All taxicabs operated under the authority of this chapter shall be equipped with taximeters fastened in front of the passengers, visible to them at all times day and night; and, after sundown, the face of the taximeter shall be illuminated. The taximeter shall be operated mechanically by a mechanism of standard design and construction, driven either from the transmission or from one of the front wheels by a flexible and permanently attached driving mechanism. They shall be sealed at all points and connections which, if manipulated, would affect their correct reading and recording. Each taximeter shall have thereon a flag to denote when the vehicle is employed and when it is not employed; and it shall be the duty of the driver to throw the flag of such taximeter into a nonrecording position at the termination of each trip. The taximeters shall be subject to inspection at the expense of the holder from time to time by the person or official designated by the Mayor or his designee unless evidence of periodic inspection by a recognized municipality is supplied by the permit holder. The person or official is hereby authorized either on complaint of any person or without such complaint, to inspect any meter and, upon discovery of any inaccuracy therein, to notify the person operating the taxicab to cease operation. There upon the taxicab shall be kept off the highways until the taximeter is repaired and in the required working condition.
(Ord. 70-1964. Passed 5-19-64; Ord. 61-1985. Passed 5-28-85.)