CERTIFICATE. The word "certificate" shall mean the certificate of public convenience and necessity granted by the city manager to persons in the business of operating taxicabs, as provided for in this chapter.

DRIVER. The word "driver" shall mean any person in charge of or driving any taxicab.

OWNER. The word "owner" shall mean any person having control of the operation or maintenance of taxicabs, including any person having control of the collection of revenue derived from the operation of taxicabs, and including the purchaser of any taxicab under a conditional sales contract or other title-reserving agreement.

TAXICAB. The word "taxicab" shall mean any motor-driven vehicle used for the transportation, for hire or reward, of passengers upon the streets of the city, except buses being operated under franchise or by the city and over fixed routes between fixed termini.

TAXIMETER. The word "taximeter" shall mean and include any mechanical instrument or device by which the charge for hire of a taxicab is mechanically calculated and on which the charge is plainly indicated. (Code 1964, § 27.1-1)

(a) Every owner of any taxicab operated in the city shall file with the city manager and keep in full force and effect at all times a policy of insurance in accordance with the provisions of the Code of Virginia, section 56-299 et seq.; or, in the event that no policy of insurance has been so filed, the owner of any taxicab operating in the city shall provide a surety bond, approved by the city attorney and with surety in the amount herein specified, conditioned on such owner responding in damages, or provide a cash bond in the amount herein specified, covering damages for any liability incurred on account of any injury to persons or damage to property resulting from the operation of such taxicabs in the following amounts: For injury to one person in any one accident, one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000.00); for injury to two (2) or more persons in any one accident, three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000.00); for property damage in any one accident, fifty thousand dollars ($50,000.00).

(b) Surety or cash bonds shall be for or in the amount of at least fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000.00) for each taxicab for which a certificate is issued under this chapter.

(c) If any such policy of insurance is canceled, the owner shall not operate or cause to be operated any vehicle covered by such policy until other insurance is obtained or surety or cash bond given.

(d) Each policy of insurance filed pursuant to this section shall contain a clause to the effect that the insurance carrier may cancel the policy upon thirty (30) days' written notice to the city clerk, as well as such other notice as may be required by law to be given the owner.

(e) If judgment is rendered against the owner or driver, or both, in any court of competent jurisdiction by reason of any accident for which the insurance policy or surety or cash bond is provided pursuant to this section, the owner shall, within twenty-four (24) hours after the rendition of such judgment, whether appealed from or not, increase the total amount of insurance or the amount of the surety or cash bond so that there shall be kept in effect, in the manner contemplated by law and by this chapter, insurance or bond, upon which there has been no recovery, of not less than the minimum provided herein. (Code 1964, § 27.1-2)

(1) The full name and the home and business address of the applicant.

(2) The trade name under which the applicant does or proposes to do business.

(3) The financial status and responsibility of the applicant, as shown by a financial report for the preceding calendar year, audited by a certified public accountant.

(4) The name and address of any person lending money or furnishing capital to the applicant, where the operation or proposed operation is to be financed, wholly or in part, by means of borrowed money or capital in any form furnished by any person other than the owner.

(5) The character and location of the depots and terminals to be used, if any.

(6) Each conviction or plea of guilty for the violation of any criminal law, whether such violation is of a city ordinance, state law or federal law.

(7) The specific experience of the applicant in the transportation of passengers for hire.

(8) All facts or circumstances upon which the applicant bases his belief that public convenience and necessity require the granting of his application. (Code 1964, § 27.1-12)

(1) The adequacy, efficiency and safety of existing taxicab service and other forms of transportation for passengers already in existence.

(2) The probable permanence and quality of the service offered by the applicant.

(3) The qualifications and responsibility of the applicant.

(a) The city manager shall have the authority to grant a certificate applied for under this article or to grant a certificate for a lesser number of vehicles than that specified in the application or to deny the application, in the exercise of sound discretion.

(b) Upon determination by the city manager that any application filed under this article shall be granted, a certificate shall be issued to the applicant by the city manager and shall contain the following:

(a) An applicant or a certificate holder whose certificate is denied, revoked, suspended or not renewed, who is aggrieved because of that decision by the city manager affecting his application or certificate, shall have the right to appeal the decision to the council, provided such person gives notice, in writing, to the city manager not less than ten (10) days following notification of the decision of the city manager. Upon receipt of such notice, the city manager shall cause a hearing to be scheduled, by placing the matter on the agenda of a regularly scheduled council meeting to occur within forty-five (45) days of the receipt of the notice of appeal. The appeal shall stay any revocation or suspension by the city manager of a certificate otherwise in effect. Notification of appeal shall not be deemed to renew an expired certificate or to issue any certificate not yet in effect.

(b) Notice shall be given by mail to the aggrieved party of the time and place of the hearing provided for in this section not less than ten (10) days prior to the hearing. The burden of establishing that the decision of the city manager was erroneous shall be upon the aggrieved party.

(c) On an appeal under this section, the decision of the council shall be by majority vote of those members present, in the exercise of sound discretion and after taking into consideration the factors prescribed by this chapter. (Code 1964, § 27.1-23)