City’s limit on taxi licenses removed
Columbus no longer will cap the number of taxis it licenses, removing a moratorium that has stood for years.
The Columbus City Council voted 6-0 on Monday to abolish the moratorium, which limited the number of licensed taxis to 530, including 30 wheelchair-accessible cabs. The change takes effect in April.
Operating as a traditional taxi company has become less desirable since the state legislature developed rules in late 2015 for app-based car services such as Uber and Lyft. The city’s Vehicle for Hire Board, a group of industry representatives and city officials, recommended lifting the moratorium in February as dozens of licenses went unclaimed.
“We’re getting all kinds of different entries for vehicle for hire that is taking away money from the taxicab industry,” Ramona Patts, administrator in the city’s Division of Support Services, told The Dispatch. “They’re not seeing a profit in that industry anymore.”
Yellow Cab of Columbus, the largest taxi company in the city, returned 93 out of its 105 licenses in October. In a memo to Ned Pettus, director of the Department of Public Safety. Patts wrote that only 437 taxis are licensed in the city.
After Yellow Cab returned its licenses, the city held a lottery for the licenses late last year. Only 16 of the winners had claimed a license when she wrote the memo in February.
“They’re changing their business plan because they are trying to compete with the Ubers and Lyfts and different (transportationnetwork companies) of the world,” she said.
For customers, the biggest difference between taxis and app-based services is that taxis can be hailed on the street. Yellow Cab still is operating some taxis, but company owner Morgan Kauffman said demand for street hails has waned.
“Quite frankly, I would rather push a button on our app and get a car than have to hold my hand up as they drive by,” he said. “Using our app is just a modern-day hail.”
The city also no longer regulates app-based car services because of the state rules. It does not inspect or license those vehicles, but it does inspect every taxicab. Any applicant for a new taxi license cannot operate a vehicle that is more than 6 years old, and the vehicle must have a mechanical inspection and pass a city inspection that includes the taxi meter.
Also on Monday, the council approved a $2.2 million contract with Moody Nolan Inc. to design the redeveloped Linden Park and Community Center. The company was chosen from a pool of 10 bidders.
The new, expanded recreation center will include space for community organizations.
The project is expected to cost about $18 million, although a final price tag won’t be available until after the design is complete.
“This is going to be a game changer in the Linden neighborhood and Linden community,” said Tony Collins, director of the Department of Recreation and Parks. “This is not just a community-center renovation. It’s a complete rebuild.”