A Plainfield ordinance tightens restrictions on out-of-town taxis picking up passengers in the city.
PLAINFIELD -- City police will soon be able to tow out-of-town cabs that unlawfully pick up passengers in Plainfield, despite the protests of taxi companies that said the new rule goes too far to restrict their freedom.
An ordinance passed Monday gives police officers discretion to tow cabs without Plainfield licenses that pick up people within city borders, violating a rule allowing out-of-town companies to drop off, but not solicit, passengers in Plainfield.
Several non-Plainfield based taxi drivers said at a February council meeting that the new regulation would seriously hurt their businesses. A previous version of the rule imposed fines on out-of-town drivers who picked up in Plainfield, but did not enable police to tow their cars.
"We wanted to get really aggressive because we have cab companies who are licensed here (and) pay taxes, but they were losing a lot of business because other cab companies seem to be flooding Plainfield with their cabs," Council President Rebecca Williams said before Monday's vote.
Out-of-town cab companies started picking up passengers more frequently in Plainfield in 2015, breaking the city's rule, Williams said. The council raised the fines, but Williams said the cabs kept coming.
She said although police officers soon will be able to tow taxis that violate the rule, officers won't necessarily tow all of them. The possibility is meant to be a deterrent.
Williams said the council may eventually consider whether there is a need to allow more cabs to get Plainfield licenses. For now, she said four in-city cab companies operate 12 or 13 cars each.
"We have 24-hour cab companies, and they pay taxes here, and they employ Plainfield residents, so our sympathies are with those who have gone through the process and are licensed (in Plainfield)," she said.
The ordinance passed 5-2, with Councilwomen Diane Toliver and Bridget Rivers voting against it. It will take effect 20 days from passage.
Toliver said Wednesday she thought the council should have considered other solutions to overcrowding of cabs in the city, like letting out-of-town taxis, many of which are based in North Plainfield, pick up in Plainfield during certain hours.
"We're neighboring cities (with North Plainfield)," she said. "That alone should have been worth something."
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