Department:

City of Seattle

Department of Finance and Administrative Services Rule No:

FOR-HIRE TRANSPORTATION-07-2025 Supersedes:

Clerk File 323072

Publication:

6/6/2025

Effective:

8/6/2025

Subject:

Taximeters and Smart Taximeters Code and Section Reference(s):

SMC 6.311.160, .260.A, .310, .340, .360, .380

SMC 6.311.470 (rulemaking authority)

Approved:

Division Director

Business Unit Officer

Kiersten Grove, Acting Director

Date

Date

Date

King County / Department of Executive Services

Document Code No.: FHT-8-2025-PR

Repeals: FHT-8-2024-PR

Title: Taximeters and Smart Taximeters

Effective Date: August 6, 2025

Authorities: KCC 6.65.160, .260.A, .310, .340, .360, and .380; KCC 6.65.470 (rulemaking authority)

Keywords: Taxicab, Taxi, Taximeter, Meter, Smart Taximeter, Weights and Measures, Application Dispatch System, ADS

Sponsoring Agency: Records and Licensing Services Division (RALS)

Director signature: ___________________________________________________________________

Date signed: ________________________________________________________________________

City of Seattle and King County For-Hire Transportation Rules

________________________________________

City of Seattle Director's Rule FOR-HIRE TRANSPORTATION-07-2025 and King County Public Rule FHT-8-2025-PR Taximeters and Smart Taximeters

Pursuant to an interlocal agreement, the City of Seattle and King County work cooperatively to regulate for-hire passenger transportation. The following Rule supersedes City of Seattle Clerk File 323072 and King County Public Rule FHT-8-2024-PR.

I. Purpose. This Rule provides guidance for the testing and approval of taximeters, smart taximeters, and an application dispatch system (ADS) when it is part of a smart taximeter system. A taximeter or smart taximeter shall meter a trip using either an on-board diagnostic (OBD) connection or a global positioning system (GPS) connection or some combination of the two.

City of Seattle and King County rules on an ADS, which specify requirements for system approval and use, and rates and fares, which establishes permitted variations from regional taximeter rates, shall complement this Rule.

II. Definitions. For purposes of this Rule, the following definitions apply:

1. "Application Dispatch System" and "ADS" means technology that allows consumers, via the internet using devices such as, but not limited to, smartphone and tablet applications, either or both, to:

1. Directly request dispatch of regional for-hire drivers for trips; and

2. Accept payments for those trips.

2. "Director" means for King County, the manager of King County's Records and Licensing Services Division or designee, and means for the City of Seattle, the Director of Finance and Administrative Services or designee.

3. "Smart Taximeter" means a system of hardware and software that integrates a taximeter and other components together to perform functions required by SMC chapter 6.311 and KCC chapter 6.65.

4. "Smart Taximeter System" means the system a regional dispatch agency uses to dispatch trips to, communicate with, and track the location of, affiliated vehicles and drivers through the smart taximeter. A smart taximeter system may include an application dispatch system.

5. "Taximeter" means any instrument or device by which the fare for a trip provided in a taxicab is measured or calculated either for the distance traveled by the taxicab or for waiting time, or for both, and upon which such calculated charges shall be indicated by means of figures.

III. Requirements. In addition to the testing and approval process, all references to taximeters in Seattle Municipal Code (SMC) Chapter 6.311 and King County Code (KCC) Chapter 6.65 shall apply with equal force regardless of taximeter type.

Analog or Digital Taximeters Not Part of a Smart Taximeter System

1. An analog or digital taximeter shall pass a test at least once per year. Additional tests shall be required if:

a. The taximeter's security seal is broken,

b. The taxicab owner is replacing the vehicle,

c. The taxicab owner is changing the taximeter equipment,

d. The taxicab owner is changing affiliation from one transitional regional dispatch agency (TRDA) or regional dispatch agency (RDA) to another, or

e. The Director requires confirmation that the taximeter is functioning properly (e.g., is accurate or can produce an audit trail).

The Director reserves the right to change the frequency of testing at any time. No taximeter test shall occur during the change of vehicle process until the vehicle has passed its annual safety inspection as required by SMC and KCC.

2. Testing of an analog or digital taximeter shall be performed following procedures contained in the most recent version of Handbook 44 Specifications, Tolerances, and Other Technical Requirements for Weighing and Measuring Devices, as amended, published by the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST).

3. An analog or digital taximeter must have a Certificate of Conformance issued by the National Council on Weights and Measures (NCWM) proving compliance with the National Type Evaluation Program (NTEP).

4. An analog or digital taximeter shall be configured to meet the following requirements:

a. Automatically print a receipt or automatically transmit a receipt via email or text message when requested by the passenger;

b. Automatically disable if the vehicle's electronic payment processing system cannot produce a paper receipt or cannot issue a receipt via email or text message;

c. Have statistical functions protected by a password issued by the Director to each taximeter technician;

d. Activate and deactivate the top light as follows: the top light turns on when the taximeter is on but not operating on a trip, the top light turns off when a trip is initiated, and top light turns on when the taximeter is cleared at the end of a trip; and

e. Automatically disable if the top light turns off when the taximeter is off.

Taximeters Part of a Smart Taximeter System

5. A taximeter that is part of a smart taximeter system shall pass a test at least once per year. Additional tests shall be required if:

a. The taximeter's digital security seal, or similar, is broken,

b. The taxicab owner is replacing the vehicle,

c. The taxicab owner is changing the taximeter equipment,

d. The taxicab owner is changing affiliation from one RDA to another, or

e. The Director requires confirmation that the taximeter is functioning properly (e.g., is accurate or can produce an audit trail).

The Director reserves the right to change the frequency of testing at any time. No taximeter test shall occur during the change of vehicle process until the vehicle has passed its annual safety inspection as required by SMC and KCC.

6. Testing of a taximeter that is part of a smart taximeter system shall be performed based on the most recent version of Specifications, Tolerances, and Other Technical Requirements for Weighing and Measuring Devices (NIST Handbook 44), and a checklist developed by the Director.

The checklist shall cover taximeter drop; mileage; wait time; additional charges; rate variations and transparency; displaying of rate or rates by amount and type (e.g., ADS, flat, etc.); receipt issuance and audit trail/event logger; security/user authentication; and physical position and size of the smart taximeter display in the vehicle. Testing shall occur prior to implementing a new smart taximeter system or if the RDA changes the vendor of its smart taximeter system.

For a regional dispatch agency that has installed smart taximeters in all affiliated vehicles, the Director may choose not to test all smart taximeters in the fleet. Rather, the Director may test some smart taximeters in affiliated vehicles on either a pre-determined schedule (in lieu of annual inspections) or as field enforcement occurs.

7. Per the most recent version of section 5.54.UR.1 in NIST Handbook 44, "a taximeter shall be so positioned and illuminated that its indications, operational markings, and controls of passenger interest can be conveniently read by a passenger seated in a position of up to 1.2 m (4 ft) away from the taximeter under any condition of normal operation." To comply with this standard, a smart taximeter display in the vehicle shall use a tablet with a screen size of at least eight inches, measured diagonally. Mobile phones shall not be used to comply with this standard.

8. The Director shall from time to time require individual taxicabs to undergo a compliance inspection of the installed taximeter that is part of a smart taximeter system. The inspection shall cover the taximeter's overall operability, accuracy when based on time or distance, fare and rate transparency, programmed regional taximeter rates and other alternative fares, and software version, among other items.

9. Any smart taximeter system used by an TRDA or RDA must have a Certificate of Conformance issued by the NCWM no later than March 31, 2026.

10. A taximeter that is part of a smart taximeter system shall be configured to meet the following requirements:

a. Automatically print a receipt or automatically transmit a receipt via email or text message when requested by the passenger;;

b. Automatically disable if the vehicle's electronic payment processing system cannot produce a paper receipt or cannot issue a receipt via email or text message;

c. Display the trip fare, rate, or price by the type applicable to the trip (e.g., ADS, flat, etc.);

d. Have security features to protect trip and customer payment data;

e. Restrict the programming of rates and fares to the system's vendor and/or RDA;

f. Activate and deactivate the top light as follows: the top light turns on when the taximeter is on but not operating on a trip, the top light turns off when a trip is initiated, and top light turns on when the taximeter is cleared at the end of a trip ; and

g. Automatically disable if the top light turns off when the taximeter is off.

11. Any RDA using a smart taximeter system may vary its fares from the regional taximeter rates consistent with SMC 6.311.380 and KCC 6.65.380. Before doing so, the RDA must demonstrate to the Director, consistent with applicable City of Seattle and King County rules, how the fare presented is transparent to the passenger before the passenger confirms the trip. Variations from established regional taximeter rates must be configured into the smart taximeter system, which only the smart taximeter system's vendor and/or the RDA may program.

12. After March 31, 2026, only taximeters that are part of a smart taximeter system shall be used.

13. After March 31, 2026, unless a later date is approved by the Director, a smart taximeter system shall incorporate the use of for-hire transportation data standards, including the most current version of the Mobility Data Specification (MDS) and the General On-Demand Feed Specification (GOFS).

14. When operating a taxicab, the driver shall always engage the taximeter or smart taximeter to indicate the trip has been accepted and will be provided. When engaged, the taximeter or smart taximeter must: (1) indicate to the passenger how the trip is being priced, and (2) indicate the driver is not available to provide another trip. If the fare is presented in advance, then engaging the smart taximeter does not require the smart taximeter to display the running meter to the passenger.

General

15. A taximeter test shall be scheduled each license year by appointment only unless the Director conducts testing as part of field enforcement. The Director shall issue a notice to comply if a licensee misses a scheduled appointment for a taximeter test. If a licensee misses two or more scheduled appointments for a taximeter test, then the Director may impose a $25 fee, consistent with SMC 6.311.050.A.2.g and KCC 4A.750.100.A.2, for each scheduled appointment missed.

If a licensee cannot attend a scheduled appointment for a taximeter test, then the licensee has an obligation to timely notify the Director and request a new appointment.

16. The Director shall consider a taximeter, regardless of type, to not be functioning properly unless it has receipt paper and automatically prints a receipt, or it has the capability to send a receipt via email or text message, at the conclusion of a trip. Any receipt, regardless of its medium or delivery method, must include the following information:

a. The date and time the trip began and ended,

b. Distance traveled,

c. The medallion number for the vehicle providing the trip,

d. The driver's regional for-hire driver's license number or unique driver identification number,

e. Fare charged and any tip paid,

f. Any additional charges paid (e.g., additional passenger charge, tolls, temporary fuel surcharge, technology fee, convenience fee, etc.),

g. Total amount paid,

h. The TRDA or RDA with which the vehicle is affiliated, and

i. A phone number, email address, or website to submit passenger feedback and inquiries to the TRDA or RDA.

17. Any TRDA or RDA seeking approval from the Director to change the vendor of its taximeter or smart taximeter system to either add to or replace existing technology must submit an outreach and implementation plan to the Director. The plan shall address how the TRDA or RDA intends to communicate the change to its affiliated owners and drivers and to minimize technical issues during the new system's initial phase.

IV. Implementation. Unless specified otherwise in this Rule, these requirements take effect immediately after the Director files this Rule with the Seattle City Clerk and with the King County Archives, Records Management, and Mail Services Section (ARMMS).

V. Rule Maintenance. The Director shall periodically consult with industry stakeholders, including vehicle owners and drivers and TRDA or RDA representatives, on taximeter testing and the prevalence of using a smart taximeter system to vary fares other than the regional taximeter rates established by SMC or KCC. From this consultation, the Director shall determine the necessity of any changes to this Rule.

VI. Rule Enforcement. The Director shall follow the process outlined herein, as well as the process outlined in a separate rule on an ADS, to verify the compliance of taximeters and smart taximeter systems. The Director shall investigate any passenger complaints about lack of price transparency or other issues concerning taximeter or smart taximeter operation.

The Director shall communicate with the state of Washington to determine the appropriateness of a device registration fee for a smart taximeter. Please see SMC 7.04.645 for more information on device registration fees.