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HomeMy WebLinkAboutOrd1974-400 ~.. CITY OF SEWARD, ALASKA ORDINANCE NO. 400 AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SEWARD, ALASKA, REPEALING AND RE-ENACTING CHAPTER 20 OF THE SEWARD CITY CODE RELATING TO VEHICLES FOR HIRE. THE CITY OF SEWARD ORDAINS: Section 1. That Chapter 20 of the Seward City Code 1S hereby repealed and re-enacted to read as follows: TAXICABS AND OTHER VEHICLES FOR HIRE Sec. 20-1. "Public Vehicle" defined. The term "public vehicle" as used in this chapter shall mean taxicabs and driverless vehicles for hire. Sec. 20-2. Permit required. No person or corporation shall operate or lease a public vehicle without first obtaining all required state licenses, and a non-transferable permit from the city to do so. Sec. 20-3. Issuance of permit. This permit may be issued by the city manager upon proper application. No permit will be granted unless the chief of police determines that the vehicles and the operation of the applicant comply with the provisions of this chapter. No permit will be issued to an appli- cant in arrears in the payment of any sums due to the city for taxes, utilities, license or permit fees, or otherwise. Sec. 20-4. Taxicab Chauffeurs' Licenses. (a) Requirements. No person shall drive a taxicab without first securing each year a non- transferable chauffeur's license from the city. The requirements for issuance or renewal of chauffeurs' licenses shall be as follows: (1) Possession of a current Alaska driver's license. (2) Nineteen years of age or over. (3) Ability to read and write English. (4) Non-addiction to the use of intoxicants or narcotics. (5) Good moral character. (6) No conviction of a felony for five years prior to date of application; no con- . , viction at any time of a felony or misdemeanor involving any sex offense, assault with deadly weapon or use of or traffic in narcotics,;,rdrugs, SF 1'SIII9:R fsr ~ulJl101Al jHiI:p636S. (7) Demonstrated familiarity with traffic laws of city and state and demonstrated ability to drive a taxicab. (8) Possession of a Social Security number. (b) Applications; photographs; fees. All appli- cations for chauffeurs' licenses shall be made on blanks furnished by the police department, and shall include the necessary fees, a photograph of applicant, and a full set of his fingerprints to be taken by the police department. The fee for an original license or yearly renewal shall be five dollars. Sec. 20-5. Suspension or revocation of licenses and permits. All city licenses and permits which may be issued under the provisions of this chapter may be revoked or suspended by the city manager or the police chief for any of the following reasons: (1) False statement in application, (2) The holder, or his employee or agent, being charged with or found guilty of a violation of any provision of this code or any other law of the State of Alaska or the United States. (3) Conduct which is not conducive to proper service to the public or the proper rela- tionship with any competitive owner or chauffeur, and (4) Any other reason which demonstrates that the holder is not a competent person to furnish taxicab services within the city. The holder of any license or permit which has been suspended or revoked shall surrender it immediately to the chief of police. If any holder of a permit shall fail to operate any or all of the public vehicles covered by the permit for a period of six or more consecutive days, the permit may be revoked, or modified by the city manager so as to authorize only the number of vehicles actually operated. Sec. 20 -6. Insurance. Before any public vehicle permit is issued, the applicant shall furnish evidence of the existence of one or more non-cancelable policies of insurance, issued by an insurance -2- - - -- -- -- \ . company satisfactory to the city, providing liability coverage for the applicant in at least the minimum amounts of $50,000.00 per person/$IOO,OOO.OO per accident for bodily injury or death, and $20,000.00 property damage. This insurance policy shall require the insurer to give written notice to the city at least five days prior to the cancellation, expiration, lapse, or other termination of the insurance coverage. A sign of a type approved by the city manager, stating the limits of insurance liability and other pertinent insurance information, shall be posted at all times in a conspicuous place in each public vehicle. Sec. 20-7. Fares and charges. The city council may regulate the fares and charges for use of taxicabs and other vehicles for hire following a public hearing and after notice to all taxicab operators and other vehicles for hire. Whether regulated or not, cab fares shall at all times be conspicuously posted in the cabs, filed with the city manager, and nondiscriminatory. Passengers must be given receipts upon request. Sec. 20-8. Regulation of number of public vehicles. The city manager, with council approval, shall have the power to determine from time to time the maximum number of public vehicles required. No public vehicle permits in excess of that number may be granted. The city manager and the city council shall consider the public necessity and convenience and shall arrive at their decision by consideration of the following: (a) The demand for such service as shown by records of the operator requesting additional public vehicle permits. (b) The effect of traffic congestion. (c) Whether the safe use of streets for vehicular and pedestrian traffic will be impaired. (d) Any other facts which the city manager and city council may deem relevant. Sec. 20-9. Inspection of vehicles. Periodically, not less than twice a year and more frequently if desired, the police depart- ment shall inspect all vehicles for hire for compliance with safety standards. No public vehicle shall be issued a permit until it has been thoroughly and carefully inspected by -3- - ---- -- - .- - - .- - r I I I I I the chief of police or such other officer as he may direct, and found to be in a safe, satisfactory, and sanitary condition for the transportation of passengers, and found to be neat and orderly in appearance, both within and without. If any vehicle for hire is involved in a collision or accident, notice thereof shall be given to the police chief and an inspection shall be made of the vehicle before it can be again used in service. Sec. 20-10. Terminals and zones generally. No taxicab operator shall conduct his business unless from a terminal or zones, or both. A "terminal" is defined as a privately owned station or depot from which taxicabs or vehicles for hire shall operate. A "zone" is defined as a single parking space on a city street designated by the city manager, as a cab zone and approved by the city council. Sec. 20-11. Fees for zones; cruising prohibited. Taxicab operators who desire to occupy zones shall pay a license fee of $100.00 per year per taxicab, due and payable on the 1st day of July each year. At the option of the operator, a fee of $10.00 per month, payable on the 1st day of each month, for a total of $120.00 per year, may be elected. Cruising, or the practice of soliciting fares while driving or standing in other than desig- nated zones, is prohibited. Inviting business or customers or attracting attention of the public by word of mouth, signal, nods, or other signs from the taxicab while moving or going up to the curb for that purpose is prohibited. Sec. 20-12. Parking. No taxicab shall park or stand on any street, other than at authorized zones or terminals, except while actually engaged in the loading or discharge of passengers. Sec. 20-13. Dispatch Office and records. Each operator shall maintain a dispatch office which shall be open to inspection by an authorized representative of the city during regular business hours, and shall have indi- vidual telephone service. Each taxicab operator shall keep and maintain at all times, a complete and accurate record of all drivers employed by him, which record will show in detail the names and addresses and the dates of the beginning and termination of employment of the drivers, the hours worked, and a record of all days or nights which each employee was absent from employment. These -4- records shall be open for inspection by the police department at any and all times and shall not be destroyed for a period of three years. Each operator shall file with the police chief at the conclusion of each month's operation a report which shall include the following: (1) Names of drivers now in his employ. (2) Names of all persons beginning or termi- nating employment during the month covered by the report. (3) List of all taxicabs operated during the month. (4) Any other information the police chief or city manager might require. It shall be the duty of each operator to furnish an adequate number of printed trip sheets to the driver of each taxicab. These trip sheets shall contain blank spaces for the driver's name, his license number, the license number of the taxicab, the date, the time and place at which any passen- ger engaged the taxicab, the number of passengers, the time and place at which the passengers were delivered to their destination, the amount of fare received, plus any further information that may be required by the city manager. It is a duty of both the operator and driver to insure that the trip sheets are properly filled out. The trip sheets shall be returned to the operator, who shall file them consecutively by date and retain them as permanent records for a period of not less than three years. The trip sheets shall be open for inspection by the police depart- ment at any and all times. Sec. 20-14. Refusal to carry passengers. No operator or driver shall refuse or neglect to convey any orderly person tendering the proper fare unless previously engaged or unable or forbidden by the provisions of this chapter from doing so. Sec. 20-15. Carrying additional fares when tax1cab is occup1ed. When a taxicab is occupied or hired, it shall be unlawful for the driver to transport or offer to transport any additional party for a separate fare, except with the permission of the original occupant. Sec. 20-16. Refusal to pay fares. It shall be unlawful for any person to refuse to pay the legal fare of a public vehicle, after having hired the same, or to hire the vehicle without possessing the money with -5- r I , I which to pay the fare or being able to obtain it at the termination of the trip. Sec. 20-17. Female Chauffeurs. It is unlawful for female chauffeurs to drive or remain in control of any taxicab between the hours of 7 P.M. and 7 A.M., except as specifically authorized by the chief of police or the city manager. Sec. 20-18. Rules and regulations. The city manager is hereby empowered to promulgate rules and regulations, and to make determinations as to the existence of facts, in order to carry out the purpose, and the enforcement of this chapter. Section 2. That this ordinance takes effect immediately upon passage and approval. PASSED AND APPROVED by the City Council of the City of Seward, Alaska, this c;l ~ day of mar , 1974. /5/ McAnernec; MAYR FIRST READING: April 22,1974 SECOND READING: May 23, 1974 ADOPTION: May 2:~, 1974 AYES: Vincent, Hulm, Dague, McCloud, McAnerney NOES: N-O-N-E ABSENT: Hill APPROVED AS TO FORM: HUGHES, THORSNESS, LOWE, GANTZ & CLARK, Attorneys for the C'ty of Seward By -6-