[Ord. No. 215, 12-28-1948]
As used in this article the following terms shall have the respective meanings ascribed to them:
The standing of taxicabs, motor-driven or propelled in any manner, longer than may be necessary to receive or discharge passengers whom the driver of such taxicab had been engaged to transport.
All automobiles and other vehicles of like construction and operation employed in the transportation of passengers for hire within the City or the police jurisdiction thereof.
[Ord. No. 215, 12-28-1948]
Every person driving or operating a taxicab in the City or within the police jurisdiction thereof must procure from the City Clerk a permit to operate such taxicab.
[Ord. No. 215, 12-28-1948; 1-12-1949; Ord. No. 2040-26, 6-2-2026]
(a)
No person shall be granted a permit to operate a taxicab unless he or she is 18 years of age or over and has the free use of both hands and feet.
(b)
No applicant shall be granted a permit to operate a taxicab who has not had at least six months' experience in operating automobiles or who does not have a current Alabama driver's license.
(d)
No person shall be granted a permit to operate a taxicab except upon written application therefor to the City Clerk, which shall be in such form as to require the applicant to give all the information required by this article, and such application shall be sworn to by the applicant.
(e)
The City Clerk shall keep on file the application which shall show, in addition to other information called for in this article, the name, age and address of all persons issued permits as taxicab drivers.
(f)
Should the City Clerk fail or refuse to issue a permit to any person under the provisions of this article, the applicant for such permit may appeal to the City Council, and upon hearing if the City Council is satisfied to the fitness of the applicant under the provisions of this article to operate a taxicab, the City Council may direct the Clerk to issue a permit to the applicant.
(g)
Every application shall be accompanied by a fee of $50 to cover the cost incident to the issuance of such permit, and if the application is not granted the $50 so paid shall not be refunded.
[Ord. No. 215, 12-28-1948]
The permit provided for by this article shall be separate and distinct and in addition to the business license required by the City for the operation of taxicabs.
[Ord. No. 215, 12-28-1948; Ord. No. 2040-26, 6-2-2026]
(a)
No person shall operate a taxicab without the same being covered by a public liability insurance policy issued by a solvent insurance company authorized to write automobile liability insurance in the state, protecting passengers, pedestrians, and other persons against injury, subject to the following minimum limits:
(1)
For all damages arising out of a bodily injury to one person, $50,000, and subject to that limit for each person, the total liability on account of one accident shall be limited to $100,000. It shall not be required that such coverage shall apply to the assured's employee while engaged in operating or being carried in any of the assured's taxicabs or other employees of the assured who are injured while engaged at the time of such injury in performing any duties for the assured in connection with the trade, business or occupation of the assured.
(2)
For all property damage in one accident, $50,000, except property of the assured or property in the custody of the assured for which assured is legally responsible.
(b)
Said policy shall include endorsement to the effect that said policy shall not be cancelled without notice of cancellation being served upon the City Clerk at least 10 days prior to the date of cancellation. Said policy shall be filed with the City Clerk and shall remain on file with said City Clerk.
(c)
The Clerk shall not issue any taxicab permit under this article unless the applicant or the owner of the taxicab shall first file with said City Clerk an insurance policy as herein specified. In the event said insurance policy should expire or be cancelled, the permit to operate the taxicab covered by said insurance policy shall immediately be cancelled and become null and void, and it shall be unlawful for any person to operate such taxicab after the expiration or cancellation of such insurance policy.
[Ord. No. 215, 12-28-1948]
No taxicab shall be permitted to park or stand on any street, alley or other public place in the City at any hour of the day or night for a longer period of time than is actually necessary to receive or discharge passengers; provided, however, that the City Council may designate stands for such taxicabs at such places as it may see fit.
[Ord. No. 215, 12-28-1948]
A schedule of taxicab fares must be approved by the City Council, and each driver must at all times have in his or her possession a copy of the fares, and there must be displayed within the taxicab a copy of the fares for the benefit of the public.
[Ord. No. 215, 12-28-1948; Ord. No. 2040-26, 6-2-2026]
Prior to the issuance of a permit each taxicab must be inspected and approved by either the state highway patrol officer assigned to this area or by the Chief of Police of the City or his or her designee, and such subsequent inspections as these officers may deem necessary.
[Ord. No. 215, 12-28-1948]
Whenever any person who is the operator of a taxicab is convicted of operating such taxicab while in an intoxicated condition it shall be within the discretion of the judge trying the case to direct that the City permit under which such person is operating such taxicab be revoked, and if such operator be the owner of such taxicab the judge trying the case in his or her discretion may direct that the City license under which said taxicab is operating shall be revoked. Upon direction of the judge trying the case that said permit or license of any person operating a taxicab shall be revoked, it shall be the duty of the City Clerk to revoke such permit or license, and thereafter if such person should continue to operate such taxicab he or she shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punished as provided in § 1-8.
[Ord. No. 215, 12-28-1948; 1-12-1949]
(a)
Fine and imprisonment. Any driver or owner of a taxicab who shall fail to comply with any provision of this article, or who shall violate any provision of this article, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction shall be punished as provided in § 1-8.
(b)
Suspension from operation of taxicabs; revocation of permits. Any person or owner of a taxicab who shall fail to comply with any provision of this article, or who shall violate any provision of this article, upon conviction, in addition to the fine and imprisonment provided, for the first offense shall be suspended from the operation of the taxicab for a period of 30 days; for the second offense, in addition to the fine and imprisonment provided, the permit to operate said taxicab shall be revoked, and if the operator of said taxicab be the owner, the license of said owner and operator shall also be revoked.