[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Board of the
Town of Greenport 12-6-2006 by L.L. No. 3-2006. Amendments noted where
applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Vehicles and traffic — See Ch. 115.
The purpose of this chapter is to regulate taxicabs
and vehicles for hire within the Town of Greenport.
For the purposes of this chapter, the following
words shall have the meanings indicated:
Any person owning or having control of the use of one or
more taxicabs used for hire upon the roads and streets of the Town
of Greenport or engaged in the business of operating a taxicab.
One or more persons of either sex, natural persons, corporations,
partnerships, associations, joint-stock companies, societies and all
other entities of any kind capable of being sued.
A card on which is printed the tariff rates in the Town of
Greenport as provided by this chapter.
Any motor vehicle engaged in the business of carrying persons
for hire, whether the same be subject to calls from a garage or otherwise
operated for hire, except vehicles subject to the provisions of the
Transportation Corporation Law or used by undertakers in carrying
on their business.
Any person who drives a taxicab, whether such person is the
owner of such taxicab or is employed by a taxicab owner or operator.
Permission granted by the Town of Greenport to any person
to operate or keep for hire any specific vehicles in such Town.
Permission granted by this Town of Greenport to any person
to drive upon the streets of such Town any licensed taxicab.
It shall be unlawful for any person to drive,
operate or keep for hire or lease within the limits of the Town of
Greenport any taxicab vehicle without first having obtained a license
for said vehicle for operating or keeping for lease or hire, or both,
and having the same in force and effect, under the provisions of this
chapter.
No person shall solicit passengers for hire
within the limits of the Town of Greenport without such person having
first obtained and having in force and effect a taxi operator's driver's
license under the provisions of this chapter.
Each applicant for a taxi operator's driver's
license must comply with the following to the satisfaction of the
Police Commissioner or officer in charge of the Police Department
of the Town of Greenport:
A.
Must first have obtained a state chauffeur's license.
B.
Be of the age of 18 years or over.
C.
Be of sound physique with good eyesight and not subject
to epilepsy, vertigo, heart trouble or any other infirmity of body
or mind which might render him unfit for the safe operation of a public
vehicle.
D.
Be able to read and write the English language.
E.
Be clean in dress and person and not addicted to the
use of intoxicating liquor or drugs.
F.
Fill out, upon a blank form to be provided, a statement
giving his full name; residence; places of residence for five years
previous; age; place of birth; length of time he has resided in Columbia
County; whether a citizen of the United States; places of previous
employment; whether he has ever been arrested or convicted of a felony
or misdemeanor; whether he has been previously licensed as a driver
or chauffeur, and if so, whether his license has ever been revoked,
and the number of the chauffeur's license issued by the state, which
statement shall be signed and sworn to by the applicant and filed
as a permanent record. Any false statements by the applicant for a
driver's license shall be promptly reported by the Commissioner of
Police (licensing official) to the District Attorney of Columbia County.
The Commissioner of Police or Police Chief is hereby authorized and
empowered to require additional information as required. Each driver'
s license shall expire December 31 of each year.
Each applicant for a taxi driver's license must
file with his application three unmounted, unretouched photographs
of himself; one of which shall be attached to the license when issued.
Each licensed driver shall exhibit his license and photograph for
inspection at any time when operating a taxi vehicle.
Upon satisfactory fulfillment of the foregoing
requirements and upon the payment of the sum of $30, there shall be
issued to the applicant a taxi operator's license which shall be in
such a form as to contain a photograph and signature of the licensee.
This license shall be valid for a period of one year from the date
of issuance.
The taxi operator's license shall be renewed
from year to year by appropriate endorsement thereon and upon the
payment of the sum of $20. A driver, in applying for a renewal of
his license, shall make such application not less than 30 days next
preceding its expiration.
A driver's license or taxi permit may at any
time be suspended or revoked for cause after a hearing by the Town
Board.
It shall be unlawful for any person operating
a vehicle for hire to solicit riders or passengers within the Town
of Greenport without first having obtained a taxicab vehicle license
from the Greenport Police Department. It shall be a condition of such
license that the taxicab be available for inspection, as defined in
the Vehicle and Traffic Law of the State of New York, by the Greenport
Police Department. A taxi vehicle permit shall be issued for one year,
expiring on the 31st day of December next following, unless sooner
suspended or revoked. Application for a taxicab license shall be made
by the owner. Said application shall contain the following:
A.
The name, age and residence of the person applying
for the license, and what, if any, previous experience he has had
in such business.
B.
The name, age and residence of the person to be in
immediate charge of any such taxicab or taxicabs.
C.
The type of motorcar to be used, the horsepower, the
factory number, the state license number, the number of years the
vehicle has been driven and the seating capacity according to its
trade rating.
D.
Whether previously licensed to operate a taxicab and,
if so, where.
E.
Whether a license to operate a taxicab has ever been
revoked and, if so, for what cause.
F.
Such other information as the Commissioner of Police
may deem necessary.
G.
A certificate of insurance by an insurance company
authorized to do business in the State of New York evidencing liability
insurance coverage for injury to person in an amount not less than
$500,000 for bodily injury or death and an amount of $50,000 for damage
resulting from damage to property.
No vehicle shall be licensed until it has been
found to be in safe condition for the transportation of passengers.
The Police Department shall refuse a license to, or, if already issued,
revoke or suspend a license of, any vehicle found to be unfit or unsuited
for public patronage.
If, upon inspection, a taxicab is found to be
of lawful construction and in proper condition in accordance with
the provisions of this chapter, and upon the approval of the application
and the payment of the license fee hereinafter set forth, the same
shall be licensed.
[Amended 5-7-2014 by L.L.
No. 2-2014]
A license fee to be established by resolution of the Town Board
shall be charged and made payable to the Town of Greenport.
Taxicab vehicle licenses may be revoked or suspended
at any time by the Greenport Police Department. This revocation or
suspension may be appealed to the Greenport Town Board.
Every driver of a taxicab shall not charge more
than rates for carrying passengers within the Town of Greenport as
shall be established by Town Board resolutions and as may be modified
from time to time by the Town Board.
Every taxicab shall have the license number
of such vehicle plainly painted in letters at least two inches in
height with at least a one-fourth-inch stroke, in proper and distinct
colors, on both sides of such taxicab, and no other such numbers shall
appear on the sides of such taxicab which may lead to confusion in
quickly identifying such taxicab.
A.
Every holder of a vehicle's taxicab license shall
at all times keep the inside of the cab operated by him in a clean
and sanitary condition and shall at least once each day thoroughly
clean the inside of such cab.
B.
No owner or driver of a taxicab shall at any time
so fasten or lock the doors on a taxicab that it is impossible for
a passenger to open the same from the inside. Every owner shall provide
means for unfastening doors on taxicabs so that such doors may be
readily opened on the inside by a passenger,
A.
Any owner or driver of a taxicab not licensed or equipped
in accordance with the provisions of this chapter or of a taxicab,
the license of which has been suspended or revoked, who engages in
the business of a taxicab, as defined herein, or attempts to engage
in such business or solicits passengers for hire, shall be guilty
of a violation punishable as follows: by imprisonment for a term not
exceeding 15 days or by a fine not exceeding $250, or by both such
fine and imprisonment. The continuation of an offense against the
provisions of this chapter shall constitute, for each day the offense
is continued, a separate and distinct offense hereunder.
B.
Any person not having been duly licensed as a taxicab
driver, or any person whose license as such driver has been revoked,
or any person whose license has been suspended, and who, during the
term of suspension, drives for hire a taxicab upon the streets, shall
be guilty of a violation punishable as follows: by imprisonment for
a term not exceeding 15 days or by a fine not exceeding $250, or by
both such fine and imprisonment. The continuation of an offense against
the provisions of this chapter shall constitute, for each day the
offense is continued, a separate and distinct offense hereunder.
C.
Any person committing any other offense against any
provision of this chapter shall be guilty of a violation punishable
as follows: by imprisonment for a term not exceeding 15 days or by
a fine not exceeding $250, or by both such fine and imprisonment.
The continuation of an offense against the provisions of this chapter
shall constitute, for each day the offense is continued, a separate
and distinct offense hereunder.
