No person shall operate for hire or cause to be operated for hire, upon the streets of the City, any taxicab or motor vehicle for hire without first obtaining a license therefor from the Mayor and Council. However, the Mayor and Council shall, whenever a license to operate a taxicab is applied for, determine the numbers of taxicabs necessary on the basis of public necessity and convenience. In making such determination, the Mayor and Council shall consider the number of taxicabs operating in the City, the demand of the public for such taxicab service, the financial responsibility of the applicant, the number and kind of equipment, the schedule of rates to be charged, traffic conditions on the streets and whether or not the proposed taxicab service will result in a hazard to the public. The judgment of the Mayor and Council shall be conclusive on the question of public convenience and necessity. Applications for such licenses shall be considered in the order filed with the City Clerk and, when and if denied, shall remain on file and considered in the order filed if an opening for a new license arises. If an opening for a new license arises, applicants shall then be permitted to file an application setting forth all the current information required in this chapter.
(1979 Code Sec. 12.08.020)