1603 OPERATING REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL DISPATCH SERVICES

1603.1 Each dispatch service shall be licensed to do business in the District of Columbia.1603.2 Each dispatch service that provides digital services for sedans shall operate in compliance with this chapter and Chapters 12 and 14 of this title.1603.3 Each dispatch service that participates in providing taxicab service shall operate in compliance with this chapter and Chapters 4, 6, and 8 of this title.1603.4 Each dispatch provided by a dispatch service shall comply with the definitions of “dispatch”.1603.5 Each gratuity charged by a dispatch service shall comply with the definition of “gratuity”.1603.6 Each digital dispatch service that processes digital payments shall:- (a) Comply with the requirements for passenger rates and charges set forth in § 801 for taxicab service and § 1402 for sedan service;

- (b) If the payments are processed for taxicab service, comply with the integration, payment, and passenger surcharge requirements of § 408;

- (c) Provide receipts as required by § 803 for taxicab service and § 1404 for sedan service;

- (d) Use technology that meets Open Web Application Security Project (“OWASP”) security guidelines, complies with current standards of the PCI Security Standards Council (“Council”) for payment card data security, if such standards exist, and, if not, then with current guidelines of the Council for payment card data security, and, for direct debit transactions, complies with the rules and guidelines of the National Automated Clearing House Association; and

- (e) Promptly inform the Office of a security breach requiring a report under the Consumer Personal Information Security Breach Notification Act of 2006, effective March 8, 2007 (D.C. Law 16-237, D.C. Official Code §§ 28-3851, et seq.), or other applicable law.1603.7 Each dispatch shall clearly provide the person seeking service with the option to request an available wheelchair-accessible vehicle.

1603.8 Each dispatch service shall maintain a bona fide administrative office or a registered agent authorized to accept service of process, provided, however, a dispatch service operated by a taxicab company required to maintain such an office pursuant to Chapter 5 of this title shall operate its dispatch service at that location or another bona fide administrative office.

1603.9 Each dispatch service shall maintain a customer service telephone number for passengers with a “202” prefix or a toll-free area code, or an email address posted on its website that is answered or replied to during normal business hours.

1603.10 Each dispatch service shall maintain a website with current information that includes:

(a) The name of the dispatch service;

(b) Contact information for its bona fide administrative office or registered agent authorized to accept service of process;

(c) Its customer service telephone number or email address, and;

(d) The following statement prominently displayed:

Public vehicle-for-hire services in Washington, DC

are regulated by the DC Taxicab Commission

2041 Martin Luther King Jr., Ave., SE, Suite 204

Washington, DC. 20020

www.dctaxi.dc.gov

dctc3@dc.gov 1-855-484-4966 TTY: 711

and;

(e) A statement of how the fare is calculated for each class of service it offers, which shall include a statement of the rates and charges allowed by § 1402, and, for sedan service, shall indicate whether the dispatch service uses demand pricing and, if so, how such pricing affects its rates.

1603.11 Each dispatch service shall comply with §§ 508 through 513, to the same extent as if it were a taxicab company.

1603.12 Each dispatch service shall provide its service throughout the entire District.

1603.13 Each dispatch service shall perform the service agreed to with a passenger in a dispatch, including picking up the passenger at the agreed time and location, except for a bona fide reason not prohibited by § 819.5 or other applicable

provision of this title.

1603.14 Protection of certain information relating to passenger privacy and safety.- (a) A dispatch service shall not:

- (1) Release information to any person that would result in a violation of the personal privacy of the passenger or the person requesting service, or that would threaten the safety of a passenger or an operator; or

- (2) Permit access to real-time information about the location, apparent gender, or number of passengers awaiting pick up by a person not authorized by the dispatch service to receive such information.

- (b) This subsection shall not limit access to information by the Office or a District enforcement official.1603.15 A dispatch service shall not transmit to the operator any information about the destination of a trip, except for the jurisdiction of the destination, until the trip has been booked.1603.16 Each dispatch service shall store its business records in compliance with industry best practices and all applicable laws, make its business records related to compliance with its legal obligations under this title available for inspection and copying as directed by the Office, and retain its business records for five (5) years .1603.17 Each dispatch service shall comply with all applicable provisions of this title and other laws regulating origins and destinations of trips, including all reciprocal agreements between governmental bodies in the Washington Metropolitan Area governing public vehicle-for-hire service such as those in § 828.1603.18 Each DDS that provides digital services for sedans shall:- (a) Maintain with the Office an accurate and current inventory of the vehicles and operators associated with the DDS to use its system in the manner required by § 1403; and

- (b) Collect from the passenger and pay to the District the sedan passenger surcharge in the manner required by § 1403.

SOURCE: Final Rulemaking published at 61 DCR 4430 (May 2, 2014).