State ex rel. Schafer v. City of Spokane

Citations

• 109 Wash. 360

Syllabus

<p>Municipal Corporations (354)—Licenses (5)—Use oe Streets— Vehicles—License Tax. Streets, being devoted primarily to general and public, and not special or private uses, fall within the plenary legislative powers, so that a license for the operation of motor vehicles for hire is in the nature of a concession by the public, and within the discretion of the city council to grant or withhold as shall be found for the best interests of the public.</p> <p>Same (354)—Use of Streets—Regulation of Jitneys—Statutes. Municipal regulation of jitney- busses is not precluded by Rem. Code, § 5562-1 et seq., requiring persons operating passenger motor vehicles for hire in cities of the first class to obtain a license, etc., this act being intended only as general state legislation subject to additional local legislation not inconsistent therewith.</p> <p>Constitutional Law (113)—Equal Protection of the Laws— Class Legislation — Carriers — Jitney Busses — Regulation. An ordinance regulating jitney busses in a city does not deny the equal protection of the laws or deny to persons privileges and immunities which upon the same terms belong to other persons, in violation of the state and Federal constitutions, in that its provisions are not made applicable to street cars, taxicabs, automobiles for hire, stages running to points outside the city, and others; since the business of jitney busses differs from all these and the effect of the constitutional limitations merely is to prohibit arbitrary and unreasonable classifications, and require only that the regulations operate alike upon all those similarly affected.</p>