In accordance with Boston Police Department Rule 403, the following guidelines are issued for a one-year pilot program, which shall complement the previous rules established via SO 20-39 and SO 24-16 E-Hail/ Flex Fare Pilot Program.
E-Hail/Flex Fare Pilot Program Description
Under SO 24-16, the City of Boston (City) and Boston Police Department (Department) Hackney Carriage Unit authorized all licensed drivers who operate medallions to accept trips requested through an E-Hail smartphone application. Under this one year pilot, TNC app users (Uber/Lyft/etc.) in Boston will be able to book rides serviced by licensed taxicabs and taxi drivers who have opted-into the program. Rides booked through the non-taxi-specific TNC app, shall not be calculated off the regulated taxi meter rates. Participating E-Hail vendors must commit to implementing special geo-zoning constraints, where taxis shall not receive TNC referred offers at the time when “surge pricing” is implemented. Rides booked directly through taxi E-Hail vendors shall remain subject to the approved meter rates.
Flex Fare Program
As part of the City’s on-going efforts to encourage and implement advanced technologies to assist the traveling public and commuters’ ability to quickly, efficiently and safely travel throughout Boston and beyond, the City and the Department recognize the increased desire of passengers and taxicab drivers to have the ability to request and pay for taxicab services using internet-enabled and software based technology (E-Hail). The purpose of the E-Hail/Flex Fare amendment is to improve the experience of taxicab drivers and the riding public by promoting modern methods of procuring taxicab services that are reliable, secure, and easy to use by the general public.
This program is an opportunity for the taxi industry to leverage the flexibility of smartphone apps while still providing the passenger protections expected of taxicab drivers and vehicles that are licensed by the Hackney Carriage Unit.
Currently in taxicabs, the taximeter provides passengers a set price structure, with the fare based on the trip duration and distance determined at the end of the trip. By contrast, other for-hire vehicle services (Transportation Network Companies, livery/limousine) offer binding, upfront fares based on an estimate of duration and distance. Fare quotes make it easier for passengers to compare prices between services and passengers enjoy the certainty of knowing the final price before they get into a vehicle.
Through this one-year pilot, the Department shall expand upon the E-Hail authorizations of SO 24-16, which allowed taxis to offer taxicab passengers upfront and binding fares, and will now allow taxi E-Hail App providers to accept rides booked directly through non-taxi-specific TNC apps, which shall not be subject to municipal meter rates. All participating taxi E-Hail App providers must agree to exclude airport trips from the special fare rules of the one-year pilot as well as any additional exclusions established by the Boston Police Department (Department) Hackney Carriage Unit. Any trips booked directly through E-Hail taxi apps, any airport trips, and any trips booked during exclusions set by the Hackney Carriage Unit shall remain subject to fares calculated using approved meter rates, set by the Police Commissioner, and estimated trip distance and duration, via GPS-enabled smartphones.
Passengers will pay through the E-Hail App, not inside the vehicle, for accepted Flex Fare rides. Drivers will be paid by the E-Hail provider for Flex Fare rides accepted through an E-Hail app. The meter will not be used if an upfront and binding Flex Fare is accepted for the ride requested through the E-Hail App. The meter will continue to be used for non-Flex Fare rides. A driver’s participation in E-Hail applications is optional.
Requirements for Use of E-Hail Applications (Drivers)
- Participation in this program is voluntary and at the discretion of the driver and medallion owner.
- Participating drivers must hold a current valid Hackney Driver license issued by the Boston Police Department Hackney Carriage Unit.
- Participating drivers must operate a vehicle with a current valid Hackney Medallion License issued by the Boston Police Department Hackney Carriage Unit.
- Participating drivers remain subject to all requirements of Boston Police Department Rule 403 including but not limited to § 5(II)(e) and § 5(II)(q).
Requirements for Provision of E-Hail Application (Vendors)
- General Requirements
a. Vendors must have an E-Hail App that is available for both iPhone (iOS) and Android for both passengers and drivers.
b. Vendors must have demonstrated operations in at least one major city for at least one (1) year.
c. Vendors must have the ability to advertise the program to passengers and drivers in print and/or digital formats at their own expense.
d. Vendors must provide app support for drivers and passengers that is available 24 hours/day, 7 days/week.
e. Vendors must meet the minimum technology-specific requirements detailed in the following section(s):
f. Vendors must submit records of each passenger request submitted via the App, as well as records of each fulfilled trip, for the purposes of monitoring trips in realtime and measuring outcomes. Trip records must include, for each request/completed trip:
i. Trip Start Date & Time
ii. Trip Start Location/Address (Pickup Location)
iii. Trip End Location/Address (Drop-off Location)
iv. Trip Distance (in miles travelled)
v. Trip Duration (in minutes)
vi. Total Fare Amount
vii. Additional Fees (e.g. Tolls)
viii. Tip Amount (if any)
ix. Commission Paid to Provider
x. Net Amount Paid to Driver
xi. A Unique Driver ID, (Hackney Carriage Driver License Number)
xii. Medallion Number
xiii. Vehicle Type
xiv. Trip Request Details (e.g., whether the request was for a Wheel Chair Accessible Vehicle)
2. App Functionality
a. App provider must allow a passenger to request nearby available City of Boston licensed taxicab(s) through a smart phone or similar portable device.
b. App must meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) design requirements.
c. App should include the ability to request wheelchair-accessible vehicles explicitly.
d. App provider must dispatch nearby licensed City of Boston taxicab(s) regardless of the affiliation or taxicab medallion license holder.
e. App provider must provide a means to allow passengers to tip drivers through the App. The provider must remit to the driver the entirety of anything designated as a tip or gratuity collected by the App provider from a customer on behalf of the driver.
f. App provider must authenticate Hackney Carriage Driver License Number and Medallion Number information, via the Hackney Carriage Unit’s databases, prior to allowing the driver to complete log-in to the app interface.
g. Approved App provider(s) interested in authenticating Hackney Carriage Driver License Number and Medallion Number information must request the information in writing via email to the Hackney Carriage Unit: Taxi@pd.boston.gov.
h. The E-Hail App must not transmit information about a passenger, except that a passenger’s trip identification number, user name, or first name and last initial may be transmitted to the taxicab driver only after the taxicab driver has accepted the trip request.
i. App developer must not retain, use, or disclose retrieved personal information about drivers and/or medallion owners for a commercial purpose other than authenticating license and vehicle information.
j. The E-Hail App must provide real-time dispatch of licensed taxis within the City of Boston for hire.
k. The E-Hail App may accept reservations for requests for service made in advance of the time requested for service, as distinct from the mandatory real-time dispatch requirement.
l. App must estimate wait time for prospective passenger. Wait time must be prominently displayed prior to the passenger accepting ride.
m. App must be able to utilize geofencing to delineate municipal boundaries for the purposes of determining appropriate fare rates, established by the Police Commissioner, to be used in fare calculation.
n. The passenger must be able to make his/her payment in a secure and autonomous manner. The payment mechanism will minimize the potential for error in the fare to be paid and provide ample opportunity for a passenger to review the payment to be made. The passenger must be able to verify any payment to be made, and consent to such payment by affirmatively indicating so via an approved payment mechanism that is available and accessible to customers who are blind, visually impaired, deaf or hard of hearing.
o. Apps must be capable of automatically collecting and transmitting to the Hackney Carriage Unit data on all trips.
3. Passenger Experience
a. The breakdown of the binding fare quote must be viewable to the passengers within the E-Hail App, inclusive of any and all associated fees and toll charges.
b. Each time a prospective passenger requests an E-Hail, the E-Hail App provider must provide a binding quote of the total fare in dollars and cents, inclusive of all taxes, fees and any price multiplier, for the specific trip requested, prior to dispatching the trip.
c. App provider must require the customer to affirmatively acknowledge and accept that they are being charged a non-metered fare that is not calculated by the Taximeter at the Taxicab Rate of Fare set by the Police Commissioner.
d. App provider must not state or imply in any advertising that the fare is calculated by a Taximeter.
e. E-Hail application must display a map showing passenger pick up and driver’s location.
f. App must offer accurate electronic receipts to passengers.
i. The receipt must contain all applicable items required by Rule 403 and any fee paid by the passenger to the E-Hail App provider, including but not limited to:
1. Boston Licensed Taxi Number
2. Date
3. Time
4. Charge Amount
5. Hackney Carriage Unit Complaint and Lost Property Form: https://bpdnews.com/taxi-complaint-and-lost-property-form
g. E-Hail App developer must provide a means for customer complaints.
i. The App must allow for any complaints related to the E-Hail fares or the application to be submitted directly to the E-Hail App provider for resolution and will not be addressed by the Boston Police Hackney Unit.
ii. The App must provide the following form to allow complaints regarding the driver, vehicle or matters related to safety to be submitted directly to the Inspector of Carriages for review: https://bpdnews.com/taxicomplaint-and-lost-property-form
4. Driver Experience
a. App provider must sign agreements with participating drivers to use the E-Hail App.
b. The E-Hail App must require a driver signing on to the system to acknowledge that the driver will act in compliance with all laws and City of Boston rules when using the system. The E-Hail App also must require all users to acknowledge that the City of Boston does not own or operate the system.
c. App provider must not allow non-metered fares for trips other than those originating through the E-Hail App.
d. The E-Hail App provider must instruct the drivers not to engage the Taximeter for Flex Fare trips.
e. E-Hail App must display a map showing passenger pick up and driver location.
5. Airport Trips Excluded
a. All approved taxi E-Hail App providers must agree to exclude airport trips from the special fare rules of the one-year pilot.
b. Any airport trips shall remain subject to fares calculated using approved meter rates, set by the Police Commissioner.
Michael A. Cox
Police Commissioner