Biloxi City Council Continues Taxi Cab Debate

Tuesday night, the Biloxi City Council will once again take up the issue of taxi cab regulations. Three cities in Harrison County: Gulfport, D’Iberville, and Pass Christian have already enacted taxi cab ordinances, allowing police to enforce the rules set by the Motor Vehicle for Hire Commission.

Biloxi is the last city to pass an ordinance, but it has already tabled the issue several times. The Motor Vehicle for Hire Commission sets rules for taxi cabs, such as requiring special insurance and vehicle inspections. One member of the Biloxi City Council, Robert Deming III, tells News 25 he will vote against the ordinance on the grounds that it is bad for the taxi industry.

Deming says, “I don’t disagree with regulation in the sense that it creates public safety for the markets that are out there, but understanding that as legislators, we have to create laws that aren’t burdensome, they aren’t dually harmful to the markets themselves.”

According to Deming, Biloxi is important to the taxi industry because many people from out of town use taxis to get to casinos and Keesler Air Force Base.