City of Rochester, NY Article III Taxicab Driver's License

§ 108-17 License required.

[Amended 11-29-1984 by Ord. No. 84-462; 5-12-1992 by Ord. No. 92-175; 6-14-1994 by Ord. No. 94-171; 5-14-1996 by Ord. No. 96-155]

A. No person shall drive a taxicab within the City without having a current taxicab driver's license issued by the City Clerk.

B. A taxicab driver's license shall be issued by the City Clerk for a period ending June 30 following the date of issuance upon compliance with the provisions of this chapter, upon approval by the Chief of Police and upon payment of the required license fee.

C. In the event that a taxicab driver's license is lost or stolen prior to the expiration thereof, the City Clerk may issue a duplicate upon payment of a fee of $50 and upon receipt of a duly sworn affidavit of loss from the holder.

[Amended 6-18-2002 by Ord. No. 2002-201; 6-17-2008 by Ord. No. 2008-205; 7-14-2015 by Ord. No. 2015-221; 5-15-2018 by Ord. No. 2018-114[1]]

[1] Editor's Note: This ordinance provided an effective date of 7-1-2018.

D. To be eligible for a taxicab driver's license, a person shall have completed, within one year prior to the date upon which the license is to be valid, a two-hour taxicab driver training session offered by the City without cost. To be eligible for a taxicab driver's license renewal, a person shall have completed. within two years prior to the date upon which the license is to be renewed, a two-hour taxicab driver training session offered by the City without cost. If the driver has not completed the training session prior to the date upon which the license is to be valid, a conditional license may be issued to the driver, which license shall automatically expire upon the 90th day after it is valid if the driver has not completed the training session within that time period. The training sessions shall be offered by the City on a quarterly basis. The training sessions shall provide information on matters such as hospitality and customer service skills; appearance and hygiene; Rochester geography, highlights and sights; safety and how to get help in emergency situations; rules of the road; Chapter 108 of the Municipal Code, Taxicabs; and the most frequently asked taxicab questions.

[Added 2-25-2014 by Ord. No. 2014-29; amended 4-14-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-116[2]]

[2] Editor's Note: This ordinance provided an effective date of 5-1-2020.

§ 108-18 Application.

A. The application shall be made to the City Clerk and shall contain the applicant's name and home address, home telephone number, date of birth, New York State chauffeur's license number, employer's name and address (if not self-employed) and such other information as may be required by the Chief of Police. All new applications, and all renewals for the license year beginning July 1, 2004, as well as renewals thereafter if employment eligibility is temporary, shall be accompanied by employment eligibility verification for the applicant in the form of proof of citizenship or lawful permanent resident alien or alien authorized to work status. All new and renewal applications shall also be accompanied by a license abstract form for the applicant which the applicant has obtained from the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles within 10 days of the date of the application.

[Amended 5-14-1996 by Ord. No. 96-155; 3-23-2004 by Ord. No. 2004-74; 9-19-2006 by Ord. No. 2006-293]

B. The annual license fee shall be $50, and said fee shall be nonrefundable and paid at the time the application is made. There shall be a fee of $10 for replacement of a lost certificate.

[Amended 6-14-1994 by Ord. No. 94-171; 6-18-2002 by Ord. No. 2002-201; 3-23-2004 by Ord. No. 2004-74; 6-17-2008 by Ord. No. 2008-205; 5-15-2018 by Ord. No. 2018-114[1]]

[1] Editor's Note: This ordinance provided an effective date of 7-1-2018.

C. The applicant must certify that he or she is 18 years of age or over, that he or she holds a valid New York State chauffeur's license and that he or she is familiar with the Traffic Ordinance of the City[2] and with this chapter.

[Amended 2-14-2006 by Ord. No. 2006-22]

[2] Editor's Note: See Ch. 111, Vehicle and Traffic.

D. Each applicant for a taxicab driver's license, including renewal applicants, must furnish not fewer than four unmounted, unretouched color photographs of himself or herself taken within 30 days preceding the filing of the application. Each photograph shall be two inches by two and one-half inches in size and shall clearly display the applicant from mid-chest and above.

[Amended 3-23-2004 by Ord. No. 2004-74; 2-14-2006 by Ord. No. 2006-22]

E. The Police Department shall conduct an investigation of each applicant for a taxicab driver's license, and the report of this investigation and a copy of the traffic and police record of the applicant, if any, shall be attached to the application for consideration by the Chief of Police.

§ 108-19 Temporary permits.

[Amended 5-14-1996 by Ord. No. 96-155]

Upon receipt of an application for a taxicab driver's license, the City Clerk shall immediately forward the application to the Chief of Police for a record check of the applicant. If the record check discloses that the applicant has not been convicted of any crime, the City Clerk shall immediately issue a temporary taxicab driver's license pending final approval of the application by the Chief of Police. The temporary license shall expire on the 20th day following its issuance.

§ 108-20 Renewal of license.

[Amended 5-14-1996 by Ord. No. 96-155; 2-14-2006 by Ord. No. 2006-22]

The holder of a taxicab driver's license shall be permitted to renew the license annually, provided that he or she complies with all provisions of this chapter. The application for such renewal must be filed with the City Clerk not later than the 30th day of June of each successive license year. If the application for renewal is not made within this time, the holder will be deemed to have abandoned the license.

§ 108-21 Taxicab driver regulations.

A. No taxicab driver shall induce any person to be carried by any taxicab by willful misrepresentation.

B. Each taxicab driver shall keep the interior and exterior of his or her taxicab in a clean and sanitary condition at all times. Each taxicab shall at all times be neat and clean in appearance. Taxicab windows shall be kept clean at all times. Taxicab drivers shall remove all debris from the interior and sweep out the interior after each trip. Taxicab drivers shall assure that all vehicle systems are in safe working order prior to the commencement of work each day.

[Amended 3-20-1990 by Ord. No. 90-67; 2-14-2006 by Ord. No. 2006-22]

C. No taxicab driver shall wait for employment in any stand or place of public resort except at established taxicab stands.

D. No taxicab driver shall seek employment by persistently driving a taxicab past any theater, hall, hotel, public resort, railroad station or terminal or other place of public gathering, nor shall any taxicab driver solicit employment by driving at such slow speed as to interfere with or impede traffic. Taxicab drivers shall obey police officers who may from time to time give instructions in order to relieve traffic congestion and to preserve the safety and convenience of the public.

E. No person shall solicit passengers for a taxicab except the driver of the taxicab for which passengers are solicited.

F. No person shall drive a taxicab while intoxicated, nor shall any taxicab driver drink an alcoholic beverage while on duty, nor drive while his or her ability is impaired by use of a controlled substance as defined in § 3306 of the Public Health Law.

[Amended 2-14-2006 by Ord. No. 2006-22]

G. No taxicab driver shall fasten or lock the doors on a cab so that it is impossible for a passenger to open them from the inside.

H. No taxicab driver shall refuse or neglect to convey any orderly person upon request, unless such driver has been previously engaged or is off-duty or is otherwise forbidden to do so by the provisions of this chapter. However, no taxicab driver shall be required to accept a fare that will terminate outside the boundaries of the County of Monroe.

I. Each taxicab driver shall search the interior of the taxicab at least once each day for articles left in the cab. The driver shall immediately take such property to the Police Department's Property Custody Office for safekeeping and proper disposition.

J. No taxicab driver shall permit any other person to use his or her taxicab driver's license.

[Amended 2-14-2006 by Ord. No. 2006-22]

K. No taxicab driver shall drive any taxicab for more than 12 continuous hours in any twenty-four-hour period.

L. No taxicab driver shall solicit for any hotel or motel or attempt to divert patronage from one hotel or motel to another; engage in selling alcoholic beverages; solicit business for or direct persons to any person or location known to be involved in any illegal activity, including but not limited to prostitution, gambling or the sale or use of controlled substances; or use a taxicab for any purpose other than the purposes allowed in this chapter.

[Amended 3-23-2004 by Ord. No. 2004-74]

M. Each taxicab driver shall display his or her own taxicab driver's license on the license/rate card and the taxicab driver's license and rate card shall not be torn, mutilated or obstructed from view by passengers in the taxicab. No other taxicab driver’s license shall be displayed in the taxicab.

[Amended 12-17-1991 by Ord. No. 91-513; 3-23-2004 by Ord. No. 2004-74]

N. Each taxicab driver waiting for public employment in any established working taxi zone shall remain within sight of his or her taxicab and shall at all times be prepared to move the taxicab.

[Amended 2-14-2006 by Ord. No. 2006-22]

O. No taxicab driver waiting for employment in any place or zone shall engage in any disorderly conduct or obstruct any sidewalk.

P. Each taxicab driver shall approach the working taxicab stand from the rear of the last vehicle and shall move forward, keeping his or her proper relative place in the line when any other taxicab shall move on or away.

[Amended 2-14-2006 by Ord. No. 2006-22]

Q. A taxicab driver or operator shall immediately report a refusal to pay a fare to the Police Department either in person or by telephone.

R. No taxicab driver shall eat or drink while transporting a passenger, nor shall a taxicab driver have any alcoholic beverage, whether open or unopened, in the front or rear seating areas of a taxicab while on duty.

[Added 11-29-1984 by Ord. No. 84-462]

S. No taxicab driver shall smoke or carry a lighted cigar, cigarette or pipe or any other form of smoking object or device in a taxicab while such taxicab is in service with or without a passenger or fare.

[Added 11-29-1984 by Ord. No. 84-462; amended 3-20-1990 by Ord. No. 90-67]

T. All taxicab drivers shall be neatly dressed and clean while on duty. No sleeveless shirts or blouses, such as tank tops, tube tops, halters or tee shirts, or sweat shirts or sweat pants shall be worn. No shorts shall be worn and no footwear such as sandals or thongs, that expose a driver's toes shall be worn. All articles of clothing or footwear worn by drivers while on duty shall be clean and untorn.

[Added 11-29-1984 by Ord. No. 84-462; amended 12-17-1991 by Ord. No. 91-513]

U. The current hack plate certificate shall be carried in the taxicab at all times and shall be produced by the taxicab driver upon request by any police officer.

[Added 3-23-2004 by Ord. No. 2004-74]

V. Taxicab drivers, while on duty, shall immediately notify the Rochester Police Department of any suspected unlawful activities by passengers.

[Added 3-23-2004 by Ord. No. 2004-74]

W. No taxicab driver shall notify a passenger of his or her arrival or beckon a fare at any time by blowing the taxicab’s horn.

[Added 3-23-2004 by Ord. No. 2004-74]

X. No taxicab driver shall use any type of profane, abusive, or threatening remarks or gestures toward passengers, pedestrians or other drivers under any circumstances; nor express or otherwise manifest any prejudice concerning age, race, creed, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, disability, marital status or other personal characteristics.

[Added 3-23-2004 by Ord. No. 2004-74]

Y. The holder of a taxicab driver’s license shall immediately notify the City Clerk in writing of any change in the status of the holder’s New York State chauffeur's license.

[Added 3-23-2004 by Ord. No. 2004-74]