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Council sets hearing on taxicab changes

Proposal includes meters, ends cab limit

By Reggie Ponder
Staff Writer

Monday, November 02, 2009

City Council will hear public feedback on proposed changes to Elizabeth City’s Taxicab Ordinance — including adding a requirement that all cabs be equipped with taximeters and eliminating any limit on the number of cabs — at its regular meeting Nov. 23.

A motion Monday night by Councilman Tony Stimatz to schedule the proposed amendments to the ordinance for a public hearing Nov. 23 passed unanimously.

The amendments were proposed by the Mayor’s Task Force on Taxicabs and were presented at council’s work session by Task Force Chairman Wayne Harris.

Harris told council the appearance of cabs is a “community marker” for visitors. But he added the task force also tried to avoid regulations that would drive up costs for customers.

He called the city’s current limit on franchises “almost medieval” and told council the task force advocated doing away with any kind of limit on the number of cabs or the number of cab companies.

Councilman Kirk Rivers said he was concerned about the effect that opening up the number of cabs in the city could have on existing companies.

After the meeting, he told The Daily Advance he thought doing away with the cab cap would put mom-n-pop operations out of business.

Stimatz praised the Task Force for its work, saying the panel “did all the right things.”

Councilwoman Jean Baker agreed, telling Harris the panel did “a great job.”

Other proposed changes include:

e_SBlt A dress code for drivers stipulating drivers’ clothing must be neat and in good repair, free of holes, tears, stains or soil; undershirts, bare midriff or backless attire, shorts, cut-off jeans, and miniskirts prohibited while the taxicab is for hire; shorts will be allowed if they are not more than two inches above the knee.

e_SBlt A ban on tobacco use in cabs by owners, drivers or passengers;

e_SBlt The owner shall report any accident involving a taxicab to the taxi inspector within 72 hours; any cab that is unsafe or has more than $300 in exterior damage be taken off street; any exterior damage less than $300 damage must be repaired within 60 days.

e_SBlt Taxicabs will be subject to spot inspections.

e_SBlt The police chief or designee will have the authority to remove any taxicab from the street until all deficiencies have been corrected.

There was extensive discussion about a proposal to prohibit drivers from sleeping, lounging or lying down in taxicabs in public areas.

Rivers asked if drivers could sleep or lounge in a cab at the taxi stand or station.

Not if the station is located in a public area, Harris replied.

Rivers said he was troubled by the idea of prohibiting lounging at the base station.

“I just have a problem with that one,” Rivers said.

Mayor Steve Atkinson said cab drivers could lounge all they want on their own property.

Harris said of all the proposals, he was the least committed to the ban on sleeping and lounging. He noted some members of the task force had mentioned cat naps for drivers actually could make taxi travel safer for the public.

“This was a close call,” Harris said.

Rivers said some cabs use ball parks as a station.

“In Elizabeth City they use public places to wait for their next call,” Rivers said.

Atkinson said that might need to be changed.

Stimatz said he would be willing to allow lounging — but not lying down — and cat naps at defined taxi stands in the city, even if some are located in public areas.

Councilman Rickey King asked about the cost of taximeters.

Police Chief Charles Crudup said they cost about $250 to $350 each.

Stimatz said the city should cover the up-front cost for installing taximeters in existing taxicabs, with meters in new cabs being the responsibility of the owner.

Council will review a few details of the proposed changes at its meeting Nov. 9, then hold the public hearing Nov. 23.

Rivers asked that cab operators be provided information about the changes before the public hearing.