[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Commissioners
of the City of Ventnor City 5-19-2005 by Ord. No. 2005-11. Amendments noted where applicable.]
As used in this chapter, the following terms
shall have the meanings indicated:
The City of Ventnor City.
Any person who operates a taxicab.
Transporting, or accepting for transport, one or more passengers
for hire by a taxicab from one point within City limits to another
point within or from a point within City limits to a point outside
of the City limits. The operation of a taxicab by a driver other than
the owner of said cab shall be deemed to be operation by the owner
as well as by the person actually driving said cab.
An individual who is the named titled holder of a taxicab
registered with the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission and is listed
as the owner of the taxicab in the Ventnor City application for taxicab
owner license. Owner and holder are one and the same.
Includes any Ventnor City street, avenue, park, highway or
public roadway, whether or not same is paved or unimproved.
A motor vehicle commonly called a "taxi" or "cab" which is
used, offered or advertised for use for the common carriage and conveyance
of passengers for hire from any place within the City to any other
place within or outside of Ventnor City.
Taxicab owner license. A Ventnor City mercantile
license issued to the individual named as titled owner of a vehicle
registered with New Jersey Department of Motor Vehicles whose application
for a license has been approved pursuant to this chapter. Said license
shall entitle the designated vehicle equipped as a taxicab to pick
up passengers within the City's limits and to otherwise lawfully operate
until said license is expired or suspended or forfeited. The City
may limit the total number of licenses to be issued. Each vehicle
must obtain a separate license, and at no time may a license be transferred,
rented out, sold, or subleased by the owner.
A.
All applications for a taxicab owner license and each
renewal thereof shall be in writing on a form established by the City
Clerk.
B.
Completed applications shall be filed in person with
the City Clerk who shall submit the application to the Chief of Police
or his designee for approval. No application shall be deemed to be
complete without proof that the applicant is at least 18 years of
age and a citizen of the United States of America or a lawful resident
of the United States. No license will be issued by the City Clerk
until the police investigation is completed and all requirements of
this chapter have been met.
C.
The application for a taxicab owner license must be
completed and presented in person by the owner of the vehicle registered
with the New Jersey Department of Motor Vehicles. The owner must possess
a valid photo New Jersey driver's license which must be current at
the time of application. The applicant shall be required to complete
and provide documented proof of the following:
(1)
Name, date of birth, place of birth, social security
and federal ID number and legal address of New Jersey residence.
(2)
New Jersey motor vehicle registration, serial number,
make, model and year of vehicle, State of New Jersey insurance identification
card with insurance policy declaration page and applicant's New Jersey
operator license.
(3)
An official certified abstract of driving record showing
violations over the preceding five years must be obtained by applicant
and submitted before an initial or renewal application will be processed.
(4)
All applications must contain a phone number where
the applicant can be reached on a twenty-four-hour emergency basis.
It shall be the burden of the applicant to continually inform the
City of Ventnor as to any changes in said emergency telephone number.
D.
All applications shall be filed in the City Clerk's
office. No application will be accepted for processing unless completed
in its entirety and signed with all documents attached.
A.
The original application for a taxicab owner license
and each renewal submitted to the City Clerk shall be accompanied
by proof of insurance coverage showing the prepaid premium written
by an insurance company duly licensed by the State of New Jersey.
Said insurance policy shall be in the minimum amount stated on the
application and shall name the City of Ventnor as additional insured
and shall include the provision that in the event of cancellation
of the policy for any reason, a thirty-day notice of cancellation
shall be given to the City of Ventnor.
B.
When a vehicle insurance policy expires subsequent
to the issuance of the license, the owner must present the new insurance
card, policy cover sheet and declaration page to the City Clerk. All
taxi operation shall be considered suspended until such required proof
of valid insurance is submitted. The taxicab owner license shall be
forfeited immediately upon any lapse in insurance coverage.
The City may refuse to issue a license to any
person who submits an application containing false or misleading information
or presents any fraudulent document. The City may suspend or revoke
any license operating in violation of the provisions of this chapter.
A.
Each taxicab shall prominently display in its interior
the schedule of rates and fares to be charged. Rates and fares charged
by Ventnor taxicabs may be less than but not exceed the rates set
by the City of Atlantic City. Each taxi owner shall file the schedule
of rates and fares with the City Clerk.
B.
No taxicab driver shall accept an additional passenger
unless requested by the first passenger employing said taxi.
C.
The licensed owner shall require each driver to maintain
a separate trip log sheet confirming the license plate of the taxi,
the driver's name and driver's license number and shall include the
time and place of a passenger acceptance and the time and place of
discharge. All records must be kept for at least one year and shall
be open at all times for inspection by any duly authorized law enforcement
officer.
A.
Each taxicab shall have on the outside of the taxicab,
on both sides thereof, the word "taxi," "cab" or "taxicab" in letters
at least four inches in height, as well as a name under which the
owner is operating the said vehicle.
B.
Each taxicab shall affix in an interior spot convenient
to the passengers a card at least three inches by five inches in size,
with the name of the owner, the license plate number of the car and
the year of issuance.
C.
Each driver of a taxicab shall have displayed, in
a prominent place in the interior of the taxicab, the individual taxicab
driver's name with a photo of the driver affixed thereto which shall
be of such size and placement that the driver is clearly recognized
by photo identification.
D.
For uninterrupted operation, the holder of a taxicab
owner license shall apply for the annual July 1 renewal, prior to
the last week of May. If said license renewal is approved, the City
of Ventnor will issue an insignia which shall be placed for external
identification on the passenger's side window behind the driver.
A.
No holder of a taxicab owner license shall dispatch
a vehicle for hire that is not currently licensed by this City.
B.
No holder of a taxicab owner license shall permit
a suspended or unlicensed operator to drive his taxi or permit anyone
to use his taxi, garage or office for any unlawful purpose.
C.
No holder of a taxicab owner license shall knowingly
conceal any evidence of crime connected with any taxicab, garage or
office of record.
D.
Any person holding a taxicab owner license in the
City of Ventnor shall comply with all provisions of this chapter as
well as all other laws, rules or regulations governing taxicabs.
E.
It is the responsibility of the applicant for the
taxicab owner license to submit any changes in information contained
on the initial application to the City Clerk within five days.
Nothing stated herein or omitted from this chapter
shall be construed to exempt any person owning or operating a taxicab
from compliance with New Jersey statutes applicable to vehicle operation.
No application for a taxicab owner license or
renewal thereof shall be approved until the applicant has completed
and submitted all required documents and the Chief of Police or his
designee has completed the required investigation pursuant to this
chapter.
A.
It is the intent of the City of Ventnor City that
any individual issued a taxicab owner license shall be subject to
the provisions and penalties of this chapter as though they were the
driver.
B.
In the event that a driver of a licensed taxicab is
found guilty of operating without a valid New Jersey driver's license
or operating with a suspended license in this state or any state,
the owner of that taxicab shall forfeit the Ventnor taxicab owner
license.
A maximum of 15 taxicab owner licenses will
be issued.
A.
When a license is surrendered or revoked, the City
shall have the option of retiring said license in order to lessen
the maximum number to be issued.
B.
In the event the City deems a taxicab owner license
available, the new applicant shall pay the full annual fee. No reduction
shall be given for any portion of the year already expired at the
time of the application for said license.
Taxicab dispatch operations may not be operated
from or located on residential property. A dispatch operation must
be licensed in a commercial district.
No taxicab shall be parked upon any street except
for the purpose of picking up or dropping off passengers. This section
is specifically intended to prevent the parking of taxicabs in the
City of Ventnor in any district, whether it be residential or commercial,
except for the stated purpose of picking up or dropping off passengers.
A.
Every person or persons found guilty in a Municipal
Court of competent jurisdiction of violating any of the provisions
of this chapter shall be liable to pay a fine of not more than $1,000
or be imprisoned for a period not to exceed 90 days, or both. Each
succeeding day of violation may be construed as a new violation. In
addition to or as a substitute for the previously mentioned fine,
the imposition of community service shall be authorized as an additional
penalty, which community service shall not exceed 90 days.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. I)]
B.
One violation of this chapter in a period of one year
may entitle the City of Ventnor to hold a hearing to determine whether
any taxicab owner license should be suspended, revoked or forfeited.