Title
Passenger Vehicle for Hire Ordinance
Action
Action:
Approve the Community Safety Committee’s recommendation to adopt a Passenger Vehicle for Hire ordinance, with an effective date of July 1, 2017.
Body
Committee Chair:
Julie Eiselt, Community Safety Committee
Staff Resource(s):
Thomas Powers III, City Attorney’s Office
Daniel Buckley, Police
Explanation
§ On January 9, 2017, the City Council received a Dinner Briefing presentation on the proposed draft for a revised Passenger Vehicle for Hire ordinance (PVH Ordinance).
§ The goals of the PVH Ordinance are:
- Provide parity between the PVH Industry and Transportation Network Companies (Uber & Lyft);
- Simplify organization and language, establishing clearer expectations and responsibilities; and
- Eliminate redundancy.
§ The proposed draft for a revised PVH Ordinance includes the following major changes:
- Modifying criminal background check standards and procedures;
- Requiring PVH companies to provide driver training program and to perform drug testing upon drivers;
- Standardizes citation amount at $100 for permittees and additional $500 for illegal third parties;
- Establishing a new standard of review for PVH appeals;
- Authorizing vehicle infotainment systems, roof-mounted digital advertising, and vehicle panel advertising;
- Authorizing a PVH driver to assess a one-time fee in an identical amount if the PVH driver is assessed a fee for Airport pickup/drop off.
- Shrinking the PVH Board from eleven members to five members;
- Authorizing PVH Chair to rule on citations under a specific dollar amount;
- Instituting a new audit and enforcement focus by the PVH office;
- Consolidating ten divisions into six new divisions; and
- Eliminating 19 pages due to redundancy or duplication.
Previous Actions
§ On July 25, 2011, the City Council adopted revisions to Chapter 22 of the City Code, the PVH Ordinance.
§ On October 6, 2015, the PVH Board sent a letter requesting the City Council review the PVH Ordinance due to changes in the PVH industry and the recent state legislation authorizing Transportation Network Companies, such as Uber and Lyft.
§ The Community Safety Committee received a referral to review and consider the current PVH regulations. The Committee discussed the PVH ordinance throughout calendar year 2016.
§ On January 29, February 18, and March 22, 2016, City staff sought input from PVH stakeholders during City Council public forums, totaling 117 attendees, and 44 speakers. The stakeholders’ feedback was presented to the Committee along with the City staff’s recommendations.
§ City staff conducted information sessions, totaling 42 attendees, with the PVH industry to communicate proposed changes to the framework and the proposed revised PVH Ordinance on the following dates: July 15, July 29, August 2, December 8, and December 14, 2016.
§ On December 15, 2016, the Community Safety Committee voted (Eiselt, Phipps, and Smith voted yes; Fallon voted no; and Austin was not present) to recommend approval of the revised PVH ordinance to the full Council.
Attachments
Attachment
Revised PVH Ordinance