No driver shall solicit passengers for a Class A taxicab except
when sitting in the driver's compartment of such Class A taxicab
or while standing immediately adjacent to the curb side thereof. The
driver of any Class A taxicab shall remain in the driver's compartment
or immediately adjacent to the vehicle when such driver is in the
course of or actually hired as a fare at all times when such vehicle
is upon the public street. Nothing herein shall be held to prohibit
any driver from alighting to the street or sidewalk for the purpose
of assisting passengers into or out of such vehicle.
No driver shall solicit patronage in a loud or annoying tone
of voice, by sign or in any manner which annoys any person or obstructs
the movement of any person, nor shall any driver follow any person
for the purpose of soliciting patronage, or hire or permit or cause
another person to do any of the foregoing.
Drivers of Class A 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 or left sidewalk or the side of the roadway in the absence
of a sidewalk.
Cruising is prohibited and shall not be practiced by any driver,
operator or owner licensed under this chapter. No Class A taxicab,
while awaiting employment by passengers, shall stand on any public
street or place other than at or upon a public Class A taxicab stand
designated or established in accordance with this chapter, nor shall
any driver of such Class A taxicab seek employment by repeatedly and
persistently driving the vehicle to and fro in a short space before
or otherwise interfere with the proper and orderly access to or egress
from any theater, hall, hotel, public resort or railway station.
No owner, driver or any other person shall solicit patronage
of persons assembled at the termini of any other common carrier, nor
at any intermediate points along any established route of such carrier,
when such persons have assembled for the purpose of using the service
of said common carrier. Nothing herein contained shall be construed
to prohibit or interfere with response to any call for a Class A taxicab
made by a signal from a pedestrian if the Class A taxicab is not cruising
or engaging in the practice commonly known as "jitneying" or "bussing"
nor operated in violation of the Transportation Corporations Law or
the Public Service Law.
No driver shall permit more persons to be carried in a Class
A taxicab than the designated seating capacity of the manufacturer
for adult passengers in the front- and rear-seat compartments. A child
under the age of seven years shall not be counted as a passenger,
and no fare will be charged for such child when accompanied by an
adult. No driver shall drive any Class A taxicab when such Class A
taxicab is so loaded or when there are in the front seat of such Class
A taxicab such number of persons as to obstruct the view of the driver
to the front or sides or to interfere with the driver's control
over the Class A taxicab.
No driver shall refuse or neglect to convey any orderly person
or persons, upon request, to any place or places within the City unless
previously engaged or unable to do so or forbidden by the provisions
of this chapter to do so. However, drivers are not required to convey
passengers who, because of overindulgence in intoxicants, are unable
to take care of themselves and are helpless as a result of intoxication,
unless that person is accompanied by another passenger in a sober
condition who assumes the care and responsibility for such passenger.
This shall not be construed as permitting the driver to evade the
prompt and safe transporting and caring for the aged, invalid, injured
or sick and other persons who cannot make ready use of other carriers.
Drivers may carry packages or parcels where the merchandise
is accompanied by a passenger or passengers but shall refuse to carry
such packages or parcels when the contents cause the vehicle to become
stained or evil-smelling. Nothing herein contained, however, shall
be interpreted as permitting the hiring of such vehicles for expressage
purposes only.
