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should have disqualified himself in accordance
with the regulations, due to a conflict of
interest.

VI. Recommendations

1.

All penalties for violation of the taxicab
regulations should operate on a person's right
to operate a taxicab. There should be no oppor-
tunity for a driver to pay a fine for violating
a regulation. As suggested in the Mayor's Task
Force Report of December, 1974, a point system
should be established, similar to the one used
by the Department of Motor Vehicles. To help
carry out this recommendation, all violations
observed by the police should automatically be
sent to the Public Vehicles Division of the De-
partment of Motor Vehicles for placement in the
files of hackers and this office should be given
the power to suspend or revoke a license. This
requirement should be added to the present regu-
lations.

2. The regulations should be amended so that they
are applicable to interstate trips made by those
licensed in the District. The Public Vehicles
Division should have control over these complaints.

3.

4.

Criminal conviction records of drivers, including - those not involving the operation of a taxicab, should be forwarded to the Public Vehicles Division. Upon conviction of a felony, there should be statutory authority for suspension of a license.

The taxicab regulations should be amended so that
a license denial may be considered if the applicant
has a lengthy traffic record, prior license revo-
cation or suspension in the District of Columbia
or other jurisdiction, or a history of several
criminal misdemeanor convictions. Serious con-
sideration should also be given to a conviction
involving a deadly weapon.

5. The Hackers' License and Appeals Board should be
abolished. In its place, I would suggest a hear-
ing examiner within the PVD for purposes of handling
complaints, as recommended in the Mayor's Task
Force Report of December, 1974. There is no need
for the representation of various interest groups
in this process. The argument that this affords
impartiality is without merit since the rights of

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the drivers can be adequately protected by
establishing standards that conform to proper
administrative procedure. The hearing examiner
should be a licensed attorney who has background
in administrative procedure.

An official record of this proceeding should be
kept and the examiner should make findings of
fact and conclusions of law based on the testimony
and evidence presented. The decision concerning
complaints and license denials should be appealed
to the Public Service Commission if the driver so
desires. The hearing process should be automatic
upon the filing of a written complaint by a pas-
senger and the appearance of the driver with a
written response.

6. The regulations should be amended so that a license may be suspended if the hacker fails to appear before the hearing examiner. The hearing examiner should have the power to suspend and to request that the police pick up the license from the driver.

7.

Petitions for reconsideration subsequent to a
hearing should only be allowed if there is new
evidence to present.

8. The process of initiating a complaint should be simplified by creating a standard form to be filled out by the passenger. These forms should be carried by all police officers. In addition, all cabs should have a sign posted on the back of the seat indicating the phone number for information regarding the reporting of complaints.

9.

The information solicited on license application
forms should be expanded to include hours to be
worked and the type of service to be offered. The
form should contain a definition of what constitutes
a part-time driver and the drivers should be licensed
as "part-time" or "full-time" depending on that
definition. Presently the system is overloaded
as is indicated by the figure of 12,000 outstand-
ing hack licenses. Perhaps service could be
improved if there is some control on the provision
of services, but this recommendation does suffer
in that this type of licensing will be difficult
to enforce.

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10. There should be increased staff at the PVD office. The present number of ten is not sufficient to adequately maintain the files and carry out the responsibilities with respect to 12,000 drivers. This increase will also be needed if this office is to handle all complaints and hearings on license revocation or suspension.

11. There should also be an increase in the number of police officers specifically assigned to the monitoring of taxicabs.

In conclusion, the system amounts to a maze of bureaucratic procedures, leaving no agency equipped to function adequately in the regulation of the industry. Without coordination and centralization within the system, the taxicab driver and the consuming public will not be afforded the proper safeguards.

SUBJECT: Regulation of the Taxicab Industry in Jurisdictions
Adjacent To or Near Washington, D.C.

In response to your request for information on the above

subject, the attached summaries are submitted.

The jurisdictions

studied were:

Alexandria, Virginia

Arlington County, Virginia

Prince Georges County, Maryland
Fairfax County, Virginia

Montgomery County, Maryland

State of Virginia

State of Maryland

Respondents from each of the above jurisdictions were asked

to provide the following items of information with respect to the re

gulation of the taxicab industry within those jurisdictions, as appropriate.

4. Identification of any owners' associations in the jurisdiction

5.

6.

7.

8.

Identification of any drivers' association or union in
the jurisdiction

Identification of those agencies of local or state government which regulate the taxicab industry in their jurisdiction, in any manner

Identification of the relevant local or State code citations which govern taxicab industry regulation in the Jurisdiction

Copies of those relevant State or local code sections

Information was received from a variety of sources.

The prin

cipal taxicab companies operating in each of the jurisdictions were identified by contacting the area's chamber of commerce and/or the taxicab

division of the local police department.

Information about the number of cabs and the number of drivers in each jurisdiction was obtained from those governmental departments which exercised primary regulatory powers over the industry in each jurisdiction. Information about owners' and drivers' associations and/or unions

was obtained by direct contact with owners and operators of the principal companies in each jurisdiction, and by reference to the International Taxicab Association headquartered in Chicago.