§ 1110. CONDITIONS APPLICABLE TO RAMP TAXI MEDALLIONS.

In addition to the conditions specified in Section 1105, the following conditions are applicable to Ramp Taxi Medallion Holders:

(a) Serving Passengers Who Use Wheelchairs.

(1) Every holder of a Use Agreement for a Ramp Taxi Medallion shall grant priority to requests for service from passengers who use wheelchairs, and may not accept, or direct any Driver to accept any other service request while en route to a dispatched call from a person who uses a wheelchair. In the absence of a request for service to a passenger who uses a wheelchair, a Ramp Taxi may transport any person.

(2) Every holder of a Use Agreement for a Ramp Taxi Medallion must ensure that any person who is allowed to drive the Ramp Taxi holds a valid Driver Permit and satisfies any Ramp Taxi Driver training requirement set forth in the Use Agreement.

(3) Every holder of a Use Agreement for a Ramp Taxi Medallion must ensure that the Ramp Taxi meets a minimum wheelchair pick-up requirement per month, which shall be set by the Director of Transportation and established by reports of usage of San Francisco Paratransit Debit Cards. If the holder of a Use Agreement for a Ramp Taxi Medallion fails to meet the wheelchair pick-up requirement three times within a six-month period, or fails to comply with any condition of the Use Agreement, the SFMTA may terminate the Use Agreement and reassign the Ramp Taxi Medallion. The application of this paragraph is in addition to any penalties that may be assessed against the Ramp Taxi Medallion Holder or the holder of a Use Agreement for violations of this Article or the rules and regulations of the Paratransit Program.

(b) Approval of Use of Ramp Taxi Medallion in Spare Taxi Vehicle. Notwithstanding any other provisions of law or of this Article, the SFMTA may allow a Ramp Taxi Medallion to be used for the purpose of operating a Taxi upon written request from a Color Scheme. The SFMTA may only approve such request if all of the following requirements are met:

(1) The Taxi must be a spare vehicle approved by the SFMTA;

(2) The Taxi must meet all requirements for operation;

(3) The Ramp Taxi Medallion cannot be used in the Medallion Holder's Ramp Taxi because that vehicle is out of service or must be replaced;

(4) The Ramp Taxi Medallion cannot be used in a spare Ramp Taxi because none are available at the Color Scheme with which the Ramp Taxi Medallion is affiliated;

(c) Time Limits on Use of Ramp Taxi Medallion in Spare Vehicle. A Ramp Taxi Medallion may be used in a spare vehicle only for the period of time required for repair of the primary vehicle, not to exceed 30 consecutive days. Upon a showing of good cause, the SFMTA may extend the time limit beyond 30 days in increments of no greater than 15 consecutive days. In no event shall the total time in which a Ramp Taxi Medallion is used in a spare vehicle exceed 90 days within a 12 month period. The authorization to use the Ramp Taxi Medallion in a spare vehicle shall expire by operation of law on the day that the applicable time limit has been reached, or upon completion of repair or replacement of the Ramp Taxi, whichever occurs first.

(d) Use Agreements for Ramp Taxi Medallions.

(1) The SFMTA shall authorize the operation of a Ramp Taxi Medallion that is returned to the SFMTA for any reason by executing a Use Agreement with either a Color Scheme Permit Holder or a Driver, at the discretion of the SFMTA.

(A) With the exception of the circumstances described in Subsection (d)(1)(B), below, only those Color Scheme Permit Holders or Drivers that have demonstrated exceptional performance responding to requests for service by passengers who use wheelchairs, or those Color Schemes that do not have wheelchair pick-up history but have demonstrated otherwise exceptional dispatch performance, in accordance with criteria to be determined by the Director of Transportation, shall be eligible for such Use Agreements for Ramp Taxi Medallions.

(B) If a Gas and Gates Ramp Taxi Medallion is returned to the SFMTA for any reason, the SFMTA shall allow the Color Scheme with which the Ramp Taxi Medallion is affiliated to operate the Ramp Taxi Medallion as a Gas and Gates Medallion for the remaining life of the Ramp Taxi vehicle if the SFMTA determines, in accordance with criteria to be determined by the Director of Transportation, that the Color Scheme has a record of satisfactory service to passengers who use wheelchairs. If the SFMTA determines that the Color Scheme with which the Gas and Gates Ramp Taxi Medallion is affiliated has not provided satisfactory service to passengers who use wheelchairs, or upon expiration of the Ramp Taxi vehicle's useful life, the SFMTA may allow another Color Scheme or a Driver that meets the exceptional performance standard for wheelchair pick-ups to operate the Ramp Taxi Medallion.

(2) Any Color Scheme that operates more than one Ramp Taxi Medallion pursuant to a Use Agreement with the SFMTA, and that is affiliated with a Dispatch Service that dispatches at least six Ramp Taxi Medallions, may operate up to 50 percent of its affiliated Ramp Medallions in a non-accessible Taxi vehicle during the hours of 4:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. daily.

(A) This privilege shall not apply to any quarter if during the previous quarter the SFMTA received an excessive number of substantiated complaints on average, per medallion per month, regarding any request for wheelchair service during those hours that was not fulfilled within 30 minutes of request.

(B) For Dispatch Services that are affiliated with multiple Color Schemes, the receipt of an excessive number of substantiated complaints on average, per medallion per month, regarding any request for wheelchair service during those hours that was not fulfilled within 30 minutes of request shall result in termination of the privilege for all Color Schemes affiliated with that Dispatch Service.

(3) The Director of Transportation shall set the criteria for meeting the minimum monthly wheelchair pick-up requirements for maintaining a Ramp Taxi Medallion Use Agreement, shall set the criteria for meeting the "exceptional performance" and "satisfactory service" eligibility requirements for a Ramp Taxi Medallion Use Agreement referenced in subsection (d)(1)(A) and (B), above, and shall set the criteria for "an excessive number of substantiated complaints" referenced in subsection (d)(2)with reference to actual wheelchair service demand with the goal of providing 95 percent of requested wheelchair service within 30 minutes of the request.

(4) In addition to minimum pick-up and eligibility requirements, the Director of Transportation may establish other eligibility conditions for entering into a Use Agreement. The Director of Transportation may also establish other conditions for maintaining a Use Agreement, which shall be stated in the agreement, and the Director of Transportation may terminate any Use Agreement for failure to adhere to such conditions. The Director of Transportation may amend the minimum pickup requirements and other conditions of a Use Agreement for a Ramped Taxi Medallion in response to changed circumstances, such as changes in the level of demand for wheelchair service, by issuing a written finding listing the factors supporting the changed criteria; provided however that any change in such criteria shall not take effect for at least 90 days following written notice to the holder s of Use Agreements for Ramp Taxi Medallions.

(5) The SFMTA shall audit compliance with minimum wheelchair pick-up requirements and other Use Agreement conditions quarterly.

(6) The monthly fee to the SFMTA under a Use Agreement for operation of a Ramp Taxi Medallion shall be $500 per month. The SFMTA may waive this fee for any Ramp Taxi that is driven exclusively by Drivers who are employees of the Color Scheme.

(e) Medallion Down Payment Credit Incentive. For each year that a Driver provides an annual average of 240 wheelchair pickups that are documented through the Paratransit Program, or by other method of documentation approved by the SFMTA, the SFMTA shall offer the Driver a discount of ten dollars per wheelchair pick-up, up to a maximum of $4,167 per year on the Driver's down payment for a Medallion, for a total maximum credit toward a down payment of $12,500. If a Driver is not able to drive due to medical reasons, he or she may have 90 additional days in any year, or no more than 270 days over three years, to meet the annual wheelchair service requirement. Documentation of the medical condition must be provided to SFMTA to be eligible for the 90-day make-up period. The discount shall not expire as long as the Driver maintains an active A-Card.

(SFMTA Bd. Res. No. 09-23, 2/23/2009; SFMTA Bd. Res. No. 09-077, 5/19/2009; SFMTA Bd. Res. No. , Ad. 12/6/2011, Eff. 1/6/2012; SFMTA Bd. Res. No. , Ad. 8/21/2012, Eff. 9/21/2012; SFMTA Bd. Res. No. , Ad. 2/19/2013, Eff. 3/22/2013; SFMTA Bd. Res. No. , Ad. 1/7/2014, Eff. 2/7/2014; SFMTA Bd. Res. No. , Ad. 3/3/2015, Eff. 4/2/2015; SFMTA Bd. Res. No. , Ad. 10/16/2018, Eff. 11/16/2018)