(1) No person shall engage in driving or operating any vehicle pursuant to this subchapter without having procured from the Mayor, or the Mayor's designated agent, a license which shall only be issued upon evidence satisfactory to the Mayor that the applicant is qualified to operate such vehicle and upon payment of an annual license fee of an amount set by the Mayor.
(2) The license shall be carried upon the person of the licensee or in the vehicle while engaged in driving the vehicle when the vehicle is being used for hire.
(3) Application for the license shall be made in such form as shall be prescribed by the Mayor.
(4) Each annual license issued under the provisions of this subsection shall be numbered, and there shall be kept in the Department of For-Hire Vehicles a record containing the name of each person so licensed, his annual license number, and all matters affecting his qualifications to be licensed under this section.
(5) No license issued under the provisions of this subsection shall be assigned or transferred.
(A) The Department of For-Hire Vehicles may develop procedures to evaluate the record of a taxicab operator's license under the terms of this subsection and the owners of taxicabs licensed under the terms of this section.
(B) The record maintained by the Department of For-Hire Vehicles for each licensee shall contain any violations associated with the license upon the final determination of liability by any governmental body charged with adjudicating violations.
(i) Any procedure shall clearly state the grounds for suspension or revocation of a license.
(ii) If the license of a person licensed pursuant to this subsection is revoked, the person must complete the requirements contained in this section before the person may receive a new license.
(D) If the license of a person licensed pursuant to this subsection is suspended, the licensee must complete the requirements contained in this section and present to the Department of For-Hire Vehicles the certificate of completion of the required course before reinstatement.
(b) The Department of For-Hire Vehicles shall make the following information available for public inspection:
(1) The name of each person licensed under the terms of this section;
(2) The licensee's annual license number;
(3) The name of the association, corporation, or organization that maintains the lease or membership agreement with the licensee;
(4) Any monetary fine, suspension, or revocation action taken against the licensee;
(5) Where applicable, a certificate of completion by the licensee of the training course established pursuant to this section;
(6) A record of any criminal conviction of the licensee within the last 3 years; and
(7) Any points assessed against the licensee's District of Columbia operators permit. The records shall be cross-referenced to the association, corporation, or organization.
(1) The Department of For-Hire Vehicles shall, by regular U.S. mail and within 5 days that Department of For-Hire Vehicles is notified of a final decision of suspension, revocation, or non-renewal of a taxicab operator license, notify the association, corporation, organization, or person that maintains a taxicab lease or taxicab association or company membership agreement with the operator that the operator's privilege to operate a taxicab in the District of Columbia has been suspended, revoked, or not renewed.
(2) The association, corporation, organization, or person that maintains a lease with the operator shall, upon receipt of the notice, terminate any lease agreement, written or otherwise, with the operator and shall take reasonable steps to assure the return to the owner of any vehicle leased to the operator.
(3) The Department of For-Hire Vehicles shall promulgate regulations to carry out the purposes of this subsection.
(1) All vehicles licensed under this section shall bear such identification tags as the Council of the District of Columbia may from time to time direct.
(2) Nothing contained in this section shall exempt vehicles licensed under this section from compliance with the traffic and motor vehicle regulations of the District of Columbia.
(e) Nothing in this section shall be construed to require the procuring of a license or the payment of a tax with respect to a vehicle owned or operated by a state or local government or a subdivision or instrumentality thereof that is being used to transport school children, their teachers, or escorts to the District of Columbia from the state in which their school is located.
(f) The following additional licensing requirements shall apply to all persons who apply for a license to operate any public vehicle-for-hire licensed for an owner of a motor vehicle for hire used for any purpose, including owners of a taxicab, an ambulance for hire, an owner of a passenger vehicle, which when used for hire, is used exclusively for funeral purposes, an owner of a passenger vehicle used exclusively for contract livery services for which the rate is fixed solely by the hour, and an owner of a passenger vehicle for hire used for sightseeing purposes:
(A) Completion of the primary public passenger vehicle-for-hire license training course, as established by the Department of For-Hire Vehicles, for a fee of no less than $100 per person.
(B) Upon completion of the course, the applicant shall be issued a certificate of completion that shall include the date of completion and be presented to the Department of For-Hire Vehicles with the application for a license.
(C) Before issuing the certificate of completion, a person shall have passed an examination consisting of the subject matters taught in the course and an evaluation of the person's English communication skills.
(D) At a minimum, the training course and any refresher course provided by the Department of For-Hire Vehicles shall be designed to develop the applicant's knowledge of:
(i) The geography of the District, with particular emphasis on major streets throughout the District, significant government buildings, attractions, and tourist sites, and historical knowledge of the District;
(ii) District laws and regulations governing the taxicab industry and the penalties for violating these laws and regulations;
(iii) District traffic laws and regulations and the penalties for violating these laws and regulations, including:
(I) The rights and duties of motorists, which include not blocking the crosswalk or intersection and not driving or stopping in a bicycle lane;
(II) The rights and duties of pedestrians; and
(III) The rights and duties of bicyclists.
(iv) Public relations skills, including cultural awareness and sensitivity training, appropriate social customs and courtesies that should be extended to the public, conflict resolution, and knowledge of the hospitality industry;
(v) Small business practices, including methods of accounting and manifest maintenance, fare computations for intra-District trips and interstate trips, and general management principles;
(vi) Driving skills and knowledge of the rules of the road; and
(vii) The legal requirements that apply to the transportation of persons with disabilities, including providing equal access to transportation and complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, approved July 26, 1990 (104 Stat. 328; 42 U.S.C. § 12101 et seq .) ("ADA").
(2) All courses for operators of wheelchair-accessible taxicabs shall provide training as to:
(A) The legal requirements that apply to the transportation of persons with disabilities, including providing equal access to transportation and complying with the ADA;
(B) Passenger assistance techniques, including a review of various disabilities, hands-on demonstrations of how to assist those with disabilities, mobility equipment training (including familiarity with lift and ramp operations and various types of wheelchairs and personal mobility devices), and safety procedures;
(C) Training with an actual person using a wheelchair or personal mobility device;
(D) Sensitivity training, including customer service and conflict resolution techniques; and
(E) Overall training in passenger relations and courtesy.
(3) Completion of an examination, which shall consist of a minimum of 60 questions, the passing grade of which shall be 70% answered correctly, and which shall, at a minimum, test:
(A) The applicant's fitness for licensure based upon knowledge of the location of addresses, significant government buildings, and tourist sites, and an understanding of the Capital City Plan;
(B) The applicant's fitness for licensure based upon the areas covered in the hacker's license training course, exclusive of geography;
(C) The applicant's knowledge of the District, through a minimum of 5 written questions, which shall require the applicant to state the route to arrive at a destination from a particular location; and
(D) The applicant's knowledge of selected areas, through a minimum of 5 oral questions, covered in the hacker's license training course, exclusive of geography, and the applicant's ability to communicate in English.
(A) An applicant may repeat the examination no more than 3 times. Upon the third failure, an applicant must repeat the hacker's license training course and present a new certificate of completion before being allowed to take the examination again.
(B) The Department of For-Hire Vehicles shall construct a pool of no fewer than 300 questions from which questions shall be drawn for each examination that is administered. The pool shall be prohibited from public dissemination and be substantially revised, at a minimum, every 2 years to protect the integrity of the examination.
(5) Upon passage of the examination, each applicant has 90 days in which to complete the application process for licensure. After 90 days, the passing score from the prior examination is no longer valid for licensure, and the applicant must repeat the license training course, present a new certificate of completion, and retake the examination.
(g) The Department of For-Hire Vehicles may issue any reasonable rule relating to the supervision of public vehicles-for-hire it considers necessary for the protection of the public.
(1) Subject to paragraph (2) of this subsection, the Department of For-Hire Vehicles may establish:
(A) Standards, criteria, and requirements for the licensing of the different classes of public vehicles-for-hire and the owner and operators the public vehicles-for-hire; and
(B) Appropriate classes of license fees for the ownership and operation of public vehicles-for-hire subject to the requirements of this section.
(2) No license requirement for operating authority shall be mandated by the Department of For-Hire Vehicles that is duplicative of the jurisdiction of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Commission.
(1) No person, corporation, partnership, or association shall operate a public vehicle-for-hire in the District without first having procured all applicable licenses and meeting all requirements as mandated by the Department of For-Hire Vehicles.
(2) A violation of this subsection shall subject a violator to a civil fine not to exceed $500.
(j) The Department of For-Hire Vehicles may establish reasonable civil fines and penalties for violation of any rule issued pursuant to the authority of this section.
(k) All rules and regulations applicable to public vehicles-for-hire in effect before October 22, 2012, that are consistent with this subchapter shall remain effective until amended or repealed by the Department of For-Hire Vehicles.