No taxicab shall operate along any street in the City without first obtaining a valid City of Paterson taxicab registration for said vehicle, except where said vehicle is operated within the City merely to discharge a passenger(s) and said motor vehicle already has a valid license from another municipality, then rather than a City of Paterson taxicab registration, consent of this City is required before said vehicle may operate here. Such consent is deemed given where said vehicle is in compliance with State of New Jersey minimum insurance requirements.
A. 
All applications for a taxicab registration or its renewal should be made upon forms furnished by the Taxi Division.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code; see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I.
B. 
The application shall contain:
(1) 
The type of vehicle ownership, i.e., individual, joint individuals, corporation, partnership or sole proprietor.
(2) 
The full name of the vehicle's owner and, if the vehicle is owned by a corporation or other organization, the name of at least one individual who will serve as the agent for purposes of service of notices. This provision, however, shall not be a bar to proper service where service is made upon another individual or entity and such service is otherwise valid under the laws of the State of New Jersey.
(3) 
The mailing address and actual residential address of the party(s) named in Subsection B(2) and, where the owner is a corporation, the mailing address and actual residential address of all officers and all shareholders who own at least 10% of the corporation.
(4) 
Where the owner is a corporation, a copy of the corporation's Articles of Incorporation shall also be filed with the application.
(5) 
The year, make, model, vehicle identification number and an accurate odometer reading from the vehicle.
(6) 
The passenger capacity of the vehicle.
(7) 
A copy of the title and the valid insurance identification card for the vehicle.
(8) 
Any other information deemed necessary by the Director of the Taxicab Division.
A. 
The Taxicab Division shall supervise all vehicles registered under this Part 1 to see that they are kept in a condition of fitness for public use. To this end, the Taxicab Division shall inspect all proposed taxicabs prior to the applicant being issued a taxicab registration and at least twice a year thereafter.
B. 
Prior to inspection by the Taxicab Division, all taxicabs or proposed taxicabs must first pass the regular State of New Jersey motor vehicle inspection.
C. 
No taxicab registered under this Part 1 shall be operated on any street within the City of Paterson without both a valid New Jersey vehicle inspection sticker and a valid City of Paterson taxicab inspection sticker.
D. 
No vehicle registered under this Part 1 shall be issued a taxicab inspection sticker until it has been thoroughly and carefully inspected and found to be safe for the transportation of passengers, clean both on the interior as well as the exterior, well painted and otherwise in good condition and of good appearance.
E. 
No vehicle shall be issued a taxicab inspection sticker until its taximeter has been thoroughly and carefully inspected and found to be operating accurately.
[Amended 1-24-1995 by Ord. No. 95-002; 12-19-2013 by Ord. No. 13-053; 8-16-2022 by Ord. No. 22-050]
A. 
No vehicle shall be placed in service as a taxicab that is older than model year 2012. Only vehicles in model years 2012 and newer may be used as taxicabs, provided they pass all state inspections.
A registration issued under this Part 1 shall be for a period commencing on April 1 of the year of issuance and ending on March 31 of the following year, unless sooner suspended or revoked.
[Amended 9-23-2003 by Ord. No. 03-047; 10-25-2005 by Ord. No. 05-070]
A. 
The number of taxicab medallions issued shall be limited to 250.
[Amended 1-24-2014 by Ord. No. 14-002]
B. 
A taxicab medallion holder shall actively use each taxicab medallion he or she possesses by placing a corresponding car in service for each taxicab medallion he or she possesses within 90 days following issuance of the taxicab medallion. Thereafter, failure to use the corresponding vehicle on a regular basis will be a violation of this subsection and shall serve to bar the holder from being eligible to receive any additional medallions until all medallions the holder already possesses are actively being used on a regular basis. Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to waive the registration, inspection or insurance provisions of this Part 1 or any other provision.
C. 
When additional medallions are available, public notice of which shall be made, and no sooner than 30 days after such notice is given, the additional medallions shall be distributed in accordance with the following procedure:
(1) 
All medallions shall be assigned randomly in a blind draw.
(2) 
Initially, 60% of the available medallions shall be available only to those owners who have fewer than 10 medallions at the time of the distribution.
(3) 
Medallions assigned under Subsection C(2) shall be limited to a maximum number of 10 per each owner, including existing medallions already held by the owner.
(4) 
If, after the distribution or attempted distribution of the initial 60% of the medallions, any remain available, then these shall be distributed along with the other 40% of the available medallions to all applicants, regardless of the number of medallions which each individual applicant already has.
(5) 
Following being awarded a new medallion but before the applicant may place a corresponding vehicle in service, the applicant shall provide a statement from the Zoning and Planning Division of the Department of Community Development that the proposed use is permitted under the zoning ordinances of the City of Paterson at the location in question. In the event that the proposed use is found not to be permitted, then the applicant shall provide a statement from the Department of Community Development that the appropriate variance or other relief has been obtained.
(6) 
Medallion holders shall otherwise comply with the provisions of this Part 1 or else their privilege of possessing a taxicab medallion may be revoked or suspended.
[Amended 11-27-2012 by Ord. No. 12-049]
A. 
An annual fee of $350 per vehicle shall be charged for a taxicab registration, and $50 for each duplicate.
B. 
Where a registration is issued on or after December 1 of any year, the registration fee shall be 1/2 of the annual amount stated in Subsection A of this provision.
A. 
No person, whether owner, lessee, bailee or otherwise, shall operate, cause to be operated or permit to be operated any taxicab unless the owner of the taxicab or proposed taxicab has filed with the City Clerk an insurance policy from an insurance company duly licensed to transact business under the insurance laws of the State of New Jersey and said insurance policy remains in full force and effect and it provides for the payment of a sum of not less than $10,000 to satisfy all claims for damages, by reason of bodily injury to or death of any one person resulting from an accident and a sum of not less than $20,000 to satisfy all claims for damages by reason of bodily injuries to or death of all persons on account of any such accident, by reason of the ownership, operation, maintenance or use of such taxicab upon any public street; and conditioned for the payment of a sum of not less than $5,000 to satisfy any claim for damages to property of any one person resulting from an accident and a sum not less than $5,000 to satisfy all claims for damages to property of all persons on account of any such accident by reason of the ownership, operation, maintenance or use of any such taxicab upon any public street. Such insurance policy shall also be for the benefit of every person suffering loss, damage or injury as aforesaid.
B. 
In lieu of the requirements of Subsection A, an owner of more than one taxicab may instead file a bond or insurance policy from an insurance company duly licensed to transact business under the insurance laws of the State of New Jersey which provides for blanket coverage of all taxicabs operated by such owner in the amount of $50,000, provides for the payment of any final judgment recovered by any person on account of the ownership, operation, maintenance or use of any such taxicab upon any public street and which is for the benefit of every person suffering loss, damage or injury as aforesaid.
C. 
Each owner of a taxicab or proposed taxicab shall execute and deliver to the City Clerk a power of attorney appointing the Director of Finance as his or her true and lawful attorney for the purpose of acknowledging service of any process out of a court of competent jurisdiction to be served against the insured by virtue of the indemnity granted under the insurance policy filed.
D. 
The City Clerk shall issue a certificate of compliance to the applicant when the provisions of Subsections A and B of this section have been complied with.
E. 
A certificate of compliance shall remain in effect only so long as the insurance policy submitted to the City Clerk remains in full force and effect.
When a taxicab driver changes residences, he or she must notify the Taxicab Division of his or her new address, in writing on forms provided by the Taxicab Division, within three days after such change.
The registering of a taxicab shall be evidenced by the issuance of a taxicab registration card signed by the Director of the Taxicab Division.
A. 
Any vehicle registration issued under this Part 1 may be revoked or suspended after a hearing before the Public Safety Director or his or her designee if:
(1) 
The registered vehicle is found to be unfit or unsuited for public transportation or public patronage because it is not in good condition or appearance or is not clean or safe or for any other good cause.
(2) 
The owner or operator of the registered vehicle has violated any provision of this Part 1.
B. 
The Director of the Taxicab Division is hereby empowered to temporarily suspend the registration of any vehicle pending a hearing before the Public Safety Director if he or she reasonably believes that the vehicle presents an unreasonable risk of danger to the health or safety of the public.
C. 
A vehicle may be impounded by order of the Director of the Taxicab Division, where:
(1) 
The operation of the taxicab presents an unreasonable risk of danger to the health or safety of the public.
(2) 
The vehicle is operated as a taxicab without a valid registration.
(3) 
For any other reason permitted under the state and local motor vehicle and traffic laws.
D. 
Where a taxicab registration is suspended or a vehicle is impounded by order of the Director of the Taxicab Division, the owner of the vehicle may apply to the Taxicab Division for a hearing before the Director of Public Safety or his or her designee for the limited purpose of reviewing the order in question. The hearing shall be scheduled within 10 working days from the date of the application. If through no fault or acquiescence of the owner the hearing is not held within the stated period, the suspension shall be rescinded or, regarding an impounded vehicle, the vehicle shall be released to the owner. Any summons for an underlying violation, however, will remain in effect and shall not be dismissed without good cause.
E. 
The Director of Public Safety or his or her designee shall render a decision no later than three working days from the conclusion of the hearing.
F. 
The Taxicab Division shall notify an applicant that his registration has been suspended or revoked, in writing, and shall retain a copy of this letter in the applicant's file.
G. 
A suspension or revocation of a taxicab registration shall become effective five days after written notice of the suspension or revocation was sent unless the applicant was otherwise notified of the suspension or revocation prior to the elapsing of the five-day period; then the suspension or revocation shall become effective on the date the applicant was so notified.