District of Columbia Code
Subchapter I - General
§ 50–301.01. Findings

The Council of the District of Columbia (“Council”) finds that:
(1) Passenger transportation by public vehicles-for-hire, particularly by taxicabs, is an integral and important component of public transit within the District.
(2) The business of transporting passengers and baggage for hire by taxicab is an important public interest requiring governmental supervision, regulation, and control.
(3) The taxicab industry in the District has been and is currently marked by an absence of modern vehicles, quality service, and innovative technology.
(4) Considering the importance of the taxicab industry to the overall public transportation system within the District, there should be established a means of funding and regulation for the furtherance of coherent, efficient, and enforceable regulation, and for the establishment of sound taxicab transportation policy.
(5) Recommendations have been made over the course of several decades by various private and commissioned studies, task forces, public and private groups, individuals, and Congressional committees and subcommittees urging regulatory and operational reform of the taxicab industry.
(6) Based upon the consistency of recommendations made over the years relating to regulatory reform of the system of taxi supervision, and based upon the Council’s own evaluation of the present structure of governmental regulation, the Council finds that improved regulatory, educational, and enforcement performance is in the public interest.
(7) The taxicab industry within the District is largely comprised of thousands of individual licensees conducting business on a self-employment basis.
(8) In view of these findings, the Council believes that the citizens of the District will benefit from the enactment of the Taxicab Service Improvement Amendment Act of 2012, effective October 22, 2013 (D.C. Law 19-184; 59 DCR 9431).
(Mar. 25, 1986, D.C. Law 6-97, § 2, 33 DCR 703; Oct. 22, 2012, D.C. Law 19-184, § 2(a), 59 DCR 9431.)
1981 Ed., § 40-1701.
2001 Ed., § 50-301.
This section is referenced in § 22-404.02, § 22-404.03, § 47-2829, and § 47-2862.
The 2012 amendment by D.C. Law 19-184 validated a previously made technical correction; substituted “public vehicles-for-hire, particularly by taxicabs” for “taxicab” in (1); deleted “charged with” following “is” in (2); rewrote (3)-(5); substituted “improved regulatory, educational, and enforcement performance” for “regulatory consolidation” in (6); substituted “is largely comprised” for “although impressed with certain characteristics of a public utility, is nonetheless wholly comprised” in (7); and rewrote (8).
For temporary amendment of section, see § 4(f) of the Confirmation Emergency Amendment Act of 1999 (D.C. Act 13-25, March 15, 1999, 46 DCR 2971).
For temporary (90 day) amendment of section, see § 1602 of the Fiscal Year 2001 Budget Support Congressional Review Emergency Act of 2000 (D.C. Act 13-438, October 20, 2000, 47 DCR 8740).
For temporary (90 days) repeal of D.C. Law 19-184, § 7, see § 7007 of the Fiscal Year 2014 Budget Support Emergency Act of 2013 (D.C. Act 20-130, July 30, 2013, 60 DCR 11384, 20 DCSTAT 1827).
For temporary (90 days) repeal of D.C. Law 19-184, § 7, see § 7007 of the Fiscal Year 2014 Budget Support Congressional Review Emergency Act of 2013 (D.C. Act 20-204, October 17, 2013, 60 DCR 15341, 20 DCSTAT 2311).
Section 7001 of D.C. Law 20-61 provided that Subtitle A of Title VII of the act may be cited as the “Subject to Appropriations Repealers Amendment Act of 2013”.
Section 7 of D.C. Law 19-184 provided that the act shall apply upon the inclusion of its fiscal effect in an approved budget and financial plan, as certified by the Chief Financial Officer to the Budget Director of the Council in a certification published by the Council in the District of Columbia Register.
Section 7007 of D.C. Law 20-61 repealed D.C. Law 19-184, § 7.
Establishment—Task Force on Taxicab Reform, see Mayor’s Order 2001-146, October 3, 2001 ( 48 DCR 9518).
Rescission of Delegation of authority pursuant to D.C. Law 6-97, the “District of Columbia Taxicab Commission Establishment Act of 1985”, see Mayor’s Order 98-174, November 10, 1998 ( 45 DCR 8201).

Structure District of Columbia Code

District of Columbia Code

Title 50 - Motor and Non-Motor Vehicles and Traffic

Chapter 3 - Regulation of Taxicabs

Subchapter I - General

§ 50–301.01. Findings

§ 50–301.02. Purposes

§ 50–301.03. Definitions

§ 50–301.04. Department of For-Hire Vehicles – Established

§ 50–301.05. Department of For-Hire Vehicles – Director

§ 50–301.06. Department of For-Hire Vehicles – Organization

§ 50–301.07. Department of For-Hire Vehicles – duties; jurisdiction; powers

§ 50–301.07a. GPS data use feasibility assessment. [Repealed]

§ 50–301.07b. Reciprocal agreements. [Repealed]

§ 50–301.08. Panel on Rates and Rules; quorum; rule and ratemaking requirements. [Repealed]

§ 50–301.09. Panel on Consumer and Industry Concerns; quorum; adjudication and rulemaking requirements. [Repealed]

§ 50–301.09a. Hearing examiner; appointment, powers and duties; appeals. [Repealed]

§ 50–301.09b. Hearing examiner — appointment, powers, and duties; appeals

§ 50–301.10. Internal and procedural rules

§ 50–301.10a. For-Hire Vehicle Advisory Council

§ 50–301.11. Annual report; budget and oversight

§ 50–301.12. Office of Taxicabs established. [Repealed]

§ 50–301.13. Regulation of public vehicles-for-hire

§ 50–301.14. Insurance

§ 50–301.15. Sinking funds; blanket policies

§ 50–301.16. Reporting by Commissioner. [Repealed]

§ 50–301.17. Rate proceeding; standard for rate structure

§ 50–301.18. Existing taxi regulations

§ 50–301.19. Regulation of taxicab operation and license requirement

§ 50–301.20. Public Vehicles-for-Hire Consumer Service Fund

§ 50–301.21. Taxicab Driver Security Revolving Fund. [Repealed]

§ 50–301.22. Taxicab Driver Security Revolving Fund: loan application and eligibility criteria; vendor payments. [Repealed]

§ 50–301.23. Department of For-Hire Vehicles Fingerprinting Fund

§ 50–301.24. Wheelchair-Accessible Taxicab Promotion Fund. [Repealed]

§ 50–301.25. Accessible public and private vehicles-for-hire

§ 50–301.25a. Accessibility of digital dispatch for individuals with disabilities

§ 50–301.25b. Training of employees and operators

§ 50–301.26. Modernization of taxicabs

§ 50–301.27. Fuel-efficient taxicabs

§ 50–301.28. Loitering of public vehicles-for-hire

§ 50–301.29. Public vehicles-for-hire, exclusive of taxicabs and limousines

§ 50–301.29a. General requirements for private vehicles-for-hire

§ 50–301.29b. Registration of private vehicle-for-hire operators

§ 50–301.29c. Insurance requirements for private vehicles-for-hire

§ 50–301.29d. Trade dress requirements for private vehicles-for-hire

§ 50–301.29e. Requirements for private vehicle-for-hire operators

§ 50–301.29f. Charges for private vehicle-for-hire service

§ 50–301.29g. Certification, enforcement, and regulation of private vehicles-for-hire

§ 50–301.30. Vehicle inspection officers

§ 50–301.31. Dispatch services

§ 50–301.32. Complaints

§ 50–301.33. Dome light and Taxicab Smart Meter System installation businesses

§ 50–301.34. Fleeing from a vehicle inspection officer in a public or private vehicle-for-hire