Application for a vehicle for hire permit shall
be made by the license holder thereof. Such application shall set
forth under oath all information that the Examiner may require.
The Examiner may issue a vehicle for hire permit,
if in his opinion, the vehicle is a proper one for engaging in such
business. Such permit shall set forth the name, residence, place of
business of the licensee, a description of the vehicle with its identification
number and the number of seats exclusive of the operator. Such permit
shall expire on December 31 of each year.
The fee for a vehicle for hire permit shall
be twenty-five dollars ($25.), which amount shall include the processing
fee payable at the office of the Town of Falmouth Police Department.
Any vehicle for hire licensee under these regulations
who shall cease to be the owner of said vehicle for hire shall at
once surrender the vehicle for hire permit for said vehicle to the
Examiner, except said licensee may at the time of surrender of said
permit, transfer said permit to another vehicle for hire without additional
permit fees.
The Examiner may suspend or revoke a vehicle
for hire permit at any time if, in his opinion, any section of these
rules and regulations have been violated by the license holder. A
license holder shall be notified in writing of any suspension or revocation.
Said suspension or revocation shall state the specific reason or reasons
for the suspension or revocation, and the license holder shall be
informed of his rights to a hearing before the Selectmen by applying
to them in writing for said hearing within five (5) days of receiving
notice of suspension or revocation from the Examiner. A hearing shall
be held by the Selectmen within ten (10) days of a written request,
excluding Saturday, Sunday and holidays. At the hearing with the Selectmen,
the licensee will have the opportunity to present testimony and other
evidence, confront and cross-examine adverse witnesses and be represented
by a representative of his choice. A request for a hearing shall not
delay any suspension or revocation.
No vehicle for hire permit provided for in these
regulations shall be sold, assigned or transferred.
A.
No vehicle for hire permit shall be issued by the
Examiner until the applicant shall have presented, to be filed with
the application, a certificate of an insurance company authorized
to transact business in the commonwealth, stating that the vehicle
to which the permit applies is properly insured under the laws of
the commonwealth. Such certificate shall state the name and address
of the owner of the vehicle, the name of the company in which the
licensee is insured, the amount and character of the insurance, and
a statement that the insurance policy is applicable to passengers
lawfully riding in the vehicle under the provisions of these and other
regulations of the Town, and said policy shall state that it can not
be revoked without ten (10) days' notice to the Examiner.
B.
In addition to insurance coverage mandated by Massachusetts
General Laws, the Town Manager may require additional insurance in
amounts consistent with industry standards.
[Amended 4-10-2023 ATM by Art. 31, approved 6-9-2023]
Before a vehicle for hire is permitted and two
times annually, at the time selected by the Examiner, such vehicle
for hire shall be thoroughly inspected and examined by the Examiner
or someone designated by him for the purpose of seeing that the vehicle
for hire is safe for the transportation of passengers, clean inside
and outside, of good appearance, and well painted. At the time of
the semiannual inspection, the operator of the Vehicle for Hire shall
present to the Examiner or his designee the vehicle for hire license
and the inspection card supplied by the Town for each vehicle for
hire. The Examiner or his designee shall, after inspecting the vehicle,
either date and sign the inspection card and return the license and
inspection card to the operator or inform the operator of corrections
that must be made before the license and inspection card will be returned.
A.
It shall be the duty of the holder of a taxicab license
to display said vehicle for hire permit and a notice of the current
rates of fare on the interior of the vehicle in clear view of the
passenger(s) and so placed or secured in a frame so that it may not
be easily molested or destroyed.
B.
It shall be the duty of the holder of a limousine
or livery license to display said permit on the interior of the vehicle
in clear view of the passengers and so placed or secured in a frame
so that it may not be easily molested or destroyed.
No owner shall permit, nor shall any person
operate a vehicle for hire without a valid vehicle for hire permit,
operator's license, a vehicle inspection card and a state inspection
sticker on his/her person or within the vehicle in some easily accessible
place.
The Examiner shall refuse to issue a vehicle
for hire permit, or if already issued, shall revoke or suspend said
permit for any vehicle for hire found to be unfit, unsafe, or unsuited
for the purpose herein set forth.
Any vehicle for hire shall have affixed thereto
such number plates as are prescribed for use by the Registry of Motor
Vehicles, which shall be attached to said vehicle in accordance with
the rules and regulations of the Registry of Motor Vehicles and the
laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The owner of any vehicle
for hire shall notify the Examiner as soon as said number plates are
received, as to the number of the plate and the identification of
said vehicle upon which it is to be attached.
No owner of a licensed vehicle for hire, (classified
as a taxicab), shall color his vehicle for hire in colors or designs
so closely resembling other licensed Vehicles for Hire, classified
as a taxicab, so as to mislead the public as to its identity.
Roof advertising signs with dimensions of fourteen
(14) inches by sixteen (16) inches by forty-nine (49) inches [three
and five-tenths (3.50) square feet of sign space] shall be allowed.
No advertisements for alcohol or tobacco shall be allowed.
