[1]
Editor's Note: As to license to engage in the business of operating automobiles for hire, see Section 5-1 of this chapter. As to the amount of license tax, see Section 5-2. As to transporting persons for immoral purposes, see subsection 8-8.3. Prior ordinance history: Prior 1958 Code §§28.1, 28.3, 28.5, 28.7-2, 28.8—28.13, 28.15—28.49, Ordinance Nos. 460, 549, 737, 78-017, 84-01.
[Ord. #95-09]
As used in this section:
AUTOMOBILE FOR HIRE
Shall mean and include every automobile or motor-propelled vehicle of private appearance, not equipped with a taximeter, used for the transportation of passengers over the public streets of the City and not over a defined route, irrespective of whether such operations extend beyond the boundary limits of the City, charging rates per mile, per trip, per hour, per day, per week, per month, and such vehicle being routed under the directions of the passenger or the person hiring the same.
DRIVER
Shall mean and include every person in charge of driving or operating any vehicle for hire as herein defined, either as agent, employee, owner or otherwise.
OWNER
Shall mean and include every person owning or controlling the operation of any vehicle for hire.
SIGHT-SEEING AUTOMOBILE
Shall mean and include every automobile or motor-propelled vehicle used for the transportation of passengers over the public streets of the City, and not necessarily over a defined route, irrespective of whether such operations extend beyond the boundary limits of the City for the purpose of sight-seeing, or seeing points of interest, and charging a fee or compensation therefor, or any motor vehicle used for the purpose of conveying persons to points within or outside the City to show or exhibit either lands, houses or property, for the purpose of effecting a sale thereof, and regardless of whether any fee, compensation or consideration is paid for such transportation.
STREET OR HIGHWAY
Shall mean any place commonly used for the purpose of public travel.
TAXICAB
Shall mean and include every automobile or motor-propelled vehicle by means of which passengers are transported for hire upon public streets of the City, and not over a regular or defined route, irrespective of whether the operations extend beyond the boundary limits of the City where the charge for such transportation, or for waiting time, or both, is registered or measured by a taximeter, and such vehicle is routed under the direction of the passenger or person hiring the same.
TAXIMETER
Shall mean a mechanical instrument or device by which the charge for hire of a vehicle for hire is mechanically regulated either for distance traveled or for waiting time, or for both, and upon which such charges shall be indicated by means of figures.
VEHICLE FOR HIRE
Shall mean any automobile for hire, sight-seeing automobile or taxicab, as those terms are defined in this subsection.
WILDCATTING
Shall mean and refer to the use of vehicles not licensed by the City as provided in this section for travelling along the streets in the City at a slow rate of speed to pick up fares or passengers for hire.
[Ord. #95-09]
No vehicle for hire shall be operated by anyone but the owner thereof or an employee of the owner. It shall be unlawful for the owner or any driver of any such vehicle to enter into any contract, agreement or understanding between themselves by the terms of which such driver pays to, or for the account of, such owner a fixed or determinable sum for the use of such vehicle.
[1]
Editor's Note: Former subsection 5-7.3, Notice Relative to Employment of Drivers or Cessation of Employment, previously codified herein and containing portions of Ordinance No. 95-09 was repealed in its entirety by Ordinance No. 97-08.
[Ord. #95-09]
Each taxicab shall display markings that include at least two (2") inch high letters identifying the name of the taxi company, shall possess a dome light, and shall display on its rear bumper an Albany permit sticker.
[Ord. #95-09]
Every owner operating a taxicab in the City shall adopt a characteristic color scheme and shall use the same on all vehicles operated by him or her.
[1]
Editor's Note: Former subsection 5-7.6, Permission Required for Change in Color Scheme or Other Characteristics, previously codified herein and containing portions of Ordinance No. 95-09, was repealed in its entirety by Ordinance No. 97-08.
[Ord. #95-09]
It shall be unlawful for any person soliciting patronage for any vehicle for hire to represent, by word, sign, insignia or accouterments that the vehicle for which he is soliciting such patronage is a vehicle owned or operated by other than the actual owner.
[Ord. #95-09]
No vehicle for hire shall remain standing upon any portion of any public street within the City, except for loading and unloading passengers, and then for a period not exceeding five (5) minutes. This subsection shall not apply to any automobile for hire or taxicab while the same is engaged by and being paid for by a passenger.
[Ord. #95-09]
It shall be the duty of the driver of any taxicab to accept as a passenger any person who seeks to do so use the taxicab, provided such person is not intoxicated and conducts himself or herself in a normal manner. When a taxicab or automobile for hire is engaged, the occupant engaging the same shall have the exclusive right to the full and free use of the passenger compartment and the whole thereof, and it shall be unlawful for the owner or operator of the vehicle to solicit or carry passengers therein.
[Ord. #95-09]
The operator of any automobile for hire or taxicab employed to carry passengers to a definite point shall take the most direct route possible that will carry the passenger safely, lawfully, and expeditiously to the destination.
[Ord. #95-09]
No owner or operator of an automobile for hire or taxicab shall solicit patronage from the vehicle or within one hundred (100) yards therefrom upon any public street, except at railroad and interurban depots within the City and except within any area designated by the Chief of Police for such purpose.
[Ord. #95-09]
Every vehicle for hire shall at all times be equipped with a light of not less than two (2) candle power within such vehicle, so arranged as to illuminate the entire passenger compartment, which light shall be constantly lighted at all times while any passenger is in such vehicle, except when such vehicle is in motion, from one-half (1/2) hour after sunset of any day until one-half (1/2) hour before sunrise of the next day, and no shades or blinds shall be drawn over the windows of any such vehicle while the same is occupied, unless the occupant requests the same to be drawn.
[Ord. #95-09]
Each person holding a permit under this section for the operation of an automobile for hire or taxicab, or other vehicle for the use of which a charge or fee is made, shall at all times keep on file with the Finance and Administrative Services Department an up-to-date schedule of rates of fares charged for carrying such passengers therein, which rates shall be approved by the City Administrator or designee as part of the application process before becoming effective, and it shall be unlawful for any person to deviate from the schedule of rates of fares filed in the Finance and Administrative Services Department.
All persons holding a permit under this section for the operation of an automobile for hire or taxicab, or other vehicle for the use of which a charge or fee is made, shall be required to accept any and all passengers, at any time, who propose to pay for their transportation with Albany taxi scrip and such persons are required to accept such scrip at full face value.
[Ord. #95-09]
Every vehicle for hire shall have conspicuously displayed in full view of the passengers a card, not less than two by four (2" x 4") inches, which shall have stated thereon the name of the owner, or the fictitious name under which the owner operates, together with the business address and telephone number of the business, and the rates to be charged by such vehicle.
[Ord. #95-09]
All taxicabs shall be equipped with a taximeter in good working order, and in plain sight of the passengers so that the reading dial showing the charges being made shall be well-lighted, and in plain sight so that passengers may readily read the same.
[Ord. #95-09]
It shall be unlawful for any driver of a taxicab while carrying passengers to display the flag attached to the taximeter in such a position as to denote that such vehicle is not employed, or to throw the flag of the taximeter in a recording position when such vehicle is not actually employed, or to fail to throw the flag of such taximeter in a nonrecording position at the termination of each and every service.
[Ord. #95-09]
It shall be unlawful for the operator of any vehicle for hire, upon receiving full payment for the fare or charge as indicated by the taximeter or schedule of fares stated on the sign displayed as provided in subsection 5-7.14 of this chapter, to refuse to give a receipt for the sum collected, upon request of any passenger making the payment.
[Ord. #95-09]
It shall be unlawful for any person to refuse to pay the legal fare or rate for the hiring of any vehicle for hire after having hired the same, and any person who shall hire any vehicle herein defined with the intent to defraud the person from whom it is hired shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.
[Ord. #95-09]
It shall be unlawful for the driver of any taxicab, automobile for hire, or other vehicle for the use of which a charge or fee is made, and for the operation of which a permit and license has not been obtained from the City as required by this section, to solicit, or in any way accept passengers for hire, or pick up persons within the City or otherwise operate within the limits of the City other than to deliver any passengers obtained outside the City to their destination.
[Ord. #95-09]
It shall be unlawful for any person to operate or cause to be operated any vehicle for hire within the City without first having obtained a permit to do so.
[Ord. #95-09]
A permit may be issued to a driver of any taxicab already holding a business license within the City.
The amount of such license tax or fee is hereby fixed by Sections 5-1 and 5-2 of this chapter for the one hundred eighty (180) day period for each vehicle for which a temporary permit to operate is granted.
[Ord. #95-09]
Any person desiring to obtain the permit required by this section shall make a written application therefore to the City Administrator or designee, which application shall be filed in the Finance and Administrative Services Department, and shall set forth the following information together with any other information which the City Administrator or designee may deem necessary:
a. 
The name and address of the applicant and, if the same is a corporation, the names and addresses of its principal officers, or if the same is a partnership, association or a fictitious company, the names and addresses of the partners or persons comprising the association or company, together with the name and address of the person actually making the application.
b. 
A statement as to the type of transportation for which such permit is desired, whether it is for a taxicab service, automobile for hire service or sight-seeing service.
c. 
A description of each motor vehicle which the applicant proposes to use, giving the:
1. 
Trade name.
2. 
Motor number.
3. 
Serial number.
4. 
State license number.
5. 
Body style.
6. 
Seating capacity.
d. 
The street number and exact location of the place where the applicant proposes to stand his vehicle; provided, that if any proposed stand is in the public street, such application shall be accompanied by a written consent thereto of all the occupants of the ground floor of any building in front of which such vehicle is to be located, or if there is no such occupant, by the written consent thereto of the owner or lessee of the lot in front of which such vehicle is proposed to be located.
e. 
The name under which the service applied for is to be operated.
f. 
A schedule of rates or fares to be charged for carrying passengers for the hiring of the vehicle.
g. 
The color scheme, name, monogram or insignia to be used to designate the vehicles of the applicant.
h. 
The past experience of the applicant in the matter to which the requested permit appertains and the name and address of the person to be in charge of the premises or business within the City.
i. 
Whether or not the applicant has had any previous permit, and whether such permit was revoked, and if so, the circumstances of such revocation.
[Ord. #95-09; Ord. #97-08]
The City Administrator or designee shall review the application permit under this section. The City Administrator or designee shall determine whether a permit shall be granted or denied. If the permit is granted, the City Administrator or designee shall direct the Finance and Administrative Services Department to issue a permit, subject to the filing approval of the insurance or bond provided for in this section and subject to a safety inspection conducted by the Police Department.
[Ord. #95-09]
The fee for a permit required by this section shall be established by resolution and shall be paid at the time the application is filed with the Finance and Administrative Services Department.
[Ord. #95-09; Ord. #97-11]
Any of the following reasons shall be sufficient for a denial of an application for a permit under this section:
a. 
That the application is not in the form and does not contain the information required by this section.
b. 
Vehicle is cited for violations of the State Vehicle Code and vehicle owner or operator fails to correct.
c. 
That the applicant has been convicted of any violation of law involving moral turpitude.
d. 
That the applicant's proposed color scheme or other insignia will tend to confuse the identification of the vehicles proposed to be operated by such applicant with those of another owner operating within the City.
e. 
That the location of the stand as therein stated is such as to congest or interfere with travel on any public street, or the use of any public street by the public, or that the proposed stand is within two hundred (200') feet of any other stand theretofore fixed by the Council on the same street.
f. 
That the applicant has, at some prior time, had a permit for the operation of a service under this section revoked for reason.
g. 
That there shall appear to the City Administrator or designee that there is insufficient public need or demand for the operation of the service applied for, or that there is already a sufficient number of vehicles for hire in the City to fully serve the public and that the granting of more permits would undoubtedly congest the traffic and interfere with the free use of public streets by the public, either of which reasons may be indicated by stating that the public interest, convenience and necessity do not require the issuance of such permit.
h. 
Any reasonable cause within the sound discretion of the City Administrator or designee which would render the proposed operations undesirable to the City or inadequate.
i. 
That the applicant submitted fictitious, false or misleading information.
[Ord. #95-09]
Before a permit shall be issued by the Finance and Administrative Services Department under this section, the applicant to whom a permit shall have been granted by the City Administrator or designee shall deposit with the Finance and Administrative Services Department a policy of insurance insuring the holder of the permit and the owner and any other person using or operating or responsible for the use or operation of the vehicle, for hire with the consent, express or implied, or such owner and holder of such permit, against any loss or liability imposed by law for damages to persons or property resulting from the operation, maintenance or ownership of the vehicle, in the minimum amount of one hundred thousand ($100,000.00) dollars exclusive of interest and costs, on account of injury to or death of any one person in any one accident, the minimum amount of three hundred thousand ($300,000.00) dollars on account of injury to or death of more than one person, and in the minimum amount of fifty thousand ($50,000.00) dollars for damage to property of others arising from any one accident. Such policy shall cover each and every vehicle referred to in the application for the permit and authorized to be used thereby. The minimum requirements may be modified by resolution as deemed necessary by the City Administrator or designee.
Such insurance policy shall inure to the benefit of any and all persons suffering loss or damage either to person or property as herein provided, and the liability of the insurance carrier shall be in no manner abrogated or abated by the death of the tort feasor or the owner of the vehicle or the holder of the permit thereof.
Each policy of insurance filed in accord with this subsection shall contain a provision that it shall not be cancelled except upon ten (10) days prior written notice thereof to the City Administrator or designee and further provision that liability under the policy shall continue to the full amount thereof, notwithstanding any recovery thereon.
In addition, prior to the issuance of a permit (including renewals) the applicant shall submit to the Finance and Administrative Services Department a signed agreement to indemnify, hold harmless and defend the City of Albany, its officers, employees and agents, in a form approved by the City Attorney.
[Ord. #95-09]
Subject to the approval of the City Administrator or designee and the City Attorney, the holder of a permit under this section and the owner of any vehicle for hire may file a bond of a responsible and solvent company authorized to issue such bonds under the laws of the State, containing the conditions and giving the protection required in the insurance policy mentioned in the preceding section in lieu of either all or any part of the insurance coverage required by subsection 5-7.27.
[Ord. #95-09]
All insurance policies referred to in this section shall be referred to the City Administrator or designee for acceptance. If, at any time in the judgment of the City Administrator or designee the insurance policy is not sufficient for any cause, the Finance and Administrative Services Department shall require the person who filed the same to replace the policy within ten (10) days with other policies in accordance with the provisions of this section. If such person fails to replace such policy within ten (10) days, then the permit issued under this section shall be automatically suspended until such time as the subsection is complied with, and the Chief of Police shall immediately enforce such suspension. The City will not accept coverage written by a nonadmitted carrier with the exception as outlined in Section 16056(b) of the State Vehicle Code. The certificate must be made by a company holding a certificate of authority to do business in the State of California, or by a company doing business through an authorized surplus lines broker.
[Ord. #95-09]
No permit issued under the terms of this section shall be transferable, either by contract or operation of law, without the permission of the City Administrator or designee having been first obtained, and any such attempted transfer without such permission shall be sufficient cause for revocation thereof.
[Ord. #95-09; Ord. #97-08]
All business licenses and permits issued under the provisions of this section shall be for a period not to exceed one (1) calendar year, and all such permits shall expire on such date as may otherwise be fixed by the City Administrator or designee. Any person who requests a renewal of a business license and permit or an extension of a business license and permit past one (1) year must update the application originally filed and must have any vehicles subject to the permit reinspected by the Police Department.
[Ord. #95-09]
Any holder of a permit to operate one (1) or more vehicles for hire, who desires to substitute a different vehicle for a vehicle operated under such permit, or who desires to add to the number of vehicles then being operated under such permit, shall do so only on written application to the City Council, setting forth the particulars of such proposed substitution or increase deposit the required insurance and otherwise comply with the requirements of this section and the City Council shall have the same authority in granting or denying such application as it has in the matter of the original application.
[Ord. #95-09]
The City Administrator or designee may, by finding that public convenience or urgent public need requires the granting of temporary permits to operate taxicabs, issue temporary permits for a period not to exceed ninety (90) days during any one (1) calendar year. Furthermore, the City Administrator or designee may waive the application of any other provision of this section to the issuance of a temporary permit upon making a finding that such subsection to be expected is not necessary for the protection of the health, safety and welfare of the public. A license fee or tax shall also be imposed and fixed by resolution.
[Ord. #95-09]
The City Administrator or designee shall have the power to suspend or revoke a permit issued under this section for a violation of any provision of this section or of any ordinance relating to traffic or the use of the streets of the City or for a failure to pay any judgment for damages arising from the unlawful or negligent operation of the vehicles for which the permit was issued.
[Ord. #95-09; Ord. #97-08]
It shall be unlawful for any person to drive, operate or be in charge of any vehicle for hire without first having obtained a business license.
[1]
Editor's Note: Former subsections 5-7.35 through 5-7.37, pertaining to applications for driver's permits, previously codified herein and containing portions of Ordinance No. 95-09 were repealed in their entirety by Ordinance No. 97-08.
[Ord. #95-09]
a. 
No driver's permit shall be issued to any person who does not have a chauffeur's license issued by the State of California.
b. 
Who has not adequately completed the application form referred to in subsection 5-7.35.
c. 
Who has been convicted of any violation of law involving moral turpitude; or
d. 
Who has proposed to use a vehicle which is inadequate or unsafe for the purposes for which it is intended to be used or is not equipped as required by State law.
[Ord. #95-09]
The fee for a driver's permit under this section shall be as designated by the applicable Master Fee Schedule and must accompany the application. A permit issued under this subsection shall be valid for a period of one (1) year, so long as the applicant continues to meet all of the qualifications for the original issuance of the permit.
[Ord. #95-09]
A driver's permit issued under this section shall be posted in a place conspicuous from the passenger compartment of any vehicle which the holder thereof is operating or which he has in his charge.
[Ord. #95-09; Ord. #97-08]
A temporary permit may be granted by the Chief of Police to drive or operate a vehicle for hire, but no such temporary permit may be issued to any person who does not have a chauffeur's license issued by the State. Such temporary permit shall permit the holder thereof to drive or operate any vehicle for hire for a period of thirty (30) days, when such person has such temporary permit in his immediate possession.
[Ord. #95-09; Ord. #97-08]
The Chief of Police shall have the power, after notice of at least twenty-four (24) hours and in the exercise of reasonable discretion, to revoke or suspend any driver's permit issued if the provisions of this section are not complied with.
[Ord. #95-09; Ord. #97-08]
Any person, who is refused a permit to drive a vehicle for hire or whose driver's permit has been revoked or suspended by the Chief of Police, upon written demand addressed to the City Administrator or designee made within ten (10) days thereafter, shall be granted a hearing before the City Administrator or designee, and its determination of whether the permit should be refused, revoked or suspended shall be final. If no hearing is demanded within such ten (10) day period, such refusal, suspension or revocation shall stand, and any hearing requested after such hearing shall only be granted by the discretion of the City Administrator or designee.
[Ord. #95-09; Ord. #97-08]
Whenever any person to whom a driver's permit has been issued under this section moves from the address stated therein, he shall within ten (10) days thereafter, notify the Chief of Police, in writing, of his new address.