Public input sought on rules for taxis, ride-hailing firms

A public hearing on proposed rules that would govern traditional taxis, Uber and Lyft operations will be held at 1 p.m. Monday at the Mission Memorial Building hearing room.

The Department of Customer Services wants public input on the 16-page proposal before enacting it.

In August, the Honolulu City Council passed Bill 36, which tasks the department with creating a set of rules incorporating all private transportation operations. The bill became law after it was returned to the Council unsigned by Mayor Kirk Caldwell, who said he thought the Jan. 15 deadline for implementation was too short to allow the department to gear up for the new policy.

Council members sought the changes primarily in response to two concerns: outcry by the traditional taxicab companies that Uber and Lyft were being allowed to compete against them without regard for the same rules cab companies have had to follow for decades; and a public perception that stricter regulations are needed relating to criminal background checks of all private transportation drivers.

The key changes:

>> Drivers of taxis, Uber and Lyft vehicles must obtain private transportation driver certificates from their respective companies. The city now issues certificates to about 2,500 to 3,000 taxi drivers. Under the changes, the companies would determine who pays for mandatory, seven-year national criminal background checks. Taxi companies now must obtain two-year local background checks.

>> Companies must collect data on their drivers and vehicles, “certify” them in lists given to the city, and maintain the records, which would be subject to “at-will” spot audits. The companies would need to notify the customer services director within three days any time a driver is convicted of a criminal offense or traffic violation, or is involved in a vehicle accident while transporting passengers.

>> Private transportation companies — Uber, Lyft and taxi operators — will need to obtain private transportation company licenses from the city for $1,000 annually.

Additional rules are placed on ride-hailing companies that make them do the same thing required of taxi operators, such as requiring that each personal vehicle certified by the company include the company’s “dress trade, logo or company identifier.”

Unlike taxi operators, ride-hailing companies could not “pick up hails, cruise or otherwise solicit trips,” the proposed rules say.

“The most notable issues relate to driver certification and vehicle licensing,” Customer Services Director Sheri Kajiwara said. “While the ordinance dictates what is required for both, the rules will define how those requirements are met.”

Among things still to be determined are the specifications for the front and back bumper decals that will be used to identify a private transportation vehicle.

“These rules will define the size, color and content on the decal,” Kajiwara said.

Written comments on the proposed rules will be collected through Nov. 25. To see the rules or other information, go to honolulu.gov/csd or call 768-2530.

In related news, the Council Budget Committee advanced two measures aimed at refining various sections of the new law:

>> An amendment to Bill 55 introduced by Council Budget Chairwoman Ann Koba­yashi would give private transportation companies and their drivers a 60-day grace period to comply with the new law should the city not have rules in place by Jan. 15.

>> Bill 65 would add more driver requirements. For instance, no driver certificate would be issued to someone who gets five or more moving violations during a two-year period, is convicted of a serious traffic infraction within two years, or is convicted of crimes including violent, sexual or drug-related offenses within seven years.