Collared shirt, check. Slacks, check. Closed-toe shoes, check.
In an effort to clean up the city’s reputation for terrible taxi service, leaders in the City of Sacramento have drawn up some basic ground rules to ensure that Sac-Town cabbies are first-rate.
On Tuesday, members of a City Council passed a list of rules and regulations that have been under development for more than a year.
The three dress requirements above are among the stipulations of the proposed ordinance. Should the ordinance pass the city council, cab drivers will be required to drive a newer car and keep it clean. They must accept credit cards and be able to count change accurately. And finally, cab drivers in California’s Capitol city must demonstrate a capacity for speaking English by passing a test.
City leaders are further contemplating reducing the overall taxi permits from the current number of 512 to 450.
“We are continuing to enhance the industry,” said city business permit manager Dafna Gauthier. “We feel like we are becoming a more standardized taxi industry.”
According to The Sacramento Bee, Sacramento’s proposal has garnered support among Yellow Cab, hotel owners and executives at the city’s convention center.
“For those of us who travel a lot, this ordinance covers all these things we expect,” remarked Steve Hammond, President of the Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau. “We’re trying to attract visitors in a competitive mode.”
Others, like Kazman Zaidi—head of the Northern California Taxi Union—believe the proposed regulations are unfair to the little guy.
“We are not happy,” Zaidi said. Small operators “have families and kids. How can they survive? They will be out of business and on food stamps.”
Read the full story at The Sacramento Bee.