§ 50–301.01. Findings.

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 baggage for hire by taxicab is an important public interest requiring governmental supervision, regulation, and control.

(3) The taxicab industry in the District has been and is currently marked by an absence of modern vehicles, quality service, and innovative technology.

(4) Considering the importance of the taxicab industry to the overall public transportation system within the District, there should be established a means of funding and regulation for the furtherance of coherent, efficient, and enforceable regulation, and for the establishment of sound taxicab transportation policy.

(5) Recommendations have been made over the course of several decades by various private and commissioned studies, task forces, public and private groups, individuals, and Congressional committees and subcommittees urging regulatory and operational reform of the taxicab industry.

(6) Based upon the consistency of recommendations made over the years relating to regulatory reform of the system of taxi supervision, and based upon the Council’s own evaluation of the present structure of governmental regulation, the Council finds that improved regulatory, educational, and enforcement performance is in the public interest.

(7) The taxicab industry within the District is largely comprised of thousands of individual licensees conducting business on a self-employment basis.

(8) In view of these findings, the Council believes that the citizens of the District will benefit from the enactment of the Taxicab Service Improvement Amendment Act of 2012, effective October 22, 2013 (D.C. Law 19-184; 59 DCR 9431).

(Mar. 25, 1986, D.C. Law 6-97, § 2, 33 DCR 703; Oct. 22, 2012, D.C. Law 19-184, § 2(a), 59 DCR 9431.)

Prior Codifications

1981 Ed., § 40-1701.

2001 Ed., § 50-301.

Section References

This section is referenced in § 22-404.02, § 22-404.03, § 47-2829, and § 47-2862.

Effect of Amendments

The 2012 amendment by D.C. Law 19-184 validated a previously made technical correction; substituted “public vehicles-for-hire, particularly by taxicabs” for “taxicab” in (1); deleted “charged with” following “is” in (2); rewrote (3)-(5); substituted “improved regulatory, educational, and enforcement performance” for “regulatory consolidation” in (6); substituted “is largely comprised” for “although impressed with certain characteristics of a public utility, is nonetheless wholly comprised” in (7); and rewrote (8).

Emergency Legislation

For temporary amendment of section, see § 4(f) of the Confirmation Emergency Amendment Act of 1999 (D.C. Act 13-25, March 15, 1999, 46 DCR 2971).

For temporary (90 day) amendment of section, see § 1602 of the Fiscal Year 2001 Budget Support Congressional Review Emergency Act of 2000 (D.C. Act 13-438, October 20, 2000, 47 DCR 8740).

For temporary (90 days) repeal of D.C. Law 19-184, § 7, see § 7007 of the Fiscal Year 2014 Budget Support Emergency Act of 2013 (D.C. Act 20-130, July 30, 2013, 60 DCR 11384, 20 DCSTAT 1827).

For temporary (90 days) repeal of D.C. Law 19-184, § 7, see § 7007 of the Fiscal Year 2014 Budget Support Congressional Review Emergency Act of 2013 (D.C. Act 20-204, October 17, 2013, 60 DCR 15341, 20 DCSTAT 2311).

Short Title

Section 7001 of D.C. Law 20-61 provided that Subtitle A of Title VII of the act may be cited as the “Subject to Appropriations Repealers Amendment Act of 2013”.

Editor's Notes

Section 7 of D.C. Law 19-184 provided that the act shall apply 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.

Section 7007 of D.C. Law 20-61 repealed D.C. Law 19-184, § 7.

Mayor's Orders

Establishment—Task Force on Taxicab Reform, see Mayor’s Order 2001-146, October 3, 2001 ( 48 DCR 9518).

Delegation of Authority

Rescission of Delegation of authority pursuant to D.C. Law 6-97, the “District of Columbia Taxicab Commission Establishment Act of 1985”, see Mayor’s Order 98-174, November 10, 1998 ( 45 DCR 8201).