§ 15-382. Taxicab company permits generally.

(a)

An applicant for a taxicab company permit is required to provide information showing its qualifications on a form(s) provided by the police department.

(b)

Applicants must be approved by the police chief or designee, and such clearance shall include a background investigation and fingerprinting of the applicant.

(c)

No taxicab company permit shall be issued to any taxicab company owning or leasing less than one (1) vehicle.

(d)

No taxicab company permit shall be issued to an applicant unless the applicant has a valid and current business license to do business in the State of Georgia.

(e)

All permits required by the provisions of this article shall expire on the same date as the expiration of the business license.

(f)

If the applicant is not a sole proprietor or individual then all partners, officers or directors holding ten (10) percent or more interest in the company or entity shall be required to comply with the provisions of this section.

(g)

All applicants must:

(1)

Be at least twenty-one (21) years of age;

(2)

Be a citizen of the United States or an alien admitted for permanent residence or who has otherwise been granted employment authorization by the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service;

(3)

Have not been convicted, been on probation, parole, or been imprisoned for a period of five (5) years previous to the date of application, for the violation of any of the following offenses of the State of Georgia, of any other state, or of the United States: any felony; driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol; criminal solicitation to commit any of the offenses listed in this subsection; attempt to commit any of the offenses listed in this subsection; any misdemeanor crime of violence or theft, any misdemeanor crime of possession, sale or distribution of illegal drugs or any crime involving moral turpitude. Discharge without court adjudication of guilt pursuant to O.C.G.A. § 42-8-62 shall not disqualify an applicant from applying for a permit;

(4)

Provide a verifiable dispatch location staffed by company agents or employees, have a published telephone number and have sufficient parking to accommodate its vehicles for hire when not in use;

(5)

Provide proof that the applicant has a dedicated two-way communication system with a dispatcher that personally mans such communication system during the entire time that the applicant's business is open for service, or that any taxicab is available for transportation of fee-paying passengers. The dedicated two-way communication system must be a Federal Communications Commission licensed two-way radio network. Citizens Band radios, ham radios, cell phones and text paging devices shall not qualify as a dedicated two-way communication system;

(6)

File applications for the initial permitting and inspection of the taxicabs, with a list of all drivers that will be scheduled for driver permitting, indicating whether drivers are company employees or contract drivers. A copy of each contract driver's insurance coverage must be included in the application;

(7)

Provide a copy of the applicant's rate schedule and the daily hours of operation; and

(8)

Provide the name, address and telephone number of a responsible individual residing in DeKalb County who will be the registered agent for the purpose of service of process or receipt of citations.

(Code 1976, §§ 7-3002, 7-3003(B), (C); Ord. No. 88-11a, § 1, 10-11-88; Ord. No. 01-04, Pt. 1, 4-26-01; Ord. No. 05-02, Pt. 1, 10-9-01; Ord. No. 11-02, Pt. I, § 1, 11-27-01; Ord. No. 29-03, Pt. I, 10-28-03)