Gloucester Cabs are licensed to provide transportation to and from Gloucester Airport. Gloucester cabs may use additional Airport stickers, but only when traveling within the Airport’s zone. Once outside the airport’s zone, the cab must deadhead. This requires the cab to stop and pay a penalty fee. In addition, Gloucester cabs can’t accept passengers whose names or addresses do not match the airport’s list of permitted passengers.
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Task Force Recommends Higher Vehicle Standards
The ADA requires that certain percentages of fleet cabs meet accessibility standards. The Act also provides grants to new cab companies, lowering licensing fees and introducing passes to skip queues at airport taxi stands. In addition, the Act requires the sale of medallion licenses.
The Commission also recommends that the cab industry adopt higher vehicle standards for passenger safety and quality. These standards can be derived from the city’s regulations. Chicago, for example, requires cabs to provide a certain number of trips within designated zones. In Los Angeles, regulations mandate minimum response time standards and reporting requirements for drivers.
Criminal Record Checks
To conduct criminal record checks on Gloucester Cab drivers, you can use the online resources of Gloucester City Council. There, you can find out whether a driver has any prior convictions or if they have ever been in trouble. This service is free of charge for Gloucester residents, but it costs $10 for non-residents. You must present valid government-issued identification to obtain the information. You can also search the database by case number. This method uses a case number to gain access to criminal and civil case details.
Currently, there is no legal requirement for Gloucester Cab drivers to undergo criminal background checks, but more drivers are undergoing this process as part of their insurance. Not only is this necessary for the taxi business, but it protects passengers as well. Additionally, the Department of Transport is exploring safety measures for the taxi industry, including installing CCTV in cabs. The footage from these cameras would be available only if there was a reported crime. websitextra
Zone Restrictions
There is a strong union representing the taxi drivers who offer cab service in gloucester, and they are opposed to the new City-Wide Taxi By-Law. The Union argues that zone restrictions ensure effective customer service and ensure that each zone has a high standard of service. They also argue that this method helps prevent suburban cabs from flooding the downtown area.
There are two solutions to this problem. First, the Airport Authority should amend its existing taxi by-law to allow Gloucester taxis to provide service in other cities, provided they are authorized by the Gloucester Airport authority. Second, the Airport should have a limit of one taxi owner license per six hundred and sixty-eight residents. Third, Gloucester should allow special legislation to exempt some areas from the taxi licensing by-law.
Enforcement Costs
The City of Gloucester is considering imposing more stringent enforcement of the local cab laws, but it will require the taxi industry’s cooperation. The City has already instituted a $10 replacement fee for taxi licenses, but the City would like to place a larger burden on the cab industry to ensure proper cab attachment.
Police departments in Gloucester County spend more money on enforcement than on any other municipal department. This is because police departments receive more than twice as much funding as other municipal departments. Police departments make up between 14 and 25 percent of municipal budgets. This doesn’t even account for pensions and other benefits for police officers.
Taxi Commission to Deal With Breaches of By-Law
By-law No. 2003-97 amending By-law No. 41 of 1998 of the Corporation of the City of Gloucester requires taxicabs to display a notice titled “Rights and Responsibilities of Taxi Drivers and Taxi Passengers.” It must be clearly legible under day and night conditions and must be clearly legible in the back of the taxicab. The notice must be connected to the taximeter so that it will be illuminated from one-half hour before sunset to one-half hour before sunrise when the taximeter is not engaged.
By-law 36(1) requires taxis to have a current taxi plate and a validation sticker for the current licensing year. In addition, taxicab brokers must be licensed to dispatch cabs within the regulated area. Moreover, an accessible taxicab cannot be driven by a standard taxicab driver.
