5.22.050 Operational requirements.
(1) Records Management. TNCs shall maintain records of all trips made by all drivers for at least one year from the date of the trip. The data may be aggregated and/or anonymized, and shall at a minimum include the locations by ZIP code of trip origination and destination, vehicle miles traveled, trip origination and completion times, trip duration, and passenger wait times from a driver’s acceptance of a request for passenger pick-up. The city may require a TNC to enter a data sharing agreement in order to receive a license.
(2) Vehicle Markings. All vehicles operating for a TNC or taxi company shall be clearly marked with the company name or logo. Vehicles operating for a taxi company shall include the company name or logo, phone number and a vehicle identification number in plain sight. Vehicles operated solely for TNC services shall be clearly marked as operating for the TNC, although any vehicle marking requirements imposed by a TNC may apply. The TNC’s software application or website shall display for the passenger the make, model and license plate number of the TNC vehicle.
(3) Ride Arrangements. TNC drivers may not accept street hails, and may only accept rides arranged through a TNC’s digital network.
(4) Use of Direct Route Required. A vehicle for hire driver employed to carry a passenger to a definite point shall take the most direct route possible that will carry the passenger safely and expeditiously to the destination.
(5) Operators shall implement and maintain at all times a zero-tolerance policy on the use of drugs or alcohol applicable to all drivers employed by or affiliated with the company while providing vehicle for hire services. Companies shall provide notice of the zero-tolerance policy on their website and/or have it clearly displayed in each vehicle. The notice must include contact information to report a complaint about a driver for possible violation of this policy. A company shall immediately suspend a driver upon receipt of a passenger complaint alleging violation of the zero-tolerance policy for at least the duration of the investigation of the complaint.
(a) Notwithstanding subsection (5) of this section, it shall be unlawful for any person to smoke in a vehicle for hire if oxygen tanks or other devices containing inflammable materials are present in the vehicle. Operators must provide reasonable accommodations to passengers with disabilities, including passengers accompanied by a service animal, passengers with hearing and visual impairments and passengers with mobility devices and must comply with all applicable requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
(6) Charges for Vehicle for Hire Services.
(a) Calculation and Display of Charges. All charges for vehicle for hire services shall be calculated and displayed by a taximeter or digital dispatch system. When charges are to be displayed by a taximeter, the taximeter shall be placed in the vehicle for hire so that the reading dial showing the amount to be charged is illuminated and readily discernible to passengers.
(b) Charges to Be Registered Only When Vehicle for Hire Engaged. No taximeter or digital dispatch system shall be operated in a manner so as to cause any charge to be registered thereon except during the time while the vehicle for hire is engaged by a passenger.
(c) Taximeter or Digital Dispatch System to Be in Continuous Operation. No passenger shall be carried in a vehicle for hire unless the taximeter or digital dispatch system is in operation, whether or not the trip is entirely within or partially within and partially without the boundaries of the city. The taximeter or digital display system shall be in continuous operation during the entire time that a passenger is being transported for compensation.
(d) Specialized Charges. A vehicle for hire agency may impose a specialized charge to carry extra passengers or to deliver goods or other items so long as such specialized charge is clearly calculated and displayed before any service is provided.
(e) Taximeter Inspection. Every taximeter shall be inspected and tested for accuracy by the vehicle for hire agency at least once every six months. (Ord. 2055 § 1, 2022)