Chattanooga Taxicab Regulatory Board Meeting – May 7, 2026
Chattanooga Taxicab Regulatory Board Meeting – May 7, 2026
The Chattanooga Taxicab Regulatory Board met on May 7, 2026, at 19:32 UTC to handle routine approvals, hear updates on ongoing legal matters, and address operational compliance concerns. Key actions included approving driver permit renewals and a taxi inspection, discussing the status of Mercury Transportation’s lawsuit, and voting to invite Mercury Transportation’s attorney to the June meeting over alleged unlicensed operations.
Consent Calendar
- Minutes Approval: The board unanimously approved the minutes from the April 2026 meeting.
- Driver Permit Renewals: Approved renewals for Vernon Owens (Mercury), Nathaniel Rochelle (Mercury), and Rashid Patel (Nuga Taxi). All fees and paperwork were completed.
- Taxi Inspection: Approved the inspection for Mercury Cab 267; all fees and paperwork were completed.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Norman Freeman (Uptown Taxi): Mr. Freeman stated he has completed all required paperwork, including background checks, DOT physical, driver permit application, passenger-for-hire certificate, and community petitions. He expressed readiness to submit the materials to Inspector Moser. The board informed him that a public hearing would be required once the regulatory committee approves the application.
- Jonathan Easter (Nuga Taxi): Reported progress at City Council on taxi rate matters, noting Councilman Ron Elliott is actively working on ordinance rewording. He also raised concerns about Mercury Transportation’s alleged violations (name/color similarity, flat-rate pricing, past incident with Tanisa Fletcher). He questioned whether Mercury Transportation is immune from accountability due to the pending lawsuit and argued the lawsuit concerns money owed, not business ownership, citing a Tennessee Times Free Press article. He requested the board revisit previously tabled violations.
Discussion Items
- Old Business – Mercury Taxi vs. Mercury Transportation: The board reviewed the status of the pending lawsuit. Attorney Trunnell noted Mercury Transportation has sued the city, and the case remains unresolved. Board members discussed whether pending violations exist; Sergeant (acting for Inspector Moser) stated he was unaware of any current pending violation for Mercury Transportation and noted their permit appeared to have expired with no renewal on file. Mr. Easter argued the company may be operating without a permit. The board discussed the need for a show-cause hearing rather than a citation, based on past practice.
- Taxi Rate Status: The board noted that taxi rate adjustments are still being handled by City Council, and Uptown Taxi’s paperwork was not received by the meeting date (Mr. Freeman later testified he had completed it but had not yet submitted it due to Inspector Moser’s absence).
Key Outcomes
- Motion to Invite Mercury Transportation to June Meeting: Passed unanimously. The board directed that Mercury Transportation’s attorney, Mr. Boston, be invited to the June 2026 board meeting for a show-cause hearing regarding alleged operation without a permit, as well as to address prior unresolved violations (flat-rate pricing, name/color similarity, and the incident with Tanisa Fletcher). The board requested that the evidence from previous social media investigations be circulated to all members.
- Adjournment: The meeting adjourned, followed by a training session.
Meeting Transcript
For May 7, 2026. I want to remind everyone that the application of the sunshine law is in effect. We have minutes that's been distributed to the board members from the April meeting. Do we have a motion to approve the minutes from last meeting? I'd like to make a motion to approve the mo um the minutes from the last meeting. Do we have a second? I'll second it. All in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed. Motion carries. All right, inspector. Yeah, Inspector Mosier's uh out this week, but I'll be standing in for him. Um there were not any uh new driver permits issued. Um our request for drivers uh renewals are uh Mr. Vernon Owens of Mercury, a Nathaniel Rochelle of Mercury, and a Rashid Patel Nuga Taxi. All those fees and paperwork have been paid and completed. All right, all in favor of approving the request for driver permits. Uh excuse me, do we have a motion to approve the driver permits for renewals? I'll make that motion. We have a second second. All in favor say aye. Opposed motion carries uh we have an update on inspections for Mercury Cab 267. Yeah, that's the latest one that we have completed and all fees and paperwork were paid and completed on that one as well. Okay. Then I'm also looking at old business. Uh do we have a motion to approve the uh inspection taxi inspection for 267 Mercury CAD? I'll make the motion. We have a second. Second. All in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed. Motion carries. All right, and we have old business. Um I'm seeing there is no update on the Mercury Taxi versus Mercury Transportation. Uh Attorney Trunnell, do you have any further information that you want to pass along to the board on that? Um I'm not sure that anything has occurred with their um with their lawsuit. Uh Mercury Transportation has filed a lawsuit against the city. Um and that is still pending. All right, thank you. Um, I see that excuse me. The taxi rate is still be work still being worked out by uh city council. And there hasn't been any further contact from Uptown Taxi. The paperwork wasn't received as the date of this gender was printed. Are you from Uptown Taxi, sir? I am sir. All right. Would you mind stepping up here, please? And stating your name.
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