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Board Amends Requirements For Receiving a Medallion

In response to complaints of unfairness from drivers, the city has amended the driving requirement for obtaining a medallion. The eased rules may allow some drivers to qualify sooner, and make others eligible who would have been disqualified under the old law.

Between 1999 and 2004, medallion applicants had a one-year driving requirement. Amendments approved in 2004 progressively increased the requirement year by year, to five out of the last six years by 2009. Under that standard, drivers would have needed four of the last five years to qualify for a medallion in 2008.

But some drivers complained they were not given adequate notice of the increased requirements. Taxi Commission staff conceded that notification of the 2004 changes did not go out to drivers until the spring of 2005.

The new amendments make 2005 the base year for the increased requirement, meaning drivers can qualify this year if they have met the requirement in any three years between 2005 and 2008. The full five-of-six-year requirement will now kick in as of 2010.

Another change allows for prorating the requirement during the year in which the application is heard.

The new provisions, which were sponsored by Supervisor Chris Daly, received the unanimous approval of the Board of Supervisors and were signed into law by Mayor Gavin Newsom on April 10.