If you have ever run across an irritable taxi driver in Cincinnati, it may have been his pants.

        An obscure city regulation forbids licensed cabdrivers in Cincinnati from wearing shorts — even in the summer, sometimes in cars without air conditioning.

        Councilman Paul Booth wants to change that.

        Thursday, he introduced a motion at Cincinnati City Council directing the city manager to rewrite regulations governing taxi operations to allow taxi drivers to wear short pants.

        Queen City bus drivers, Mr. Booth said, can wear shorts in the summer, as long as they are no more than 3 inches above the knee. Taxi drivers, the councilman said, should have the same comfort level.

        “I'm not talking about having them wear Daisy Duke shorts,” said Mr. Booth, referring to the hot-pants-wearing character played by Catherine Bach on the old Dukes of Hazard TV show.

        Mr. Booth said he brought the issue before council after being contacted by several taxi drivers.

        City Manager John Shirey said he would follow through with a rewrite of the rules.

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