ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

Date: July 19th, 2002
Author/Local: A. Straka/ 871-6427

RTS No. 2883

CC File No. 113

Council: July 30, 2002

TO:	Vancouver City Council
FROM:	Chief License Inspector
SUBJECT:	Amendment to Vehicles for Hire By-Law No. 6066: Clear Glass Requirement for School Shuttle Vans

RECOMMENDATION

A. THAT Council amend Vehicles for Hire By-Law No. 6066 to delete the requirement for school shuttle vans to have clear glass windows that are not tinted but require that any tinting be to factory specifications.

B. THAT Council authorize the Director of Legal Services to bring forward the appropriate bylaw amendment.

GENERAL MANAGER'S COMMENTS

The General Manager of Community Services RECOMMENDS approval of A and B above.

COUNCIL POLICY

The Vancouver Transportation Plan (1997): supports small community buses offering services around neighbourhoods and as a feeder service to the main TransLink services. The Transportation Plan also identifies the need for a substantial increase in transit services to accommodate the growing demand for trips around the city.

Council, by way of the Vehicles for Hire By-Law, Number 6066, licenses and regulates owners and drivers for hire in the City of Vancouver.

On March 14, 2002, Council approved a new School Shuttle Van Vehicles for Hire classification, along with conditions for the licensing of this service carrier. The number
of vehicle licenses for school shuttle van services in the City was restricted to a total of ten (10). By-law No. 8467 which presents the required amendments to the Vehicles for Hire By-law was approved by Council on May 14, 2002.

On June 11, 2002, Council allowed licenses for school shuttle vans to be issued to either the lessee or the registered owner of the vehicles and established an annual license fee for school shuttle vans of $118.00. By-law No. 8496, presenting these amendments to the Vehicles for Hire By-law was approved by Council on June 11, 2002.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this report is to provide justification to Council to amend Vehicles for Hire By-Law No. 6066 to delete the requirement for school shuttle vans to have clear glass windows that are not tinted.

BACKGROUND

On March 14, 2002, Council approved the licensing of a maximum of ten (10) school shuttle vans in the City of Vancouver subject to certain conditions for the licensing of this service carrier. The school shuttle vans will transport children, from preschoolers up to grade 12 exclusively, to and from schools within the City of Vancouver.

One of the conditions of licensing requires that there is unrestricted vision through all windows of school shuttle vans and that the windows are clear glass and are not tinted. The only other vehicle for hire that shares this requirement is a taxicab. Safety is the reason that clear glass windows are required for these two service providers as passengers can be seen at all times from outside of the vehicle.

DISCUSSION

Since Council approved the licensing of School Shuttle Vans in the City, staff have been approached by two individuals interested in undertaking this type of business. One individual expressed a desire to run a single vehicle as his own business, while the other was seeking information on the licensing of four vehicles, each to be driven by a separate operator, under a franchise called "Kids Coach". The "Kids Coach" School Shuttle Van business has been in operation in Richmond for over nine years and also operates in other municipalities in the Lower Mainland.

The make and model of all five of the vehicles proposed to be used as School Shuttle Vans are Chevrolet Astro Passenger Vans. All of these vehicles are also already under lease for the intended school shuttle van service. The vehicles comply with the requirements of licensing with the sole exception of having deep tinted windows along the sides and at the rear of the vehicle. This is contrary to the condition of licensing which stipulates that the windows of School Shuttle Vans must be clear glass and cannot be tinted. The Astro Passenger Vans are ideal vehicles for this type of business as they are reliable, can transport up to 8 passengers and have ample interior height, space and head room for passenger comfort. "Kids Coach" has been using the Astro Passenger Vans for over nine years in Richmond and in other municipalities in the Lower Mainland and have had no problems with the tinted glass. In fact, they claim that the dark tint is the best for their child passengers as it keeps them cool and comfortable in very hot weather.

Research conducted by staff indicates that there are only two comparable passenger vans on the market, the Chevrolet Astro Passenger Van and the GMC Safari Passenger Van. Both of these vehicles satisfy the needs of School Shuttle van operators, however, neither can be ordered from the manufacturer without the dark tinted windows at the rear and sides of the vehicle. As there is no option available to buy either of these vehicles with clear glass, the only means of satisfying the City's clear glass requirement would be for the School Shuttle Van operator to either have the dark tinted windows replaced with clear glass at a considerable expense or lease/purchase another make/model of vehicle.

Although many of the mini-vans available on the market today may share the same vehicle carrying capacity and some base models can be ordered with clear glass, they have a smaller chassis with considerably less interior height room and overall space. These type of vehicles are clearly not as suitable for a School Shuttle Van service as the Astro passenger vans, already leased out by the interested parties.

Another possible vehicle option for a School Shuttle Van Service is the Dodge Truck Ram Wagon or the Ford Club Wagon. However, both of these vehicles have a truck chassis, a substantially greater passenger carrying capacity and are considerably more expensive than the Astro Passenger Vans. The specifications for these type of vehicles go above and beyond what this type of service requires.

Therefore, staff recommend that Council amend Vehicles for Hire By-Law No. 6066 to delete the requirement for school shuttle vans to have clear glass windows that are not tinted.
COMMENTS

The Police Department has indicated that the Astro Passenger Van vehicles under consideration for licensing as School Shuttle Vans would be acceptable on the condition that the tinted glass is the standard factory tinting. Any additional tinting of the vehicle's windows after it has arrived from the manufacturer would be unacceptable for licensing.

CONCLUSION

Further to Council's approval of school shuttle vans, five individuals have expressed interest in licensing vehicles for this use. The five vehicles comply with the conditions of licensing with the exception of having deep tinted windows at the sides and rear of the vehicle. This is contrary to the condition of licensing which stipulates that the windows of School Shuttle Vans must be clear glass and cannot be tinted.

Staff have reviewed this requirement in consultation with the Police Department. While passenger safety is a prime concern, it does not appear that the standard factory tinting will compromise the safety of the children. Given the fact that these vehicles come standard with tinted glass, staff is of the opinion that it is appropriate to delete this requirement.

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(c) 1998 City of Vancouver