(a) No person, association, limited liability company or corporation shall operate a taxicab until such person, association, limited liability company or corporation has obtained a certificate from the Department of Transportation certifying that public convenience and necessity require the operation of a taxicab or taxicabs for transportation of passengers, the acceptance or solicitation of which originates within the territory specified in such certificate except as provided under subsection (d) of this section. No such certificate shall be issued unless the department finds that the person, association, limited liability company or corporation is suitable to operate a taxicab service, after giving due consideration to, at a minimum, the following factors: (1) Any convictions of the applicant under federal, state or local laws relative to safety, motor vehicle or criminal violations; (2) the number of taxicabs to be operated under the certificate, provided no applicant for a new certificate shall operate fewer than three taxicabs; (3) the adequacy of the applicant's financial resources to operate the taxicab service; (4) the adequacy of insurance coverage and safety equipment; and (5) the availability of qualified taxicab operators. The commissioner shall request the state criminal history records check for any person or any officer of any association, limited liability company or corporation applying for such certificate from the State Police Bureau of Identification. The commissioner shall arrange for the fingerprinting of any person or any officer of any association, limited liability company or corporation applying for such certificate and forward the fingerprints to said bureau which shall submit the fingerprints to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for a national criminal history records check for any federal conviction specified in subdivision (1) of this subsection. The commissioner shall charge a fee for each such national criminal history records check which shall be equal to the fee charged by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for performing such check. Such certificate shall be issued only after written application, fingerprinting and said criminal history records check for the same has been made and public hearing held thereon. The application shall be accompanied by a fee of two thousand dollars and the fee for said criminal history records check. Upon receipt of such application, the department shall fix a time and place of hearing thereon, provided such hearing shall be held not earlier than three months after such receipt, and shall promptly give written notice of the pendency of such application and of the time and place of hearing thereon to such applicant, the mayor of each city, the warden of each borough or the first selectman of each town in which the applicant desires to originate the transportation of such passengers, and to any common carrier operating within the territory specified. Notwithstanding any provision of this subsection to the contrary, the department may, upon receipt of a written application, amend an existing certificate to increase the number of taxicabs which may be operated pursuant to the certificate without holding a hearing on the application, provided the department issues a legal notice of such application in a daily newspaper in accordance with the provisions of section 1-2, gives written notice of the pendency of such application to any common carrier operating within the territory specified and no objection is filed with the department within thirty days of each such notice.

(b) Any town, city or borough within which taxicab service is operated or any interested party may bring a written petition to the department with respect to fares, service, operation or equipment or the convenience, protection and safety of passengers and the public. Thereupon, the department may fix a time and place for a hearing upon such petition, and give written notice thereof to the parties in interest at least one week prior to such hearing.

(c) No certificate shall be sold or transferred until the department, upon written application to it setting forth the purpose, terms and conditions thereof, and after investigation, finds that the purchaser or transferee is suitable to operate a taxicab service after consideration of the factors specified in subsection (a) of this section and approves the same. The application shall be accompanied by a fee of one thousand dollars. The department may amend or, for sufficient cause shown, may suspend or revoke any such certificate. The department may impose a civil penalty on any person or any officer of any association, limited liability company or corporation or any driver who violates any provision of this chapter or any regulation adopted under section 13b-96 with respect to fares, service, operation or equipment, in an amount not to exceed one hundred dollars per day for each violation. Any such certificate issued by the department shall remain valid unless suspended or revoked by the department. Any such certificate issued by the Division of Public Utility Control within the Department of Business Regulation prior to October 1, 1979, or by any transit district prior to March 1, 1997, shall remain valid unless suspended or revoked by the Department of Transportation.

(d) Any person, association, limited liability company or corporation which has obtained a certificate under subsection (a) of this section, after providing proof that service has been active, adequate within the territory specified in such certificate and in compliance with all relevant statutes and regulations for a period of not less than two years since such certificate was obtained, may solicit, receive and discharge taxicab passengers at Bradley International Airport, subject to formal agreement with the Commissioner of Transportation provided such agreement shall not take precedence over its obligation to provide taxicab service within the territory specified in such certificate. Any such person, association, limited liability company or corporation may discharge taxicab passengers received at such airport within a territory other than the territory specified in its certificate. The commissioner may charge and collect a reasonable fee from any such person, association, limited liability company or corporation for the privilege of solicitation of such passengers.

(1949 Rev., S. 5718; 1955, S. 2642d; 1963, P.A. 22; 1967, P.A. 13; 1969, P.A. 768, S. 243; P.A. 75-486, S. 1, 69; P.A. 77-614, S. 162, 610; P.A. 79-610, S. 20; P.A. 80-25, S. 5; P.A. 83-241; P.A. 84-216, S. 2; 84-254, S. 21, 62; P.A. 92-136, S. 3; P.A. 93-307, S. 20, 34; P.A. 95-126, S. 2, 25; P.A. 97-304, S. 23, 31; P.A. 99-181, S. 15, 40; P.A. 12-81, S. 52; P.A. 13-277, S. 77.)

History: 1963 act added requirement that $25 fee accompany application; 1967 act provided for fee of $25 to accompany application for sale or transfer of certificate; 1969 act provided for prompt and written notice of pendency of application and added commissioner of transportation to those to be notified and where a petition is brought provided for the same type of notice and added commissioner of transportation as well as the parties to be notified, further provided for consideration of recommendations of the commissioner of transportation where submitted in writing within 30 days of conclusion of hearing; P.A. 75-486 substituted “public utilities control authority” for “commission”, i.e. public utilities commission, and “authority” for “commission” thereafter, effective December 1, 1975; P.A. 77-614 replaced “public utilities control authority” with “division of public utility control within the department of business regulation”, effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 79-610 substituted “department of transportation” for foregoing designation and “department” for “division” where appearing, and further, deleted requirement for notifying commissioner of transportation of hearings on applications and petitions and also the provision concerning his recommendations; P.A. 80-25 provided that certificates issued prior to October 1, 1979, shall remain valid unless suspended or revoked by department of transportation; in 1981 Sec. 16-320 transferred to Sec. 13b-97; P.A. 83-241 added Subsec. (b), re service at Bradley International Airport; P.A. 84-216 relettered subsections and amended Subsec. (a) to allow, without a hearing, amendment to an existing certificate to increase number of taxicabs operated pursuant to certificate; P.A. 84-254 increased application fee from $25 to $88 between July 1, 1985, and July 1, 1993; P.A. 92-136 amended Subsec. (a) by requiring the issuance of a decal to be conspicuously displayed on the vehicle; P.A. 93-307 amended Subsec. (a) by providing for an annual decal fee and eliminating the provision for a one-time decal fee, effective June 29, 1993; P.A. 95-126 amended Subsec. (a) to eliminate decal representing authority to operate and provision re display of decal, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 97-304 extended provisions to limited liability companies, amended Subsec. (a) to prohibit issuance of certificate unless department finds that the person, association, limited liability company or corporation is suitable to operate a taxicab service after consideration of five factors, to delete obsolete references re application fees, to require, in the proviso, that department give written notice of pendency of application to any common carrier operating within the territory specified, and to provide that department shall not consider as a ground for denial of a request for an increase in number of taxicabs to be operated within territory specified, any number of taxicabs not currently registered with the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles, amended Subsec. (b) to eliminate requirement that department fix a time and place for a hearing upon a written petition brought by town, city or borough and give written notice thereof, amended Subsec. (c) to require that no certificate be sold or transferred until the department finds that the purchaser or transferee is suitable to operate a taxicab service after consideration of the factors specified in Subsec. (a), to delete obsolete references re application fees, to authorize department to impose civil penalty for violation of any provision of this chapter or any regulation adopted under Sec. 13b-96, to require that any such certificate issued by department or by any transit district prior to March 1, 1997, remain valid unless suspended or revoked by the department, and amended Subsec. (d) to extend provisions to limited liability companies, to provide that formal agreement shall not take precedence over taxicab operator's obligation to provide taxicab service within territory specified in certificate, to allow any taxicab operator to discharge passengers received at Bradley International Airport within a territory other than the territory specified in its certificate and to substitute “association” and “limited liability company” for “firm”, effective July 1, 1997; P.A. 99-181 amended Subsec. (a) by adding requirements re criminal history records checks, fingerprinting and applicable fees in connection with an application for a certificate, effective June 23, 1999; P.A. 12-81 amended Subsec. (a) to add proviso in Subdiv. (2) that no applicant for a new certificate shall operate fewer than 3 taxicabs, increase application fee from $88 to $2000, delete provision prohibiting department from considering as ground for denial of request for increase in number of taxicabs to be operated within territory specified any number of taxicabs not currently registered with Commissioner of Motor Vehicles and make a technical change and amended Subsec. (c) to increase application fee from $88 to $1000 and authorize imposition of civil penalty on any driver for a violation; P.A. 13-277 amended Subsec. (a) to provide that hearing be held not earlier than 3 months after receipt of application and amended Subsec. (d) to add provision re proof of active, adequate and compliant service for not less than 2 years before being permitted to solicit, receive or discharge passengers at Bradley International Airport, effective July 1, 2013.

Annotations to former section 16-320:

Cited. 126 C. 551. Failure of permittee to exercise proper supervision over employees operating taxicab is sufficient ground for revocation. 127 C. 267. Cited. 235 C. 1.

Annotation to present section:

Cited. 235 C. 1.