11/16/1981 Board of Public Works Minutes

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229 REGULAR MEETING NOVEMBER 16, 1981 which were duly licensed; however, during the peak demand times during the day, no more than 25-30 cabs were on the street at any one time. He felt that number adequately reflected and satisfied the need for cab service within the city. He indicated that the ordinance requires that anyone who is issued a Certificate of Public Convenience must maintain and keep an office open 24 hours a day and must be able to provide cab service 24 hours a day. He asked that evidence be supplied to the Board guaranteeing that that stipulation would be complied with by Mr. Thompson and the Roseland Cab Company. Mr. Hill stated that Roseland Cab presently had 2 vehicles which it was operating. He advised that Independent Cab had 3 vehicles and had furnished the Board with a supplementary note indicating that 2 of those vehicles would be in service. He stated that the Board would, therefore be considering only the addition of 4 vehicles to provide cab service over and above that already provided by Yellow Cab and Courtesy Cab. Mr. Butler wondered if Mr. Thompson and the Roseland Cab Company currently had valid licenses. Mr. Kernan stated that some licenses had been issued as far back as seven or eight years ago, and it was determined �. recently that a Certificate of Public Convenience had never been filed with the Board. He explained that there were some questions raised as to the licensing procedure as a result of this. He stated that, in cases where a license had been issued and the �( Certificate of Public Convenience not filed, all insurance requirements had been met. He advised that Independent Cab Company had been operating for about 14-15 years with a license; however, the Certificate of Public Convenience had not been obtained. In the case of Roseland Cab, Mr. Kernan explained that, while they are located outside the city limits, they are utilizing city streets and handling most of the cab service to and from the airport which was recently annexed to the city. He felt that, because of this, Roseland Cab should obtain a Certificate of Public Convenience. Mrs. Pfotenhauer addressed Mr. Butler's question concerning the 24-hour service and office. She stated that each holder of a license is required to keep a central place of business open for 24 hours a day. Mr. Butler stated that there were only two companies that complied with the 24-hour service requirement, and they were the current holders of valid licenses: Yellow Cab and Courtesy Cab. He stated that, if the Board approved the certificates of Grady Thompson and Roseland Cab, those companies should be required to abide by all sections of the ordinance dealing with the cab companies, including inspection of vehicles, etc. Mr. Don Heilman, a driver for Courtesy Cab stated that, at one time, Courtesy Cab had 18 cabs on the street, but at present they were down to 10 cabs and many times those cabs were not in service. He wondered about the need for additional cab service in view of that. Mrs. Thompson advised the Board that her husband operated a 24-hour service at 1392 Birdsell Street. Mr. Hill stated that the points raised were well taken and, if the two major operators of cabs in the city were in compliance with the code, all other operators would also be expected to comply. He felt the issue was a question of public convenience and the fact that some of the existing cabs were not always in operation should not affect the public convenience issue. He stated that two small companies have been operating with an invalid license, and the Board was merely trying to bring them within compliance. He stated that, if they do not comply, they will lose the right to operate entirely. He felt that, if the Board was dealing with another major carrier which would be operating 30 to 40 additional cabs, the Board would be dealing with different criteria. He advised that, until the appropriate certificates of insurance were filed as required and documentation is provided that a 24-hour service is available and all other requirements are met, the certificates for Independent Cab and Roseland Cab would not be approved. Mr. Butler stated that the ordinance provided that the Board must find that additional cab service is required and not that the awarding of additional licenses would adversely impact the public convenience as Mr. Hill had stated.