(a) No driver shall solicit passengers for a taxicab except when sitting in the driver’s compartment of such taxicab or while standing immediately adjacent to the curbside thereof. The driver of any taxicab shall remain in the driver’s compartment or immediately adjacent to his or her vehicle at all times when such vehicle is upon a public street, provided that, when necessary, a driver may be absent from his or her taxicab for not more than three consecutive minutes, and provided, further, that nothing herein contained shall be held to prohibit any driver from alighting to the street or sidewalk for the purpose of assisting passengers into or out of such vehicle.
(b) No driver shall solicit patronage in a loud or annoying tone of voice or by sign, or in any manner annoy any person, obstruct the movement of any person or follow any person for the purpose of soliciting patronage.
(c) Drivers of taxicabs shall not receive or discharge passengers in the roadway, but shall pull up to the right-hand sidewalk as nearly as possible or, in the absence of a sidewalk, to the right-hand side of the road and there receive or discharge passengers, except upon one-way streets, where passengers may be discharged at either the right or left-hand sidewalk, or on the side of the roadway in the absence of a sidewalk. Where there is a curb, the receipt and discharge of passengers shall be made at the curb, and the taxicab shall not be more than three feet from the curb when receiving or discharging passengers.
(d) No driver shall permit more persons to be carried in a taxicab as passengers than the rated seating capacity of the taxicab.
(e) No driver shall refuse or neglect to convey any orderly person or persons, upon request, unless previously engaged or unless he or she is unable or forbidden by the provisions of this chapter to do so.
(f) No driver of a taxicab shall solicit business for any hotel or attempt to divert patronage from one hotel to another.
(g) No driver shall engage in selling intoxicating liquor, solicit business for any house of ill repute or use his or her vehicle for any purpose other than for transporting passengers, baggage, trunks, parcels or packages.
(Ord. 93-43, passed 8-12-1993)