After three years as a taxicab driver, Marvin Coggins has had his share of trouble keeping clean and smelling fresh.
Dressed neatly in a yellow shirt, a brown vest and a blue baseball cap while waiting Wednesday for his turn to transport passengers from Salt Lake International Airport, he had plenty to say about government regulations."Did you ever have to go to a bar and pick up a wino - someone rolling in feces?" he asks.
Coggins says he has, often. He's also had customers with dogs who relieved themselves in the back seat of his cab.
While he cleans his car after every such experience, Coggins and many other taxi drivers - most of them independent contractors - don't like City Hall telling them they have to do so.
But that's what members of the Salt Lake City Council will grapple with next month. A committee has submitted a proposed ordinance that would, among other things, establish appearance and grooming standards for taxi drivers who operate within the city.
The ordinance would require drivers to keep their clothes neat, clean and repaired. Body odor would be outlawed. So would sweat pants or athletic clothes. An early version of the ordinance even specifies that drivers not expose certain body parts and that shorts must come at least 10 inches below the crotch.
The ordinance also requires cab drivers to be courteous and to take the shortest possible routes to their destinations. It also mandates that taxis be kept in good condition, and it lists several requirements. Among them - rust spots can be no larger than 2 inches in diameter.
If a customer complains about any of these problems, or if airport officials uncover any of them during unannounced spot checks, the driver could be fined. Most offenses probably would cost between $10 and $40. But the maximum fine would be $500.
Drivers who persist in being sloppy could lose the privilege of working at the airport. The city would attach electronic devices beneath each cab. If a taxi has been barred from the airport, the devices would keep it from entering through taxi toll booths.
"These are really pretty minimal standards," said Jodi Howick, assistant city attorney. Drivers can appeal for exemptions if they have a compelling reason to dress a certain way.
The ordinance was drafted after Mayor Deedee Corradini formed a committee last year to study problems in the city's transportation industries. The committee's charge was to find ways to better care for visitors and to enhance the city's image.
Other cities have wrestled with similar issues in recent years. In Philadelphia last fall, a nonprofit group called PhilaPride sponsored a one-day "finishing school" for cab drivers, teaching them about hygiene and air fresheners, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Salt Lake Airport Director Louis Miller, chairman of the committee that wrote the ordinance, said cab company owners, hotel officials and others were involved.
"We have had complaints from people about cab drivers and hotel shuttle drivers as well," he said. Tourism officials believe cab drivers are important to the city's image. "They're the first and last things you see."
Cab company owners appear to be happy with the proposed rules. Kirby Jackson, who co-owns City Cab Co. with his brother, said the ordinance would make it easier for him to control the appearance of his drivers.
"We're all in favor of certain standards," he said. "We don't want anybody showing their belly buttons. We had a gal last summer who wore halter tops. That doesn't go to serving the public. If we have a city ordinance, we can back our own standards up better. We can tell them to go home."
Some drivers agree.
"I go along with it," said Robert McCardle, who owns a Ute Cab station wagon that is spotless, with shiny metal added in various places to make it sparkle. "People get into my cab and they think it looks nice. That makes a difference."
But while other drivers agree with cleanliness in principle, they don't like the idea of City Hall forcing it on them. Virtually all the drivers who were lined up at the airport Wednesday complained about their expenses, including outlays for car repairs and to cab companies and the city.
"If the city is so concerned about the cab industry, they should make it so cab drivers can make enough money," said well-dressed cab driver Bob Martin.