The Council's Committee on Public Safety holds a hearing Thursday on a proposal by Councilor Maureen Feeney (Dorchester) to create a civilian taxi board to oversee the city's medallion cab fleet.
Feeney says regulations pushed by Mayor Tom Menino and enacted by the police department's hackney unit three years ago that require owners to start buying hybrid cabs, install credit-card machines and wash their cabs once a day were simply too stringent, especially in a difficult economy. Cab drivers successfully sued to block the hybrid requirement but have been unable to shake the credit-card or cleanliness requirements.
The committee, chaired by Councilor Mike Ross (Mission Hill, Beacon Hill, Back Bay), will hear testimony starting at 3 p.m. on Feeney's proposal, which states that:
A civilian commission is able to work closely with the Boston Taxi Drivers Association to ensure that the needs of Taxicab drivers are met, that proper rules and regulations governing the Taxicab industry are in place, and that the industry stays ahead of the curve by keeping up with new developments in transportation technology without placing unnecessary burdens on medallion owners and Taxicab drivers.
Feeney points to New York, which has a five-member commission overseeing cabs. Her proposal calls for having one representative from the police hackney unit, which also oversees tourist trolleys and amphibious vehicles and pedicabs.
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