SIGHT-SEEING CARS

Codified Ordinances of Cleveland pt. FOUR, tit. V, ch. 445

in effect

Codified Ordinances of Cleveland § 445.01 License Required

§ 445.01 License Required No sight-seeing car shall operate for hire or reward upon the streets of the City without obtaining a license from the Commissioner of Assessments and Licenses. Such license shall be issued for the calendar year and shall expire on December 31 of each year, unless sooner suspended or revoked by the Commissioner. Application for a license for sight-seeing cars shall be made by the owner upon blank forms furnished by the Commissioner, and shall contain the full name and address of the owner, the type of vehicle for which a license is desired, the number of persons it is capable of carrying, and the motor power thereof, together with a certificate of liability insurance required under the provisions of Section 445.03. (Ord. No. 1684-76. Passed 6-29-76, eff. 7-6-76)

Codified Ordinances of Cleveland § 445.02 Inspection

§ 445.02 Inspection No vehicle shall be licensed until the same has been thoroughly and carefully inspected, examined and found to be in a thoroughly safe condition for the transportation of passengers, clean, fit, of good appearance and well painted or varnished. Such inspection shall be made by the Commissioner of Assessments and Licenses or through his or her inspectors before issuing such license, and he or she may make such additional inspections as in his or her judgment are necessary. The Commissioner shall refuse a license to, or revoke or suspend the license of any vehicle found by him or her to be unfit or unsuited for public patronage. The Commissioner is hereby authorized and empowered to establish reasonable rules and regulations for the inspection and operation of sight-seeing cars, their appurtenances, construction and conditional fitness. (Ord. No. 1684-76. Passed 6-29-76, eff. 7-6-76)

Codified Ordinances of Cleveland § 445.03 Liability Insurance

§ 445.03 Liability Insurance No person shall operate a sight-seeing car or other vehicle as defined in this chapter or permit such to be operated; nor shall any license be issued hereunder until and unless the applicant for a license hereunder deposits with the Commissioner of Assessments and Licenses a policy or certificate of liability insurance for each sight-seeing car for which a license is sought, acceptable and approved by the Director of Law, indemnifying the applicant in the sum of at least ten thousand dollars ($10,000.00) for injury to one (1) person and twenty thousand dollars ($20,000.00) for more than one (1) person, and five thousand dollars ($5,000.00) property damage in any one (1) accident, through the operation of the sight-seeing car of the applicant. The policy shall further contain a clause obligating the surety company to give ten (10) days’ written notice before cancellation of the policy to the Commissioner, the license to expire upon the lapse or termination of the policy of insurance. (Ord. No. 1684-76. Passed 6-29-76, eff. 7-6-76)

Codified Ordinances of Cleveland § 445.04 License Card

§ 445.04 License Card Any sight-seeing car which has been found upon inspection to be of lawful construction and proper condition in accordance with this chapter and rules and regulations established thereunder and upon the payment of the license fees hereinafter set forth shall be licensed by delivering to the owner a card of such size and form as may be prescribed by the Commissioner of Assessments and licenses. The card shall contain an official license number together with date of inspection of such vehicle and the statement that in case of any complaints the Commissioner shall be notified. Such card shall be signed by the Commissioner and contain blank spaces upon which entry shall be made of the date of every inspection. The number of such card shall correspond with the license number of such vehicle, and shall be displayed conspicuously in the sight-seeing car as prescribed by the Commissioner. (Ord. No. 1684-76. Passed 6-29-76, eff. 7-6-76)

Codified Ordinances of Cleveland § 445.05 Fees for Sight-Seeing Cars

§ 445.05 Fees for Sight-Seeing Cars The following license fee shall be paid in advance for each vehicle license: Vehicle Capacity | Fee 12 or less | $100.00 13 to 20 | $150.00 over 20 | $200.00 Any licensee upon payment of any of the above fees, shall be entitled to operate as sight-seeing cars during such year additional vehicles for which hack or motor bus licenses have been issued and are in effect or which are otherwise licensed for the transportation of persons for hire in the City of Cleveland, upon payment of an additional annual fee of five dollars ($5.00) for each such vehicle; provided the Director of Law is satisfied that the public liability insurance on such vehicle covers or is made to include the operation thereof for sight-seeing purposes. Upon a finding by the Commissioner of Assessments and Licenses that an extraordinary demand upon any special occasion requires the use of more sight-seeing vehicles by any person, firm or corporation to whom there has been issued one (1) or more sight-seeing licenses for the calendar year, he or she may issue special permits for not to exceed twenty- four (24) hours upon the payment of a fee of one dollar ($1.00) each for the use of vehicles which are duly licensed for the transportation of persons for hire and which carry public liability insurance satisfactory to the Director of Law. No transfer of a license shall be permitted except with the consent of the Commissioner, which consent shall be endorsed on the original license. The Commissioner shall permit a transfer only when it appears that one (1) of the cars owned and operated by the licensee is retired, destroyed, demolished or otherwise rendered unfit for service. (Ord. No. 1684-76. Passed 6-29-76, eff. 7-6-76)

Codified Ordinances of Cleveland § 445.06 Driver’s License

§ 445.06 Driver’s License Every person driving a sight-seeing car shall be licensed as a motor bus operator and each applicant for such license must: (a) Be eighteen (18) years of age or over; (b) Be of sound physique, good eyesight and not subject to epilepsy, heart trouble, vertigo or any infirmity of body or mind which might render him or her unfit for the safe operation of a sight-seeing car; (c) Be able to read and write the English language; (d) Be clean in dress and person and not addicted to use of intoxicating liquors or drugs; (e) Produce on forms furnished by the Commissioner of Assessments and Licenses the names of two (2) character references of persons not related to the applicant and such other information as the Commissioner may require. The form shall be signed and sworn to by the applicant and filed with the Commissioner as a permanent record. The Commissioner is hereby authorized and empowered to establish such additional rules and regulations covering the issuance of an operator’s license not inconsistent herewith as may be reasonable and necessary. (Ord. No. 687-85. Passed 4-15-85, eff. 4-17-85)

Codified Ordinances of Cleveland § 445.07 Fees for Driver’s License

§ 445.07 Fees for Driver’s License A fee of ten dollars ($10.00) each shall be paid annually in advance for a motor bus operator’s license or renewal. (Ord. No. 2393-02. Passed 2-3-03, eff. 2-3-03)

Codified Ordinances of Cleveland § 445.08 Regulation of Sight-Seeing Cars

§ 445.08 Regulation of Sight-Seeing Cars (a) The use of sight-seeing cars shall be limited to sight-seeing purposes. The transportation for sight- seeing purposes afforded thereby shall not be subject to the direction or control of passengers. Sight-seeing cars shall not be used to carry passengers or property for hire to or from any railroad station, airport, steamboat landing or dock, except as incident to sight-seeing trips, nor shall they be used in any manner which will compete with transportation services rendered or designed to be rendered by public hacks, motor buses, or other agencies of mass or public transportation. (b) A schedule of rates charged for a trip by a sight-seeing car, the route traversed, the time consumed and the time of departure shall be prominently displayed at the starting point of the sight-seeing car and upon a sign attached to the front of the sight-seeing car before the trip starts. The sign may also be displayed on the sidewalk in such manner as the Director of Public Service determines. The sign shall display the prices of the trip in letters or figures at least four (4) inches in height. A charge or an attempt to charge any passenger a sum greater than set forth in such schedule shall be deemed a violation of this section. A sight-seeing car, after leaving its starting point, shall not receive additional passengers between such place of starting and its ultimate destination point. The routes over which sight-seeing cars may be operated shall be subject to the approval of the Commissioner of Assessments and Licenses. (c) Only sight-seeing cars in such numbers as provided herein shall remain while awaiting employment, at the stand provided, and only in single file headed in accordance with the traffic regulations, and shall take their turns in rotation thereon as their license numbers indicate. At no time shall there be more than two (2) cars of any one (1) owner upon such stands regardless of whether it is a firm, person or corporation owned fully or in part or controlled or under the direction of any other person, firm or corporation. The Commissioner of Traffic Engineering and Parking shall determine the number and location of the public stands, and shall establish such further regulations not inconsistent with the provisions of this chapter as he or she deems necessary. (Ord. No. 1684-76. Passed 6-29-76, eff. 7-6-76)

Codified Ordinances of Cleveland § 445.09 Specially Chartered Sight-Seeing Cars

§ 445.09 Specially Chartered Sight-Seeing Cars The owner of a sight-seeing car licensed as provided in this chapter may load or unload a group of passengers at such a point or points in the City as may have been agreed upon in advance by the person, firm or corporation chartering such sight-seeing car for any special or regular sight-seeing tour subject to the approval of the Commissioner of Assessments and Licenses. (Ord. No. 1684-76. Passed 6-29-76, eff. 7-6-76)

Codified Ordinances of Cleveland § 445.10 License Suspension or Revocation; Appeal

§ 445.10 License Suspension or Revocation; Appeal In addition to any penalty imposed and authorized by any section of this chapter, any licensee shall be subject to the suspension or revocation of his or her license upon conviction for any violation. The Commissioner of Assessments and Licenses may in his or her discretion, suspend or revoke a license granted under any provision of this chapter, provided such licensee shall have the right to appeal in the manner provided in Section 403.09. (Ord. No. 1684-76. Passed 6-29-76, eff. 7-6-76)

Source: City of Cleveland, Ohio, Codified Ordinances and City Charter (American Legal Publishing, codelibrary.amlegal.com)URL: https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/cleveland/latest/cleveland_oh/0-0-0-23995Fetched: 11/1/2026