No person, firm or corporation shall conduct the business of
hackman, cabman or of operating a public passenger vehicle for hire,
other than a bus line operating on a fixed route, without having first
obtained a license therefor, as herein provided, and every person,
firm or corporation conducting such business shall conform to the
provisions herein contained.
Application for a license to conduct such business shall be
made to the City Clerk, and shall specify the number of vehicles owned
and operated by the applicant. A fee of $20 for each vehicle shall
accompany the application, and no license shall be issued without
the payment of this fee.
No vehicle of any kind shall stand upon, be parked upon, or
make use of any public taxi or hack stand in the City unless the owner
thereof has obtained a license as provided for in the preceding section,
and the driver thereof has a chauffeur's license as provided for in
this chapter.
It shall be the duty of the City Clerk to keep a register of
the names of persons to whom such license is granted, or transferred,
the date when issued or transferred, the number of the license and
the description of the vehicle licensed.
Every vehicle licensed as aforesaid shall bear on the outside
thereof, in a conspicuous place, the name of the owner thereof in
letters not less than two inches in height, which letters shall be
of a color in contrast to the color of the vehicle, and shall be properly
proportioned and legible.
(A)
The prices or rates of fare to be asked or demanded by the operator
or owner of any such vehicle shall be stated in the application for
license and shall be subject to review by the City Clerk and the Department
of Public Safety before issuance or reissuance.
(B)
There shall be affixed on the inside of each vehicle in a conspicuous
place and in such a manner as to be easily read by any person riding
in such a vehicle, a card upon which shall be printed in plain, legible
type the rates of fare provided for in this article.
(C)
Any passenger shall be allowed to have conveyed upon any of the vehicles
aforesaid, without charge, his ordinary traveling baggage; provided
that ordinary hand baggage shall not be construed to mean trunks or
sample cases.
Upon the request of any passenger, the driver of such vehicle
shall give the person so requesting a receipt for the amount of the
fare demanded and paid.
The owner or driver of any such vehicle, licensed as aforesaid,
who may have demanded and received any fare in excess of what is provided
for in this article shall return the excess received, and, in addition,
be liable to a penalty and his license may be revoked.
Every such owner or driver shall have the right to demand in
advance his fare or the person or person so employing him or entering
his vehicle, and may refuse to convey any person who shall not comply
with said demand.
Except as permitted by § 11.429, no owner or driver of any vehicle, licensed as aforesaid, shall refuse to convey in said City any person with or without baggage as aforesaid, when applied to for that purpose; or, having undertaken to convey such person, shall omit or neglect to do so, under penalty.
