TLPA ADOPTS TAXICAB DRIVER STANDARDS FOR METROPOLITAN AREAS OF GREATER THAN ONE MILLION POPULATION

BY HAL MORGAN
TLPA DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION

On February 10, the Taxicab, Limousine, & Paratransit Association (TLPA) Executive Committee formally adopted standards for taxicab drivers culminating an effort that took more than a year to complete.  

In November 2004, the Taxicab Driver Standards Task Force of the Taxicab, Limousine & Paratransit Association (TLPA) was asked to draft a set of taxicab driver standards that, if adopted in total by the taxicab driver licensing agency, would lead to a community wide improvement in the professionalism of licensed taxicab drivers and in taxicab service in major metropolitan areas.

The task force consisted of 14 experienced owners of taxicab companies. In carrying out their mission, the Task Force members and TLPA's legal counsel spent a year reviewing taxicab ordinances of many major cities located in North America and evaluating which combination of provisions will lead to improved professionalism of taxicab drivers.

The TLPA Board of Directors reviewed the draft Taxicab Driver Standards on November 9, 2005. After a lengthy discussion, the Board made minor modifications and then approved the Standards unanimously, with all 40 TLPA Board members present voting to ratify the Taxicab Driver Standards.

When approving the Taxicab Driver Standards, the TLPA Board of Directors called for the development of a written introduction to the standards. The introduction that was added to the standards were intended to clarify the  fact that the standards are intended to be implemented by public taxicab driver licensing agencies, not taxicab companies, and that the standards should be adopted in total for them to be most effective at improving the community wide professionalism of taxicab drivers and taxicab service. The introduction was subsequently drafted by the Taxicab Driver Standards Task Force and approved by the TLPA Executive Committee during its February 10 meeting.

Because the various provisions of the taxicab driver licensing standards and the taxicab driver conduct standards are logically related to each other, the TLPA Taxicab Driver Standards are presented as a comprehensive whole. With appropriate minor editing, the Standards can match the style and terminology of each community's current taxicab ordinance.

Among other items, the standards require all taxicab drivers to:

• Be licensed
• Be able to communicate in spoken English
• To have their driving record reviewed, and
• To pass a drug test, criminal background check, a physical exam and receive driver training.

The standards also call for the licensing agency to adopt a professional taxicab driver permit if the agency is unable to conduct the background check or the driver training within five business days.

Under Driver Conduct, the standards outline the obligations of the driver to act in a courteous manner, and it requires the driver to serve all trips requested by orderly passengers, including passenger requests transmitted through a dispatch system as long as the driver's safety is not threatened.

There are also provisions for providing receipts, turning items into lost and found, a prohibition of tobacco products ever being used in a taxicab, and a driver dress code. A full copy of the Taxicab Driver Standards for Metropolitan Areas of Greater Than One Million Population is available on the home page of TLPA's web site at www.tlpa.org.

This document also includes a Commentary on the Standards, which provides background and explanatory information for many of the particular provisions.
The Americans with Disabilities Act and You: Frequently Asked Questions on Taxicab Service

Also available on the home page of TLPA's web site is a new brochure, The Americans with Disabilities Act and You:  Frequently Asked Questions on Taxicab Service. TLPA, in partnership with Easter Seals Project ACTION (ESPA), is pleased to provide this new resource to assist TLPA members and taxicab operators across the country in providing taxicab and other for-hire transportation services to customers with disabilities.  

As much as 10 percent of the customer base for taxi service consists of people with a disability affecting mobility, hearing, vision, thinking and other physical and mental processes. In fact, 54 million people in America live with disabilities, and they have the same needs and interests as everybody else. They have jobs, families, classes, meetings, travel plans, and other activities to keep them on the move, and they need transportation, including taxicabs, to help them get where they are going.

The brochure offers a user friendly format to promote understanding of the transportation provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) that relate to taxi service. As you know, the ADA ensures individuals with disabilities access to employment, state and local government programs and services, public accommodations, telecommunications and public and private transportation. This material helps to answer questions on the ADA and its implementation and illustrates how understanding the ADA can help taxicab operators better serve their customers with disabilities and earn their loyal, repeat business.

Hal Morgan, TLPA's Director of Education, provided this article.

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