CC Resolution No. 1553 39
RESOLUTION NO. 1553
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BAYTOWN,TEXAS,
APPROVING THE AMENDED SENIOR/DISABLED CITIZEN TAXICAB
PROGRAM GUIDELINES;ESTABLISHING THE COMMENCEMENT DATE FOR
THE GUIDELINES; PROVIDING A REPEALING CLAUSE.
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BAYTOWN, TEXAS:
Section 1: That the City Council of the City of Baytown, Texas, hereby amends its
Senior/Disabled Citizen Taxicab Program Guidelines. The guidelines as amended are attached hereto as
Exhibit"A"and incorporated herein for all intents and purposes.
Section 2: That the City Council of the City of Baytown, Texas, hereby declares that the
amended guidelines referenced and incorporated herein in Section 1 hereof shall not be effective until
October 1, 2002, but shall thereafter remain in effect until hereinafter amended or repealed.
Section 3: All ordinances and resolutions or parts thereof inconsistent with the terms of this
resolution are hereby repealed as of the effective date specified in Section 2 hereof,provided,however,
that such repeal shall be only to the extent of such inconsistency and in all other respects this resolution
shall be cumulative of other ordinances and resolutions regulating and governing the subject matter
covered by this ordinance.
INTRODUCED,READ and PASSED,by the affirmative vote of the City Council of the City of
Baytown this the 1 lth day of July, 2002.
C 4q�
PETE C. ALFARO, Mayor
ATTEST:ajjaj�" ''L`
/m
GARY\ . SMITH, City Clerk
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
�uJ
ACIO RAMIREZ, SWCity Attorney
F:AKaren\FilesVCity Council\Resolutions\SeniaCitizenTaxiCabPr(gram.Guidelines07l102Ai c
SENIOR/DISABLED CITIZEN TAXICAB PROGRAM
GUIDELINES
PURPOSE.
The Senior/Disabled Citizen Taxicab Program (the "Program") is sponsored by the City of
Baytown Community Development Block Grant program. The goal of the Program is to provide
non-emergency transportation services within the city limits of Baytown to eligible senior
citizens and disabled citizens.
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION.
Participants of this Program are required to provide proof of eligibility. Participants must
apply at the Community Development office and, if eligible, will be issued a Ride Card, a
sample of which is attached hereto. The Ride Card will allow participants four (4) one-way trips
per month at a reduced cost. A Ride Card affords the eligible participant four (4) one-way
taxicab rides per month at no charge, unless the fare exceeds SIX AND NO/100 DOLLARS
($6.00). Participants holding a Ride Card will be obligated to pay at the time of the ride all fares
in excess SIX AND NO/100 DOLLARS ($6.00).
When a participant needs taxicab service for non-emergency transit, he or she will call a
taxicab company who has contracted with the City of Baytown (the "City") to provide this
service. The taxicab company will dispatch a taxicab to pick up the participant. The participant
will present his or her Ride Card along with photo identification to the taxicab driver, who will
punch the Ride Card, indicating that the participant has used one of the four (4) one-way trips
allowed each month pursuant to the Program. The taxicab driver will transport the participant to
his or her destination within the city limits of Baytown. A Ride Ticket, a sample of which is
attached hereto, will be completed by the taxicab driver and signed, if correct, by the participant
at the end of each ride. The taxicab company will then submit the Ride Ticket to the City of
Baytown for verification and payment in accordance with the terms and conditions of the
Senior/Disabled Citizen Taxicab Program Agreement. The taxicab company shall be solely
responsible to collect any amounts due from participants pursuant to this Program at the time of
the transport. The City's obligation for each one-way trip shall never exceed SIX AND NO/100
DOLLARS ($6.00) for participants holding a Ride Card.
ELIGIBILITY.
To be eligible for participation in the Program, an applicant must:
1. be a resident of the City of Baytown and provide proof thereof, which may
include one or more of the following:
a. utility bills (water, electricity, gas, or phone) for at least three(3) months
indicating that service is provided in the applicant's name;
b. rent receipt indicating that applicant resides at the premises for which rent
is being paid; and/or
EXHIBIT A
I
C. deed or lease indicating that the applicant owns/resides at the premises;
2. be either:
a. 65 years of age or older and provide proof thereof, which may include one
or more of the following:
1. State-issued photo Identification Card and/or
2. State-issued Drivers' License;
or
b. have a disability as certified by the applicant's doctor on the certification
form, which is attached hereto;
3. file a completed application, a sample of which is attached hereto, and submit
such completed application to the City of Baytown's Community Development
Office located at 2401 Market Street, Baytown, Texas; and
4. satisfy the following income eligibility requirements:
a. Participants' annual gross income must not exceed the maximum low-
income limits, which will be recalculated each year based on HUD's
guidelines and the median income of the Houston Primary Metropolitan
Statistical Area.
b. To prove the applicant meets the above-referenced income eligibility
requirements, the applicant must submit with his/her application all of the
following that apply:
1. Social Security Award Letter;
2, Retirement Verification,
3. Veteran's Administration Award Letter;
4. Food Stamp Award Letter;
5. Bank Statements for the past three (3) months;
6. Investment Interest;
7. Verification of Self-Employment;
8. Welfare Verification;
9. Supplemental Social Security Income Award Letter; and
10. Proof of any other source of income.
INSTRUCTIONS/INFORMATION FOR PARTICIPANTS.
1. The City of Baytown will contract annually with one or more taxicab companies
for the provision of transportation services pursuant to the Program. In order to
obtain such services, a participant must call the taxicab company's dispatcher.
The telephone numbers of participating taxicab companies shall be listed on the
participant's Ride Card and shall be updated as appropriate.
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2. Taxicabs shall be available seven (7) days per week, twenty-four (24) hours per
day.
3. When contacting the taxicab company to request taxicab service, the participant
must identify himself/herself as a participant of the Program. This should assist in
keeping response time to a minimum.
4. A participant must take note of both the time the participant initiates a request for
service and the time the taxicab arrives at the origination point to perform the
services requested by the participant.
5. Once the taxicab has arrived at the origination point to perform the services
requested by the participant, the participant shall be obligated to either:
a. use the transportation services of the taxicab company or
b. pay a $2.00 pick-up fee if the participant decides not to use the
transportation services of the taxicab company after initiating the request
for service. This $2.00 pick-up fee must be paid in cash by the participant
rather than being charged to the Program.
6. Under the Program, a participating taxicab company shall pick up a participant at
the origination point designated by the participant within the city limits of
Baytown and take the participant to the destination point designated by the
participant within the city limits of Baytown; provided, however, that neither the
origination or destination point shall be an establishment primarily serving or
selling alcoholic beverages (bars/liquor stores). The taxicab companies have been
notified of this restriction and shall not accept a participant's Ride Card under the
above-stated circumstances.
7. When the taxicab arrives to pick up a participant, the participant must present the
Ride Card and photo identification to the taxicab driver. The taxicab driver will
punch one hole in the Ride Card for the appropriate month to indicate that the
participant has used the Program to obtain one (1) one-way trip in such month. If
a participant's fare exceeds SIX AND NO/100 DOLLARS ($6.00), such
participant shall pay that portion of the fare in excess of SIX AND NO/100
DOLLARS ($6.00) at the end of the trip.
8. Once the participant has reached the chosen destination point, the participant must
check the call-time and pick-up time noted on the Ride Ticket completed by the
taxicab driver. If the ticket is correct, the participant shall sign the Ride Ticket.
If, however, the Ride Ticket is incorrect, the participant shall note any corrections
on the Ride Ticket and initial all corrections made. The Ride Tickets shall be
returned to the City of Baytown for verification prior to payment.
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GENERAL PROGRAM RULES AND RESTRICTIONS.
1. In order for the Ride Card to be valid, the Ride Card must be signed by the
participant.
2. Rides cannot be accumulated from one month to the next. Therefore, should a
participant fail to use all of the rides allotted to him/her during a month, such
unused rides will expire and no longer be valid.
3. The participant must be present and personally utilize the taxicab service for the
Ride Card to be accepted by the taxicab driver. Another person(s) may
accompany the participant at no additional charge; provided, that the other
person(s) and the participant have common origination and destination points.
The Ride Card cannot be loaned to any other person(s) even if such other
person(s) qualifies for the Program.
4. Replacement Ride Cards may be requested by the participant in order to replace
lost or stolen cards. The City of Baytown will issue only two (2) replacement
Ride Cards per participant per year. If a replacement Ride Card is issued, the
replacement Ride Card will be distributed by mail three (3) working days after the
request for replacement has been made and will be issued only for the unused
portion of the lost or stolen Ride Card.
5. Only one (1) Ride Card will be punched by the taxicab driver if all passengers
embark and disembark at the same location. Therefore, two (2) to five (5)
participants may ride a taxicab for the price of one (1) fare.
6. For participants who embark and/or disembark at different locations, each such
participants' Ride Cards shall be punched by the taxicab driver. The taxicab
company shall charge such fares in the following manner:
a. The first person to disembark is charged the pick up fee plus mileage from
the origination point to such person's destination point;
b. The second person to disembark is charged for mileage from the first
destination point to the second destination point plus the pick up fee;
C. The third person is charged for mileage from the second destination point
to the third destination point plus the pickup fee.
If a passenger who is not a participant of the Program embarks/disembarks at a
different destination than a participant, he/she must pay a cash fare.
7. Waiting time shall not be charged to the Program even if a participant asks the
taxicab driver to wait. A participant who requests that a taxicab driver wait for
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him/her is liable and, as such, must pay the taxicab driver the appropriate fare for
the waiting time.
8. A round trip will be counted as two (2) one-way rides.
9. No person may smoke in a taxicab while the same is occupied by a Program
participant. Neither the participant nor the taxicab driver can waive this
requirement.
10. Participants must be courteous to the dispatchers of the taxicab companies as well
as to the taxicab drivers. Obscene or threatening language directed at a dispatcher
or taxicab driver will not be tolerated and may result in the participant's removal
from the Program.
11. Participants in the Program shall comply with the rules of the Program. Upon the
determination of the Community Development Planner that a violation of any
provision of the guidelines has occurred, the participant may be removed from the
Program. Neither the taxicab company nor any of its employees or subcontractors
is authorized to make a determination regarding a participant's noncompliance
with the terms and conditions of these guidelines, and therefore, may not refuse
service on this basis. If the Community Development Planner determines that a
participant shall be removed from the Program, the participant shall be notified of
such decision in writing, which will be mailed to the address on file at the
Community Development Office. Any person wishing to appeal a decision of the
Community Development Coordinator, on the grounds that the decision
misconstrues or wrongly interprets these guidelines may, within thirty (30) days
after the decision, appeal the decision to the City Manager or his or her designee,
provided that the participant gives notice of appeal in writing to the City Clerk no
less that ten (10) days following the written notice of the decision which the
participant is appealing. The decision of the City Manager or his or her designee
shall be final and binding on the participant, the taxicab company and the City of
Baytown. If the decision of the Community Development Planner is not properly
appealed, the decision of the Community Development Planner shall be final and
binding on the same parties.
12. Complaints regarding the Program should be made in writing and sent to the
following address:
Senior/Disabled Citizen Taxicab Program
Community Development Department
2401 Market Street
Baytown, Texas 77520.
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