Accessible Vehicle.
Any public passenger vehicle for hire that is constructed and equipped to meet ADA standards for the nonemergency transportation of persons in wheelchairs, persons using other mobility aids, or with other mobility impairments.
ADA.
Americans with Disabilities Act.
Business.
Any business, institution, association, occupation, and calling of every kind.
Charter Vehicle.
A motorized vehicle originating from the Eugene/Springfield metropolitan area, marked with the company’s business name, operated for hire to transport a group of seven or more persons with the fare based on a group rate rather than an individual basis.
Club Car Service.
Vehicular passenger transportation service provided by a business to club members or by a residence home to its residents.
Courtesy Car Service.
Vehicular passenger transportation service provided by a business to its clients or customers at no cost.
Employee.
Any person employed for remuneration or under any contract of hire, written or oral, express or implied, including independent contractors. All persons who drive public passenger vehicles, including any person who has an ownership interest in the company, shall be considered employees of the public passenger vehicle company for purposes of sections 7.330 to 7.332.
Hailable Vehicle.
A vehicle-for-hire that can be immediately summoned by a passenger without the use of any dispatch.
Manager.
Any person in charge of the operation or management of the public passenger vehicle company, any person who can direct or control the activities and scheduling of the company’s employees, and any person who can hire or fire the company’s employees.
Motorized Vehicle.
A public passenger vehicle other than a horse-drawn carriage or a nonmotorized bike cab.
Operator.
Any person who is a principal in a public passenger vehicle company. A principal includes all owners, shareholders, partners, directors, officers and managers.
Public Passenger Vehicle.
Any vehicle which is used for the transportation of passengers for hire, including, but not limited to, shuttles, horse-drawn carriages, non-motorized bike cabs, and taxicabs. However, the following shall not be considered public passenger vehicles for purposes of sections 7.330 to 7.332:
(1) 
Vehicles, other than shuttles, operated pursuant to written authority by the city, state or federal governments, or political subdivision thereof;
(2) 
Vehicles commonly known as rent-a-cars, that are rented to be driven by the renter or agent;
(3) 
Courtesy car services;
(4) 
Tour bus services;
(5) 
First aid vehicle or medical transport vehicle; and
(6) 
Limousines.
Public Passenger Vehicle Company.
Any business which operates one or more public passenger vehicles, regardless of who owns the vehicle operated.
Public Passenger Vehicle Driver.
An employee of a public passenger vehicle company that operates a vehicle-for-hire by transporting passengers for compensation.
Shuttle.
A motorized vehicle for hire that transports passengers between predetermined destinations (e.g., motels, airport, downtown passenger station), at fixed rates on a fixed schedule.
Taxicab.
A motorized vehicle that is operated for hire by the public passenger vehicle company, other than a shuttle, limousine, or charter.
Taximeter.
A mechanical or electronic device which calculates and displays a fare.
Tour Bus.
A motorized vehicle accepting individual passengers for a fare for sightseeing or guided tours, making occasional stops at certain points of interest and returning the passengers to their point of origin.
Transportation Network Company.
A person or business that provides a digital or software application scheduling platform or service that enables a prospective passenger to connect to a vehicle-for-hire.
Transportation Network Driver.
An employee of a transportation network company that operates a vehicle-for-hire by transporting passengers for compensation utilizing the Transportation Network Company’s digital or software application scheduling platform or service.
Vehicle-For-Hire.
A vehicle used for providing shared transport, which transports one or more passengers for a fee between locations of the passengers’ choice, including, but not limited to, all public passenger vehicles.
Vehicle-For-Hire Company.
All public passenger vehicle companies and all transportation network companies.
[Section 7.330 amended by Ordinance No. 6355, enacted July 18, 2016]
[1]
To obtain a business license for a public passenger vehicle service in the City of Springfield and/or the City of Eugene, please follow this link for an application: public passenger vehicle service license.
(1) 
Licensure Requirements.
(a) 
No person or business may operate a public passenger vehicle or vehicle-for-hire company without a public passenger vehicle company license; however, an unlicensed vehicle-for-hire operating outside the jurisdictional limits of Eugene and Springfield may deliver a fare from outside those limits to a location within the limits, and if the vehicle waits for the person, retrieve the person for the return trip back outside the jurisdictional limits. No unlicensed public passenger vehicle company may solicit or accept any passenger within the city limits except as provided in this subsection.
(b) 
No person or business may connect, or attempt to connect, a prospective passenger to a vehicle-for-hire by providing a digital or software application scheduling platform or service without first obtaining a public passenger vehicle company license.
(c) 
Unless driving a vehicle-for-hire for a person or business that has obtained a public passenger vehicle company license, no person may drive a vehicle-for-hire without first obtaining a public passenger vehicle company license.
(d) 
No person or business required to obtain a public passenger vehicle company license may solicit or accept any passenger within the city limits except as provided in this subsection.
(2) 
No person or business required under subsection (1) of this section to obtain a public passenger vehicle company license may operate a motorized vehicle that lacks a public passenger vehicle permit.
(3) 
No person may drive a motorized vehicle-for-hire, and no vehicle-for-hire company may hire a person as a driver, either as an employee or an independent contractor, unless that person possesses a valid public passenger vehicle driver certification. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a person who has applied for such a certification may drive a taxicab if the person has obtained from the city a temporary certification; such certification shall not be valid for more than 30 days, or until the city grants or denies the person’s application for a public passenger vehicle driver certification, whichever is sooner.
(4) 
No public passenger vehicle company may locate any part of its operation in a residential zone unless expressly authorized by the city manager or designee pursuant to the Springfield Municipal Code or the Eugene Code.
(5) 
All persons and businesses required to obtain a public passenger vehicle company license under subsection (1) of this section shall provide the city manager or designee with written notice of the maximum rate to be charged passengers. No public passenger vehicle company shall change its maximum rate without first providing the city manager or designee with a minimum of 10 days’ advance written notice of the new rate. No public passenger vehicle company shall charge more than the rate on file with the city. Upon request, the city manager may exempt, by administrative order, a public passenger vehicle company from the provisions of this section if the public passenger vehicle company does not operate any taxicabs.
(6) 
The actual fare charged for each trip by a taxicab shall not exceed the higher of either:
(a) 
The meter calculated rate, including authorized and posted surcharges; or
(b) 
The minimum fare as posted on the interior and exterior of the vehicle.
(7) 
The city manager or designee shall adopt rules setting standards and establishing requirements for vehicle-for-hire companies, vehicles-for-hire, public passenger vehicle drivers and transportation network drivers; and the issuance of licenses for companies, permits for vehicles, and certifications and temporary certificates for drivers. Such rules shall be consistent with this code and be designed to ensure that the public safety is protected, the public needs are met, and the public convenience is promoted.
(8) 
In addition to requirements established by rule to obtain a license, each public passenger vehicle company must designate a registered agent who may be served with any process, notice or demand required or permitted by law to be served upon the company. The registered agent shall be an individual or business located in Eugene or Springfield, and must be available for service of legal process during all hours that the public passenger vehicle company is in operation.
(9) 
The term for a license issued hereunder shall commence on January 1st and expire on December 31st of the year issued. The license fee for applications received after January 1st shall be prorated on the basis of that term. An application for extension or renewal of an existing license must be submitted by November 1st, accompanied by the required license fee. Failure to submit the license fee with the extension or renewal application, or to pay the same before the end of the current license term may result in the licensee being required to submit a new application and pay an application fee. A licensee who submits an extension or renewal application after November 1st may be assessed a penalty fee of $10.00 per day for each day between November 1st and the date the application is submitted.
[Section 7.332 amended by Ordinance No. 6355, enacted July 18, 2016]
[1]
To obtain a business license for a public passenger vehicle service in the City of Springfield and/or the City of Eugene, please follow this link for an application: public passenger vehicle service license.