Sacramento Municipal Code Art. II Taxicab Drivers

A. No person shall operate a taxicab unless he or she holds a valid taxicab driver permit issued pursuant to this article.

B. Upon demand of a peace officer, or city employee authorized to enforce this chapter, the driver of a taxicab shall present his or her taxicab driver permit for examination. (Ord. 2010-028 § 2)

A. An applicant for a taxicab driver permit must be:

1. Lawfully able to work in the United States;

2. Eighteen (18) years of age or older;

3. In sound mental and physical health, and not subject to any condition that might render the applicant unfit for the safe operation of a taxicab;

• 4. Licensed to drive a motor vehicle by the state of California;
• 5. Employed, or have an offer of employment, as a taxicab driver in the city; and
• 6. Registered, or approved to be registered, with a taxicab fleet association.

B. Applications for a taxicab driver permit, or renewal thereof, shall be filed with the director. The application shall be on a form approved by the city manager and may require any information or documentation consistent with the provisions of this chapter.

C. To renew a taxicab driver permit, the permittee shall submit an application no later than thirty (30) days prior to the date upon which the taxicab driver permit expires, pursuant to Section 5.136.130. Untimely applications to renew taxicab driver permits are subject to a late penalty in the amount established by resolution of the city council.

D. Every application for issuance or renewal of a taxicab driver permit shall be accompanied by a nonrefundable taxicab driver permit application fee in the amount established by resolution of the city council.

E. No person shall knowingly make a false statement of fact or knowingly omit any information that is required in an application for a taxicab driver permit. (Ord. 2010-028 § 2)

The director may deny any taxicab driver permit for any of the following reasons:

A. The application received is incomplete;

B. The application contains a false or misleading statement or omission of a material fact;

C. The applicant does not satisfy the requirements of Section 5.136.110(A);

D. The applicant or any person with a ten (10) percent or greater financial interest in the applicant's operation of the taxicab has been charged in an indictment issued by a grand jury, or in an information, complaint or similar pleading issued by the United States Attorney, district attorney, city attorney or other governmental official or agency authorized to prosecute crimes, with a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year or with a crime involving moral turpitude; and those criminal proceedings are currently pending;

E. The applicant or any person with a ten (10) percent or greater financial interest in the applicant's operation of the taxicab has been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year, or a crime involving moral turpitude;

F. The applicant tested positive for a controlled substance or alcohol in accordance with Section 53075.5 of the Government Code;

G. The applicant or any person with a ten (10) percent or greater financial interest in the applicant's operation of the taxicab, has any unpaid and overdue administrative penalties imposed for violations of this chapter;

H. The applicant has not paid the applicable business operations tax pursuant to Chapter 3.08;

I. Within twelve (12) months of the date of application, the applicant has had its taxicab driver permit revoked;

J. The operation of a taxicab by the applicant is a threat to the public health, safety or welfare; or

K. The applicant failed to take or pass a city taxicab drivers test in accordance with Section 5.136.290. (Ord. 2014-0019 § 2; Ord. 2010-028 § 2)

Taxicab driver permits issued pursuant to the provisions of this chapter shall be valid for one year from the date that the permit was issued, unless it is suspended or revoked sooner. (Ord. 2010-028 § 2)

The director may suspend or revoke any taxicab driver's permit issued pursuant to this chapter for any of the following reasons:

A. One or more of the circumstances upon which a taxicab driver permit could be denied as described in Section 5.136.120 exists or has occurred; or

B. The permittee has violated any provision of this chapter. (Ord. 2010-028 § 2)

A. No person shall operate a taxicab unless he or she is registered to a taxicab fleet association with a valid taxicab fleet association permit issued pursuant to this chapter.

B. No taxicab driver shall be registered to more than one taxicab fleet association. (Ord. 2010-028 § 2)

A. No person shall stop, stand, or park a taxicab in any parking meter space, as defined by Section 10.04.010, during the hours of operation of the adjacent parking meter or of the controlling pay-by-space or pay-and-display machine.

B. Any person violating this section shall be guilty of an infraction, punishable by a fine in accordance with Section 36900 of the California Government Code.

C. A violation of this section is subject to civil parking penalties, pursuant to Section 40200 of the California Vehicle Code.

D. All remedies prescribed in this section shall be cumulative and not exclusive of any other remedy allowed by law. The election of one or more remedies shall not bar the city from the pursuit of any other remedy for the purpose of enforcing this section. (Ord. 2012-008 § 1; Ord. 2010-028 § 2)

No person shall stop, stand, or park a taxicab in any taxicab zone, as defined by Section 10.04.010, for more than ninety (90) minutes. (Ord. 2010-028 § 2)

No taxicab driver shall:

A. Threaten, harass, or abuse any other person while operating a taxicab;

B. Prevent or attempt to prevent a customer from entering another taxicab of their choice; or

C. Prevent or attempt to prevent another taxicab driver from lawfully maneuvering his or her taxicab vehicle into a vacant parking space, whether within a taxicab zone or not. (Ord. 2014-0019 § 3; Ord. 2010-028 § 2)

No taxicab driver shall do the following:

A. Refuse a reasonable request for transportation service from any legitimate customer, regardless of the short length of the prospective ride. Service may be refused when, in the reasonable opinion of the driver, accepting a passenger would threaten the safety of the driver;

B. Fail to respond to calls for taxicab service in the order that they are received;

C. Transport a greater number of passengers than the vehicle is designed to carry;

D. Pick up additional passengers without the prior consent of the passengers already in the taxicab;

E. Fail to take the most direct route possible that will carry passengers safely, lawfully, and expeditiously to their desired destination, without the prior consent of the passengers;

F. Refuse to drive to a destination different from the destination that was originally stated; or

G. Refuse to allow a passenger to disembark at a location different from the destination that was originally stated. (Ord. 2010-028 § 2)

A. No person shall request, demand, or accept compensation for taxicab services in excess of the amount indicated on the taximeter at the end of a trip.

B. No person shall request, demand or accept compensation for taxicab services for any type of charge that is not expressly allowed pursuant to Section 5.136.050, or for any rate in excess of the maximum rates established pursuant to Section 5.136.050.

C. This section shall not prohibit persons from accepting gratuities that are voluntarily given. (Ord. 2010-028 § 2)

No taxicab driver shall fail to issue to any passenger a receipt for the fare paid for hiring the taxicab upon request. The receipt shall show the date and time of the trip and the amount of the fare due. (Ord. 2010-028 § 2)

A. No taxicab driver shall fail to report a request for service and the resulting trip to their association's dispatch service, including requests made directly to the taxicab driver by hail or by telephone. The report shall be made contemporaneously with the beginning and end of each paid trip, and it shall fully and accurately provide the information required by Section 5.136.620.

B. No person shall knowingly make a false statement of fact or knowingly omit any information that is required to be contained in the dispatch log. (Ord. 2014-0019 § 14; Ord. 2010-028 § 2)

No taxicab driver shall fail to report and deliver any lost property of value left by a passenger in the taxicab to the association office within twenty-four (24) hours of the discovery of the property. (Ord. 2010-028 § 2)

No taxicab driver shall operate a taxicab unless he or she is wearing a taxicab driver badge that is clearly visible on their outermost garment. The taxicab driver badge shall be at least four inches by two inches in size and display the following information:

A. The person's name;

B. A photograph of the person's face;

C. The name and phone number of the taxicab fleet association that they are registered to. (Ord. 2010-028 § 2)

No taxicab driver shall operate a taxicab unless he or she is wearing professionally appropriate clothing. (Ord. 2014-0019 § 4)

The taxicab driver permittee shall defend and indemnify and hold harmless the city, its officers, employees and agents from and against all actions, losses, damages, liability, costs and expenses of every type and description, including, but not limited to, attorneys' fees, to which any or all of them may be subjected by reason of, or resulting from, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, the acts or omissions of the permittee or the permittee's agents, officers or employees, directly or indirectly arising from the operation of a taxicab. (Ord. 2010-028 § 2)

A. Prior to issuance or renewal of a taxicab driver permit, all applicants shall submit to and comply with a controlled substance and alcohol testing certification program in accordance with Section 53075.5(b)(3)(A) of the California Government Code.

B. The director may, upon reasonable cause, require any taxicab driver permittee to take a controlled substance or alcohol test in accordance with Section 53075.5(b)(3)(A) of the California Government Code. Such test shall be taken by driver within five days after director gives notice of the requirement. Notice shall be given to permittee, and to permittee's employer if the permittee is not self-employed. Notice shall be deemed effective upon depositing the notice in the U.S. mail first class postage prepaid addressed to the permittee and permittee's employer, at the last address on record with the director.

C. In the case of a self-employed independent driver, the controlled substance and alcohol test results shall be reported directly to the city and the city will report the same to the taxicab fleet association to which the driver is registered. In all other cases, the results shall be reported directly to the taxicab driver's employer, and the employer shall immediately report the same to the city. (Ord. 2010-028 § 2)

A. No person shall operate a taxicab unless the city has completed a criminal background check on that person and any other person with a ten (10) percent or greater financial interest in the taxicab driver's operation of a taxi-cab. This may include, but is not limited to, the taxicab driver's employer, business partner or business associate.

B. If, during the term of a taxicab driver permit, any person acquires a ten (10) percent or greater financial interest in the operation of that taxicab, the permittee shall notify the director and submit the information required by the director to conduct a background check on that person no later than three calendar days after the person acquires the interest. Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection A of this section, the permittee may continue to operate the taxicab while the city conducts the background check on the person who acquired the interest. (Ord. 2010-028 § 2)

A. Prior to obtaining or renewing a taxicab driver permit, all applicants shall take and pass a city taxicab drivers test that evaluates the applicant's knowledge of city topography and applicable regulations, as well as the applicant's ability to speak and understand directions in English. The director shall establish the method of testing, the contents of the test, and the score required to pass.

B. In addition to any of the penalties and remedies set forth in Section 5.136.070, the director may require any taxicab driver who violates a provision of this chapter to take and pass a city taxicab drivers test described in subsection A. Notice shall be given to the permittee and to the taxicab fleet association to which the permittee is registered. Notice is effective upon depositing the notice in the U.S. mail first class postage prepaid addressed to the permittee and the taxicab fleet association at the last addresses on record with the director. The driver shall take the test within seven days after the director gives notice of the requirement. (Ord. 2014-0019 § 5)