HomeMy WebLinkAboutTaxi Advisory Committee Minutes May 5, 2010_201402041306573529
Nantucket Taxi Advisory Committee
Minutes for Meeting 5/5/2010
Location 2 Fairgrounds Rd. Conference Room
Members Present; David Sharpe, Lt. Angus Macvicar, John O’ Connor, Jon St. Laurent, Wendy Watts
Absent; David Larivee
The minutes for the meeting on 4/11/2010 were unanimously approved. Note on minutes; the meeting
mentioned for 4/21/2010 was actually on 5/5/2010.
The Board of Selectman will hold a public hearing on June 2nd, 2010 to review proposed changes to the
Town of Nantucket Taxi Regulations recommended to the Town Manager by the TAC. The notice will be
posted three times in the Inquirer and Mirror prior to the hearing. Topics presented in the Town
Manager’s report on 5/5/2010 included meters, receipts, acknowledgement of taxi regulations, signage
in the taxis and a standardization of the waiting list annual renewal dates.
Rouge Cabs: Jon St. Laurent was asked to comment on the issues involving state licensed vehicles which
are competing with the taxis. State licensed vans are being dispatched through taxi service phones.
These vans have been investigated and cited in the past as working as taxis by the NPD and basically are
adding two more taxis to the largest existing fleet on the island. Mr. St. Laurent said he has reviewed
the state statues in the past and spoken to the state compliance officer for the DPU department of
transportation, Wayne Lawson, on the subject that the Board of Selectman can regulate the state
licensed vehicles that operate in the Town of Nantucket through legislation. An example of this may be
that stated in the TON taxi regulations state vans may not solicit tours in the town approved tour stands.
Lt. Angus Macvicar stated that the NPD is well aware of the state of MA regulations regarding livery vans
licensed by the DPU. Lt. Macvicar explained that as long as the vehicle is licensed, insured and
inspected, there is a prearranged contract, which may be verbal, to take a group of three or more from
point A to Point B for a set price then it is perfectly legal. The violation occurs when the van is
dispatched as a taxi with no contract; in this example the state will not enforce the town regulations
which these circumstances would fall under. The topic will be presented at the July meeting of the TAC
at which time Mr. St. Laurent will present research on the state statues.
Round Table: The Town Manger will be appointing members of the TAC by July 1st. Five members of the
committee have a one year term which will expire at that time. The committee had a brief discussion on
the state’s ethics reform legislation effective July 1st, 2010.
The next meeting of the TAC will be on 7/8/2010
The meeting was adjourned at 11am.