CHAPTER 372

An Act to provide for the regulation by certain counties of taxicabs and
other motor vehicles used for the transportation of passengers for a
consideration, and for the levying and collection of license taxes
thereon.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. § 1. That the governing body of any county having a population in ex-
cess of forty-two thousand but not in excess of forty-five thousand inhabit-
ants, according to the last preceding United States census, may require a
license for and impose upon and collect a license tax from every person,
firm, association or corporation who or which operates or intends to
operate in such county or town any taxicab or other motor vehicle for
the transportation of passengers for a consideration. The tax may be
upon each such motor vehicle so operated. The governing body of the
county or town may by ordinance provide for levying and collecting the
tax, and may impose penalties for violations of the ordinance and for
operating any such motor vehicle without obtaining the required license.

§ 2. No such county or town shall require a license or impose a
license tax for the operation of any such motor vehicle for which a similar
license is imposed or tax levied by the county, city or town of which the
owner or operator of the motor vehicle is a resident, except that such
license may be required and such license tax imposed by any such county
or town for the operation of any such motor vehicle if the owner, lessee
or operator thereof maintains a taxicab stand therein for the solicitation
of business; nor, except as herein expressly authorized, shall more than
one county, city or town impose any such license fee or tax on the same
vehicle. This article shall not be construed to apply to common carriers
of persons or property operating as public carriers by authority of the
State Corporation Commission or under a franchise granted by any
county, city or town.

§ 3. The governing body of any such county or town may prescribe
such reasonable regulations as to the character and qualifications of oper-
ators of any such vehicle as they deem proper and may provide for the
designation and allocation, by the sheriff or chief of police, of stands for
such vehicles and the persons who may use the same.

§ 4. The governing body of any county or town covered by this
article may regulate the rates and charges of any motor vehicles used for
the transportation of persons for a consideration on any highway, street,
road, lane or alley in the county or town and may prescribe such reason-
able regulations as to filing of schedules of rates, charges and the general
operation of such vehicles, as it deems proper.

§ 5. Every owner or operator of a motor vehicle used as a vehicle
for the transportation of persons for a consideration on any highway,
street, road, lane or alley in any county or town covered by this article
who violates any of the provisions of this article or regulation of a gov-
erning body made pursuant to this article shall be guilty of a misdemeanor
and upon conviction thereof be fined not more than one hundred dollars
for the first offense and not more than five hundred dollars for each
subsequent offense.

An emergency exists and this act is in force from its passage.