TAXICAB REGULATION IN U.S. CITIES. VOLUME 1: FINAL REPORT

In many U.S. communities, taxicab regulations have emerged not only as a local concern, but also as a challenge--the challenge of devising taxicab regulations that meet local conditions and objectives. This study assesses the state of taxi regulations in U.S. cities and presents the results of a national study of taxicab regulatory practices. The study objectives are: 1) to determine how cities currently regulate taxis; 2) to assess the degree of taxicab regulatory changes being considered by cities; and 3) to identify reasons for taxi regulatory changes. The study focuses on three aspects of taxi regulations: administrative procedures, entry controls, and fare setting. The research methodology included a literature review and data collection, a national telephone survey of 120 cities, and onsite case studies of ten cities that have recently made substantive taxicab regulatory changes. The ten case study cities are Sacramento and Fresno, California; Charlotte and Fayetteville, North Carolina; Dayton and Springfield, Ohio; Hillsborough County and St. Petersburg, Florida; Des Plaines, Illinois; and Madison, Wisconsin. Overall, the case study cities cover all important aspects of taxicab regulation and regulatory revision. The study results show that most cities regulate both entry into the industry and fare levels, and relatively few cities have changed, or are considering changing, to taxicab deregulation. The study also shows that in those cities with major regulatory changes, there is a common pattern followed with respect to how these changes have been considered and evaluated.