(a) The Board shall have the authority to establish and prescribe by Board order the rates to be charged for transportation by the motor vehicles mentioned in Section 71.00. Any Board Order fixing rates must be approved by the City Council, by ordinance, before taking effect. However, the Board may by Board Order establish rates to be effective on final publication and without subsequent ratification by the City Council within the range of maximum and minimum rates established by ordinance.
(b) (Amended by Ord. No. 173,193, Eff. 5/29/00, Oper. 7/1/00.) No provision of this section shall prevent the Board from approving and establishing rates outside any ordinance-prescribed maximum and minimum rates, subject to approval by the City Council in accordance with the provisions of Section 22.484 (g) of the Los Angeles Administrative Code.
(c) No rate shall be placed in effect, charged, demanded or collected for passenger transportation service until the Board, after hearing upon its own motion, or upon application, or upon complaint, shall have found and determined said rate to be just, reasonable non-discriminatory, non-preferential, and not in violation of any provision herein contained or any provision of law; nor until said rate to be placed in effect, charged, demanded or collected shall have been approved and established.
(d) The Board shall have power, upon a hearing upon its own motion or upon complaint, to investigate a single rate or fare, or the entire schedule of rates in effect, charged, demanded or collected for transportation, service, and to establish a new rate or schedule of rates in lieu thereof. Nothing contained herein shall be construed to empower the Board to approve or establish any rate, or any schedule of rates for passenger transportation service that will, by means of rebate, discount, sale of script books, excursion or commutation tickets, or in anywise, violate the minimum or maximum rate or the provisions contained in this section or any provision of law.
(e) No provision of this article shall be deemed to prevent the Board upon notice and after hearing, from prescribing boundaries and establishing rates to be charged for point-to-point trips within such prescribed boundaries, subject to Paragraphs (a) and (b) above.