Licensing board finds public need, approves 27 taxi permits; ZTrip awarded 25, Regal given 2, Tennessee National denied
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Summary
The Metropolitan Transportation Licensing Commission found a public convenience and necessity for additional taxicab permits and authorized 27 new permits in total — awarding 25 to ZTrip, 2 to Regal Taxi, and denying Tennessee National’s application for 20. Commissioners stressed ADA access and will monitor commitments.
The Metropolitan Transportation Licensing Commission voted to find a public convenience and necessity for additional taxicab permits and approved 27 new permits after a daylong annual hearing on applications from three companies.
ZTrip, a national taxi operator that entered the Nashville market last year, received 25 of the 27 permits the commission approved. ZTrip representatives told the commission they are focused on serving riders with disabilities and committed that “25% of any permits that we're awarded will be ADA accessible,” according to Dwight Kynes, ZTrip’s chief operating officer.
Why it matters: Commissioners said the public record showed a specific shortfall in accessible and reliable rides for some customers, even as several incumbent operators argued the market already contains unused permits and is struggling with driver shortages. The commission’s finding allows staff to add up to 27 permits to the pool; how those permits are ultimately put into service will be tracked by the commission.
What the commission heard: Speakers from incumbent companies and small operators described empty permits in their fleets and driver shortages; one owner, who said he holds 48 unused permits, argued new permits would worsen market instability. ZTrip countered with operational data, saying the company had delivered tens of thousands of rides since its local launch and highlighted wheelchair usage: “11,551 wheelchair trips,” the company’s local operations lead, Hunter Thompson, reported, and said the firm was turning down rides because of capacity constraints.
Legal and procedural limits: Commissioners and Metro Legal repeatedly noted the commission’s limited authority to require that a specific number of permits be used only for wheelchair-accessible vehicles. Legal staff advised that ADA commitments are a legitimate consideration under rule 2-18 when awarding permits, but the code does not give the commission an unconditional power to mandate a fixed percentage of wheelchair-accessible vehicles for each award. Commissioners said they would use companies’ written commitments as a factor and monitor compliance going forward.
Allocation decisions: After debate on need and numbers, the commission apportioned the 27 permits as follows: Regal Taxi (2 permits), ZTrip (25 permits); Tennessee National’s request for 20 additional permits was denied. Commissioners explained the votes as weighing each applicant’s operational plan, history of verified complaints and remediation, ADA commitments and the testimony presented during the hearing.
Next steps and oversight: Commissioners urged staff to compile performance and deployment data so the commission can evaluate whether companies honored ADA or service commitments when the permits are in use. Several members said that if operators fail to meet commitments, the commission can take future permitting decisions into account.
Staff and authorities: The commission’s decision referenced rule 2-18 (criteria for awarding additional permits) and the public hearing record. Staff said they will follow up in subsequent meetings with verification data on how the newly issued permits are deployed.
Votes and formal actions: The commission voted to find a public convenience and necessity for additional taxicab permits and then voted to set the total at 27. Regal’s request for 2 permits was approved, Tennessee National’s request for 20 was denied, and ZTrip’s request for 25 was approved. Specific roll-call tallies for the motions were taken by voice vote or recorded on the record where noted.
