TAXI SERVICE FOR SENIORS / PACIFIC PALISADES

Motion - Taxi services are an essential part of the transportation system for the City of Los Angeles. Each day thousands of residents and visitors use taxis to move around the City. In order to provide this service, the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) has awarded taxi franchises to nine companies to operate more than 2,300 taxicabs in the City. This process closely regulates all licensed taxicabs in the City to insure passenger safety and security. The City of Los Angeles' Taxi Rider's Bill of Rights entitles passengers to, among other things, that a passenger to be driven to a destination in the quickest time and by the shortest route, to a taxi that arrives at the pickup point within a reasonable amount of time after an order has been placed. It also requires taxicabs to accept the City's Cityride scrip, which is a subsidized transportation program for individuals in the City of Los Angeles, aged 65 or older and for qualified disabled persons. Currently, Bell Cabs, Beverly Hills Cab, Checker Cab, City Cab, Independent Cab, United Independent Cab and Yellow Cabs all have franchises that cover the southwestern portion of the City, including the Pacific Palisades community. There have been numerous complaints by senior citizens in the Pacific Palisades community that taxis will not provide service in this area because it is too remote and will not accept Cityride script. The terms of the taxicab franchise agreements clearly require companies to serve all communities in the service area and to participate in any transportation coupon (user-ride subsidy) program sponsored by the City of Los Angeles. THEREFORE MOVE that the City Council direct the Department of Transportation and the Department of Aging to report on complaints of the lack of taxi service for senior citizens in the Pacific Palisades community, including the number of complaints received; the number of service requests and response levels by each of the franchised taxicab companies that serve this area; the amount of scrip accepted by the franchised taxicab companies; as well as details on the ability of the City to issue penalties to franchise taxicab companies or terminate a franchise.

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