Some Montgomery County Council members say it takes too long to catch a cab in the county. Now, they want to increase the number of taxi drivers by making it easier for them to get temporary licenses, including rolling back restrictions on background checks.
In an amendment to a 2004 bill scheduled for introduction today, council members want to delay a requirement that each applicant pass a federal criminal background check until September 2007, so long as applicants prove they can pass a check provided by their employer. The amendment is sponsored by Council President George Leventhal and Council Member Tom Perez.
“They’re not removing it; they’re just saying you can put a cab driver temporarily on the road,” said Michael Faden, a council attorney, on Monday. “This would be going partway back. What is new here is the instant background check.”
Faden said the 2004 bill, which strengthened rules for applicants for cab driver licenses, has only made it tougher to hire new drivers because it has created more hoops for them to jump through.
“We’re retaining the drivers,” Faden said. “What we’re not getting is new ones.”
The amendment would also allow the county Department of Public Works and Transportation to issue up to 70 new passenger vehicle licenses this year.
“We passed this taxicab bill two years ago in hopes that it would improve customer service, but it did not,” Leventhal said.
He said he was frustrated last week when a cab he was told would take 20 minutes to arrive never showed: “After 45 minutes, I finally called my dad to come pick me up.”
A public hearing on the amendment is set for 1:30 p.m. July 11.
