{"id":14529,"date":"2014-06-30T10:52:19","date_gmt":"2014-06-30T15:52:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/?p=14529"},"modified":"2014-10-22T02:02:02","modified_gmt":"2014-10-22T07:02:02","slug":"taxi-laws-to-protect-drivers-and-passengers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/taxi-laws-to-protect-drivers-and-passengers\/","title":{"rendered":"Taxi Laws: To \u201cProtect\u201d Drivers and Passengers?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Oxford, Miss (TLV) \u2013 Oxford\u2019s Board of Aldermen is considering revisions to the city\u2019s taxi laws; the second of three readings of the law change and a public hearing on the matter were held during the June 17 board meeting. <\/span><\/p>\n

A few minutes after the meeting started, the room had filled up. When Mayor Pat Patterson<\/strong> asked how many were present to speak about this issue, over a dozen people raised their hands. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell,\u201d he said, \u201cwe\u2019re going to take our time and try to let you have your say. Now, let\u2019s don\u2019t be repetitive, okay?\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

His wish wasn\u2019t honored\u2014it got repetitive pretty quickly because people already had in their minds what they wanted to say. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"cityhall\"<\/a>The proposed amendment to the laws regarding taxis would, if passed as originally written, revamp the fee structure for fares. <\/span><\/p>\n

Currently, drivers are allowed to charge a maximum amount of $10 per person. The proposed change would have the \u201cfirst\u201d passenger paying $10, each additional passenger paying $5, and passengers at secondary locations or asking the driver to make a \u201cstop\u201d would pay an additional $2.50 each. <\/span><\/p>\n

The changes would also do the following: require cameras to be installed in all cabs with signage letting customers know they\u2019re being filmed; require every passenger to be given a detailed receipt; forbid any passenger to ride in the taxi\u2019s front seat; replace ambiguous cleanliness and upkeep language with much stricter requirements; prohibit cigarette smoking by any person inside a taxi; disallow cell phone use by drivers when passengers are in the cab except for exclusively hands-free use; and, finally, subject taxis to random inspection by Oxford Police Department<\/strong> to determine compliance with the new laws.<\/span><\/p>\n

Alderman Jay Hughes<\/strong>, who was absent at the meeting but participated via Skype<\/strong>, said the law changes are to protect the taxi driver\u2014unforeseen things happen in taxis and if everyone is held accountable through written logs and video record, there\u2019s no question later about what actually occurred. <\/span><\/p>\n

But the law is obviously to protect the customers as well; there\u2019s been talk of price-gouging on Ole Miss game weekends and other special events. Any time a law is written to cover that many folks, give-and-take is required on all ends: legislators, business owners, employees, and customers. <\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s exactly why the Aldermen hold public hearings on issues like this.\u00a0\"Stewart<\/a>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

At the June 17 board meeting and public hearing, Jimmy Allgood<\/strong>, Director of Emergency Management, spoke first and clarified that companies would not be required to get meters; the wording in the proposed amendment had been changed at the June 3 meeting; it also changed to read that a passenger may ride in the front seat if all other seats are filled, though they must relocate as soon as any other seat becomes available. <\/span><\/p>\n

City Attorney Pope Mallette<\/strong> pointed out that he\u2019d like to delete a line forbidding \u201cunauthorized signs or markings, such as bumper stickers,\u201d because it could possibly get into the realm of advertising. <\/span><\/p>\n

These mark-ups may be just the beginning for this amendment to the taxi laws. Owners and representatives for many taxi companies spoke at the meeting, as well as one concerned citizen. <\/span><\/p>\n

The idea of requiring a detailed receipt to be handed to every customer concerned many who spoke up. Peggy Mandujano<\/strong>, who was first to speak at the meeting, on behalf of Rebel Taxi<\/strong> (owned by Audie Branch<\/strong>), initially addressed the issue of mandatory receipts by saying, \u201cI have no problem giving anyone a receipt who wants a receipt. I do think it unfair to force drivers to give one to every customer in the taxi who may not want one. Half the time they can\u2019t remember their credit cards, their phones, their shoes…\u201d\u00a0\"Even<\/a>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Though one of the ideas behind everyone getting a receipt is to avoid price gouging, Jimmy Thompson<\/strong>, owner of A-1 Taxi<\/strong>, said, \u201cNo matter what the rates are, you\u2019re still gonna have price gougers. I\u2019ve seen taxis on game-day come from Memphis, Union County, Lee County, not even authorized to run a taxi in Oxford.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

These \u201cgypsy cabs\u201d are hurting Oxford taxi drivers financially, and online \u201cridesharing\u201d services like the D.C.-based Uber<\/strong>\u00a0and Lyft<\/strong> (started in San Francisco but growing rapidly), have yet to be addressed.<\/span><\/p>\n

Far from price gouging, many Oxford taxi drivers and company owners (including Austin Blake<\/strong> of Austin Taxi<\/strong>, and Phillip Howard<\/strong>, one of his drivers) pointed out that their normal per-person fares are actually less than the current ordinance\u2019s maximum fee of $10.<\/span><\/p>\n

Alderman-at-Large John Morgan<\/strong> put it best when he said, \u201cI think we\u2019re talking about a maximum rate here, and if these people know what the rate is before they get in there, it\u2019s capitalism and personal responsibility. If they know what the rate is, then they don\u2019t have to ride.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Mayor Patterson said about receipts, when giving his closing thoughts on this ordinance change, \u201cI\u2019m not sure we\u2019ve got that right; maybe we\u2019ll change that up a little bit.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

\"CourthouseTimeLapse\"<\/a>Most of the concerns centered around the new fee structure not allowing drivers to charge $10 per head on Ole Miss game weekends. <\/span><\/p>\n

Mandujano brought up event pricing by saying, \u201cPeople who come to Oxford on game days know they\u2019re going to spend money.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

She pointed out that many of the city\u2019s businesses raise their rates on game weekends: she stated that not only do area hotels dramatically raise their rates, but bars raise their cover charges, gas stations around the Square raise their per-gallon rate, parking lots that are usually free charge \u201canywhere from $20\u2013$100,\u201d and \u201cpeople rent out their homes sometimes for up to $2000 for a weekend.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

She said, \u201cI don\u2019t think the board has taken into account the amount of time it takes to get from A to B in game-day traffic, where a 5-minute ride turns into a 45-minute ride.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Others who spoke about game-day pricing were Austin Blake of Austin Taxi, Cedric Pegues<\/strong> owner of V.I.P. Taxi<\/strong>, and Kenny Scanlon<\/strong>, a driver for Rock Star Taxi<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Stewart Rutledge<\/strong> spoke on behalf of Rock Star Taxi, as a business advisor to that company\u2019s owner Arseniy Parshikov<\/strong>. He had many of the same concerns as Mandujano, who had mentioned that on game weekends drivers make \u201cgood money, but not great money.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Rutledge said, \u201cI want to encourage you to think of this: there isn\u2019t a whole lot of money to go around here, so every little cut is a big deal. And I think that\u2019s why, when you see further rate restrictions, that\u2019s why the room is full, because it is not far-fetched to think y\u2019all could regulate some folks out of business, and I don\u2019t think y\u2019all want to do that, so I\u2019m trying to provide that perspective.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Rutledge brought up a June 13 Clarion-Ledger<\/em> article about alleged game-day price gouging in which Alderman Jay Hughes was reported as saying, \u201cThey [the taxi companies] are charging more on those weekends when they aren\u2019t accruing any additional charges and driving the same two miles.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Rutledge said he hoped the quote was taken out of context, and reiterated that game-day traffic is slow, and added that it decreases the volume and number of rides drivers can take, and certainly causes the companies to accrue additional charges. <\/span><\/p>\n

Later Rutledge added, \u201cI hope that Oxford\u2019s government will be slow to set rates and prices for private businesses, and as the previous lady [Mandujano] stated, we don\u2019t do that for condos or hotels.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019d personally like to note that even the City of Oxford charges more on game weekends for parking violations: at the June 17 meeting, another agenda item was the board\u2019s third reading and vote of an amendment setting up paid parking in which they set up the following fee structure: Maximum fine of $10 (1st and 2nd violations), $25 (3rd), and $50 (4th or more) on days Ole Miss doesn\u2019t play football; maximum fine of $50 (1st violation), $75 (2nd), and $100 (3rd or more) on game days.\u00a0\"Important<\/a>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

City Attorney Pope Mallette spoke up at that point, stating, \u201cUnlike most everything else where all the city has is a privilege license and we\u2019re able to do some minor control, like with alcohol, building permits…we are charged with putting the regulatory framework for taxis where we\u2019re not with hotels, gas stations, most of these things that have been put out there that charge more on game weekends. That issue has come up with the Attorney General before, they\u2019ve gone after gouging on gasoline and other things, but we are charged as a city with taxi rules and regulations in a way we aren\u2019t with most other things.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Many who spoke didn\u2019t understand why a clause disallowed passengers to sit in the front seat at any time. <\/span><\/p>\n

Jimmy Thompson of A-1 Taxi pointed out that he thought it would be safer for a single passenger to ride in the front seat so the driver could keep an eye out, rather than in the back where it\u2019s harder to see.<\/span><\/p>\n

Surprisingly to me, nobody really conveyed any problems with the new camera requirements at the meeting, except for Sue Lacrosse<\/strong> of Angel Taxi<\/strong> and Stewart Rutledge on behalf of Rock Star Taxi, who both asked that their current camera systems be \u201cgrandfathered-in\u201d under the new law. <\/span><\/p>\n

Near the end of the discussion, Jay Hughes said he would be okay with the use of existing cameras as long as they satisfy the minimum requirements set forth by the law. <\/span><\/p>\n

Lacrosse and I sat down for a while before the meeting with her new manager Dennis Cochran<\/strong> and we talked for a long time about cameras and other issues. She\u2019s had cameras in most of her cabs for two years now and has been updating the models as she replaces older taxis. <\/span><\/p>\n

Parshikov also has cameras in his cabs; Rutledge pointed out that Rock Star Taxi has had a driver physically assaulted and one sexually assaulted, and the only way those situations were resolved was through the recordings made by the cameras. <\/span><\/p>\n

One big problem with the section regarding cameras is that it disallows audio recording; Rutledge said of the two assault cases that the audio was instrumental in bringing justice for the drivers.<\/span><\/p>\n

The mayor commented that we have thirteen cab companies in Oxford, compared to Memphis\u2019 five. <\/span><\/p>\n

Jay Hughes wrote in a June 18 email to his constituents, \u201cFollowing the explosion of taxis in Oxford and the number of complaints we receive, it was necessary to work on changes to address the problems.\u201d It\u2019s important to note that nobody stood up completely in favor of the ordinance change; every driver or owner who got behind the podium had one or more problems with the amendments. <\/span><\/p>\n

Many taxi owners invited the aldermen to ride along in a taxi as \u201cregular Joes\u201d to see what really goes on. Stewart Rutledge said in his email to the board, \u201cI do encourage you to ride along with some cabs on a busy night. It\u2019ll give you an opportunity to see that most of these guys are doing their best and have little to no room to be cut more.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Arseniy Parshikov spoke up respectfully about enforcing the laws we already have, and how that might alleviate some of the issues being brought up. <\/span><\/p>\n

He, like many other drivers and owners of taxi companies, has another business venture and says \u201cIf the city continues to regulate the rates lower and lower over the years, I\u2019m going to have to get out of the taxi game because it\u2019s simply not worth my time.\u201d\u00a0\"Jay<\/a>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Jay Hughes\u2019 summary of the public hearing is as follows, from his June 18 email to constituents: \u201cThe drivers and owners objecteced [sic]<\/em> to any limits on what they could charge, or having to give out receipts. However, I disclose that I drafted these changes after working on them for several months, and with the city attorneys. I believe the changes will greatly advance the interests of the city in protecting the drivers and passengers, as well as visitors we work so hard to get here in town. Remember, the City is not making anyone go into the taxi business in Oxford, or accept every single fare that taps on their window. But, they are using our city streets we all pay for to make money. Once they do get a license and put people in that vehicle, we have a set of rules they must play by to keep it a safe, level and fair playing field for all. The Third reading and vote should be at the next meeting. If it passes, it will be in effect 30 days from passage.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Pat Patterson ended the discussion on taxi laws by thanking everyone for coming and for their comments. He said, \u201cWe have a code enforcement officer now, and one of his assignments is to enforce code of taxi regulations to try and stop some of this gypsy stuff.\u201d He continued to say, \u201cWe\u2019re going to consider it. We might not vote in two weeks\u2014we might take a month to do this. We\u2019re not required to vote in two weeks, so we\u2019ll see.\u201d\u00a0\"The<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

For information on how to get in touch with your Aldermen, visit the City of Oxford’s website here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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