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HomeMy Public PortalAbout112-1996- GENERAL ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTER 119 OF THE CITY OFORDINANCE NO. 112-1996 A GENERAL ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTER 119 OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND CODE WHEREAS, Chapter 119 of the City of Richmond Code regulates the operation of taxicabs and taxicab companies within the City; and WHEREAS, it is desirable to update said Chapter to provide for the safety and well-being of the citizens of and visitors to the City of Richmond. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED by the Common Council of the City of Richmond, Indiana that the following sections of Chapter 119 of the City of Richmond Code shall be amended to read as follows: 119.01 DEFINITION For purposes of this chapter, the following definition shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning. "TAXICAB" - Every motor driven vehicle used within the city for public hire and carrying passengers for hire, along or over public streets in the city, the destination or route of which is under the direction of a passenger transported therein. This shall include any shuttle or limousine service operated within the city. 119.02 REGULATIONS APPLICABLE No person shall drive, stand, or park any taxicab on any street except in accordance with the conditions established by this chapter. 119.03 LICENSE REQUIRED No person shall operate a taxicab service on any street in the city without first securing a license to do so. 119.04 APPLICATION FOR LICENSES (a) Any person desiring to operate a taxicab service shall, before providing the service, file With the City Controller a written signed application for a license, sworn to by the applicant, which application shall show the following: (1) The name of the person, partnership, firm, or corporation desiring the license; if a firm, the full names of each of the partners; (2) The place of residence and principal place of business of the applicant; (3) That the applicant intends to and will, if issued a license to do so, operate the taxicabs as shall be necessary in the service and that he owns and is the sole owner of the described taxicabs, and intends to and will operate the taxicabs in such service; (4) The age, sex, and the residence of each person who will drive a taxicab for the applicant; (5) The make, model, and serial number of each vehicle which will be operated by the taxicab service; and (6) The location and address of the office of the applicant. (b) Each taxicab to be operated within the city must be licensed annually. The license shall be issued by the City Controller after payment of a fee and presentation of proof of insurance and mechanical inspection as required by this chapter. The license shall contain the make, model, and serial number of the taxicab and shall have four spaces for a member of the Traffic Division of the Richmond Police Department to certify that the taxicab has passed the safety inspections required by this chapter. Each license shall be valid for the calendar year and must be carried in the taxicab at all times. 119.05 MECHANICAL AND SAFETY INSPECTIONS (a) In addition to providing an application properly executed, each applicant shall present a Certificate of Mechanical Inspection for each taxicab, to be provided by the Traffic Division of the Richmond Police Department, certifying that each of the applicant's vehicles has been inspected by a mechanic licensed by the State of Indiana and found to be mechanically safe. Said mechanic must be selected from an approved list maintained by the Police Department. Each taxicab must pass such an inspection annually before a license will be given to operate said taxicab. (b) Each taxicab shall be inspected for safety a minimum of four (4) times each year at times designated by the Traffic Division of the Richmond Police Department. It shall be certified on the license for each taxicab that the taxicab was inspected by a member of the Traffic Division of the Richmond Police Department and was found: (1) Equipped with safe tires; (2) Equipped so that all its operating and functional parts are in proper working order; (3) Equipped with any additional necessary safety devices such as hand brakes, rear view mirror, turn signals, safety glass, horns, and so forth; (4) In a clean and sanitary condition; (5) Seats and interior in a good state of repair so as not to cause injury or damage to any passenger or his property; and (6) Clearly marked as required by this chapter. (c) Failure to present the taxicab license upon request by a member of the Traffic Division of the Richmond Police Department shall subject both the driver and the taxicab company to fines as set forth in this Chapter. (d) Each taxicab must at all times be maintained in a safe condition as set forth above. Should any taxicab fail to meet these criteria at any time, it shall be immediately removed from service until properly repaired by a licensed mechanic and re -inspected by a member of the Traffic Division of the Richmond Police Department. Failure to meet these criteria shall subject the taxicab company to fines as set forth in this Chapter. 119.06 LICENSE FEES FOR VEHICLES The applicant, on presentation of the application to operate a taxicab service and of a certificate of mechanical inspection for each taxicab, shall purchase a license for each taxicab covered by the application from the City Controller. The license fee for each taxicab for the calendar year shall be $75. This fee must thereafter be paid annually and must be presented with a certificate of mechanical inspection and the properly certified license from the previous year. This fee shall be pro -rated on a monthly basis for any taxicabs brought into service during the calendar year. 119.07 ISSUANCE AND DISPLAY OF INSPECTION EMBLEM Upon payment of the annual license fee for each taxicab and the presentation of appropriate certificate(s) of inspection and proof of insurance as required by this chapter, the City Controller shall issue to the applicant an appropriate emblem certifying inspection for each vehicle covered by the application. The emblem will be valid for one year and shall be displayed in the interior right hand corner of the front windshield. The emblem certifying inspection on each licensed taxicab shall not be removed from the windshield except by a member of the Traffic Division of the Police Department. The emblem shall be removed and the taxicab license revoked immediately upon the failure of any taxicab to pass any inspection. A new emblem must be issued and license fee paid before any taxicab that fails an inspection can again be operated in the City. 119.09 ADDING VEHICLES TO THE FLEET (a) No additional vehicle shall be added to or used by the holder of any license until he has first reported the addition to the City controller, made application for a license for the additional vehicle, paid the required fee, presented proof of insurance and mechanical inspection as required by this chapter, and received the license and an inspection emblem. (b) In the event of an emergency wherein extra taxicabs would be necessary for the transportation of passengers and subject to the approval of the City Controller, temporary operating permits, good for seven days from and including the date of issuance, may be issued to the applicant on the proper application for and on the payment at the time of application of a fee of five dollars ($5) for each temporary operating permit. This temporary operating permit shall apply only to taxicab operators having already secured the regular city license for operation of a taxicab service, provided that each vehicle has been properly inspected as required by this chapter. (c) In the event of any disaster or emergency such as flood, riot, war, evacuation or any catastrophe, the City Controller shall have the right to suspend the foregoing requirement for a temporary operating permit during the emergency. 119.12 USE OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES OR CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES No person shall drive a taxicab while intoxicated, or while consuming or having been consuming any alcoholic beverages. No operator of a taxicab business shall permit any person who is intoxicated, or who has been consuming alcoholic beverages or has the smell or odor of alcoholic beverages on his breath to drive a taxicab. The same shall apply to the use or possession of any controlled substance. A violation of this section shall subject both the driver and the operator of the taxicab service to fines as set forth in this chapter. 119.25 LIABILITY INSURANCE No license shall be issued and no taxicab shall be operated on any street in the city until there has been filed with the City Controller an indemnity undertaking or policy of insurance, executed by an insurance company authorized to execute the instruments in the State of Indiana, and running for the year of the license to be issued to the applicant, all subject to approval of the City Controller. The policy shall provide for the payment of any final judgment that may be rendered against the insured for damages to property or for bodily injury or death of passengers or other persons resulting from collision or other accident for which the person may be found liable while operating the taxicab described in the application, in a sum up to $1,000,000 per accident. 119.29 TRANSFER OF LICENSE (a) In the event a taxicab service is sold or transferred to a new owner, the license to operate said taxicab service shall be transferred to the new owner upon the following: (1) the filing with the City Controller of a written signed application to transfer a license; and (2) the payment of all taxicab license transfers fees as set forth in subsection (c). (b) The application to transfer a license to operate a taxicab service shall be sworn to by the applicant and shall contain the following: (1) The name of the person, partnership, firm, or corporation desiring the license; if a firm, the full names of each of the partners; (2) The name of the person, partnership, firm, or corporation transferring the license; if a firm, the full names of each of the partners; (3) The place of residence and principal place of business of the applicant; (4) That the applicant intends to and will, if issued a license to do so, operate the taxicabs as shall be necessary in the service and that he owns and is the sole owner of the described taxicabs, and intends to and will operate the taxicabs in such service; (5) The age, sex, and the residence of each person who will drive a taxicab for the applicant; (6) The make, model, and serial number of each vehicle for which a license is applied; and (7) The location and address of the office of the applicant. (c) All existing taxicab licenses shall be transferred to the new owner upon payment of a ten dollar ($10.00) transfer fee for each vehicle. This fee must be paid before any license will be transferred under this section. Annual license fees shall thereafter be assessed pursuant to Section 119.06. 119.30 MARKINGS (a) All taxicabs operated within the City of Richmond shall be clearly marked with the name and phone number of the taxicab company on both the driver's side and passenger side front doors in permanent lettering no smaller than five (5) inches. (b) Stretched limousines shall be exempt from this section. 119.31 FINES AND REMOVAL OF TAXICABS FROM SERVICE Unless a section provides otherwise, any violations of this chapter shall result in a fine in the amount of one hundred dollars ($100.00) being assessed against the taxicab company (and/or the driver as authorized in this chapter). Any taxicab that is found not to be in compliance with any of the provisions of this chapter shall be immediately removed from service and may not be operated again within the city until such time as said taxicab is certified by a member of the Traffic Division of the Richmond Police Department to be in full compliance with this chapter. Passed and adopted this day f 1996, by the Common Council of the City of Richmond, Indiana. esident (Geneva Allen) ATTES City Clerk (Norma S hroeder) Q& RESE D to the Mayor of the City of Richmond, Indiana, this day of 1996, at 9:00 a.m. City Clerk (Norm chroeder) this A Mayor w DISPOSITION OF ORDINANCE NO. - 19 /� RESOLUTION NO. - 19 by Common Council Ordinance No. � U Resolution 7N. Dat' Elstro Lundy Wissel Stamper Welch Parker Aller Dickman Hutton Susp. rules 1st reading Title Only Secorxi Move to 2nd reading Second Engrossment Second E I Susp.rules 3rd reading Second Passage Rejection Date Passed — COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS: Committee Date