HomeMy WebLinkAboutTaxi Advisory Committee Agenda February 11, 2010_201402041306237766NANTUCKET TAXI ADVISORY COMMITTEE
PROPOSED AGENDA
February 11, 2010, 10:00-11:30
2 Fairgrounds Road
ITEM
#
TOPIC PRESENTER TIME
1 Review and approval of Minutes of previous
meeting (1/5/10)
J. St. Laurent 10:00-
10:15
2 First Meeting Topic/Discussions: Number of
Licenses
All 10:15-
10:45
3 Second Meeting Topic/Discussions: Letter to
Owners
a. Draft attached
b. Long-term letters/communication
discussion
All 10:45-
11:15
4 Roundtable Discussion:
a. Committee members.
b. Public comment.
All 11:15-
11:25
5 Next Meeting:
a. Date, time location.
b. Meeting topics.
All 11:25-
11:30
6 Adjournment. All 11:30
Meeting topics are listed below:
• √ Meters
• √ Receipts
• √ Number of Licenses
• Fares
• “Ambassador Program”
• Enforcement of Rules & Regulations
• Rogue Cabs
• Creating a formal “comment form” to use for compliments and complaints
• “Taxi Advisory Committee” Website
• √ Letter(s) to Owners
• Proposed Regulation Changes
• Update(s) to Town Administration
~DRAFT~
January 2010
Dear Nantucket Taxicab Business Owners, Licensees and Operators:
As indicated in our last communication to you, the Nantucket Taxi Advisory Committee is committed to
maintaining open communications with you for two purposes:
1. To keep you aware of some of the topics we plan to discuss during our meetings. This will
give you the opportunity to contact any of our members and provide us with your feedback.
2. We would also like to use this opportunity to underscore some items from the current
Regulations (Chapter 240, amended Feb. 25, 2009) which we are asking you to work with us
to support and uphold. Certainly we expect that all of the Regulations will be understood and
that you will adhere to all of them, but as certain topics of concern come up on our Agenda from
time to time, we think it is appropriate to remind you of any Regulations which speak to those
topics.
Ongoing discussions:
Some topics the Committee is discussing are listed below.
• Meters: We have made recommendations to the Town Manager relative to a Pilot Program, as well
as a proposed revision to the current R&R section which specifies meter installations.
• Receipts: The R&R clearly state that a receipt shall be given to any passenger who requests one.
We have made a recommendation to the Town Manager relative to establishing a standard format
& proposed a revision to the current R&R to include the sample for all Taxi Cabs to use.
• Proposed Regulation Changes: As we deal with different issues, we are preparing a list of
recommended changes to the existing R&R.
• Number of Licenses: We plan to discuss this at our February 11th meeting.
• Fares: We are considering recommending a “destination charge” to provide for driving to extreme
areas of the island in order to pick up fares.
• “Ambassador Program”: A subcommittee, consisting of David Larivee, John O’Connor & David
Sharpe has been created to review this program. The goal of the program is to provide adequate
training and testing in order to ensure Taxicab Owners and Operators have the knowledge, skills
and ability to act as ambassador’s to our tourists.
• Enforcement of Rules & Regulations: We plan to schedule this as a primary meeting topic and to
make recommendations to the Town Manager as to any proposed changes to enforcement of the
R&R.
• Rogue Cabs: We have not yet discussed this topic.
• Creating a formal “comment form” to use for compliments and complaints: We are reviewing
the final version of this form, which will be made available on-line, through the Police Department,
Town Clerk and Selectmen’s offices, as well as from any Taxicab willing maintain a quantity in their
own vehicles.
• “Taxi Advisory Committee” Website: Please visit our website so that you can read the Minutes
of our meetings and stay current with our discussions. Thank you to Erika and Libby for creating
this link!
o http://www.nantucket-ma.gov/Pages/NantucketMA_BComm/tac
Complaints:
Please remember that if you, your drivers or your customers wish to make a complaint regarding a taxi, it is
very important to provide that information directly to the Nantucket Police Department as soon as possible
after the incident. Timely reporting of complaints will ensure the Police can appropriately pursue and deal
with the specific issue.
Some Regulations to Underscore – What do they mean to you?
• Section 240-3 A: ”Every Taxicab Operator licensed under the Regulations shall display their
Taxicab Operator’s License in the interior of their Taxicab where it is in plain view and can be easily
viewed by passengers riding in the rear seat of the aforesaid Taxicab”
o What does this mean to you? All of your “drivers” must have and display their Police
issued Nantucket Taxi Operator’s Permit while they are driving, so that all passengers can
clearly see it.
• Section 240-4.A: “A Taxicab Operator, when occupying that part of a Way designated as a Taxi
Stand, shall not decline to accept as a passenger anyone requesting service and, once engaged,
must thereafter depart from said Taxi Stand without delay.”
o What does this mean to you? If your taxicab is in a Taxi Stand, the driver cannot refuse
to take a fare, and must leave the stand once the fare is safely inside the taxi cab.”
Please remember, this Committee fully supports the Regulations as they are written today, regardless of any
changes that may be forthcoming. We urge each of you to take the time once again to become familiar with
the Regulations, and to make every effort to become and remain in compliance with them. If you need
another copy, please contact the Town Clerk at 508.228.7216 or by email at townclerk@nantucket-ma.gov,
or go to our website (listed above).
Sincerely,
Nantucket Taxi Advisory Committee:
Mitch Carl: hhguests@nantucket.net
Libby Gibson: lgibson@nantucket-ma.gov
Lt. Angus MacVicar: pd179@nantucketpolice.com
John O’Connor: ackofam@comcast.net
David Larivee: ackdhl@msn.com
Jon St. Laurent: autopscot@yahoo.com
David Sharpe: dsharpe@nantucket-ma.gov
Wendy Watts: acknpz@yahoo.com