Taxi fare rules and allowed discounts

(a) No driver or owner of a taxicab while operating the taxicab within the County shall charge, demand, collect, or receive a fare other than that based on the following schedule, except as provided by this section: (1) Initial meter actuation shall equal $3 and shall entitle customer to one-eighth of a mile or less, or one minute waiting or elapsed time or less. (2) Thereafter, 40 cents for each additional one-eighth of a mile or fraction thereof. (3) Forty cents for each additional one minute of waiting or elapsed time or fraction thereof. (b) Where a taximeter is designed to calculate fares upon the basis of a combination of mileage traveled and time elapsed, as provided in section 18-44 the rates of fare upon the combination of mileage traveled and time elapsed shall be the same as fixed by subsection (a). (c) The foregoing rates or charges shall be subject to the following exceptions and conditions whichever the case may be: (1) Fares are only applicable to the use of the taxicabs when actually occupied by or standing at the direction of the passenger for hire or when occupied by parcels, baggage or property transported for hire; provided that no other charges shall be made for the use of a taxicab for hire except as provided herein. (2) A driver, owner or lessee who owns, operates, controls or dispatches a taxicab may give a discount to handicapped persons, senior citizens, or students. Such discount shall not exceed twenty percent of the meter fare. (3) The driver, owner or lessee of a taxicab may waive the baggage charges prescribed in section 18-52. (d) This section shall not apply when a taxicab or taxicab company is carrying passengers under a County-sponsored public transit program. (e) The schedule of fares may be evaluated on an annual basis, no later than June 30 of each year, to make a determination of either proposed increase or decrease to the current taxi fares.