City of houston taxi cab license

The plan, approved by Houston City Council last week, ends a years-long freeze on the issuance of taxi permits by creating three lotteries. City officials said it is not clear there will be enough interest for all available lottery spots to be claimed, but they hope a substantial drop in fees will entice some cab drivers.

The city has 2, permits, 1, of which are active. The remainder have been shelved by their owners or forfeited back to the city. No permits currently are issued to electric vehicles, though 15, or less than 1 percent of all cabs, are hybrid-electric vehicles, such as a Toyota Prius or Ford Fusion. The approved plan also eliminates some regulations taxi drivers have critiqued as onerous, including a rule that required drivers to charge standard, metered rates.

Cabbies now will be able to adjust for lower rates to better compete with ride-hailing companies such as Uber and Lyft. Mayor Sylvester Turner said the changes were a fair way of balancing what taxi drivers and ride-hailing companies want. He described it as a way to allow taxi drivers to compete through innovation. The city is rolling back some regulations on taxis, to help them recover from the pandemic and compete with Uber and Lyft.

A cab driver picks up a fare outside George Bush Intercontinental Airport in May , as the pandemic upended the cab business. The city on Wednesday rolled back regulations on taxis, ditching a long-held cap on permits and scrapping requirements about their appearance. City Council voted to roll back some regulations on taxis, to help them recover from the pandemic and compete with Uber and Lyft.

City Council voted Wednesday to roll back some regulations on taxis, to help them recover from the pandemic and compete with Uber and Lyft. Taxi drivers in Houston no longer will have to vie for permits under a city-imposed cap, nor will they have to paint their cars white or yellow, under a regulatory rollback approved Wednesday. City Council voted unanimously to permanently ease some restrictions on the taxi industry, beleaguered by a pandemic that upended its business in and by years-long headwinds from rideshare companies, such as Uber and Lyft.

The city long has operated with a cap of 2, permits, though only 1, of them were active or available as of Wednesday. When previous owners forfeited a permit, they were retired indefinitely, lowering the number of permits in the marketplace. More than people forfeited permits during the pandemic, Bruning said. The city also will offer temporary, day permits. If you have a complaint about a driver or company please complete the complaint affidavit.

The complaint affidavit must be completed and notarized before any administrative action can be taken against any driver. The form can be emailed to taxicomplaints houstontx. If you are looking for a form that is not listed please contact the Vehicle for Hire Permitting and Enforcement Section at All proof of insurance for vehicle for hire permits MUST be submitted by the insurance agent on the State approved Accord 25 form.

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