Seattle allows cab drivers to wear 'uniform' of their choice

THE King could be your cab driver under Seattle's new taxi driver dress code.

The City Council voted on Monday night to approve legislation that would allow drivers to sport rhinestone capes, blue suede shoes or whatever other appropriate costume they wish.

"Uh, a-thank you verrah much," cabbie Dave Groh, an Elvis Presley impersonator, said after the vote.

It was Groh's case that prompted the change to the city's 1997 taxi dress code. Adopting an Elvis look after the September 11 terrorist attacks in hopes of bringing some levity to the city, Groh pleased many passengers, but drew the ire of taxi inspectors.

He was fined $60 last spring for not wearing the required black pants and a crisp shirt. After losing an appeal of the fine, the 37-year-old cab driver filed a lawsuit, which he has now agreed to drop.

Under the new law, any driver choosing to wear a costume must pick a "readily identifiable and generally well-known public figure, personality or fictional character."

Outfits can't include masks, can't depict police officers or firefighters, and can't be skimpy. They also have to be approved by the cab association for which the driver works, and drivers have to post photos of themselves inside their cabs in and out of costume.

The legislation will take effect unless Mayor Greg Nickels vetoes it; his spokeswoman was not immediately able to say what he planned to do.

Groh, who has been driving since 1999, said he doesn't worry about whether the change in the law will result in competition and that he wouldn't be surprised to see some cab drivers dressed as Santa Claus.