DEPARTMENT: Police Department
DEPARTMENT HEAD: William P. McManus, Chief of Police
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: Citywide
SUMMARY:
At the City Council’s direction City staff, the taxicab industry, and a group of independent driver representatives have worked over the last 11 months to evaluate and discuss potential modifications to the Chapter 33 Vehicle-for-Hire ordinance. After nearly a year of effort, City Council is now being presented with recommended changes to Chapter 33:
• Delete the requirement for a holder to have at least three taxicabs to be considered a company.
• Issue 75 permits to new single taxicab companies through a lottery in January, 2018 and again in June, 2018. Then remove the permit issuance ratio (1:1700) for taxis in January, 2019.
BACKGROUND:
In recent years there have been various changes made to the Chapter 33 Vehicle-for-Hire ordinance. During the latest planning proceedings for these revisions, a group of approximately 200 independent taxicab drivers submitted a petition to SAPD requesting the creation of an owner/operator permit category for drivers within Chapter 33.
At the City Council B-Session on November 30, 2016, SAPD presented the independent taxicab driver’s petition and outlined their request. As a result, City Council directed staff to investigate the owner/operator permit concept. After researching the matter, staff formed a recommendation that would both allow single permit taxicab companies to operate and remove the permit issuance ratio for taxis from Chapter 33.
In March 2017, the Transportation Advisory Board (TAB) reviewed staff’s proposal and unanimously voted to reject it.
On May 17, 2017 City staff conducted a presentation for the Public Safety Committee regarding the aforementioned recommendation and City Councilmembers posed several questions requiring additional research.
August 28, 2017 - SAPD returned to the TAB to confirm the board’s position did not change; the committee is not in support of the creation of the single permit companies.
September 26, 2017 - City staff made a presentation to the Public Safety Committee addressing their previous questions. Afterwards, the committee did not take any action regarding the above described recommendation.
ISSUE:
A group of independent driver representatives has requested an owner/operator category be adopted within the Chapter 33 Vehicles-for-Hire ordinance. This would allow for the establishment of single permit taxicab companies, which is now prohibited by Chapter 33 as that ordinance requires a permit holder to have at least three taxicabs to operate as a company. In addition, there are currently no available taxicab permits to be awarded based on the permit issuance ratio (1:1700) for taxis contained in Chapter 33.
City staff proposes the adoption of single permit taxicab companies into Chapter 33 but the TAB has unanimously and repeatedly rejected the idea.
ALTERNATIVES:
The Transportation Committee could determine not to forward to City Council to consider changes to Chapter 33.
FISCAL IMPACT:
This item is for briefing purposes only.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends forwarding to the full City Council to consider deleting the requirement in Chapter 33 for a holder to have at least three taxicabs to be considered a company. Staff also proposes to issue 75 permits to new single taxicab companies through a lottery in January 2018 and again in June 2018. Then in January 2019, remove the permit issuance ratio (1:1700) for taxis.