Suisun City Municipal Code Art. I Permits—stands—regulations Generally

For the purpose of this chapter, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings respectively ascribed to them by this section:

A. "Certificate" means a certificate of public convenience and necessity, issued by the city council, authorizing the holder thereof to conduct a taxicab business in the city.

B. "Cruising" means the movement or standing of a taxicab on the public streets, alleys or public places of the city in search of or soliciting prospective passengers for hire.

C. "Driver" means every person in charge or control of, or driving or operating any motor vehicle upon the streets, alleys or highways of the city, either as owner, agent, employee or otherwise.

D. "Driver's permit" means and includes the permit issued by the chief of police to persons to drive a taxicab on the streets, alleys or highways of the city.

E. "Fixed taxistand" means a public place alongside the curb of a street or elsewhere in the city which has been designated by the chief of police as reserved exclusively for the use of a designated taxicab.

F. "Holder" means any person holding a certificate of public convenience and necessity from the city.

G. "Manifest" means a daily record prepared by a taxicab driver of all trips made by such driver, showing time and place of origin, destination, number of passengers and the amount of fare of each trip.

H. "Rate card" means a card displayed in each taxicab which contains the rates or fares then in force.

I. "Taxicab" means a motor vehicle regularly engaged in the business of carrying passengers for hire, having a seating capacity of less than ten persons and not operated on a fixed route.

J. "Taximeter" means a meter, instrument or device attached to a taxicab which measures mechanically the distance driven and the waiting time upon which the fare is based.

K. "Waiting time" means the time when a taxicab is not in motion from the time of acceptance of passengers to the time of discharge, but does not include any time that the taxicab is not in motion if due to any cause other than the request, act or faults of passengers.

(Ord. 412 § 1-A, 1977)

A. It is unlawful for the owner or driver of any taxicab to fix or charge or collect a rate in excess of rates set by resolution of the city council.

B. The following requirements shall apply to the operation of all taxicabs:

1. No charge shall be made for extra passengers up to four. This applies only to those passengers whose point of pickup and point of destination are the same.

2. When hauling passengers whose points of destination are different, the meter shall be turned back to a starting position each time a passenger is discharged and a fare collected.

3. All taxicab operators shall be required to give a written receipt for the fare received from a customer if a receipt is demanded by a customer.

C. The rates and requirements set forth in this section may from time to time be changed or amended by resolution of the city council. Upon the adoption of any such resolution, the amendments or changes therein provided shall become effective.

(Ord. 412 § 1-B, 1977)

It is unlawful for any passenger to fraudulently refuse to pay the driver of any taxicab the legal fare.

(Ord. 412 § 1-C, 1977)

There shall be displayed in the passenger compartment of each taxicab, in full view of the passenger, a card, not less than two inches by four inches in size, which shall have plainly printed thereon the name of the owner or the fictitious name under which the owner operates, the business address and telephone number of the owner, the rated capacity of the taxicab, and a correct schedule of the rates to be charged for conveyance in the vehicle.

(Ord. 412 § 1-D, 1977)

A. Each taxicab shall bear a number on the outside of the vehicle at such places and of the type and design prescribed by the chief of police.

B. All taxicabs or other vehicles employed in the city for the purpose of transporting passengers for hire, except vehicles operating from a fixed terminal over regular routes, shall be equipped with and carry a sign in the rear and on the front part of the vehicle bearing the word "TAXI," the letters of which may be either block or gothic type, not less than two inches in height with stems and lines one-fourth of an inch in height.

(Ord. 412 § I-E, 1977)

A. Before a certificate of public convenience and necessity is issued to any owner, the taxicabs for which such certificate is requested, shall be inspected by the county department of weights and measures, to determine the accuracy of the taximeters. The chief of police or his representative shall then inspect such taxicab and its equipment to ascertain whether such taxicab complies with the provisions of city codes.

B. Any member of the police department shall have the right at any reasonable time to enter into upon any taxicab doing business in the city for the purpose of ascertaining whether or not any provisions of city or state codes are being violated. All taxicabs shall be inspected semiannually by the police department and exhibit current safety inspection stickers issued by that agency before being operated as taxicabs.

(Ord. 412 § 1-F, 1977)

Any driver employed to transport passengers to a definite point shall take the most direct route possible that will carry the passenger to his destination safely and expeditiously.

(Ord. 412 § 1-G(a), 1977)

All disputes as to fare shall be determined by the police department.

(Ord. 412 § 1-G(b), 1977)

Unoccupied taxicabs shall not be operated over public streets in search of or soliciting prospective passengers for hire.

(Ord. 412 § 1-G(c), 1977)

No driver of any taxicab shall accept, take into his vehicle or transport any greater number of passengers than the rated seating capacity of his vehicle.

(Ord. 412 § 1-G(d), 1977)

Whenever any taxicab is occupied by a passenger, the driver shall not permit any other person to occupy or ride in the taxicab, except with the consent of the original passenger.

(Ord. 412 § 1-G(e), 1977)

No driver shall solicit patronage in a loud or annoying tone of voice or by sign or in any manner annoy any person or obstruct the movement of any person or follow any person for the purpose of soliciting patronage.

(Ord. 412 § 1-G(f), 1977)

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 extreme 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-hand or left-hand sidewalk or the side of the roadway in the absence of a sidewalk.

(Ord. 412 § 1-G(g), 1977)

No driver, owner or operator shall, in competition with other common carriers, solicit passengers at the terminal of any other common carrier, nor at any intermediate points along any established route of any other common carrier.

(Ord. 412 § 1-G(h), 1977)

It is a violation of this chapter for any driver of a taxicab to solicit for any business or to attempt to divert patronage from one business to another. Neither shall such driver engage in selling intoxicating liquors, soliciting business for any house of ill repute, soliciting business or service of any kind or nature or use his vehicles for any purpose other than the transporting of passengers.

(Ord. 412 § 1-G(i), 1977)

It is unlawful for any person employed as a dispatcher for any cab company to leave the premises designated as the dispatch office for the purpose of soliciting passenger fares.

(Ord. 412 § 1-G(j), 1977)

A. It is unlawful for any person to drive or operate any of the vehicles regulated by this chapter without first obtaining a permit in writing to do so from the chief of police.

B. Permits issued will entitle the driver to work for only that owner whose name appears on the permit. A new permit will be required for each subsequent employment.

C. Applicants for such permit shall file applications therefor with the chief of police upon blanks to be furnished by the city. Applicants for such driver's permits shall pay to the chief of police a fee of seven dollars and fifty cents for each application.

(Ord. 412 § 1-H(part), 1977)

The driver's permit shall be in the form of a card which shall bear the signature, photograph and fingerprints of the applicant. Such card shall be issued in duplicate and one copy with the fingerprints, photograph and signature of the applicant shall be placed on file with the chief of police and the other card shall be conspicuously displayed in the cab of the permittee during all times such cab is operated.

(Ord. 412 § 1-H(part), 1977)

No permit shall be issued to any of the following persons:

A. Any person under the age of twenty-one years;

B. Any person who has been convicted of a felony or a crime involving moral turpitude or narcotics;

C. Any person who has been convicted of driving a vehicle recklessly within the two years immediately preceding application for a permit;

D. Any person who has been convicted of driving a vehicle while under the influence of intoxicating liquors within the five years immediately preceding the application for a permit;

E. Any person not possessing a valid state driver's license.

(Ord. 412 § 1-H(part), 1977)

The chief of police may revoke or refuse to renew an operator's permit if the driver or applicant has, since the granting of the permit:

A. Been convicted of a felony or a crime involving moral turpitude; pandering; using, possessing, selling or transporting narcotics or imparting information for obtaining narcotics;

B. Been convicted of driving recklessly or while under the influence of liquors or narcotics;

C. Had his state driver's license revoked or suspended;

D. Had two or more convictions of any of the offenses set forth in Sections 22350 to 22352 of the Vehicle Code of the state and amendments thereto, or any combination of either or any of such offenses, occurring during any continuous period not exceeding twelve months;

E. When, for any reason, including or other than the above, in the opinion of the chief of police, the applicant is unfit to drive a taxicab;

F. Violated any of the provisions of this chapter.

(Ord. 412 § 1-H(part), 1977)

A. The city council shall, by resolution, locate, establish or remove taxicab stands on city streets. Rotating stands may be established when two or more taxicab companies have been issued a certificate to operate. In such cases adjacent rotating stands shall not be occupied by any one taxicab company. Regulations governing stands shall become effective when appropriate signs are placed giving notice of such regulations to the public. The right to use a taxicab stand established for the use of a specific taxicab operator shall be nontransferable.

B. The number of taxicab stands to which each person operating taxicabs shall be entitled shall be determined by the chief of police based on his findings as to the need for same in order to adequately serve the public.

C. Any person who is the owner of taxicabs operating under different names or designations but which taxicabs are, in fact, under one ownership shall be considered to be one person.

D. The fee to be paid to the city for each exclusive stand established for use of a specific operator shall be twenty-four dollars per quarter, payable in advance, at the beginning of each quarter, or such fee may be set from time to time by the city council by resolution.

(Ord. 412 § 1-I, 1977)

A. Every driver of a taxicab shall maintain a daily manifest, upon which is recorded all trips made each day, showing the time and place of origin and destination of each trip and amount of fare. All such completed manifests shall be returned to the owner by the driver at the conclusion of his tour of duty. The forms for each manifest shall be furnished to the driver by the owner and shall be of a character approved by the chief of police.

B. Every holder of a certificate of a taxicab shall retain and preserve all drivers' manifests in a safe place for at least the calendar year next preceding the current calendar year. The manifest shall be available to the chief of police or any other officer of the city designated by the city council.

(Ord. 412 § 1-J, 1977)

All taxicabs shall carry insurance, the minimum limits of which shall be fifty thousand dollars for one person and one hundred thousand dollars for one accident covering bodily injury and ten thousand dollars covering property damage. Companies and numbers of insurance policies shall be registered with the chief of police.

(Ord. 412 § 1-K, 1977)