Sec. 22 1/2-9A. Operations–Minimum standards of conduct.
The role of certificate, license and permit holders is essential to enhance and showcase public transportation services to the residents and visitors of Broward County. Intrinsic to operation of a quality public transportation service is the conduct of each certificate, license and permit holder. Therefore, all such holders are required to comply with the following minimum standards:
(a) All certificate, license and permit holders, and their employees and representatives, shall conduct themselves at all time in a professional and courteous manner in the performance of public transportation services.
(b) It shall be unlawful to advertise any service covered by or permitted under this Chapter in any print or electronic media accessible to the public in Broward County without including, in such advertisements, the holder’s certificate number assigned by the Division.
(c) It shall further be unlawful to include in any public advertisement, whether print, electronic broadcast, or otherwise:
(1) The word taxi, taxicab, cab, or any product, abbreviation, or derivation, unless the motor carrier currently holds a valid certificate of public convenience and necessity, permit or license issued by Broward County.
(2) The word limousine, or any product, abbreviation, or derivation, unless the motor carrier currently holds
a valid certificate of public convenience and necessity, permit or license issued by Broward County.
(d) No vehicle may be operated or driven except by a chauffeur registered pursuant to Section 22 1/2-8 of this Chapter.
(e) Personal property left by a passenger in any motor vehicle shall, upon its discovery by or delivery to the chauffeur of that vehicle, be reported to and deposited at the business office of the motor carrier. A record of the incident shall be maintained and the property held for the owner for a period of sixty (60) days, at the end of which time it shall be treated as lost or abandoned property in accordance with Chapter 705, F.S.
(f) No orderly person, desiring transportation to any place in Broward County, shall be refused or neglected where the person is willing to pay the prescribed fare in advance; provided that the motor carrier shall not transport in violation of its authority.
(g) In the case of taxicabs and limousines, additional passengers shall not be accepted without the consent of the passengers who have already engaged the motor vehicle.
(h) Registered chauffeurs shall carry and display on their person at all times while driving a motor vehicle a current chauffeur’s registration.
(i) A motor vehicle shall not be driven when the permit has been revoked, suspended or forfeited.
(j) Chauffeurs shall not operate a motor vehicle when their chauffeur’s registration has been revoked or suspended.
(k) No taxicab shall transport passengers without a properly scaled and operating taximeter with the flag down, meter running, and telltale lights operating.
(l) All motor vehicle operators shall at all times maintain a neat appearance.
(m) Passengers shall not be solicited for hotels, nightclubs, restaurants, bars, boardinghouses, or any other business establishment.
(n) No fares or compensation for transportation services shall be collected other than at the established taxicab meter rate or agreed upon limousine rate or any other compensation established by the County, including any additional payment for transporting baggage which accompanies the passenger; provided, however, that this provision shall not apply to gratuities, nor shall the words “fares” or “compensation” be construed to include gratuities.
(o) No operator shall solicit a passenger, either in or out of the motor vehicle, to transport the passenger to any place in Broward County or outside Broward County for the purpose of participation in prostitution, sexual lewdness or obscenity, or for the purpose of participation in the violation of state or local laws. It shall be unlawful for any person to occupy or use such vehicle for the purpose of prostitution, pandering, or the violation of any other law of the State of Florida or Broward County. It shall be unlawful to allow or permit the use of any vehicle “forhire” for any of the purposes prohibited in this entire section when there is knowledge or reasonable cause to believe that a vehicle “for-hire” is to be so used or is being used for such unlawful purposes.
(p) Certificate holders, permit holders, and registered chauffeurs shall cooperate fully at all times with the Division in the furnishing of information required in connection with requests to show proof of licensure, in the processing of an application to renew a chauffeur’s registration or in investigations of consumer complaints. Further, certificate holders,
permit holders, and registered chauffeurs shall not obstruct, hamper, or interfere with an investigation of violations of this Chapter conducted by a Division inspector or employee, law enforcement officer, or employee of any other agency in enforcing this Chapter. At no time shall a certificate holder, permit holder, or registered chauffeur use abusive language or display hostile, aggressive, or other inappropriate behavior toward passengers or any employee of the Division, any law enforcement agency, or any other agency authorized to enforce this Chapter.
(q) A motor vehicle shall not be operated where the driver’s alertness is so impaired, or so likely to become impaired, through fatigue, illness, or any other cause, as to make it unsafe to begin or continue operation of the motor vehicle.
(r) The Division shall be notified of each change of employment or contract relationship and/or address.
(s) Operators shall not solicit or accept for transportation passengers when the operator is
outside of the jurisdictional area granted under the operator’s certificate, permit or license.
(t) Chauffeurs parked at a designated stand awaiting deployment shall remain adjacent to and in attendance of their vehicles. All vehicle doors shall remain closed except when loading or unloading passengers.
(u) Taxicabs using any designated public stand shall be in a single file and faced in accordance with applicable traffic regulations. The chauffeur of the taxicab at the head of such file shall accept as a passenger any orderly person who agrees to pay the proper fare; provided, however, that any such person shall have the right to select any taxicab regardless of its position in the file. Upon the departure of any taxicab from the file, the vehicles entitled to use such
stand which were in the rear shall move forward. No number of taxicabs greater than the maximum allowed shall attempt to use any public stand. The Director shall cooperate with the municipalities or other appropriate entities to designate public taxicab stands.
(v) Possession of firearms, switchblades, knives, clubs, or other weapons by operators, inconsistent with Chapter 790, F.S., whether in the vehicle or on the person, is prohibited.
Routes to trip destinations shall be the most direct and economical to the passenger unless otherwise directed or agreed to by the passenger.
(x) Each motor carrier shall keep accurate records of receipts from operations, operating and other expenses, capital expenditures, and such other operating information as may be required by the Division. The Director shall be allowed access to the records during normal business hours for the purposes of inspection or copy. Such records shall be
confidential to the full extent allowed by law.
(y) No operator shall refuse to dispatch a taxicab to any place in Broward County for service authorized by
the terms of the applicable certificate. (Ord. No. 2000-32, § 1, 6-27-00; Ord. No. 2006-01, § 1, 1-10-06; Ord. No. 2007-10, § 1, 5-22-07)
Sec. 22 1/2-9B. Operations–Minimum vehicle standards.
(a) Motor vehicles shall be kept clean and orderly during all times of active service.
(b) All accidents shall be reported immediately to the police.
(c) Motor vehicles shall not be operated if the top or interior lights or the headlights or taillights are not functioning properly. Likewise, a motor vehicle shall not be driven unless the brakes, steering mechanism, tires, horn, windshield wipers, and side and rearview mirrors are in good working order.
(d) Advertising on any vehicle regulated by this Chapter shall not obstruct the driver’s view and shall not obstruct the vehicle’s top lights or other lights. No vehicle shall have within it, or on its exterior, any sign which encourages, advertises for, or otherwise solicits tips.
(e) The minimum standards for safety and maintenance of motor vehicles in Broward County, including municipalities regulating the industry pursuant to Section 22 1/2-12 of this Chapter, shall be as follows:
(1) Rearview mirror and side mirrors on driver’s and passenger’s side.
(2) Speedometer properly installed, in good working order, and exposed to the view of both the driver and the passenger(s).
(3) Interior clean, sanitary, free from torn or damaged upholstery or floor coverings and from damaged or broken seats.
(4) Door hinges and latches in good mechanical working order and all doors operate easily and close securely.
(5) Vehicle structurally sound and operates with a minimum of noise, vibration, and visible exhaust fumes.
(6) The body, fenders, doors, trim and grill free from cracks, breaks and dents, and painted.
(7) Vision is unobstructed on all four (4) sides.
(8) Permit and registration prominently displayed.
(9) All vehicles shall be equipped with fully functioning air conditioning.
(10) All vehicles shall be equipped with seat belts as required by state law.
(f) In addition to the standards set forth in subsection
(a), taxicabs shall meet the following minimum standards:
(1) Owner’s trade name, monogram or insignia, taxicab number, and telephone number permanently affixed upon the metal portion of the outside of each side in letters at least three (3) inches high, and cab number painted upon the outside rear panel of taxicab in letters at least three (3) inches high.
(2) Two-way radio installed and operating properly with access to or affiliated with a central dispatch facility, or any other electronic equipment utilized for handling service requests.
(3) Taximeters shall be: a. Installed and entirely illuminated so as to be easily seen by a passenger sitting in any part of the taxicab;
b. Approved by Florida Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Weights and Measures or a designated facility authorized to certify meter operation;
c. Attached to telltale lights so that telltale lights shall automatically illuminate when taximeter is in operation and extinguish when taximeter is not in operation.
(g) In addition to the standards set forth in subsection (a), new, used, or remanufactured jitneys which are purchased or leased for use, or in contemplation of use, after July 1, 2001, in accordance with the provisions of this Chapter shall be ADA accessible.
(h) Each motor carrier engaging in the taxicab business shall adopt and use, after approval by the Division, a distinctive, uniform, and decorative color scheme for all taxicabs operated pursuant to such certificate. The Division shall refuse such approval when in its opinion the proposed color scheme will infringe upon any color scheme already in use by another motor carrier once previously approved by the Division. Failure to comply with this section shall
be grounds for suspension of the certificate or permit.
(i) Every taxicab operating in Broward County shall have painted upon each side, in accordance with instructions issued by the Division, the vehicle’s number, the name and telephone number of the certificate holder, or the name of the association or organization under which the vehicle is operated, and any and all such other information and displays as the Division may from time to time require. The vehicle number shall also be posted inside the vehicle in at least two (2) inch lettering in a place clearly visible to passengers and approved by the Division. To avoid duplication and confusion, all vehicle numbers shall be assigned exclusively by the Division, and no municipality regulating motor carriers pursuant to Section 22 1/2-12 of this Chapter shall assign such vehicle numbers.
(j) The Director shall annually inspect, for compliance with this Chapter, all vehicles for hire that are not more than six (6) model years old at the time of inspection and semiannually inspect all others and may reinspect any vehicle at any other time prior to the next annual or semi-annual inspection. The results of each inspection shall be recorded. Any vehicle failing to pass the inspection may have its operating permit suspended in accordance with Section 22 1/2-13 of this Chapter.
(k) Every holder of a certificate, permit or license, and each chauffeur shall fully comply with all ordinances, rules, and regulations of Broward County and all statutes of the State of Florida applicable to the operation of motor carriers.
(l) Certificate holders shall require every chauffeur to maintain a daily manifest to promptly and legibly record the following information: chauffeur’s name, vehicle number, year, month, date, the starting time, place of origin and destination of each trip, the amount of fare collected, the number of passengers, and the total miles or units accumulated during a chauffeur’s operating period. All completed manifests shall be returned to the operator of the business by the chauffeur at the conclusion of the chauffeur’s tour of duty. The forms for each manifest shall be furnished to the chauffeur by the registered operator and shall be approved by the Division. Daily manifests shall not be destroyed, mutilated, altered, or otherwise defaced without approval by the Division. The manifests shall be available for inspection and/or copying by the Division during regular business hours for a period of not less than three (3) years. (Ord. No. 2000-32, § 1, 6-27-00)
VAN ON DEMAND 