[Ord. No. 23182, § 83, 4-24-1972]
Every motor vehicle used or to be used for the conveyance of persons for hire from place to place within the city, except street railway buses, sightseeing automobiles or buses, or a vehicle hired for a funeral or wedding, shall be deemed to be a taxicab within the meaning of this chapter.
[Ord. No. 23182, § 95, 4-24-1972]
No driver of a taxicab shall refuse to carry any person, asking to be carried as a passenger, unless such person is drunk or disorderly, or is infected with a contagious disease, or unless the taxicab is already occupied.
[Ord. No. 23182, § 96, 4-24-1972]
No person having charge of a taxicab shall take up or carry any person if the taxicab has been occupied or engaged by any prior passenger, until such prior passenger shall have discharged the taxicab, except with consent of such passenger.
[Ord. No. 23182, § 98, 4-24-1972]
(a) 
No person shall park a vehicle other than a taxicab upon any street within a business district in any taxicab stand for a period of time longer than 15 minutes, except while actually engaged in loading or unloading, and then for not more than one-half hour.
(b) 
No person shall park a taxicab upon any street within a business district at any place other than the taxicab stand designated for the use of his taxicab by authority of the traffic commission, except while engaged or while waiting for an opportunity to use a taxicab stand designated for his use.
[Ord. No. 23182, § 103, 4-24-1972]
Any taxicab driver who finds in his taxicab any article presumably belonging to a passenger shall, within two days, report the finding thereof to the officer in charge of the police station and deliver the same to him. The Chief of Police shall undertake to find the owner thereof. If, at the end of 60 days, the article has not been claimed by the owner, it shall be returned to the driver.
[Ord. No. 23182, §§ 100-102, 4-24-1972; Ord. No. 24022, §§ 2, 4, 5-10-1976; Ord. No. 24927, 4-13-1981; Ord. No. 26609, 11-17-1988; Ord. No. 27175, 6-24-1991; Ord. No. 29127, 11-27-2000]
(a) 
Flat fee. The rate to be charged for conveying passengers shall be $3 for the first 2/6 mile plus $0.50 for each additional 1/6 mile.
[Amended 5-9-2011 by Ord. No. 31553]
(b) 
Waiting time.
(1) 
Waiting time shall include all time during which the taxicab is not in motion after arrival at the place at which it has been called, or, if engaged in the street or at a stand, after its engagement. No charge shall be made for the first three minutes of waiting time. After the first three minutes, a charge of $0.50 may be made for each additional 67 seconds of waiting time or fraction thereof, not to exceed $27 per hour of waiting time. No charges shall be made for time between remature arrival in response to a call and the time for which the vehicle was ordered, or through inefficiency of the vehicle or its driver, or for a delay at a railroad crossing.
[Amended 5-9-2011 by Ord. No. 31553; 10-12-2011 by Ord. No. 31618]
(2) 
For any delay, incident to traffic, other than at a railroad crossing, while the vehicle is running and in the course of actual passenger transportation, a charge of $0.37 may be made for each 72 seconds of time attributable to such delay, except that the charge shall not exceed $24 per hour.
(3) 
There shall be posted in a conspicuous place within each taxicab a notice setting forth the rate charge per mile and stating that an additional charge may be made for delays incident to traffic other than at railroad crossings while the vehicle is running, in the amount of $0.37 for each 72 seconds of time attributable to such delay, not to exceed $24 per hour.
(c) 
Elderly discount rates. Each elderly person 65 years of age or older shall receive a fifteen-percent reduction in the rates as set forth in Subsections (a) and (b). If more than one elderly person shall engage a taxicab at the same time, a single reduction of 15% in the total fare shall be granted.
(d) 
Hiring by hour or trip. A taxicab may be rented by the hour or for a trip wholly or in part outside the limits of the city. In such case, a special rate or fare may be charged with the prior consent of the passenger.
(e) 
Baggage. Hand baggage may be carried by passengers in taxicabs without charge. The carriage of trunks and other baggage shall be optional with the person in charge of the vehicle.
[Ord. No. 23364, § 2, 12-26-1972; Ord. No. 23580, 3-11-1974]
Standard fare metering devices shall be installed in all licensed taxicabs. The Inspector of Weights and Measures shall inspect and seal these devices annually, including as part of his inspection a check on the operation of the device over a measured course.
State law reference — Testing of taximeters, M.G.L.A. c. 98, § 45.
[Ord. No. 23182, § 105, 4-24-1972]
The Chief of Police shall have charge of the enforcement of this chapter.
[Ord. No. 25062, 1-11-1982]
(a) 
The traffic commission of the city shall have exclusive authority to adopt rules and regulations for conduct in the use of a license and/or registration issued under Article II and Article III as hereinafter set forth.
(b) 
No rule or regulation shall become effective until such commission shall have held a public hearing thereon. Notice of such public hearing shall be published at least once, no less than one day prior to the date of the hearing.