S-4749.1

SENATE BILL 6602


State of Washington	65th Legislature	2018 Regular Session

By Senators Hobbs and Palumbo

AN ACT Relating to taxicab transportation regulation; amending RCW 81.72.220; and creating a new section.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. (1) The legislature finds and declares that changes in communications technology and practice within the commercial transportation services industry, together with a lack of uniformity in local regulation, have served to impede passenger service, and have made it difficult for existing industry participants such as taxicabs to respond and compete on a level playing field with new transportation industry entrants.

(2) Therefore, the uniform regulation of privately operated commercial transportation services is thus an essential governmental function, and it is the intent of the legislature to require cities, towns, counties, and port districts to jointly and uniformity regulate certain commercial transportation network services, as provided in this act.

(1) A city, town, county, or port district may enter into cooperative agreements with any other city, town, county, or port district for the joint regulation of taxicabs. Cooperative agreements may provide for, but are not limited to, the granting, revocation, and suspension of joint taxicab licenses.

(2) A county and a city that have entered into a cooperative agreement for the joint regulation of taxicabs under this section, or for the joint regulation of for hire vehicles under RCW 46.72.170, on or before the effective date of this section, must:

(a) Provide for taxicab license reciprocity, by allowing the driver of a taxicab who is licensed or who otherwise possesses a permit to operate from within either the city or the county, to transport passengers for hire from within either jurisdiction without holding or obtaining any additional licensing or permit from either jurisdiction;

(b) Subject the vehicle and driver of the vehicle to the rules and regulations of the jurisdiction in which it is operating, at the time it is operating. The issuance and renewal of a license or permit shall be conditioned upon taxicab vehicle owner and driver compliance with this section;

(c) Relicense as a taxicab, any for hire vehicle that it regulates under chapter 46.72 RCW and that performs substantially the same transportation service for the public as a taxicab, without regard to the vehicle or vehicle driver's method of measuring and assessing passenger fares or rates;

(d) Charge the owner of a for hire vehicle a nominal relicensing fee not to exceed one hundred dollars to pay for the administrative costs of (c) of this subsection.