Ortiz supports meter intent but raises safety-course and plate-cost concerns
Ortiz says Intro 992 would require meters, scannable registration plates, safety training, removal of imprisonment, and a ban on illegal noise devices. DCWP supports the intent but says it lacks street-safety expertise for training and is evaluating scannable plate costs.
Introduction 992 would require pedicabs to have meters to calculate the price of pedicab rides and registration plates with a scannable code that displays the pedicab registration number and business name.
The bill would also require pedicab drivers to take a safety training developed by DCVP in order to obtain or renew a license.
It would remove imprisonment for pedicab-related violations and specify that a pedicab driver may not use any device that makes illegal noise.
DCDAP supports the intent of this legislation.
Requiring a meter would improve the consumer experience in this industry, especially for greater pricing clarity.
Imprisonment should not be a penalty for pedicab-related violations, and devices that make illegal noise should be explicitly prohibited.
However, other facets of this bill raise concerns for the agency.
In particular, we do not have street safety expertise to develop a safety course that would be adequate for drivers.
Additionally, we are evaluating the potential high cost to mandating scannable registration plates.