[HISTORY: Adopted by the Bloomfield Council
as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Adopted 11-19-1962 as Ch. 28 of the 1962 Code (Ch. 241
of the 1987 Code)]
For the purposes of this article, the following
words and phrases shall have the meanings, respectively, ascribed
to them by this section:
The driving of an empty taxicab to and fro along a public
street at a slow rate of speed for the obvious purpose of soliciting
passengers.
A public vehicle driven by mechanical power, so designed
and constructed as to comfortably seat not fewer than three persons
inside thereof, exclusive of the driver, which accommodates passengers
for conveyance for hire.
A section of a public street or public place set apart for
the exclusive use of a limited number of taxicabs, when such section
is distinctly marked as such by a metal sign attached to a stanchion
on the curb or other conspicuous place or by clearly visible marks
upon the surface of the street or public place.
A mechanical instrument or device by which the charge for
hire is mechanically calculated either for the distance traveled or
for waiting time, or both, and upon which such charge shall be plainly
indicated by means of figures.
No taxicab shall be licensed until a policy
of insurance shall have been filed with the Township Clerk as provided
for taxicabs and autocabs pursuant to the provisions of N.J.S.A. 48:16-3
and 48:16-4, together with any amendments or supplements adopted or
hereinafter adopted relative thereto.
A.
No person shall keep or use for hire or cause to be
kept or used for hire any taxicab or other motor vehicle for the transportation
of passengers for hire within the Township without having first obtained
a license for that purpose from the Township Clerk.
B.
Effective January 1, 2012, every applicant for such
license shall pay to the Municipal Clerk an annual license fee of
$150 for each taxicab or other motor vehicle for hire.
[Amended 11-15-1976; 10-1-1991; 7-14-1997; 12-1-2003 by Ord. No. 03-47; 11-21-2011 by Ord. No.
11-49; 5-21-2012 by Ord. No. 12-34]
C.
The license shall expire on the 31st day of December
next after issuance.
A.
Every person obtaining a taxicab license must be at
least 21 years of age and a citizen of the United States. Every corporation
obtaining such license must be organized and existing under the laws
of the state and shall maintain an office in the Township.
B.
Every application for such license shall be in writing
and shall state that the applicant is the owner of the vehicle for
which the license is desired. Such application shall also state the
number and make of the vehicle and the number of the license granted
by the state for the operation thereof.
A.
No taxicab license shall be granted under this article
except upon the approval of the Township Council. Every such license
shall state the purpose for which it is granted, the name of the person
to whom it is issued, the number of the license and the date of its
expiration.
B.
The Township Clerk shall keep a register of all licenses
granted and shall file the application for such licenses and number
them to correspond with the numbers of such licenses.
A.
No person, other than the owner, shall operate any
taxicab or other motor vehicle for the transportation of passengers
for hire within the Township without having first obtained a license
as a driver from the Township Clerk, and no person under the age of
18 years shall be so licensed.
B.
Effective January 1, 2012, every applicant for a driver's
license required by the preceding subsection shall pay to the Township
Clerk the sum of $50 for the use of the Township and shall receive
a license from the Township Clerk.
[Amended 11-15-1976; 11-2-1987; 10-1-1991; 12-1-2003 by Ord. No. 03-47; 11-21-2011 by Ord. No.
11-49; 5-21-2012 by Ord. No. 12-34]
C.
Each license shall expire on December 31 next after
its issuance.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. I)]
Every application for a driver's license required by § 526-6A shall be in writing and shall state the name, post office address and age of the applicant and shall be accompanied by a photograph of the applicant. Each applicant for a taxicab driver's license shall be subject to a criminal history record background check in accordance with N.J.S.A. 48:16-3b.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Former § 28-9, Driver's
badge, which immediately followed this section, was repealed 11-2-1987.
Any driver's license or taxicab license granted
under this article may be suspended or revoked by the Township Council
upon good cause shown. During such suspension or after such revocation,
such license shall be inoperative.
[Amended 8-19-1968; 8-12-1974; 12-17-1979; 6-15-1981; 9-21-1981; 5-1-1989; 4-24-2017 by Ord. No. 17-16]
A.
The prices which may be charged by the owners of taxicabs and other
motor vehicles licensed under this article shall be as follows:
(1)
Local rates: $5.50 for the first mile and $0.35 for each additional
1/8 of a mile (i.e., $2.80 per mile). Local rates are for transportation
between any two points in Bloomfield and/or Glen Ridge, plus trips
originating in Bloomfield and destined to Mountainside Hospital, Columbus
Hospital, Clara Maass Hospital and Montclair Community Hospital (or
originating at the hospital and destined to Bloomfield).
(2)
Out-of-town-rates: $5.50 for the first mile and $0.75 for each 1/4
mile (i.e., $3 per mile).
(3)
Waiting time. Waiting time will be $21 per hour, calculated at $0.35
per minute.
B.
A single fare shall be charged for any group of passengers boarding
the taxicab at the same point and discharging from the taxicab at
the same point.
C.
The first passenger to board a cab has the option of permitting the
driver to pick up or not to pick up additional passengers going in
the same direction.
D.
There shall be no extra charge for a reasonable amount of hand luggage
or for a reasonable quantity of bundles when a passenger is picked
up at a supermarket or shopping area.
E.
If a meter is inoperative, the taxicab shall either be withdrawn
from service or else not used for local work. It can only be used
for out-of-town trips where flat rates prevail.
F.
In situations where a dispute arises with respect to the fare, the
passenger shall, upon demand, receive a signed receipt for the amount
of the payment made, and they may thereafter take the matter up for
adjustment with the Police Department or taxi company. It shall be
the obligation of the taxicab company to see that each driver has
an adequate supply of proper receipts to give passengers. If a passenger
advises a driver at the start of a trip that a receipt will be requested,
the receipt should have the starting mileage, the mileage at the end
of the trip, the fare paid and the date of the trip and shall be signed
by the driver.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. I)]
Every taxicab or other motor vehicle for hire licensed under the provisions of this article shall have an appropriate taximeter, showing the charge for each trip on the basis of the schedule in § 526-9.
Every taxicab or other motor vehicle for hire licensed under the provisions of this article shall have the license number of such vehicle displayed thereon in a conspicuous place, and there shall also be fixed in every such vehicle, so that it can be conveniently read by any person therein, a card containing the name and post office address of the owner of the vehicle and the rates of fare established by § 526-9.
It shall be the duty of the Police Department
to inspect, from time to time, all taxicabs and other motor vehicles
for hire licensed under the provisions of this article.
A.
The Police Department is hereby authorized, subject
to the approval of the Council, to designate such places for public
stands for such vehicles as it may deem proper and to make such regulations
for the use of such stands as may be necessary to preserve order and
promote public convenience. No conveyance which is not eligible for
business on call shall be allowed to stand at any such public stand.
B.
No owner or driver of any motor vehicle licensed under
this article shall permit the vehicle to stand at any railroad station
or place of public assemblage or entertainment, except in such places
as shall be designated by the Police Department, nor shall they permit
the vehicle to stand in front of the entrance to any store or other
building without the consent of the occupant thereof or of the Police
Department.
In case of any disagreement between the driver
of any vehicle licensed under this article and a passenger therein
as to the amount of fare which the driver is entitled to receive,
it shall be the duty of such driver, at the request of the passenger,
to convey the passenger to the police station and thereto submit the
question to the officer in charge thereof, and the determination of
such question by the officer shall be final as between the passenger
and the driver.
No owner or driver of any motor vehicle licensed
under this article shall:
A.
Solicit patronage in a noisy, persistent or offensive
manner, use indecent or profane language, annoy travelers or employ
any other person to solicit patronage or, when their vehicle is not
engaged, refuse to carry any orderly person and their ordinary traveling
baggage to any place in the Township.
B.
Induce any person to employ them by intentionally
misinforming or misleading such person as to the time or place of
the arrival or departure of any train or other public conveyance or
as to the location of any hotel, public place or residence within
the Township, nor shall any such owner or driver deceive any person
or make false representations to them or convey any passenger to any
other place or over any other route than that to which such passenger
has instructed them to go.
C.
Extort or demand from any passenger any sum other
than they are entitled to receive under the provisions of this article.
D.
Drive the same in a reckless manner or at a speed
in excess of that allowed by law. Any person so offending shall be
liable to a revocation of their driver's license by the Township Council.
E.
Seek employment by repeatedly and persistently driving
their taxicab to and fro in a short space before or by otherwise interfering
with the proper and orderly access to or egress from any theater,
hall, hotel, public resort, railway station or other place of public
gathering.
F.
Invite or permit loitering within or near their taxicab.
Every driver of a taxicab, immediately after
the termination of any hiring or employment, must carefully search
such taxicab for any property lost or left therein; any such property,
unless sooner claimed or delivered to the owner, must be reported,
in writing, by the driver or owner of the taxicab to the Traffic Bureau
at police headquarters, with brief particulars and a description of
the property, forthwith after the finding thereof.
[Added 11-2-1987; amended 5-5-2008 by Ord. No. 08-18]
Any person who violates any of the provisions of this article shall, upon conviction thereof, be punished as provided in § 1-15, General penalty, of this Code.
[Adopted 9-15-1992 (Ch. 174 of the 1987 Code)]
As used in this article, the following terms
shall have the meanings indicated:
Any automobile or motor car used in the business of carrying
passengers for hire to provide prearranged passenger transportation
at a premium fare on a dedicated, nonscheduled, charter basis that
is not conducted on a regular route and with a seating capacity of
no more than 14 passengers, not including the driver, provided that
such a vehicle is certified by the manufacturer of the original vehicle
and the second-stage manufacturer, if applicable, to conform to all Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standards promulgated by the United States Department
of Transportation pursuant to 49 CFR Part 571 and 49 CFR Part 567.
In addition, a "vehicle emission control information" label, which
contains the name and trademark of the manufacturer and an unconditional
statement of compliance with the emission requirements of the Environmental
Protection Agency, shall be present on the vehicle. Nothing in this
article shall be construed to include taxicabs, hotel buses or buses
employed solely in transporting schoolchildren or teachers or autobuses,
which are subject to the jurisdiction of the Department of Transportation,
or interstate autobuses required by federal or state laws or rules
of the Department of Transportation to carry insurance against loss
from liability imposed by law on account of bodily injury or death.
[Amended 3-28-2022 by Ord. No. 22-19]
Includes the business of carrying passengers for hire by
autocabs.
Includes any individual, copartnership, association, corporation
or joint-stock company, their lessees, trustees or receivers appointed
by any court whatsoever.
The location of the main place of business of the limousine
service in the municipality where limousine service is conducted,
where limousines are dispatched, or where limousine drivers report
for duty.
[Added 3-28-2022 by Ord. No. 22-19]
Includes any street, avenue, park, parkway, highway or other
public place.
Application for licenses for limousines or private
livery automobiles shall be made by the owners, lessee or bailee upon
forms to be furnished by the Township Clerk, and such application
shall contain the full name and address of the owner, lessee or bailee
and also the applicant, the type of vehicle for which the license
is desired, the length of time the vehicle has been in use, the number
of persons it is capable of carrying and the location where the limousine
shall be stored when not in use. The application shall have affixed
thereon an affidavit to be sworn to by the applicant. Applicants must
present proof that the principal place of business is in the Township
of Bloomfield, New Jersey. Acceptable proof is a current New Jersey
driver's license, motor vehicle registration or a copy of a tax bill
or lease if the location is in a business or commercial zone. In all
residential zones, applicants will be limited to a single vehicle.
[Amended 5-5-1997; 7-14-1997; 4-15-2002 by Ord. No. 02-17; 12-1-2003 by Ord. No. 03-47; 11-21-2011 by Ord. No. 11-49; 5-21-2012 by Ord. No. 12-34; 3-28-2022 by Ord. No. 22-19]
A.
No private
livery automobile or limousine shall operate hereafter upon the streets
of the Township of Bloomfield without first obtaining a license, which
license shall be issued to expire 12 months next succeeding the date
of registration and insurance renewal, unless sooner suspended or
revoked by the Mayor and Council. The annual fee to be paid for such
license for each vehicle with a seating capacity of no more than nine
passengers, not including the driver, shall be the sum of $150 per
year or any portion thereof. The annual fee to be paid for such license
for each vehicle with a seating capacity of no more than 14 passengers,
not including the driver, shall be the sum of $300 per year or any
portion thereof.
B.
No person
shall operate any livery automobile or limousine for hire within the
Township without having first obtained a license as a driver from
the Municipal Clerk, and no person under the age of 18 years shall
be so licensed. The annual fee to be paid for such operator (driver)
license shall be the sum of $50 per year or any portion thereof.
C.
The fee
to be paid for each replacement vehicle shall be 1/2 of the annual
fee.
[Amended 4-16-2001 by Ord. No. 01-10]
No such autocab, limousine or livery service
shall be operated wholly or partly along any street in the Township
of Bloomfield until the owner of the autocab, limousine or livery
service shall have filed with the Township Clerk of Bloomfield an
insurance policy of a company duly licensed to transact business under
the insurance laws of this state in the sum of $1,500,000, required
to be provided by law against loss by reasons of the liability imposed
by law upon every autocab, limousine or livery service owner for damages
on account of bodily injury or death suffered by any person as the
result of an accident occurring by reason of the ownership, maintenance
or use of the autocab, limousine or livery service upon any public
street. The insurance policy shall provide for the payment of any
final judgment recovered by any person on account of the ownership,
maintenance and use of such autocab, limousine or livery service or
any fault in respect thereto and shall be for the benefit of every
person suffering loss, damage or injury in the aforesaid.
The owner of the autocab, limousine or livery
service shall execute and deliver to the Clerk of the municipality
a power of attorney wherein and whereby the owner shall appoint the
Chief Fiscal Officer of the Township of Bloomfield their true and
lawful attorney for the purpose of acknowledging service of any process
out of a court of competent jurisdiction to be served upon the insured
by virtue of the indemnity granted under the insurance policy filed.
No limousine licensed under this article is
permitted to display any form of advertising on the vehicle either
by painted lettering or affixed placards.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. I)]
The Township Clerk, upon the filing of the required
insurance policy, shall issue a certificate, in duplicate, showing
that the owner of the autocab, limousine or livery service has complied
with the terms and provisions of this article. Such certificate shall
recite the name of the insurance company, the number and date of expiration
of the policy, a description of every autocab, limousine or livery
service insured thereunder and the registration of the same. A duplicate
certificate shall be filed with the Motor Vehicle Commission before
any such car is registered as an autocab, limousine or livery service.
The original certificate shall be posted in a conspicuous place within
the autocab, limousine or livery service.
Nothing in this article shall exempt any person
owning or operating any autocab, limousine or livery service from
complying with the law relating to the ownership, registration and
operation of automobiles in this state.
The Mayor and Council may, in its discretion
and after notice and hearing, refuse to issue or renew, revoke or
suspend any license issued to autocab, limousine or livery service
owners under this article where the applicant or licensee has once
been convicted of a crime in this or any other jurisdiction or twice
convicted of being a disorderly person or in violation of Title 39
of the Motor Vehicle and Traffic Regulations of the Revised Statutes
of New Jersey, or who has violated any provision of this article or
has any judgment of record unsatisfied against them arising out of
an automobile accident, or who has failed or fails to render a reasonably
prompt, safe and adequate formal, private automobile livery or limousine
service or has not complied fully will all of the requirements of
this article for such class of license.
[Amended 5-5-2008 by Ord. No. 08-18]
Any person, firm or corporation violating any of the provisions of this article shall be, upon conviction thereof, punished as provided in § 1-15 of this Code, in the discretion of the court, and in addition thereto, the license provided by this article shall be suspended, pending action by the Mayor and Township Council with respect to suspension or revocation of said license in accordance with the terms of this article. It shall be the duty of the Judge to notify the Mayor and Township Council of all convictions for violations of the terms of this article.
