The City Manager is hereby authorized to grant licenses required by Section 856.02 to any citizen of the United States who is a resident of the State, at least twenty-one years of age and of good moral character, or to any corporation or copartnership authorized to operate taxicabs in accordance with the laws of the State, subject to the following conditions:
(a) No license for the operation of taxicabs in excess of the limitation herein prescribed shall be issued unless and until Council, by resolution, declares that public convenience and necessity require the issuance of additional taxicab licenses in the number set forth in such resolution. Upon the passage of such resolution, the City Manager shall be authorized to issue the specified additional number of licenses. All applications must be approved by the City Manager.
(b) The applicant shall file proper evidence of insurance coverage, which shall include a copy of the policy, showing that the applicant has procured insurance from an insurance company permitted to do business in the State, which insurance contract guarantees the payment of any judgment against the applicant or an individual driver of a taxicab up to one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) for any one person and three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000) for any one accident, which insurance contract shall cover any liability for bodily injuries or death occurring from the negligent operation of any such taxicab.
(c) The applicant shall file a description of the taxicab to be operated under such license if granted, including the maker's name, serial or VIN number, model and year. A separate nontransferable license shall be granted for each taxicab to be used.
(d) The applicant shall pay a fee of one hundred dollars ($100.00) for each taxicab to be kept and used as aforesaid for public hire, during the license year. The license fee for part of a year shall be prorated by the month or any part thereof. A part of a month shall be counted as a full month.
(e) The holder of a taxicab license must maintain at least a twelve-hour service from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Taxicab service must be given to any caller who desires such service between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. During other hours of the day and night, the license holder may furnish such taxi service if he or she is able to do so.
(f) The name of each taxicab driver and his or her commercial driver's license (CDL) number must be registered with the Chief of Police.
(g) Any vehicle operated as a taxicab shall be equipped with two-way radio communication equipment. Each taxicab must be radio dispatched from its base of operations.
(h) Any vehicle operated as a taxicab must be properly marked, including, at a minimum, the company's name and phone number and an identification number.
(Ord. 2075. Passed 8-27-84; Ord. 2501. Passed 7-22-96; Ord. 2525. Passed 2-24-97; Ord. 3114. Passed 7-8-13.)