Late night fares may be requires to pay an upfront deposit of $50 when looking for a cab ride from downtown clubs to cover cleaning costs. The fee would be returned if there were no incidents.
This and other ideas to be discussed at Tuesday's council meeting.
At first glance this may appear to be a cash grab and a step backwards in the fight against drunk drivers but a recent survey has found that many cab drivers avoid the downtown at closing time as a result of unruly passengers and bar patrons causing a mess or getting sick in their cabs.
Also to be discussed are new rules regarding removal of the zones that govern where a taxi can pickup and drop off passengers, with the exception of the airport and a new price index that would consider costs such as insurance, fuel prices and other expenses.
Other proposed changes would include limiting the number of cab to 1 per every 1,200 people, changing driver criteria from a Criminal Record Check to Vulnerable Sector Check, imposing a 10 year age limit on taxis, a requirement for taxi companies to carry liability policy of 2 million dollars.