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Current through October 23, 2012
(a) The Commission is charged with the responsibility for the continuance, further development, and improvement of taxicab passenger service within the District, and the overall regulation of taxicabs, taxicab companies, and taxicab associations.
(b) The responsibility of the Commission specified in subsection (a) of this section shall be effected as follows:
(1) The Commission's Panel on Rates and Rules shall have original jurisdiction, power, and duty to:
(A) Establish reasonable rates for taxicab service for the transportation of passengers and their property within the District, including all charges incidental and directly related to the provision of taxicab services;
(B) Establish methodologies for the determination of reasonable fares for taxicab service, including, but not limited to, revision of the zone boundaries and zone construct currently employed to determine taxicab fares. The Commission's Panel on Rates and Rules shall neither impose any limitation on the number of taxicabs that may operate in the District, nor shall it authorize a metered system for determining taxicab fares without a 60-day period of Council review of the proposal;
(C) Establish criteria, standards, and requirements for taxicab vehicle licensing;
(D) Establish criteria, standards, and requirements for the licensing of taxicab owners, operators, taxicab companies, associations, and fleets, including the setting of reasonable license fees;
(E) Establish standards, conditions, and requirements of taxicab service;
(F) Establish standards for driver and passenger safety;
(G) Establish standards and requirements relating to equipment and equipment design;
(H) In situations of public emergency or because of extraordinary circumstances affecting the taxi industry, regulate the rates charged for the lease of taxicabs by taxicab companies, associations, and fleets where considered necessary to protect the public interest;
(I) Establish reasonable civil fines and penalties for violations of rules issued by the Commission, or orders issued by the Commission, including penalties consisting of license suspension and revocation;
(J) Establish any rule relating to the regulation and supervision of the taxicab industry not specifically delineated in this subchapter, so long as the rule is consistent with this subchapter, is reasonable, is related to the furtherance and protection of the public interest in taxi transportation, and is not within the rulemaking authority vested in the Panel on Consumer and Industry Concerns;
(K) Advise agencies and authorities of government having jurisdiction over public transportation or public highways and space within the District regarding the routing of taxicabs and the location of taxicab stands within the District; and
(L) Advise the Mayor regarding the entering, modifying, and terminating of reciprocal agreements respecting taxicabs with governmental bodies in the Washington metropolitan area.
(2) The Commission's Panel on Adjudication shall have the jurisdiction, power, and duty to:
(A) Adjudicate all complaints lodged in the Office against taxicab operators, companies, associations, fleets, and taxi dispatch services by consumers and officials or employees of government involved in taxicab enforcement or administration;
(B) When the panel determines that it is necessary to protect the public interest, adjudicate intraindustry complaints and disputes occurring in the taxi industry, including, but not limited to, complaints and disputes between companies, associations, companies and associations, operators or owners, and operators or owners and companies or associations; and, on the basis of industry-wide problems coming to light by virtue of adjudication, issue reasonable rules after notice and comment for the governance of intraindustry relationships where considered necessary to protect the public interest. For purposes of this subsection, the power to issue rules for the governance of intraindustry relationships shall mean the power to regulate the responsibilities of 1 component of the taxi industry to another, and does not comprehend the power to regulate the responsibility of any component of the industry to the public. The power to regulate the public responsibility of the taxi industry and its components is vested in the Panel on Rates and Rules pursuant to subsection (b)(1) of this section;
(C) Hear and decide appeals taken from license denials and proposed revocations or suspensions issued by the Office of Taxicabs established by § 50-312;
(D) Hear and decide upon complaints and appeals taken from any order, act, practice, or policy implemented by the Office relating to the taxicab industry; and
(E) Repealed.
(F) Undertake the investigation of any aspect of taxicab operations and practices, and to make a report and recommendation to the Panel on Rates and Rules or issue any reasonable rule if the subject of the investigation concerns a matter relevant to the rulemaking authority vested in the panel by subparagraph (B) of this paragraph;
(G) Repealed.
(H) Repealed.
(3) The Commission's Panel on Adjudication shall have the jurisdiction, power, and discretion to consider appeals taken from any act, decision, or order of a 3-member component of the Panel on Adjudication that exercises adjudicatory functions, as determined by a majority of the Panel on Adjudication.
(c) Except as provided in § 50-308(c), each panel of the Commission is empowered to issue orders which shall have binding effect in exercising any authority conferred by this section.
(Mar. 25, 1986, D.C. Law 6-97, § 8, 33 DCR 703; May 10, 1988, D.C. Law 7-109, § 2(b), 35 DCR 2181; Jan. 30, 1990, D.C. Law 8-59, § 2(a), 36 DCR 7384; May 1, 1990, D.C. Law 8-107, § 2(a), 37 DCR 1623; Apr. 9, 1997, D.C. Law 11-198, § 501(c), 43 DCR 4569; Apr. 20, 1999, D.C. Law 12-264, § 46, 46 DCR 2118.)
HISTORICAL AND STATUTORY NOTES
Prior Codifications
1981 Ed., § 40-1707.
Temporary Amendments of Section
For temporary (225 day) amendment of section, see § 501(c) of Fiscal Year 1997 Budget Support Temporary Amendment Act of 1996 (D.C. Law 11-226, April 9, 1997, law notification 44 DCR 2584).
For temporary (225 day) amendment of section, see § 2 of Taxicab Commission Temporary Amendment Act of 1999 (D.C. Law 13-36, October 7, 1999, law notification 46 DCR 8700).
Emergency Act Amendments
For temporary amendment of section, see § 501(c) of the Fiscal Year 1997 Budget Support Emergency Act of 1996 (D.C. Act 11-302, July 25, 1996, 43 DCR 4181), § 501(c) of the Fiscal Year 1997 Budget Support Emergency Amendment Act of 1996 (D.C. Act 11-429, October 29, 1996, 43 DCR 6151), and § 501(c) of the Fiscal Year 1997 Budget Support Congressional Adjournment Emergency Amendment Act of 1997 (D.C. Act 12-2, February 19, 1997, 44 DCR 1590).
For temporary (90-day) addition of section, see § 2 of the Taxicab Commission Emergency Amendment Act of 1999 (D.C. Act 13-93, June 4, 1999, 46 DCR 5340).
For temporary (90 day) addition, see § 3 of the Taxicab Service Improvement Emergency Amendment Act of 2012 (D.C. Act 19-403, July 24, 2012, 59 DCR 9116).
Legislative History of Laws
For legislative history of D.C. Law 6-97, see Historical and Statutory Notes following § 50-301.
For legislative history of D.C. Law 7-109, see Historical and Statutory Notes following § 50-306.
For legislative history of D.C. Law 8-59, see Historical and Statutory Notes following § 50-309.
Law 8-107 was introduced in Council and assigned Bill No. 8-342, which was referred to the Committee on Public Works. The Bill was adopted on first and second readings on January 30, 1990, and February 13, 1990, respectively. Signed by the Mayor on February 28, 1990, it was assigned Act No. 8-161 and transmitted to both Houses of Congress for its review.
For legislative history of D.C. Law 11-198, see Historical and Statutory Notes following § 50-305.
Law 12-264, the "Technical Amendments Act of 1998," was introduced in Council and assigned Bill No. 12-804, which was referred to the Committee of the Whole. The Bill was adopted on first and second readings on November 10, 1998, and December 1, 1998, respectively. Signed by the Mayor on January 7, 1999, it was assigned Act No. 12-626 and transmitted to both Houses of Congress for its review. D.C. Law 12-264 became effective on April 20, 1999.
Effective Dates
Section 24(b) of D.C. Law 6-97 provided that sections 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22, and 23 shall take effect 1 year after March 25, 1986.
Miscellaneous Notes
Hacker's License Appeal Board abolished: Section 23(a) of D.C. Law 6-97 provided that the Hacker's License Appeal Board established by Commissioners' Order 68-59, effective August 15, 1968, is abolished. Section 23(b) of D.C. Law 6-97 provided that the Commission shall be the successor to the Board and any complaint, proceeding, or matter pending before the Board on the effective date of this section shall be a complaint, proceeding, or matter of the Commission. Section 24(b) of D.C. Law 6-97 provided that §§ 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22, and 23 shall take effect 1 year after March 25, 1986.
Law 19-184 amended this section and added § 50-307.01 only "upon the inclusion of its fiscal effect in an approved budget and financial plan, as certified by the Chief Financial Officer to the Budget Director of the Council in a certification published by the Council in the District of Columbia Register." As of the most recent updated publication of this section, the certification required for Law 19-184 has not been made. Therefore the amendments have not been incorporated into this section.
