SEC. 71.23. CIRCUITOUS ROUTES.

   Any driver employed to carry passengers to a definite point shall take the most direct route practicable that will carry the passengers safely and expeditiously to their destination.

SEC. 71.24. EXCESS CHARGES.

   (Amended by Ord. No. 165,491, Eff. 3/19/90.)

   No person shall charge, collect, demand, receive or arrange for any compensation for the service of any vehicle defined in Section 71.00 in this City used for the conveyance of passengers, any amount, rate, or compensation different than the charges or rates established by the Board.

SEC. 71.25. AUTHORITY OF BOARD TO ESTABLISH RATES.

   (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)   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. (Amended by Ord. No. 173,193, Eff. 5/29/00, Oper. 7/1/00.)

   (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.

SEC. 71.26. TRANSPORTATION REGULATION AND ENFORCEMENT TRUST FUND.

   (Added by Ord. No. 170,068, Eff. 11/18/94.)

   All monies collected for monetary penalties from taxicab operators, monetary penalties from individual permit holders or any other fines, penalties and bond forfeitures collected pursuant to this article shall be placed in a separate fund entitled “Transportation Regulation and Enforcement Trust Fund”, to be administered by the Department of Transportation. All monies paid into the fund and any interest earned thereon shall be used for Citywide regulation and enforcement, in excess of that authorized in the Department’s annual budget, of this article as it relates to operators, vehicles, and drivers providing both legal and illegal (“bandit”) transportation services in the City.

SEC. 71.27. INSPECTION OF LIMOUSINE WAYBILLS.

   (Added by Ord. No. 180,999, Eff. 1/7/10.)

   (a)   The Taxicab Administrator, Chief Transportation Investigator, Senior Transportation Investigator, Transportation Investigator and any individual holding Peace Officer status with jurisdictional authority in the City, may, upon request, inspect the waybill of any charter-party carrier of passengers operating within the City for the purpose of verifying valid pre-arranged travel. As required by Part 3.01 of General Order 157-C promulgated by the California Public Utilities Commission, or any successor regulation, the waybill must include the following:

   (1)   Name of carrier and TCP number;

   (2)   Vehicle license plate number;

   (3)   Driver’s name;

   (4)   Name and address of person requesting or arranging the charter;

   (5)   Time and date when charter was arranged;

   (6)   Whether the transportation was arranged by telephone or written contract;

   (7)   Number of persons in the charter group;

   (8)   Name of at least one passenger in the traveling party, or identifying information about the traveling party’s affiliation; and

   (9)   Points of origination and destination.

   The party arranging the transportation must have exclusive use of the vehicle.

   (b)   Any person operating a charter-party carrier of passengers within the City who, upon request by an individual authorized under Subsection (a) of this Section, fails or refuses to produce their waybill for inspection is guilty of an infraction punishable under this Section, as provided in Subsection (c) hereof.

   (c)   Upon conviction of a violation charged under this Section, the person so convicted shall be punished for the first offense by a fine of $100.00; and for a second additional violation within one year of the first offense, by a fine of $250.00. A third violation of this Section within one year shall be prosecuted as a misdemeanor.

SEC. 71.28. COMPENSATION TO GAIN ACCESS TO PASSENGERS.

   (Added by Ord. No. 182,483, Eff. 4/21/13.)

   (a)   It shall be unlawful for any person to pay, or offer or agree to pay, any owner of any hotel, apartment house, motel, inn, rental unit, restaurant, bar, or other business establishment, or an agent or employee of any such owner, for recommending or directing any passenger without a reservation made on a pre-arranged basis to ride in a specific automobile-for-hire or taxicab, or to a specific company that owns an automobile-for-hire or taxicab.

   (b)   It shall be unlawful for any owner of a hotel, apartment house, motel, inn, rental unit, restaurant or bar, or other business establishment, or for an agent or employee of any such owner, to accept or offer or agree to accept payment for recommending or directing a passenger without a reservation made on a pre-arranged basis to ride in a specific Automobile-For-Hire or Taxicab, or to a specific company that owns an automobile-for-hire or taxicab.

   (c)   Violation – Penalties. A first time violation of this Section shall result in a fine of Two Hundred Dollars ($200). A subsequent offense of this Section is a misdemeanor, punishable upon conviction by a fine of not less than Two Hundred Fifty Dollars ($250) nor more than One Thousand Dollars ($1,000), or by imprisonment in the county jail for not more than six months, or by both fine and imprisonment.

   (d)   Severability. If any section, subsection, sentence, clause, or phrase of this Ordinance is for any reason held to be invalid or unconstitutional by a decision of any court of any competent jurisdiction, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this Ordinance. The City Council hereby declares that it would have passed this Ordinance and each and every section, subsection, sentence, clause and phrase thereof not declared invalid or unconstitutional without regard to whether any portion of the ordinance would be subsequently declared invalid or unconstitutional.

SEC. 71.29. REGULATION OF SHARED MOBILITY DEVICES.

   (Amended by Ord. No. 186,955, Eff. 4/26/21.)

   (a)   Shared Mobility Device Permit Program. The Department shall implement a Shared Mobility Device Permit Program (Program) and may issue a permit on an annual basis to a qualified service provider (Provider) to operate a shared mobility device (Device) in the City. For purposes of this section, a “shared mobility device”, as defined in Civil Code Section 2505, means an electrically motorized board, motorized scooter, electric bicycle, bicycle, or a similar personal transportation device. For purposes of this section, a “shared mobility device provider”, as defined in California Civil Code Section 2505, means a person or entity that offers, makes available, or provides a Device in exchange for financial compensation or membership via a digital application (app) or other electronic or digital platform. A Provider of a Device shall obtain a permit from the Department and shall be subject to all permit terms and conditions, the Department’s Rules and Guidelines (Rules), this Code, and state or federal law. Failure to comply with the permit terms and conditions, Rules, this Code, or state or federal law may result in: (1) suspension or revocation of the Provider’s permit; (2) penalties as listed in the Rules; (3) reduction in the Provider’s authorized fleet size in the City; and (4) criminal prosecution for a violation of state or federal law.

   (b)   General Manager Authority. Notwithstanding Section 71.29.1 and Section 71.29.2 below, the General Manager of the Department shall have the authority to make technical changes to the Rules as needed, and to make changes necessary to implement the Program, including, but not limited to: (1) updating permit application procedures, permit standards, and permit conditions; and (2) updating operating standards for public safety, data sharing, data privacy, fleet size, and Provider maintenance of the Devices.

   (c)   Disclosure of Mobility Service Data. The Department shall not disclose mobility service data to any law enforcement agency except when pursuant to a lawfully issued subpoena or warrant or as required by law. (Added by Ord. No. 187,631, Eff. 10/31/22.)