[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Board of the Town of Ithaca 12-12-1988
by L.L. No. 12-1988. Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Vehicles and traffic — See Ch. 250.
This chapter shall apply to all taxicabs operating wholly or partially
in the area of the Town of Ithaca outside of the Village of Cayuga Heights.
Unless otherwise expressly stated, or the context otherwise requires,
whenever used in this chapter, the following words shall have the following
meanings:
Includes any highway, street, alley, avenue, court, bridge, lane
or public highway or any other public way in the Town of Ithaca.
Includes any vehicle engaged in the business of carrying persons
for compensation, whether the same be operated from a street stand, or subject
to calls from a garage or radio station, or otherwise operated for compensation,
except vehicles subject to the provisions of the Transportation Law, or used
by undertakers in carrying on their undertaking service.
Any such person who drives taxicabs, whether such person be the owner
of such taxicab, or employed by a taxicab owner or operator.
Includes any person owning or having control of the use of one or
more taxicabs used in the Town of Ithaca.
The person in whose name the New York State license is issued pursuant
to the Vehicle and Traffic Law.
The Town of Ithaca excluding the Village of Cayuga Heights.
The Town is hereby divided into the following zones:
A.
Zone A. The area located in the Town bounded on the north
by the Town of Ithaca - Town of Ulysses town line; on the west by the Town
of Ithaca - Town of Enfield town line; on the south by the Town of Ithaca
- Town of Newfield town line, and on the east by New York State Route 13 and
the western Town of Ithaca - City of Ithaca line and the center line of Cayuga
Lake.
B.
Zone B. The area located in the Town bounded on the north
by the southern Town of Ithaca - City of Ithaca line; on the west by New York
State Route 13; on the south by the Town of Ithaca and Towns of Newfield and
Danby town lines and on the east by the center line of Six Mile Creek.
C.
Zone C. The area located in the Town bounded on the north
by the center line of New York State Route 366; on the west by the eastern
Town of Ithaca - City of Ithaca line; on the south by the center line of Six
Mile Creek; and on the east by the Town of Ithaca Town of Dryden town line.
D.
Zone D. The area located in the Town bounded on the north
by the Town of Ithaca - Town and Village of Lansing line; on the west by the
center line of Cayuga Lake and the eastern Town of Ithaca - City of Ithaca
line and on the south by the center line of New York State Route 366; and
on the east by the Town of Ithaca - Town of Dryden town line, excluding any
area located in the Village of Cayuga Heights.
A.
Trips originating and ending in the Town. Except as provided below in §§ 243-5 through 243-10, the maximum prices that may be charged by the owners, operators or drivers of taxicabs for the transportation of a single passenger which transportation both commences and terminates in the Town shall be in accordance with the following chart:
|
Commencing in Zone
| |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Ending in Zone
|
A
|
B
|
C
|
D
| |
|
A
|
$5.00
|
$8.00
|
$8.00
|
$8.00
| |
|
B
|
$8.00
|
$5.00
|
$8.00
|
$8.00
| |
|
C
|
$8.00
|
$8.00
|
$5.00
|
$6.00
| |
|
D
|
$8.00
|
$8.00
|
$6.00
|
$5.00
| |
B.
Special rule for zone boundaries. For the purposes of determining the rates to be charged pursuant to Subsection A above, any taxicab transportation commencing or terminating on a property fronting on New York State Route 13 or on New York State Route 366 shall be deemed to have commenced or terminated as the case may be, in the zone which would require the lesser fare.
C.
Trips originating in the Town and terminating in city or villages. Except as provided below in §§ 243-5 through 243-10, the maximum prices that may be charged by the owners, operators, or drivers of taxicabs for the transportation of a single passenger, which transportation commences in the Town and terminates in one of the municipalities set forth below, unless a higher maximum is specifically authorized pursuant to legislation of the County of Tompkins or other appropriate regulating governmental entity, shall be as follows:
(1)
For trips terminating in the City of Ithaca, an amount
equal to:
(a)
The maximum rates authorized by the City of Ithaca Taxicab
Ordinance for travel from the point in the City at which the trip would normally
enter the City to the destination in the City; plus
(b)
$0.50; plus
(c)
$1 for each mile (or major fraction thereof) after the
first half mile reasonably traveled in the Town with the passenger in the
cab from the point of trip commencement to the point where the trip enters
the city. [E.g., if the trip originated at the corner of Troy Road and Coddington
Road and terminated at the corner of Grandview Drive and Hudson Street, the
maximum fare would be $4 ($2.50 within the City, $0.50 for the first half
mile in the Town, and $1 for the additional major fraction of a mile). In
no event shall the maximum fare exceed $5.]
(2)
For trips terminating in the Village of Cayuga Heights, an amount equal to the maximum amount permitted by the table in Subsection A above, reading the table as if all of the Village of Cayuga Heights was a part of Zone D (e.g., if the trip originated at the corner of Ellis Hollow Road on Pine Tree Road and terminated at the corner of Hanshaw Road and Upland Road the maximum fare would be $6.)[1]
(3)
For trips terminating in the Village of Lansing, an amount
equal to:
(a)
The maximum amount permitted by the table in Subsection A above, reading the table as if all of the Village of Lansing was a part of Zone D; plus
(b)
$1. [E.g., if the trip originated at the corner of Warren
Road and Hanshaw Road and terminated at the airport passenger terminal, the
maximum fare would be $6 (Zone D interzone fare of $5 plus $1)].
D.
Trips originating in city or villages and terminating in the Town. Except as provided below in §§ 243-5 through 243-10, the maximum prices that may be charged by the owners, operators, or drivers of taxicabs for the transportation of a single passenger which transportation commences in the City of Ithaca, Village of Cayuga Heights, or Village of Lansing, and which transportation is intended to terminate, and in fact does terminate, at a point in the Town, shall be determined in the same manner as set forth in Subsection C for trips originating in the Town and terminating in one of said municipalities (e.g., if the trip originated at the corner of Grandview Drive and Hudson Street in the City of Ithaca and terminated at the corner of Troy Road and Coddington Road in the Town, the maximum fare would be $4).
A.
No taxicab driver shall carry in the Town any person
other than the passenger first engaging the taxicab without the consent of
such passenger. Before requesting the consent of such passenger, the taxicab
driver shall clearly explain to such passenger the effect of such consent
on the fare to be charged.
Except as provided in § 243-7 below, the driver of a taxicab may charge an additional $0.50 per passenger for each trip commencing or terminating between the hours of 1:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m.
One child five years of age or under shall ride free if accompanied
by an adult passenger. No driver shall be required to convey any child under
the age of five years except when accompanied by an adult.
A.
Each passenger shall be allowed to transport at no charge
two suitcases, each of which is no larger than two feet by two feet by six
inches in size, and one travel bag. A charge of $1 for each oversized or additional
piece of luggage under 25 pounds shall be authorized. A charge of $5 for footlockers
or luggage over 25 pounds shall be authorized.
B.
Each passenger shall be allowed to carry up to five grocery
bags at no charge. A charge of $0.50 for each additional grocery bag shall
be authorized.
C.
A charge of $2.50 per pair of skis is authorized, provided
the taxicab is equipped with suitable racks.
After a passenger has engaged a taxicab, the taxicab driver may charge
the passenger for any time during which the taxicab waits for the passenger
at the passenger's request. The taxicab driver shall inform the passenger
of the charge for waiting time at the time of request.
Without limiting other circumstances, the owner, operator or driver
of a taxicab may charge a fare less than that provided for in this chapter
in the following situations:
A.
Tip solicitation. No driver shall solicit tips, gratuities,
or any additional charges other than those authorized by this chapter. However,
nonsolicited voluntary tipping is permitted.
B.
Out-of-town flat rates. If the taxicab is engaged for
a trip which either originates or terminates in the Town but does not terminate
or originate elsewhere in the Town, City of Ithaca or Villages of Cayuga Heights
or Lansing, the taxicab driver shall agree with the passenger prior to the
commencement of the trip for the rate to be charged, which shall include all
tolls required to be paid.
C.
Prepayment. A taxicab driver shall have the right to
demand payment of the legal fare in advance, and may refuse employment unless
so prepaid.
D.
Nondiscrimination. A taxicab driver may not refuse or
neglect to convey any orderly person upon request unless previously engaged
or unable or forbidden by this provisions of this chapter.
E.
Receipts to passengers. A taxicab driver must, upon request
of a passenger, issue a receipt for fares paid by the passenger.
A.
Every taxicab owner, operator or driver shall at all
times have available in any taxicab owned, operated or driven by such individual
in the Town, a copy of this chapter and shall make such copy available to
any passenger upon request.
B.
Every taxicab owner, operator or driver shall at all
times have conspicuously posted in full view of passengers in any taxicab
owned, operated or driven by such individual in the Town the following:
(1)
A rate card displaying the grid showing the rates by zone set forth in § 243-4A of this chapter; and
(2)
A notice stating: "The rate schedules for fares in the
Town of Ithaca, together with the full text of the Town of Ithaca's Rate Law
are available for review upon request from the driver of this taxicab, according
to Town ordinance."
Failure to comply with any provision of this chapter shall be deemed
a violation and the violator shall be liable for a fine up to $250 in the
case of an individual, and $500 in the case of a corporation, or imprisonment
not to exceed 15 days, or both. In the case of a failure to post any applicable
notice or have available this chapter each day such violation continues shall
constitute a separate violation.
