D.C. Mun. Regs. tit. 31, r. 31-816

Current through Register Vol. 71, No. 49, December 6, 2024

Rule 31-816 - STANDARDS OF CONDUCT; UNLAWFUL ACTIVITIES PROHIBITED

816.1

No operator of a public vehicle for hire, while performing duties and responsibilities as a licensed operator, shall commit or attempt to commit, alone or in concert with another, an act of fraud, misrepresentation, or larceny.

816.2

Examples of fraud, misrepresentation, or larceny include:

(a) Charging a fare other than the fare set by the Commission;

(b) Requesting, or participating in, adjustment of the tire size, driving axle, pinion gear, transducer, wiring, or other equipment, for the purpose of generating an inaccurate signal of time or distance into the taximeter;

(c) Receiving, purchasing, or using a device manufactured, sold, or installed, which is either designed to or does generate a false or inaccurate signal into the taximeter or which is not authorized by Title 31; and

(d) Entering fake or false entries into the manifest or any document or related record.

816.3

No public vehicle for hire operator shall use or permit any other person to use the vehicle for any unlawful purpose.

816.4

No public vehicle for hire operator shall conceal any evidence of a crime connected with the taxicab or public vehicle for hire.

816.5

A public vehicle for hire operator shall report immediately to the Commission, a hack inspector, or law enforcement personnel any attempt by a person to use a public vehicle for hire to commit a crime.

816.6

No public vehicle for hire operator or any person acting on his or her behalf shall file with the Commission any statement, including but not limited to statements required to be filed pursuant to these rules, which the operator knows or reasonably should know to be false, misleading, deceptive, or materially incomplete.

816.7

A public vehicle for hire operator or a person acting on the operator's behalf shall notify the Commission in writing of his or her arrest for a crime within five (5) days of such arrest and shall deliver or cause to be delivered to the Commission a certified copy of the disposition of any arrest issued by the clerk of the court within five (5) days after the disposition.

816.8

A public vehicle for hire operator, or a person acting on the operator's behalf, shall notify the Commission in writing of any material change in the information contained in the owner's latest license application or renewal within five (5) days after the material change occurs or becomes known to the operator.

816.9

A public vehicle for hire operator, or a person acting on the operator's behalf, shall notify the Commission in writing within twenty-four (24) hours after a suspension or revocation of a public vehicle for hire license granted to the licensee, or a person acting on the licensee's behalf, by an agency of the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, the federal government, or by a regional licensing authority.

816.10

No public vehicle for hire operator, or a person acting on the operator's behalf, shall actively or passively offer or give a gift, gratuity, or thing of value to an employee, representative, or member of the Commission, the District of Columbia or federal governments, or regional licensing authority. This shall include any overt or covert act, including the leaving of money or other tangible items of value within the vehicle that remain in plain view of the government or regional authority employee, member or representative, which shall create a rebuttable presumption that the act was intentional.

816.11

A public vehicle for hire operator, or a person acting on the operator's behalf, during the scope of the operator's or person's employment with a company or association shall immediately report to the Commission and the Inspector General of the District of Columbia or a law enforcement officer a request or demand for a gift, gratuity, or thing of value to the operator or person acting on his or her behalf by an employee, representative, or member of the Commission, District of Columbia or federal government, or a regional licensing authority.

816.12

No public vehicle for hire operator, or a person acting on the operator's behalf, shall accept a gift, gratuity, or thing of value, from an individual or other person actually or purportedly acting on behalf of an owner or operator for the purpose of committing a violation of these rules.

816.13

A public vehicle for hire operator, or a person acting on the operator's behalf, shall notify the Commission in writing within twenty-four (24) hours after any offer of a gift, gratuity, or thing of value prohibited by District laws, rules, and regulations, including Title 31.

816.14

No public vehicle for hire operator, or a person acting on the operator's behalf, shall perform any willful act which endangers or is against the best interest, health, or safety of the passenger or public, even if not specifically prohibited by Title 31 or other District laws, rules, and regulations. Examples include, but are not limited to:

(a) Aggressive driving;

(b) Offensive or profane language or gestures;

(c) Tailgating;

(d) Demanding pre-payment or a tip from passenger;

(e) Illegal driving maneuvers;

(f) Impeding passenger exit from the vehicle;

(g) Withholding a passenger's luggage;

(h) Spitting on a passenger or pedestrian; or

(i) Demanding that a passenger leave the vehicle in an unsafe manner or location.

816.15

For each violation of this section a public vehicle for hire operator, or a person acting on the operator's behalf, shall be subject to:

(a) The fines set forth in Chapter 20;

(b) Impoundment of the vehicle associated with the violation pursuant to the Taxicab and Passenger Vehicle for Hire Impoundment Act of 1992, effective March 16, 1993 (D.C. Law 9-199; D.C. Official Code § 50-331 (2009 Repl.; 2011 Supp.));

(c) License suspension, revocation, or non-renewal; or

(d) A combination of the sanctions listed in this subsection.

816.16

No person subject to regulation by the Department shall tamper with, damage, destroy, deface, vandalize, remove, modify, or in any way attempt to defeat or by pass equipment authorized or required by this title.

816.17

No person subject to regulation by the Department shall aid, abet, or be an accessory after the fact to a violation of § 816.16.

D.C. Mun. Regs. tit. 31, r. 31-816

Final Rulemaking published at 59 DCR 9970, 9976 (August 17, 2012); amended by Final Rulemaking published at 63 DCR 7668 (5/20/2016); amended by Final Rulemaking published at 64 DCR 1870 (2/23/2018)

Authority: District of Columbia Taxicab Commission (Commission), pursuant to the authority set forth in sections 8(b)(1)(C) , (D), (E), (F), (G), (I), (J), 14, and 20 of the District of Columbia Taxicab Commission Establishment Act of 1985 , effective March 25, 1986 (D.C. Law 6-97; D.C. Official Code §§ 50 -307(b)(1)(C), (D), (E), (F), (G), (I), (J) and 50-319 (2009 Repl.), and D.C. Official Code §50-313 (2009 Repl.; 2011 Supp.); D.C. Official Code § 47 -2829(b), (d), (e), (e-1), and (i) (2005 Repl.)); section 12 of the 1919 District of Columbia Taxicab Act, approved July 11, 1919 (41 Stat. 104; D.C. Official Code § 50-371 (2009 Repl.)); and Section 3 of the Taxicab Improvement Emergency Act of 2012, effective July 24, 2012 (D.C. Act 19-403; 59 DCR 9116)