Taxi drivers who refuse service at Los Angeles International Airport due to discriminatory reasons would have their ability to operate at the airport taken away immediately, under “zero-tolerance” rules approved by the Airport Commission Thursday.
The tougher rules were sparked by a complaint in September by former Major League Baseball player Doug Glanville, who said he was refused a ride by a taxi driver at LAX because he is black.
Currently, permit revocation occurs after the third offense, while the new rules call for immediate revocation of a “driver’s permit to provide taxicab service” if he or she refuses service based on “prejudice against a specific race, nationality, religion, age, disability, sex or gender identity.”
Informal warnings would also be eliminated under the new rules.
Refusal of service for other reasons would result in no less than six days suspension from the airport, while discourteous actions could lead to suspensions lasting no less than four days, under the proposed rules.
The revisions to the airport’s penalties for taxi drivers are similar to rules adopted by the Department of Transportation, which issues citywide permits for taxi drivers, Los Angeles World Airports official Marisa Katnich.
Katnich, who oversees parking and ground transportation at LAX, also said Glanville’s complaint initially led to the taxi driver’s permit being revoked for one year, but the Department of Transportation downgraded the penalties to two weeks after the driver appealed.
An investigation by transportation officials found that the refusal was based not on discrimination, but on the driver being unwilling to make the short trip Glanville requested, “which is essentially a low-fare transaction,” Katnich said.
Katnich also noted that LAWA only learned of the complaint one month after Glanville first lodged it with Authorized Taxicab Supervision, Inc., (ATS) an outside company that manages taxi dispatch and taxi stands for LAX.
Katnich said the revised rules calls for LAWA to be notified sooner, requiring that ATS hand over the complaint to the agency within two business days.
LAWA would also be responsible for arranging the enforcement hearings, rather than ATS, under the revision.
–City News Service