(A) City license required. No person shall operate or permit a taxicab owned or controlled by him or her to be operated as a vehicle for hire in the City without having first obtained a license from the City, except as otherwise permitted under this section.
(1) Any taxicab licensed to operate in another political subdivision of this state may carry passengers to any place or point within the City, but neither the owner nor operator of such vehicle shall be permitted to solicit or pick up business in the City unless licensed to do so by the City.
(2) There shall be a presumption that the owner or operator of any taxicab not licensed in the City who carries or picks up passengers within the City is operating in violation of this section, and the burden shall be upon the owner or operator of such taxicab to prove that his activities are permitted under this section.
(B) Application. An application for a taxicab license shall be filed with the City Administrator upon forms provided by the City, and the application shall provide for furnishing the following:
(1) The name and address of the applicant;
(2) The financial status of the applicant, including the amounts of all unpaid judgments against the applicant and the nature of the transaction or acts giving rise to the judgment;
(3) The experience of the applicant in the transportation of passengers;
(4) Any facts which the applicant believes tend to prove that public convenience and necessity require the granting of a license;
(5) The number of vehicles to be operated or controlled by the applicant, the location of proposed depots and terminals, the owner of each of said vehicles, and the license number of each vehicle;
(6) The color scheme or insignia to be used to designate the vehicle or vehicles of the applicant;
(7) A statement signed by the applicant indicating his understanding that falsification of any item on the application is sufficient reason upon which to base a denial or revocation of the license; and
(8) Such further information as the City may reasonably require.
(C) Acceptance or denial. Within a reasonable time following the license application verification process, the City Council shall accept or deny the license application.
(1) If the City Council finds that the applicant’s taxicab service in the City is desirable for the public convenience and necessity and that the applicant is fit, willing, and able to perform such public transportation and to conform to the provisions of this section, the City shall grant a license stating the name and address of the applicant and the number of vehicles authorized under said license; otherwise, the application shall be denied.
(2) In making the above findings, the City Council shall take into consideration the number of taxicabs already in operation in the City; whether existing transportation is adequate to meet the public needs; the probable effect of increased service on local traffic conditions; and the character, experience, and responsibility of the applicant.
(D) Identification tag. The City shall issue a numbered identification tag which shall be displayed upon the rear exterior of the licensed taxicab at all times during the license period.
(E) Insurance. No license shall be issued or continued in operation unless there is in full force and effect a liability insurance policy for each City-licensed vehicle in the amount of $300,000 for bodily injury to any one person, in the amount of $300,000 for injuries to more than one person which are sustained in the same accident, and $50,000 for property damage resulting from any one accident.
(1) The insurance shall inure to the benefit of any person who shall be injured or who shall sustain property damage proximately caused by the negligence of a license holder, his servant, or agent.
(2) A certificate of Insurance shall be issued in favor of and shall be filed with the City.
(3) The policy of insurance shall provide for at least ten days’ written notice to the City Administrator before any cancellation of such policy may become effective.
(F) Bond. In lieu of an insurance policy, the City Council, in its discretion, may allow the licensee to file a bond or bonds issued by a surety company authorized to do business in the State of Minnesota.
(G) Self-insurer. If the applicant for a license under this section has qualified as a self-insurer under M.S. § 65B.48, Subd. 3, as amended, and has filed with the City a certified copy or a duplicate original of his or her self-insurance certificate issued by the State Commissioner of Highways, then no policy of insurance or surety bond shall be required to be filed with the City.
(H) Sales, and the like. The operator shall report to the City any sale, assignment, or mortgage of a taxicab licensed pursuant to this section.
(I) Suspension and revocation. Any license issued pursuant to this section may be revoked or suspended by the City Council if the holder thereof has violated any of the provisions of this section; has discontinued operations for more than 60 days; or has violated any ordinances of the City or any law of the United States or State of Minnesota, which violation reflects unfavorably on the fitness of the holder to offer public transportation.
(Ord. 17, 6th Series, passed 3-6-2007) Penalty, see § 117.99