Lynnwood cab companies like city’s new rules

By Janice Podsada

Herald Writer

LYNNWOOD — These days, taxicab regulations governing everything from rates to good grooming are standard fare.

It’s been 20 years since Lynnwood updated its taxicab regulations.

Cab driver Jon Pendergraft, for one, is glad to see the changes.

"I welcome any changes that will make the cab industry better," said Pendergraft, who is licensed to drive a cab in Edmonds, Lynnwood and Everett.

Seattle and Everett crafted new taxicab regulations several years ago. Lynnwood hopped aboard this week when the city council approved changes to the Taxi Cab Ordinance, a 38-page document

In 1980, 10 taxis served the city; by 2000 their number had jumped 700 percent. Now, 70 city-licensed cab drivers serve Lynnwood.

When residents hail a taxi, it’s hoped they’ll find a courteous, clean, on-time driver behind the wheel, said Linda Alvar, a Lynnwood finance specialist who helped write the rules.

The changes were prompted in part by complaints from senior citizens, Alvar said.

"Seniors called and are waiting to go to the doctor and haven’t had cabs show up. These people are charged for their doctor’s appointment."

Using a trip sheet, drivers must record the origin and destination of each trip; the change should help the city or the cab company pinpoint a driver who has left someone in the lurch.

Under the new rules, drivers must inspect their taxi’s mechanics before each shift, keep the cab’s interior clean and limit their time behind the wheel to 12 hours.

Under the old taxi code, taxicab inspections were done by Lynnwood’s city vehicle maintenance department.

"We could do that in 1980, when we had 10 cabs," Alvar said.

Now, drivers must have their vehicles safety-certified by a licensed taxicab inspection agency.

Local taxicab companies welcome the new regulations, said Baze Kashef, a dispatcher with North End Taxi in Shoreline

Baze Kashef

"They’re what we wanted to see," Kashef said.

North End has 10 drivers licensed to pick up fares in Lynnwood.

The new rules will help the company better screen its drivers, Kashef said.

"We’ve always done a 10-year criminal check on applicants, and a three-year check on their driving records. Now the (Lynnwood) police department looks back five years on the driving record, so we’ve asked our insurer to do the same."

The new regulations also give the company some leverage with its drivers.

"All our drivers are independent contractors — we don’t have a whole lot of control over them," Kashef said. "Now we can tell them these are city regulations."

The new regulations even include a lengthy section that relates to good grooming, Alvar said.

"A for-hire driver’s clothes shall be neat and clean at all times … ‘neat and clean’ … means that all clothing is clean, free from soil, grease and dirt and without unrepaired rips or tears … Clean means the state of personal hygiene, body and hair cleanliness and the absence of offensive body odor normally associated with frequent clothes laundering and bathing or showering."

The standards don’t have to apply only to cab drivers, Alvar said. Anyone is free to borrow Lynnwood’s guidelines for use at their own workplace, she said, laughing.

"In fact, it might be a good idea."

You can call Herald Writer Janice Podsada at 425-339-3029 or send e-mail to podsada@heraldnet.com.