Changes to a local law could mean uniform rules for taxicabs across Broome County.

The county legislature is seeking to amend a local law regarding cab regulations by implementing a set of standards all companies and drivers must abide by in order to do business. The regulation will be debated at the regular session on March 18 at 5 p.m.

Currently, the city of Binghamton, Endicott, the Greater Binghamton Airport and Johnson City each has its own separate rules and regulations regarding the operation of taxis. The town of Vestal does not have any set code to regulate the taxis, so law enforcement and supervision is left to the police.

To unify the local areas, the Taxicab Services Committee of the Greater Binghamton Chamber of Commerce recommended a county-wide regulation of the taxi industry.

Driver background checks, drug tests, vehicle inspection and random spot checks would be mandated, as well as consistent monitoring of the industry, if the law is approved.

The county’s regulation plans are not going to set standard fees, but they will require that the fees are visibly posted in the vehicle for passengers to read and make their own decisions.

“In many cases, taxi companies should see a decrease in business costs under the new consolidated system,” since the licensing process and fees should be less expensive than they currently are, Chris Marion, the legislative assistant for Broome County, said.

According to Marion, regulating the taxicabs is meant to benefit both the passengers and the drivers by creating a better, safer atmosphere. Creating a uniform standard will give all drivers equal opportunities, while at the same time increase the sense of security among the passengers.

“University Cab has already implemented many of the new regulations,” Jon Martin, the owner of University Cab, said. “The taxis are cleaned daily and overloading is discouraged.”

Many times, the taxi fees fluctuate depending on the number of people in the cab, but University Cab has one set fee during the week and on the weekends; they charge $3 per person.

“[The drivers] treat the college [Binghamton University] as a city and charge one rate,” Martin said.

The Committee was formed by the Greater Binghamton Chamber of Commerce in 2008, as a result of reported issues of safety and unprofessional service, in order to review the current state of the taxis and customer satisfaction.

“After a number of less-than-professional encounters involving taxicab drivers, numerous incidents with the safety of students returning to the BU campus and a number of other complaints, the Taxi Service Committee was created to look into the problem,” Marion said.