(Amended by Ord. No. 187,416, Eff. 3/2/22.)
(a) A Taxicab Operator may use any type of device or technology approved by the Division of Measurement Standards to calculate fares, including the use of Global Positioning System metering, provided the device or technology complies with Section 12500.5 of the California Business and Professions Code and with all regulations established pursuant to Section 12107 of the Business and Professions Code, as well as other state laws. The installation, operation and maintenance of a taximeter shall be in compliance with state law, City ordinances, and Board Rules. Taximeters shall be maintained at all times to be accurate and in good working order. It shall be unlawful to install or program a taximeter in a manner that makes it possible to tamper with the rate setting mechanisms. It shall be unlawful to attach any equipment to a taximeter or the taximeter's wiring harness that has not been approved by the state or the City. It shall be unlawful to possess a fraudulent or false taximeter.
(b) Each Taxicab Operator shall maintain a taximeter or a taxi soft meter approved by the Department capable of printing, emailing, or texting a receipt for all trips provided. For the purposes of this section, a taxi soft meter is a type of taximeter that uses technologies such as GPS or on-board diagnostics to calculate fares based on time and distance.
(c) All taxicab fares and rates shall be set in compliance with state law.