Title
Passenger Vehicles for Hire Ordinance Amendments
Action
Action:
Adopt an ordinance to amend the Passenger Vehicles for Hire Ordinance (Chapter 22, Article II of the City Code of Ordinances) as recommended by the Safety Committee.
Body
Committee Chair:
Danté Anderson, Safety Committee
Staff Resource(s):
Jessica Battle, City Attorney’s Office
Shawn Heath, City Manager’s Office
Current Ordinance
§ The city’s Passenger Vehicles for Hire (PVH) Ordinance regulates the licensing, inspection, and operation of all passenger vehicles for hire that operate within Charlotte city limits.
§ The PVH Ordinance was last updated in 2017.
§ In August of 2024, stakeholder PVH companies sent a letter to the city recommending 19 updates to the PVH Ordinance.
§ During fall 2024 through the winter 2025, several meetings were conducted among Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department leadership, the City Attorney’s Office, and City Manager’s Office regarding the proposed updates.
- In December of 2025, the City Attorney’s Office held two in-person input sessions with stakeholders and the City Manager’s Office.
§ Former Mayor Vi Lyles issued a policy referral to the Safety Committee in January 2026 to discuss proposed changes to the PVH Ordinance, in consideration of the surge of ride-share availability and its effect on local transportation and tourism.
§ The current ordinance requires taxicabs to be permitted and to utilize a meter to calculate the cost of each fare.
Proposed Changes
§ The recommended PVH Ordinance revisions include:
- Updates to the definition section and certain application and training requirements for drivers;
- Updates to the drug screening and criminal history processes;
- Updates to vehicle signage requirements and age limit restrictions;
- Prohibition of non-metered fares by taxi stand vehicles for fares originating at the airport; and
- Allowance of upfront pricing via national brokering apps.
Committee Discussion
§ The Safety Committee discussed the policy referral at the February 2, 2026, and March 5, 2026, Committee meetings.
§ In February 2026, the Safety Committee, the City Attorney’s Office, and City Manager’s Office held a virtual input meeting with PVH stakeholders.
§ On March 5, 2026, the Safety Committee voted unanimously to recommend the proposed revisions to the PVH Ordinance to full Council for consideration.
§ Council received an overview of the Committee’s recommendations at the April 13, 2026, Business Meeting, and Council received a briefing on updated recommendations related to upfront pricing at the October 26, 2026, Business Meeting.
Attachments
Attachment(s)
Ordinance
Ordinance Revisions