TITLE
Recommendation to receive the supporting documentation into the record, conclude the hearing; find and determine that the rate proposed is just, reasonable and nondiscriminatory, and not in violation of the Long Beach Municipal Code or any provision of law; and authorize City Manager to amend the permit with Long Beach Yellow Cab Cooperative, Inc., to authorize and establish new rates for taxicab service at $2.45 per flag drop, $2.45 per mile, and $26.53 per hour waiting time. (Citywide)
DISCUSSION
The Long Beach Municipal Code (LBMC) section 5.80.140 requires a hearing be held before the City Council prior to the authorization of any rate or fare for taxicab service. The LBMC also requires that the City Council make the determination that the rate is just, reasonable and nondiscriminatory, and not in violation of the provisions of the LBMC or any other provision of law.
Attached for your review is the request of Long Beach Yellow Cab Cooperative, Inc. (Long Beach Yellow Cab), for a rate increase. The results of the City staff analysis are provided in the Proposed 2007 Taxicab Rate Increase table located on page two. Taxicab rates were last changed in 2005 and prior to that 2001 and 1996. Since the rate increase of August 2005, the Consumer Price Index for Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County has increased by 8.2 percent. The cost of operating a taxicab in the Los Angeles-Long Beach area has also increased 11.1 percent between January 2004 and June 2006. The increase proposed by Long Beach Yellow Cab is approximately 11 percent, but varies slightly depending on the distance of the trip.
City staff contacted neighboring jurisdictions and found that they had recently increased taxicab service rates during the last half of calendar year 2006. Although other costs of operating a taxicab have increased (see attached request from Long Beach Yellow Cab), record gasoline prices are the driving factors in the rate increases of surrounding jurisdictions. The Orang...
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