Major rule changes eyed for vehicles-for-hire

By John Johnston
Managing Editor

If you hire someone to drive you places, or if your literally on the other side of the car and operate the so-called “vehicle for hire”, you’ll be interested in the workshop discussion tomorrow among Palm Beach County Commissioners.

Under consideration are major amendments to the county’s current Vehicle for Hire Ordinance.  Among the requirements or changes being considered are:

• New and higher fees assessed against companies/drivers that provide for-hire transportation services.
• Fines to be levied against ordinance violators.
• Minimum commercial automobile general liability insurance requirements.

The discussion will also consider the hiring of one additional clerk to assist in administering the revised ordinance, said commissioners.

But what is a vehicle for hire?

In general a vehicle for hire provides individual (and sometimes shared) transportation between locations of the passengers' choice, or nearby.

The primary difference between vehicles for hire and so-called “public transportation” is that persons who hire vehicles get to decide where the journey begins and ends; Palm Tran riders, for example, must choose from a limited selection of locations designated by Palm Tran.

The most common vehicle for hire is, of course, the taxicab.  In affluent South County, however, seen as often as not are limousines and similar vehicles for hire – all of which would be governed by the revised ordinance.

Proposed Changes

And beyond the general rule changes cited above, the proposed new ordinance would also carry with it much more stringent rules about who can own and/or drive such vehicles.  For example, the new rules would:

• Prohibit persons from driving for-hire vehicles if convicted of any felony within past 5 years and permanently prohibits persons from driving if convicted of certain violent or sexual crimes.
• Prohibit persons who’ve had a US drivers license for less than 3 years from driving for-hire vehicles.
• Require for-hire driver permits be issued to persons only after submitting a complete application and the criminal/driving background check reveals compliance with the ordinance (provisional permits would no longer be issued).
• Make it illegal to operate a business unless/until proof of insurance is provided from the insurance company and provides a five-year suspension/revocation if fraudulent insurance paperwork is submitted
• Eliminate double regulation off or-hire companies and drivers operating under the requirements of Palm Tran Connection.
• Require a vehicle-for-hire business to own at least 50 percent of its vehicles.
• Set maximum ages for vehicles-for-hire.
• Establish new requirements for taxicabs (i.e., top light, taximeter, uniform color/signage scheme required.
• Permit the towing and impoundment of habitually uninsured vehicles.
• Require all vehicles to be inspected annually by a certified mechanic.
• Require that vehicle-for-hire drivers know basic English and Palm Beach County geography.
• Place restrictions on companies operating from other jurisdictions (Miami-Dade/Broward).
• Prohibit "non-medical" transportation companies from providing transportation to persons with certain medical conditions.

The county commission workshop is slated for 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, May 13, Governmental Center, 301 North Olive Ave, West Palm Beach; 6th Floor, Thomson meeting room.