Transportation Licensing Director to Retire
NASHVILLE,
Tenn., Press Release from Office of the Mayor – A consultant report on the
Transportation Licensing Commission recommends a number of changes, most
notably moving the staff that permit and oversee the operation of taxis,
wreckers, horse-drawn carriages and other for-hire vehicles in Nashville under the Department of Public
Works in order to take advantage of economies of scale.
The report, conducted by RPM
Transportation Consultants, was commissioned by the Metro Finance Department
earlier this year in order to assess the state of Nashville’s current taxi
service providers and private vehicles for hire, and the operations of Metro’s
Transportation Licensing Commission which regulates them.
“Nashville has a growing tourism industry. As
we see more restaurants and hotels spring up – and especially as the Music City
Center opens next year – the
demand on taxis and private hire vehicles is only going to increase,” said
Helen Rogers, chair of the Transportation Licensing Commission.
“It’s important that these
industries remain strong and that their services remain high quality to protect
the public that depends on them. This study helps answer a number of questions which
have come up in recent years as we work to achieve these goals. I look forward
to the board evaluating this report and taking action where appropriate.”
In conjunction with the release of
the report, Director of the Transportation Licensing Commission Brian
McQuistion announced his plans to retire from Metro Government. McQuistion was
appointed to the role in April 2004.
“This presents me with a good
opportunity to retire and devote myself to my wife and family,” McQuistion
said.
Chairwoman Rogers said McQuistion
has served the agency well. “Brian has been a great administrator and a good
public servant. He has led the commission through many significant
improvements, including eliminating non-consent towing on private property,
regulating all vehicles for hire including limousines, and increasing the
number of wheelchair accessible taxi vehicles in the city,” she said.
Mayor Karl Dean’s Administration
has offered Billy Fields, currently the director of the Mayor’s Office of
Neighborhoods and long-time Metro employee, to serve as interim director,
pending final approval by the board.
Moving Metro’s transportation licensing function to Public
Works will require Council action in the form of an ordinance. A complete
summary of conclusions and recommendations from RPM’s study is attached.
The full study is at http://www.nashville.gov/mayor/docs/TaxiStudy2012/TaxiReport.pdf.
Appendices are at http://www.nashville.gov/mayor/docs/TaxiStudy2012/TaxiReportAppendices.pdf.
My Comment: There's not all that much in the consultant's report that is good for taxi drivers or customers of taxis and
it's about the worst and most indefensible set of conclusions imaginable
for the limo companies who want to charge less than the $45 minimum
fare, but at least Director McQuistion appears to be "retiring" in the
wake of the TLC's numerous scandals.
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