Title 50 — Motor and Non-Motor Vehicles and Traffic.

The Council of the District of Columbia (“Council”) finds that: (1) Passenger transportation by public vehicles-for-hire, particularly by taxicabs, is an integral and important component of public transit within the District. (2) The business of transporting passengers and baggag…

(a) In enacting this subchapter, the Council of the District of Columbia supports the following statutory purposes: (1) To promote the public interest in taxicab transportation by insuring that all rules, regulations, and laws specifically relating to taxicabs be vigorously and f…

For the purposes of this subchapter, the term: (a)(1) “ADA” means the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, approved July 26, 1990 (104 Stat. 328; 42 U.S.C. § 12101 et seq.). (2) “Alternative fuel” means advanced fuels, which can be any materials or substances that can be used…

There is established the District of Columbia Taxicab Commission as a subordinate agency within the executive branch of the District government with exclusive authority for intrastate regulation of the public-vehicle-for-hire industry as provided herein.

(a) The Commission shall consist of 9 members. Five of the members, who shall be public members, shall be appointed by the Mayor with the advice and consent of the Council, and shall be drawn from the public at large. Three of the members, who shall be industry members, shall be …

The Commission may organize task-specific panels as its needs dictate. All acts and orders issued by a panel shall be ratified by a majority of the appointed members of the Commission before taking effect.

(a) The Commission is charged with the continuance, further development, and improvement of the public vehicle-for-hire industry within the District, and for the overall regulation of limousines, sedans, taxicabs, taxicab companies, taxicab fleets, and taxicab associations. (b) A…

Within 60 days of October 22, 2012, the Commission shall transmit an assessment to the Council regarding the feasibility of making data collected from taxi GPS systems available to the public in an anonymous format for the purpose of developing software tools that may be useful t…

The Mayor shall work with surrounding jurisdictions to update reciprocal agreements and shall submit a report to the Council on or before June 30, 2015, on his or her progress.

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(a) The Chairperson shall appoint at least one attorney to serve as a hearing examiner to adjudicate consumer and industry complaints filed against public and private vehicles-for-hire, including taxicab owners, operators, companies, associations, fleets, and radio dispatch opera…

(a) The Commission shall establish rules for the general conduct of its organizational affairs and shall establish rules of procedure of general applicability consistent with subchapter I of Chapter 5 of Title 2 [§ 2-501 et seq.]. These rules shall include specific guidelines to …

(a) The chairperson shall be responsible for, and shall assure coordination and communication between, the Commission and any appointed panel. All members of the Commission shall be kept apprised of the business of the full Commission. (b) The chairperson shall call a meeting of …

(a) There is established an Office of Taxicabs. (b) The Office shall provide administrative support to the Commission. (c) The Office shall be responsible for the execution and administration of this subchapter, and all rules, standards, rates, charges, and orders issued by the C…

(a) The Commission may issue any reasonable rule relating to the supervision of public vehicles-for-hire it considers necessary for the protection of the public. (b) The Commission may establish standards, criteria, and requirements for the licensing of the different classes of p…

(a) Each owner of a taxicab operated in the District shall maintain a bond or policy of liability insurance covering accident risks for payment of judgments and legal claims arising out of the ownership, maintenance, or operation of a taxicab consistent with the provisions of the…

(a) Any owner of a taxicab required to file a bond or policy of liability insurance under § 50-301.14 may instead: (1) File with the Commissioner a blanket bond or blanket policy of liability insurance in an amount considered sufficient by the Commissioner to cover accident risks…

(a) Within 12 months of March 25, 1986, the Commissioner shall make a report to the Mayor and the Council and shall recommend changes in the areas of taxicab insurance the Commissioner considers necessary for the protection of the public and the public interest in taxi transporta…

(a) Within 12 months of March 25, 1986, and at least once every 24 months thereafter, the Commission shall undertake a review of the taxicab rate structure. The review required by this section shall be undertaken by holding at least 1 public hearing, upon notice with opportunity …

Except as modified by this subchapter, or until changed by the Commission pursuant to this subchapter, all regulations relating to taxicabs contained in the District of Columbia Municipal Regulations shall remain in effect. Within 9 months of the appointment and confirmation of t…

(a)(1) No person, corporation, partnership, or association shall operate a limousine, sedan, or taxicab, a limousine, sedan, or taxicab company, association, or fleet, a limousine, sedan, or taxicab service, or any public vehicle-for-hire service within the District without procu…

(a) There is established within the District of Columbia Treasury a fiduciary fund to be known as the Public Vehicles-for-Hire Consumer Service Fund. The Fund shall be a revolving, segregated, nonlapsing fund administered by the Commission. The Fund shall consist of the following…

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(a) There is established the Taxicab Commission Fingerprinting Fund which shall be a lapsing fund, into which shall be deposited funds from appropriations and from fees from applicants for hacker and limousine licenses to obtain fingerprint records through the Metropolitan Police…

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(a) Taxicab service in the District shall be accessible to the disabled and in compliance with the ADA and Unit A of Chapter 14 of Title 2 [§ 2-1401.01 et seq.]. (b)(1) Within 90 days of October 22, 2012, the Commission shall establish a Disability Taxicab Advisory Committee to a…

(a) By January 1, 2016, a company that provides digital dispatch shall: (1) Ensure that the company’s websites and mobile applications are accessible to the blind and visually impaired and the deaf and hard of hearing; and (2) Provide a report to the Council’s Committee on Transp…

(a)(1) A company that uses digital dispatch shall train associated operators in how to properly and safely handle mobility devices and equipment and to treat an individual with disabilities in a respectful and courteous manner. (2) Completion of a public vehicle-for-hire driver’s…

(a) The Commission shall have one year from October 22, 2012, to modernize the taxicab fleet, and make vehicle and equipment improvements, including: (1) A meter system that facilitates non-cash payment of a taxicab fare, including credit cards, debit cards, and other generally a…

(a) Within 5 years of October 22, 2012, each owner of a licensed taxicab operating in the District shall maintain average vehicle greenhouse gas emissions at a level set by the Commission in consultation with the District Department of the Environment that will contribute to an o…

(a) No operator of a public vehicle-for-hire shall loiter around or in front of hotels, restaurants, theaters, or public buildings in the District. For the purposes of this section, the term “loitering” means the willful operation of a public vehicle-for-hire for the purpose of s…

(a) The Commission may create and regulate classes of public vehicles-for-hire independent of taxicabs and limousines, including sedan-class vehicles. The Commission may issue rules and regulations governing the conduct of such vehicles, including the type of vehicles, number of …

A private vehicle-for-hire company shall: (1) Create an application process for a person to apply to register as a private vehicle-for-hire operator; (2) Maintain an up-to-date registry of the operators and vehicles associated with the private vehicle-for-hire company; (3) Provid…

(a) To become a private vehicle-for-hire operator, an individual shall submit an application to register with a private vehicle-for-hire company. (b) Before approving a registration application submitted under subsection (a) of this section, a private vehicle-for-hire company sha…

(a) A private vehicle-for-hire company or operator shall maintain a primary automobile liability insurance policy that provides coverage of at least $1 million per occurrence for accidents involving a private vehicle-for-hire operator at all times when the operator is engaged in …

A private vehicle-for-hire shall display a consistent and distinctive trade dress consisting of a logo, insignia, or emblem at all times while the operator is logged into the private vehicle-for-hire company’s digital dispatch. The trade dress shall be: (1) Sufficiently large and…

(a) A private vehicle-for-hire operator shall: (1) Accept only rides booked through a private vehicle-for-hire company’s digital dispatch and shall not solicit or accept street hails; (2) Use the trade dress required by § 50-301.29d at any time that the operator is logged into a …

A private vehicle-for-hire company may offer service at no charge, suggest a donation, or charge a fare; provided, that if a fare is charged the company shall comply with the fare transparency provisions pursuant to § 50-301.31(b)(2).

(a) Every 24 months, a private vehicle-for-hire company shall certify on a form provided by the Commission that the private vehicle-for-hire company has complied with the requirements of this subchapter. (b) The Commission is authorized to inspect and copy the relevant safety and…

(a) Vehicle inspection officers shall undergo training on the rules and regulations governing private and public vehicles-for-hire and undergo yearly performance evaluations. Vehicle inspection officers shall be prohibited from making traffic stops of on-duty private or public ve…

(a) All taxicab companies, taxicab associations, or taxicab fleets with 100 or more licensed taxicabs shall install radio or digital dispatch equipment in each taxicab. This equipment shall link to a central dispatch service within each company. Each licensed taxicab operator aff…

The Commission shall: (1) Allow the public to file complaints electronically on its website and through a hotline. This hotline shall be available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and be listed on the main page of the Commission’s website and in every taxicab; (2) Within 72 hours…

No person or business shall violate or aid and abet a violation of public vehicle-for-hire laws, rules, and regulations applicable to the installation of a dome light or a Taxicab Smart-Meter System. The Commission shall have authority to determine, by rule, appropriate fines and…

(a)(1) An operator of a public or private vehicle-for-hire who knowingly fails or refuses to bring the public or private vehicle-for-hire to an immediate stop, or who flees or attempts to elude a vehicle inspection officer, following the vehicle inspection officer’s signal to bri…

(a) Any taxicab or passenger vehicle for hire being operated in the District of Columbia may be booted, towed, and impounded from any public street or public space in the District of Columbia by any member of the Metropolitan Police Department or law enforcement personnel, or any…

(a) The Taxicab Commission and the Metropolitan Police Department shall concurrently enforce and issue citations relating to Taxicab requirements. (b) On November 1st of each year the Mayor shall provide to the Committee on Public Works and the Environment, or a successor committ…

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