[HISTORY: Adopted by the Common Council of
the City of Franklin 8-5-1997 by Ord. No. 97-1461 as Sec. 13.08 of the
1997 Code. Amendments noted where applicable.]
No person shall engage in the business of operating
a taxicab in the city without first having secured a license therefor.
Applications for such license shall be made, in writing, to the Clerk
and shall state thereon the name of the applicant, the intended place
of business and the number of cabs to be operated. If the applicant
is a corporation, the names and addresses of the President and Secretary
thereof shall be given.
As used in this chapter, the following terms
shall have the meanings indicated:
[Amended 2-6-2001 by Ord. No. 2001-1637]:
Any vehicle carrying passengers for hire for
which public patronage is solicited, excepting:
Any municipal or other governmental agency bus
or school bus;
Vehicles operating on established routes which
are regulated by the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin;
Vehicles rented to be driven by the renter or
renter's agent, commonly known as "rent-a-cars"; and
Vehicles operated solely as funeral cars or
ambulances.
For purposes of this chapter, vehicles commonly
designated "limousines" shall be considered a "taxicab."
No such licenses shall be issued to or held
by any person who has been convicted of a felony, nor shall such license
be issued to or held by any corporation if any officer thereof would
be ineligible for a license under the foregoing conditions.
A.
The annual fee, payable in advance, for such license shall be as stated in Chapter 169, Licenses and Permits. Whenever the number of cabs so operated shall be increased during the license year, the licensee shall notify the Clerk of such change and shall pay the additional fee.
B.
Except as hereinafter provided, the Council may issue
or refuse any such permit as the public welfare, convenience or necessity
may require and shall refuse to issue it when it shall find that transportation
facilities already available are adequate to meet the public need.
Such available transportation facilities shall be considered adequate
to meet the public need when there is one taxicab operating in the
city for each 1,200 of its population.
A.
No license granted under this chapter shall be effective
until the licensee files with the City Clerk a schedule of rates of
fares. No licensee or driver shall charge or permit to be charged
any other or different rates of fares than those listed on such schedule
on file. The rates of fares upon such schedule on file shall remain
in effect for a minimum duration of six months. The rates of fares
established by any licensee under this chapter shall be posted in
a conspicuous place in all taxicabs in print size easily read by passenger(s).
Any initial application shall be subject to a six-month probation
term.
[Amended 2-6-2001 by Ord. No. 2001-1637]
B.
The charges herein set forth shall be binding upon
the owners and chauffeurs of such cabs, and any collection of fares
in excess of said rates shall be punished as provided in this chapter.
C.
If demanded by the passenger, the driver in charge
of the taxicab shall deliver to the person paying for the hiring of
the same, at the time of such payment, a receipt in legible type or
writing, containing the name of the owner, the city license number
or the meter number and any item for which the charge is made, the
amount paid and the date of payment. No passenger shall fail or refuse
to pay the lawful fare at the termination of the trip.
[1]
Editor's Note: Former § 232-5, Certificate
of income, was repealed 2-6-2001 by Ord. No. 2001-1637. This ordinance
also renumbered former §§ 232-7 through 232-15 as 232-6
through 232-14, respectively.
The holders of any existing license shall be
notified of every application made by any other person for a taxi
license.
A.
No taxicab shall be operated unless it is covered
by a bond or public liability policy as follows:
[Amended 2-6-2001 by Ord. No. 2001-1637]
B.
Such insurance company, if a surety policy is tendered,
shall be a company entitled to do business in the State of Wisconsin.
Such bond or insurance policy shall be approved by the Mayor and by
the City Attorney as to form and execution.
A.
No taxicab shall be operated unless it bears a State
of Wisconsin license duly issued; and no cab shall be operated unless
it is equipped with proper brakes, lights, tires, horn, muffler, rear
vision mirror and windshield wipers, in good condition. The city shall
inspect every taxicab so often as may be necessary to see to the enforcement
of the provisions of this chapter.
B.
Each taxicab, while operating, shall have on each
side in letters readable from a distance of 20 feet the name of the
licensee operating it. If more than one cab is operated by a licensee,
each cab shall be designated by a different number, and such number
shall also appear on each side of said cab.
A.
No person shall drive a taxicab unless he or she shall
have secured a license therefor.
B.
The annual fee for a taxicab driver's license shall be as set forth in Chapter 169, Licenses and Permits.
[Amended 12-15-1998 by Ord. No. 98-1526]
C.
No such license shall be issued to any person who
is not competent to operate a motor vehicle or who is not familiar
with the traffic laws and ordinances. A police officer shall examine
each applicant for a taxicab driver's license to determine the competency
of the applicant, and no such license shall be issued excepting on
the certificate of the officer that the applicant has demonstrated
his or her ability to operate a motor vehicle as required herein.
D.
Each applicant for a taxicab driver's license must
file with his or her application, which shall be prepared by the City
Clerk, two recent photographs of himself or herself, one of which
shall be kept on file by the City Clerk, and the other shall be attached
to the license issued by the city.
No person shall knowingly permit any taxicab
to be used in the perpetration of any crime or misdemeanor.
A.
The driver of any taxicab shall accept as a passenger
any person who seeks to so use the taxicab, provided that such person
is not intoxicated and conducts himself or herself in an orderly manner.
B.
The driver shall take his or her passenger to his
or her destination by the safest and most direct route from the place
where the passenger enters the cab.
The Council may supervise and regulate taxicabs
and keep the rates within the limits prescribed by this chapter and
determine the adequacy of the service being furnished. The Council
may prescribe rules and regulations and issue orders in conformity
with this chapter.
In addition to any penalty authorized by this
chapter, any license shall be subject to revocation upon any licensee's
conviction for any violation of this chapter. The Council may, at
its discretion, revoke any license granted under this chapter pending
or in advance of the criminal or civil prosecution of the licensee.
