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HomeMy WebLinkAboutOrdinances Book 12, Page 614, No Ordinance Number614 jr AN ORDINANCE REGULATING THE OPERATION OF TAXICABS AND CARRIERS OF PROPERTY FOR HIRE IN THE CITY OF PADUCAH; REGULATING AND LICENSING THE DRIVERS OF TAXICABS; PROVIDING A SEVERABILITY CLAUSE, AND PROVIDING PENALTIES FOR VIOLATION THEREOF I j BE IT ORDAINED BY THE BOARD OF COM-IISSIONERS OF THE CITY OF PADUCAH, i KENTUCKY: SECTION 1. Definitions a. The term "taxicab" means any common carrier motor vehicle designed or constructed to transport g p passengers, not more than six in number exclusive of the driver and not operating over any regular route, and the destination of which is designated by the passengers j at the time of such transportation, but said term does not include school buses, chartered buses, hearses, ambulances or vehicles used for weddings, christenings or similar events. b. The word "owner" shall mean and include any natural person, corporation, firm, partnership, association, or any other kind of group or organization engaging in or owning a business of operating a taxicab or taxicabs. The word "owner" shall also be construed to mean a manager of a taxicab business owned wholly or partly by another person or other persons. c. Carriers of property for hire means any person who controls, operates, manages or leases any vehicle for the transportation of property for hire on the streets of the City of Paducah. d. The word "street" shall mean and include any street, alley, avenue, court, lane, or other public way of the city. e. The word "city" shall mean and include the City of Paducah, Kentucky. f. The words ".license year" shall mean and include a year beginning on January 1 in each year and ending on December 31 in the same year except that the license year 1952 shall be from the date of the enactment of this ordinance to December 31, 1952. g. The word "licensee" shall mean and include any natural person, corporation, firm, partnership, association, or any other kind of group or organization to whom or to which a license has been issued for the privilege of engaging in a business of operating taxicabs or for the privilege of driving a taxicab. SECTION 2. License required. No person shall engage in the busi- ness of operating a taxicab upon the streets of the city without having first obtained all licenses and permits to operate required by the State 615 of Kentucky for each operation and any person who has obtained a permit to operate a taxicab under the Motor Carrier Laws, Chapter 281, KRS, shall be deemed a licensee of the City of Paducah, Kentucky, No person shall drive a taxicab without having First obtained a taxicab driver's license as provided herein. Such licenses shall be required for the license year 1952 and for each license year thereafter. SECTION 3. Inspection of Taxicabs (a) Each taxicab owner shall keep his taxicabs and equipment in good repair and in a safe, clean and sanitary condition at all times, and shall not permit a taxicab to be operated if same is not in good repair or in a safe, clean or sanitary condition. (b) The Chief of Police or any designated member of the Police Department may inspect a taxicab at any time, and if it is found that violations exist, or that a taxicab is not in good repair or safe, clean or sanitary, shall order it out of service until the defects have been corrected. SECTION 4. Suspension or denial of taxicabs to operate. The City Manager may suspend a taxicab license, by written order delivered to the oWner, for not over 30 days, or the Board of Commissioners may, after 10 days notice and a public hearing suspend or deny the right of an owner to operate in the City of Paducah, .for any of the following causew: a. Failure to comply with any State or Federal law or regulation, or any provision or requirement of this or any other ordinance, reso- lution, regulation or order. b. An owner or driver of a taxicab has engaged in any immoral or lwed conduct or has been guilty of any unlawful activity. c. A taxicab is used for any immoral or illegal purpose or in violation of any city ordinance or state or Federal lata or regulation. A licensee may appeal to the Board of Commissioners of the City within 5 days after receiving an order of suspension by the City Manager, upon notice in writing that the right to operate is denied the owner shall cease operation and no driver will be permitted to operate any taxicab of said owner until permission or right to operate has been restored by the Board of Commissioners. SECTION 5. Application for taxicab driver's license. It shall be unlawful to operate a taxicab without a taxicab driver's license, and any person desiring to obtain such a license shall submit to the Chief of Police a complete application on forms to be furnished by the City, containing the following information: L S st- 776 616 a. Full name and home address. b. Address of all pther residences during the last five years. c. Age, color, height and color of eyes and hair. d. Place of birth and marital status. e. Length of time he has been a resident of the city. f. Whether a citizen of the United States. g. Places where employed and names of employers during the last five years. h. Whether he has ever been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor, and if so the nature, date and place of each conviction. i. Whether he has been previously licensed as a taxicab driver or chauffer, and if so when and where. j. If he has previously had a taxicab driver's or chauffer's license or an ordinary state motor vehicle operator's license,, whether any such license has ever been suspended or revoked, and if so the date, place and cause of each suspension or revocation. k. Must furnish names of two reputable residents of the city, who have known the applicant personally, as references for applicant's character and reputation. 1. Whether he holds all state licenses required to qualify as a taxicab driver. m. Whether he can read, write and speak the English language. n. The applicant's finger prints shall be impressed on the appli- cation form by an officer of the Police Department. o. There shall be attached to each application two front view photographs of the applicant taken within the last year and of a size specified on the application form, one of these photographs to be attached to his license. p. The results of a medical examination by a licensed physician on the following points: (1) Whether of sound mind and body, (2) whether addicted to the use of intoxicating beverages or narcotics, (3) whether eyesight and hearing are good, (1E) whether subject to heart disease, vertigo, epilepsy, or any other diseases or informity of mind or body which may affect his ability to operate a motor vehicle in a safe manner, (5) whether affected with any infectious diseases or with any veneral disease in a communicable stage, and (6) such other medical information as may be prescribed by rules and regulations. q. Such additional information as may be required by rules and regulations. Each such application and statement shall be signed and sworn to by the applicant, and any false statement made by the applicant shall in- validate any license that may be issued as a result of such application. F.1.7 SECTION 6. Minimum qualifications of taxicab drivers Each appli- cant for a taxicab driver's license must be of the age of 21 years or over, must be clean in dress and person. The applicant must not have been convicted of a felony within the last five years immediately preceding the date of his application, butthis requirement may be waived by the Chief of Police if in his opinion the facts warrant such a waiver.. He must hold all state licenses required to qualify as a taxicab driver, must be able to read, write and speak the English language, must furnish all information required of applicants as indicated in Section 5 hereof, and must pass the medical examination provided in Section 5. SECTION 7. Investiaption of Applicant and Issuance and Disolay of Taxicab Driver's Licenses. a. The Chief of Police shall determine whether all requirements of this ordinance have been complied with, and shall issue or deny all taxicab drilror's licenses and renewals thereof. Tei- Chief of Police may issue a temporary permit for not to exceed 30 days pending the completion of such investigation and examination. b. Sich licenses shall be renewed from year to year by the Chief of Police either by endorsement upon the original license or by issuance of a new license. c. Each licensee shall display his license with picture of licensee thereon in a conspicuous place within his taxicab and the place of such display may be prescribed or changed by the Chief of Police. SECTION 8. Revocation and suspension of taxicab driv-r's licenses A taxicab driver's license may be suspended for not to exceed 30 days by the City Manager, or may be suspended or revoked Jay the Board of Ppmmissioners, after 10 days written notice and a public hearing, for any of the following causes: (a) Use of a taxicab for any immoral or illegal purpose. (b) The driver fails to comply with any provision of this ordinance or rules and regulations issued hereunder, or of other ordinances of the city, or of any state or Federal law, rule or regulation. (c) Upon being arrested for driving under the influence of intox- icating liquor and if convicted his suspension shall be permanent but if acquitted his license shall be immediately restored. SECTION 9. Operation of Taxicabs. The following rules and regula- tions shall. govern the operation of taxicabs and conduct of taxicab drivers in the City of Paducah: (a) A drivershall be clean in dress and in person and shall weat a distinctive can or uniform at all times while operating a taxicab. 618 (b) A driver shall not solicit the patronage of persons assembled at the termini or at intermediate points along an established route of any other common carrier, when such persons have assembled for the purpose of using the service of a common carrier, but a driver may respond to any call or signal from a pedestrian for a taxicab. (c) A driver shall not carry more persons than the manufacturer's rates seating capacity of the taxicab. (d) A driver shall not refuse or neglect to convey any orderly person or persons, upon request, to any place within the city reasonable accessible by automobile unless previously engaged, or forbidden by the provisions of this ordinance to do so. He may demand payment of the legal fare in advance and may refuse employment until so prepaid. (e) At all times while operating a taxicab a driver shall be cour- teous and shall refrain from swearing, loud talk or boisterous conduct. He shall drive his taxicab carefully and in full compliance with all traffic laws and ordinances. (f) Such additional rules of conduct and duties as may be prescribed in rules and regulations promulgated under this ordinance. SECTION 10. Use of Public Streest and Parking by Taxicabs. a. No taxicab shall be parked upon the streets in the downtown traffic district of the city for a period of time longer than 30 consec- utive minutes, provided that said parking shall at no time be for the purpose of soliciting passengers, and provided further that no taxicab company shall circumvent "these provisions against parking longer than 30 minutes by temporarily moving to another parking space in the same block or by parking another taxicab in space immediately vacated by a cab of the same owner. b. No taxicab will be parked anywhere in the City of Paducah for any purpose, where parking is prohibited. C. "Downtown traffic district" as used in this ordinance is the area bounded by the south line of Washington Street between First Street and South Ninth Street; by the west line of Ninth Street between Wash- ington Street and Nonroe Street; by the north line of 14onroe Street between North ninth Street and Second Street; by the east line of North Second Street from Konroe Street to Jefferson Street; by the north line of Jefferson Street from second street to First street; by the east line of First street from Jefferson street to Washington Street. d. The schedule of fares shall be prominently posted in each cab at all times. C19 SECTION 11. Parking by Carriers of Property for I{ire No carrier of property for hire as defined in Section lc of this ordinance shall be parked on the downtown streets in the downtown traffic district as defined in Section 10c except for the purpose of loading or unloading of property which the carrier has been hired to load or unload. SECTION 12. Penalties. Any person, firm, or corporation violating the provisions of Sections 2, 5, 10 and 11 of this ordinance shall be fined not less than 85.00 nor more than 4ir100.00 or imprisoned for not more than 30 days, or be both fined and imprisoned, and each hour that a violation of Section 10 or 11 occurs shall be considered a separate and distinct offense. If a partnership or corporation is adjudged guilty of violating any provision of this ordinance, each partner or officer of such corporation shall be subject to fine and imprisonment as provided in this section. SECTION 13, Severability. The provisions of this ordinance are severable. If any provision, section, paragraph, sentence or part thereof or the application thereof to any person or class or persons shall be held unconstitutional or invalid, such decision shall not affect or impair the remainder of the ordinance, it being the legislative intent to ordain and enact each provision, section, paragraph, sentence or part thereof separately and independently of each other. SECTION 14. Effective Date. This ordinance shall be in full force and effect from and after its adoption. ���'y Mayor f � I Passed by the Board of Commissioners January 29, 1952 Recorded by Sarah Thurman, City Clerk, January 29, 1952•