27 - Amendments to Chapter 33 Vehicles for Hire

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Item No. 27 TO: Mayor, Mayor Pro -Tem & City Council Grayson Path, City Manager FROM: Robert G. Vine, Deputy City Manager SUBJECT: AMENDMENTS TO CHAPTER 33, "VEHICLES FOR HIRE" DATE: January 22, 2024 BACKGROUND: Council has been granting licenses to taxicab and shuttle services for years via individual ordinance in compliance with the City Charter (previously Charter Section 124, now Charter Section A4.010). On October 26, 2023, the Council adopted Ordinance No. 2020-060 creating Chapter 33, "Vehicles for Hire." At that time, the amendments included a provision that provided for a penalty for failure to obtain such a license. STATUS OF ISSUE: While staff recognizes the important of an ordinance regulating vehicles for hire, the current ordinance does not differentiate between taxicabs, black car services (limousines), and shuttles addition to Uber and Lyft (which the City cannot regulate pursuant to the Texas Transportation Code.) After speaking with 3 of the 4 vehicle for hire businesses currently operating within the City Limits of Paris about the current ordinance and possible changes to a future ordinance, the following amendments are recommended to the Vehicle for Hire Ordinance: 1. Add definitions for Hailable Service, Shuttle and Limousine. 2. Remove the requirement to have a permanent sign on vehicle for hire with the exception of taxi cabs, which is a hailable service. 3. Increase the annual fee per licensed vehicle from $50.00 to $100.00. 4. Remove the need to take every vehicle for hire ordinance to Council and make it an administrative task once Chapter "Vehicles for Hire" Ordinance is approved. 5. Remove the City's requirement to regulate what rates the vehicle for hire companies charge, since the City has not done that in at least twenty years. 6. Require commercial business insurance as opposed to individual's vehicle insurance. 7. Provided clarification regarding the act of cruising