The Administration & Regulatory Affairs (ARA) Department, Houston Airport System (HAS), and the Mayor’s Office of Special Events (MOSE) recommend that City Council approve an ordinance amending Chapter 25 of the City of Houston Code of Ordinances (“Chapter 25”) relating to vehicle-for-hire permitting during the period surrounding National Competitively Bid Events, such as Final Four and Super Bowl.
In December 2015, City Council approved changes to Chapter 25 streamlining the process for hosting National Competitively Bid Events. In order to meet the demand for transportation services during these events, vehicle-for-hire companies often bring vehicles and drivers from other cities to Houston during the event period. For past events, the City has issued temporary permits to allow these vehicles and drivers to operate legally during the event period, if they meet the City’s existing requirements. The vehicle operators must obtain a City of Houston vehicle-for-hire permit from ARA at the Houston Permitting Center as well as an Airport Use Permit (AUP) from HAS in order to pick up passengers at the airports.
ARA, HAS, and MOSE propose creating a one-stop, vehicle-for-hire permitting process during National Competitively Bid Events by allowing ARA to issue a joint vehicle-for-hire/airport use permit at the Houston Permitting Center. Issuing a combined permit will reduce the congestion at the airports and allow customers to obtain all their temporary permits at one location. The proposed changes also create a $102.23 fee for the joint vehicle-for-hire/airport use permit which is comparable to the sum of the current fees to obtain both permits individually. The fee will become part of the City Fee Schedule and will be adjusted annually based on the CPI.
ARA, HAS, and MOSE also propose updating the temporary limousine license language to reflect the changes currently being proposed to Chapter 46.
Departmental Approval Authority:
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Tina Paez, Director Other Authorization
Administration & Regulatory
Affairs Department