Colusa Municipal Code Ch. 17A Taxicabs

As used in this chapter the following terms are hereby defined:

Driver. The person driving and/or operating or proposing to drive and/or operate any such vehicle, whether as an owner thereof or an agent or employee of a registered and/or legal owner.

Owner. The registered owner of any vehicle operated hereunder.

(Ord. No. 287, § 1.)

It shall be unlawful for any person to own, maintain or operate upon the public thoroughfares within the corporate limits of the city any rental automobile or taxicab or other vehicle, soliciting or carrying passengers for hire, without first having obtained a business license so to do from the city and paying to the city the license fees herein provided.

It shall be unlawful for any person to own, maintain or operate any such rented automobile or taxicab or other vehicle except in accord with the provisions of this chapter.

(Ord. No. 287, § 1.)

(a) Applications for licenses hereunder shall be made to the chief of police and licenses issued hereunder shall first be approved by the council upon recommendation of the chief of police.

(b) Application shall be in writing and shall be signed by the owner and by the driver and shall contain the following information:

(1) Name, address and citizenship of the legal owner of the vehicle.

(2) Name, address and citizenship of the registered owner of the vehicle.

(3) Name, address, citizenship and age of the driver of the vehicle together with height, weight, sex and color of eyes and hair of such driver.

(4) Past experience of the driver, including names and addresses of all former employers of driver for the three year period next preceding date of application.

(5) Make, model, year, license number and engine and/or serial number of vehicle.

(6) Whether or not any driver's license issued by a state or governmental agency, to driver, has ever been revoked or suspended for any cause.

(7) Statement of any prior convictions for misdemeanor and/or felon, if any, of the driver, including convictions for traffic offenses wherever committed.

(c) Upon filing of application hereunder, driver shall submit to fingerprinting by the police department of the city as a condition precedent to the acceptance for filing of any such application; driver shall likewise furnish, at time of filing application, three one and one-half inch by one and one-half inch passport type, full-face photographs of the driver.

(d) One such photograph shall be permanently attached to the application; one photograph shall be filed with the police department together with fingerprints of driver; one photograph shall be permanently affixed to the license as hereinafter provided in subsection (b) of section 17A-6.

(Ord. No. 287, § 1.)

(a) A separate application shall be made, and separate license issued for each vehicle to be operated and for each driver thereof.

(b) Each license shall be valid only for operation of the described vehicle by the driver and for drivers specified in the license and licenses shall not be transferable either as to vehicles or drivers.

(c) Upon discontinuance of employment of any driver or change of ownership of any vehicle a new application shall be made and new license issued for any such new owner and/or driver; no refund of any previous license fee paid shall be made.

(Ord. No. 287, § 1.)

(a) Licenses issued hereunder shall be in such form as approved by the council and shall contain a full description of the vehicle, statement of ownership thereof, and description of the driver thereof.

(b) Affixed to the license shall be one photograph of driver furnished in accord with subsection (d) of section 17A-3.

(c) Licenses shall be conspicuously posted at all times in or upon every vehicle operated hereunder in such positions as to be clearly visible in the passenger compartment thereof.

(Ord. No. 287, § 1.)

The business license fee for the operation of any vehicle hereunder shall be as set forth in chapter 10 of this Code.

(Ord. No. 287, § 1.)

No driver shall be under the age of eighteen years.

(Ord. No. 286, § 1.)

Every vehicle operated herein shall be plainly marked with the word "TAXI" visible from both sides and the front thereof from a distance of not less than fifty feet.

(Ord. No. 287, § 1.)

The council is hereby expressly authorized to fix by resolution all or any of the following:

(a) Rates of charge for hire of any vehicle operated hereunder.

(b) Number of vehicles and/or drivers to be operated hereunder.

(c) Number and/or length and/or location of taxicab parking zones.

(d) Type, age and make of vehicles to be operated hereunder.

When so fixed by the council, a schedule of rates of charge for hire of any vehicle operated hereunder shall be conspicuously posted at all times in or upon such vehicle in such position as to be clearly visible in the passenger compartment thereof.

No charge shall be demanded or collected in excess of such schedule,

(Ord. No. 287, § 1.)

(a) The city council may designate taxicab parking zones. No approval of any taxicab parking zone shall be given except upon the written consent first filed with the chief of police of the ground-floor owner or tenant in possession of the premises abutting upon the taxicab parking zone; no consideration shall be demanded, given or paid for any such consent so given.

(b) Such taxicab parking zone shall be plainly designated by yellow paint upon the curb of the street with lettering in black thereon in the following words and form "NO PARKING—TAXI ONLY—NO PARKING."

(Ord. No. 287, § 1.)

(a) No vehicle shall be operated hereunder unless the same be maintained at all times in first class and clean mechanical and body condition.

(b) No vehicle shall be operated hereunder unless the same be fully covered at all times with public liability insurance within limits of one hundred thousand dollars for one injury, three hundred thousand dollars for more than one injury, and property damage insurance of fifty thousand dollars, all the insurances to be carried by a recognized and approved insurance carrier; satisfactory proof of such insurance may be demanded at any time by the chief of police.

(Ord. No. 287, § 1.)

Every driver of every vehicle operated hereunder shall, unless otherwise specifically directed by the passenger hiring the same, proceed from the point of hiring to the point of destination by the most direct route along the public thoroughfares.

(Ord. No. 287, § 1.)