A.Â
Each applicant for a taxicab operator's permit under the terms
of this chapter shall conform to the following regulations. The applicant
shall:
(1)Â
Be at least 18 years of age and possess a valid State of New Jersey
driver's license and be a bona fide resident of the State of
New Jersey for at least one year.
(2)Â
Present the certificate of a duly licensed and qualified physician
certifying that he/she has been examined within the past 30 days and
that he/she is of sound physical condition for the safe operation
of a taxicab.
(3)Â
Be a citizen or a legal resident alien of the United States.
(4)Â
Have not been convicted of a crime and have not violated any provision
of this chapter. A person shall be disqualified from operating a taxicab
if a criminal history record background check reveals a conviction
of any of the following crimes:
(a)Â
In New Jersey or anywhere else: aggravated assault, arson, burglary,
escape, extortion, homicide, kidnapping, robbery, aggravated sexual
assault, sexual assault or endangering the welfare of a child pursuant
to N.J.S.A. 2C:24-4, whether or not armed with or having in his possession
any weapon enumerated in Subsection r of N.J.S.A. 2C:39-1, a crime
pursuant to the provisions of N.J.S.A. 2C:39-3, 2C:39-4, or 2C:39-9,
or a disorderly persons or petty disorderly persons offense for the
unlawful use, possession or sale of a controlled dangerous substance
as defined in N.J.S.A. 2C:35-2.
(b)Â
In any other state, territory, commonwealth, or other jurisdiction of the United States, or any country in the world, as a result of a conviction in a court of competent jurisdiction, a crime which in that other jurisdiction or country is comparable to one of the crimes enumerated in Subsection A(4)(a) of this section.
(5)Â
Not use narcotics or alcoholic beverages while working. To that end,
the Borough Council shall require the applicant to submit to drug
screening at the applicant's expense at a facility approved by
the Borough prior to the initial issuance of a taxicab operator's
permit. The Borough reserves the right to require a permittee to submit
to drug and alcohol screening at the applicant's expense upon
renewal of a taxicab operator's permit pursuant to the appropriate
federal or state laws.
(6)Â
Produce affidavits of his/her good character from at least two reputable
citizens who have known him/her personally for at least two years.
(7)Â
Fill out, upon a form provided by the Municipal Clerk, his/her full
name, residence, places of residence for the preceding five years,
place of birth, previous employment, whether he/she has ever been
convicted of a crime, including traffic violations or a violation
of this chapter, and whether his/her driver's license has ever
been revoked and for what cause, which statement shall be signed and
sworn to by the applicant and filed with the Municipal Clerk.
B.Â
He/she shall also furnish four copies of passport-size photographs, front view. The driver shall not be required to display his/her residence or other personal information to the public other than that information required by § 413-23.
C.Â
The applicant shall also indicate in the application form any conviction
for violations of any of the provisions of the motor vehicle laws
of the State of New Jersey, as well as any convictions for motor vehicle
violations from any state or territory of the United States of America,
for a period of five years antedating the date of the application.
D.Â
The applicant, every two years, shall be fingerprinted and cleared,
at his own expense, and the print shall be placed on file with the
Penns Grove Police Department.
E.Â
The applicant shall indicate on the application form any criminal
conviction.
The taxicab operator's permit fee for each driver of a
taxicab shall be $25 per year. The permit period shall extend from
January 1 to December 31. The fee imposed herein shall be to defray
the cost of administering, regulating and enforcing this chapter and
to defray the cost of the inspections required pursuant to the terms
of this chapter.
A.Â
Issuance of taxicab operator's permit. Upon satisfactory fulfillment
of the foregoing requirements, the Municipal Clerk shall issue to
the applicant a taxicab operator's permit which shall contain
the photograph and permit number of the operator.
B.Â
Display of taxicab operator's permit. The information referred to in Subsection A herein shall be mounted in a protective holder or bracket sufficient to prevent the permit from being defaced and shall be clearly visible on the dashboard so as to have the information thereon visible to any passenger(s) in the rear seat.
If at any time within the permit year a taxicab driver has been
convicted of a crime or traffic violation, he shall immediately notify
the Municipal Clerk of the conviction, the jurisdiction of the conviction,
the offense for which he was convicted, and the circumstances thereof.
It shall be in the discretion of the Borough Council to revoke his
operator's permit.
Every licensed taxicab operator, while operating a licensed
vehicle for the transportation of passengers for hire in the Borough,
shall be properly attired in a clean shirt shall be clean-shaven or
possess a neatly trimmed beard or moustache. It shall be unlawful
for the operator to wear an undershirt as an outer garment while so
employed.