Bill No. 33-15
Concerning: Taxicabs – Transportation Services Improvement Fund
Revised: 07/20/2015 Draft No. 3
Introduced: June 23, 2015
Enacted: July 21, 2015
Executive: July 31, 2015
Effective: December 29, 2015
Sunset Date: None
Ch. 41 , Laws of Mont. Co. 2015
County Council
For Montgomery County, Maryland
Lead Sponsor: Councilmember Berliner
Co-Sponsors: Council Vice President Floreen and Councilmembers Rice, Riemer, Elrich, Katz, Navarro and Hucker
AN ACT to:
(1) create a Transportation Services Improvement Fund;
(2) impose a per-trip surcharge on certain transportation network services to finance the Fund;
(3) provide for disbursements from the Fund to be used to improve the delivery of accessible taxicab services and transportation to eligible senior citizens and persons of limited income; and
(4) generally amend the law governing the licensing and regulation of taxicabs.
By adding
Montgomery County Code
Chapter 53, Taxicabs
Article 8. Transportation Services Improvement Fund
Section 53-801
Boldface Heading or defined term. Underlining Added to existing law by original bill. [Single boldface
brackets] Deleted
from existing law by original bill. Double
underlining
Added
by amendment. [[Double boldface
brackets]] Deleted
from existing law or the bill by amendment. *
* * Existing law unaffected by bill.
The County Council for Montgomery County, Maryland approves the following Act:
Sec. 1. Section 53-801 is added to Chapter 53 as follows:
Article 8. Transportation Services Improvement Fund
53-801. Transportation Services Improvement Fund
(a) Definitions. In this section:
(1) Fund means the Transportation Services Improvement Fund established in this Section.
(2) Transportation Network Services means “Transportation Network Services” as defined in § 10-101 of the Public Utilities Article of the Maryland Code.
(b) Fund established.
(1) There is a Transportation Services Improvement Fund created to improve the delivery of:
(A) accessible transportation services in the County;
(B) transportation for eligible senior citizens; and
(C) transportation for persons of limited income.
(2) The Fund consists of:
(A) all revenue from the surcharge imposed on transportation network services under this Section;
(B) all funds appropriated to it by the County Council; and
(C) all funds received by the Fund from any other public or private entity.
(c) Per-ride surcharge. There is a $0.25 surcharge on Transportation Network Services for each trip originating in the County. The surcharge must be collected as provided in § 10-406 of the Public Utilities Article of the Maryland Code.
(d) Uses of the Fund. Disbursements from the Fund must be used to:
(1) offset the higher operational costs of accessible taxicab services for owners and operators including, but not limited to:
(A) vehicle costs associated with purchasing and retrofitting an accessible vehicle;
(B) [[extra fuel and maintenance costs associated with operating an accessible vehicle]] costs associated with receiving training in providing accessible transportation services; and
(C) additional time involved in providing accessible taxicab services; or
(2) provide incentives for improving or expanding transportation options for:
(A) eligible senior citizens; or
(B) persons of limited income.
(e) Disbursements from the Fund. The Executive must by regulation establish the procedure for determining when and how to make distributions from the Fund to [[accessible]] taxicab owners and operators, including setting eligibility standards, imposing conditions of reimbursement, imposing a maximum amount of reimbursement, and considering timely distribution of reimbursement to [[accessible]] taxicab owners and operators.
Sec. 2. This Act takes effect 120 days after it becomes law.
Approved: