to leave his taxicab to assist passengers into or out of the taxicab. Any taxicab driver may leave his taxicab on a taxicab stand to take care of the calls of nature and during any absences his taxicab shall be parked at the rear of the taxicab stand, and no absence shall be longer than 30 minutes.
(H) Any taxicab licensee may place advertising matter on or in any licensed taxicab, but the form and content thereof shall first be approved by the Chief of Police.
(I) No taxicab driver shall drink any intoxicating beverage while on duty, nor immediately prior thereto.
(J) No color scheme or insignia designating the vehicle or vehicles of any taxicab licensee shall be the same or similar to that of any other licensed city taxicab service.
(‘83 Code, § 114.19) Penalty, see § 10.99