[HISTORY: Adopted by the Bloomfield Council as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Adopted 11-19-1962 as Ch. 28 of the 1962 Code (Ch. 241 of the 1987 Code)]
For the purposes of this article, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings, respectively, ascribed to them by this section:
CRUISING
The driving of an empty taxicab to and fro along a public street at a slow rate of speed for the obvious purpose of soliciting passengers.
TAXICAB
A public vehicle driven by mechanical power, so designed and constructed as to comfortably seat not fewer than three persons inside thereof, exclusive of the driver, which accommodates passengers for conveyance for hire.
TAXICAB STAND
A section of a public street or public place set apart for the exclusive use of a limited number of taxicabs, when such section is distinctly marked as such by a metal sign attached to a stanchion on the curb or other conspicuous place or by clearly visible marks upon the surface of the street or public place.
TAXIMETER
A mechanical instrument or device by which the charge for hire is mechanically calculated either for the distance traveled or for waiting time, or both, and upon which such charge shall be plainly indicated by means of figures.
No taxicab shall be licensed until a policy of insurance shall have been filed with the Township Clerk as provided for taxicabs and autocabs pursuant to the provisions of N.J.S.A. 48:16-3 and 48:16-4, together with any amendments or supplements adopted or hereinafter adopted relative thereto.
A. 
No person shall keep or use for hire or cause to be kept or used for hire any taxicab or other motor vehicle for the transportation of passengers for hire within the Township without having first obtained a license for that purpose from the Township Clerk.
B. 
Effective January 1, 2012, every applicant for such license shall pay to the Municipal Clerk an annual license fee of $150 for each taxicab or other motor vehicle for hire.
[Amended 11-15-1976; 10-1-1991; 7-14-1997; 12-1-2003 by Ord. No. 03-47; 11-21-2011 by Ord. No. 11-49; 5-21-2012 by Ord. No. 12-34]
C. 
The license shall expire on the 31st day of December next after issuance.
A. 
Every person obtaining a taxicab license must be at least 21 years of age and a citizen of the United States. Every corporation obtaining such license must be organized and existing under the laws of the state and shall maintain an office in the Township.
B. 
Every application for such license shall be in writing and shall state that the applicant is the owner of the vehicle for which the license is desired. Such application shall also state the number and make of the vehicle and the number of the license granted by the state for the operation thereof.
A. 
No taxicab license shall be granted under this article except upon the approval of the Township Council. Every such license shall state the purpose for which it is granted, the name of the person to whom it is issued, the number of the license and the date of its expiration.
B. 
The Township Clerk shall keep a register of all licenses granted and shall file the application for such licenses and number them to correspond with the numbers of such licenses.
A. 
No person, other than the owner, shall operate any taxicab or other motor vehicle for the transportation of passengers for hire within the Township without having first obtained a license as a driver from the Township Clerk, and no person under the age of 18 years shall be so licensed.
B. 
Effective January 1, 2012, every applicant for a driver's license required by the preceding subsection shall pay to the Township Clerk the sum of $50 for the use of the Township and shall receive a license from the Township Clerk.
[Amended 11-15-1976; 11-2-1987; 10-1-1991; 12-1-2003 by Ord. No. 03-47; 11-21-2011 by Ord. No. 11-49; 5-21-2012 by Ord. No. 12-34]
C. 
Each license shall expire on December 31 next after its issuance.
[Amended 7-18-2022 by Ord. No. 22-48; 5-20-2024 by Ord. No. 24-37]
A. 
Every application for a driver's license required by § 526-6A shall be in writing and shall state the name, post office address and age of the applicant and shall be accompanied by a photograph of the applicant.
B. 
Each applicant shall be subject to fingerprinting. Per the New Jersey State Police, applicant fingerprinting is to be performed by Indentogo. The cost for the fingerprinting check, including all costs of administering and processing the check, shall be borne by the applicant.
C. 
A person shall be disqualified from operating or driving an autocab if a criminal history check required pursuant to this subsection reveals a record of conviction of any of the following crimes:
(1) 
In New Jersey or elsewhere any crime as follows: 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. 2C:24-4, whether or not armed with or having in his possession any weapon enumerated in subsection r. of N.J.S. 2C:39-1, a crime pursuant to the provisions of N.J.S. 2C:39-3, N.J.S. 2C:39-4, or N.J.S. 2C:39-9, or other than 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. 2C:35-2. [1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Former § 28-9, Driver's badge, which immediately followed this section, was repealed 11-2-1987.
[Amended 8-19-1968; 8-12-1974; 12-17-1979; 6-15-1981; 9-21-1981; 5-1-1989; 4-24-2017 by Ord. No. 17-16]
A. 
The prices which may be charged by the owners of taxicabs and other motor vehicles licensed under this article shall be as follows:
(1) 
Local rates: $5.50 for the first mile and $0.35 for each additional 1/8 of a mile (i.e., $2.80 per mile). Local rates are for transportation between any two points in Bloomfield and/or Glen Ridge, plus trips originating in Bloomfield and destined to Mountainside Hospital, Columbus Hospital, Clara Maass Hospital and Montclair Community Hospital (or originating at the hospital and destined to Bloomfield).
(2) 
Out-of-town-rates: $5.50 for the first mile and $0.75 for each 1/4 mile (i.e., $3 per mile).
(3) 
Waiting time. Waiting time will be $21 per hour, calculated at $0.35 per minute.
B. 
A single fare shall be charged for any group of passengers boarding the taxicab at the same point and discharging from the taxicab at the same point.
C. 
The first passenger to board a cab has the option of permitting the driver to pick up or not to pick up additional passengers going in the same direction.
D. 
There shall be no extra charge for a reasonable amount of hand luggage or for a reasonable quantity of bundles when a passenger is picked up at a supermarket or shopping area.
E. 
If a meter is inoperative, the taxicab shall either be withdrawn from service or else not used for local work. It can only be used for out-of-town trips where flat rates prevail.
F. 
In situations where a dispute arises with respect to the fare, the passenger shall, upon demand, receive a signed receipt for the amount of the payment made, and they may thereafter take the matter up for adjustment with the Police Department or taxi company. It shall be the obligation of the taxicab company to see that each driver has an adequate supply of proper receipts to give passengers. If a passenger advises a driver at the start of a trip that a receipt will be requested, the receipt should have the starting mileage, the mileage at the end of the trip, the fare paid and the date of the trip and shall be signed by the driver.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I)]
Every taxicab or other motor vehicle for hire licensed under the provisions of this article shall have an appropriate taximeter, showing the charge for each trip on the basis of the schedule in § 526-9.
Every taxicab or other motor vehicle for hire licensed under the provisions of this article shall have the license number of such vehicle displayed thereon in a conspicuous place, and there shall also be fixed in every such vehicle, so that it can be conveniently read by any person therein, a card containing the name and post office address of the owner of the vehicle and the rates of fare established by § 526-9.
It shall be the duty of the Police Department to inspect, from time to time, all taxicabs and other motor vehicles for hire licensed under the provisions of this article.
A. 
The Police Department is hereby authorized, subject to the approval of the Council, to designate such places for public stands for such vehicles as it may deem proper and to make such regulations for the use of such stands as may be necessary to preserve order and promote public convenience. No conveyance which is not eligible for business on call shall be allowed to stand at any such public stand.
B. 
No owner or driver of any motor vehicle licensed under this article shall permit the vehicle to stand at any railroad station or place of public assemblage or entertainment, except in such places as shall be designated by the Police Department, nor shall they permit the vehicle to stand in front of the entrance to any store or other building without the consent of the occupant thereof or of the Police Department.
In case of any disagreement between the driver of any vehicle licensed under this article and a passenger therein as to the amount of fare which the driver is entitled to receive, it shall be the duty of such driver, at the request of the passenger, to convey the passenger to the police station and thereto submit the question to the officer in charge thereof, and the determination of such question by the officer shall be final as between the passenger and the driver.
No owner or driver of any motor vehicle licensed under this article shall:
A. 
Solicit patronage in a noisy, persistent or offensive manner, use indecent or profane language, annoy travelers or employ any other person to solicit patronage or, when their vehicle is not engaged, refuse to carry any orderly person and their ordinary traveling baggage to any place in the Township.
B. 
Induce any person to employ them by intentionally misinforming or misleading such person as to the time or place of the arrival or departure of any train or other public conveyance or as to the location of any hotel, public place or residence within the Township, nor shall any such owner or driver deceive any person or make false representations to them or convey any passenger to any other place or over any other route than that to which such passenger has instructed them to go.
C. 
Extort or demand from any passenger any sum other than they are entitled to receive under the provisions of this article.
D. 
Drive the same in a reckless manner or at a speed in excess of that allowed by law. Any person so offending shall be liable to a revocation of their driver's license by the Township Council.
E. 
Seek employment by repeatedly and persistently driving their taxicab to and fro in a short space before or by otherwise interfering with the proper and orderly access to or egress from any theater, hall, hotel, public resort, railway station or other place of public gathering.
F. 
Invite or permit loitering within or near their taxicab.
Every driver of a taxicab, immediately after the termination of any hiring or employment, must carefully search such taxicab for any property lost or left therein; any such property, unless sooner claimed or delivered to the owner, must be reported, in writing, by the driver or owner of the taxicab to the Traffic Bureau at police headquarters, with brief particulars and a description of the property, forthwith after the finding thereof.
[Added 11-2-1987; amended 5-5-2008 by Ord. No. 08-18]
Any person who violates any of the provisions of this article shall, upon conviction thereof, be punished as provided in § 1-15, General penalty, of this Code.
[Adopted 9-15-1992 (Ch. 174 of the 1987 Code)]
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
LIMOUSINE
Any automobile or motor car used in the business of carrying passengers for hire to provide prearranged passenger transportation at a premium fare on a dedicated, nonscheduled, charter basis that is not conducted on a regular route and with a seating capacity of no more than 14 passengers, not including the driver, provided that such a vehicle is certified by the manufacturer of the original vehicle and the second-stage manufacturer, if applicable, to conform to all Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards promulgated by the United States Department of Transportation pursuant to 49 CFR Part 571 and 49 CFR Part 567. In addition, a "vehicle emission control information" label, which contains the name and trademark of the manufacturer and an unconditional statement of compliance with the emission requirements of the Environmental Protection Agency, shall be present on the vehicle. Nothing in this article shall be construed to include taxicabs, hotel buses or buses employed solely in transporting schoolchildren or teachers or autobuses, which are subject to the jurisdiction of the Department of Transportation, or interstate autobuses required by federal or state laws or rules of the Department of Transportation to carry insurance against loss from liability imposed by law on account of bodily injury or death.
[Amended 3-28-2022 by Ord. No. 22-19]
LIMOUSINE OR LIVERY SERVICE
Includes the business of carrying passengers for hire by autocabs.
PERSON
Includes any individual, copartnership, association, corporation or joint-stock company, their lessees, trustees or receivers appointed by any court whatsoever.
PRINCIPAL PLACE OF BUSINESS
The location of the main place of business of the limousine service in the municipality where limousine service is conducted, where limousines are dispatched, or where limousine drivers report for duty.
[Added 3-28-2022 by Ord. No. 22-19]
STREET
Includes any street, avenue, park, parkway, highway or other public place.
[Amended 5-20-2024 by Ord. No. 24-26]
A. 
Application for licenses for limousines or private livery automobiles shall be made by the owners, lessee or bailee upon forms to be furnished by the Township Clerk, and such application shall contain the full name and address of the owner, lessee or bailee and also the applicant, the type of vehicle for which the license is desired, the length of time the vehicle has been in use, the number of persons it is capable of carrying and the location where the limousine shall be stored when not in use. The application shall have affixed thereon an affidavit to be sworn to by the applicant. Applicants must present proof that the principal place of business is in the Township of Bloomfield, New Jersey. Acceptable proof is a current New Jersey driver's license, motor vehicle registration or a copy of a tax bill or lease if the location is in a business or commercial zone. In all residential zones, applicants will be limited to a single vehicle.
B. 
Every application for a limousine or private livery automobile license shall be in writing and shall state the name, post office address and age of the applicant and shall be accompanied by a photograph of the applicant. Each applicant for a license shall be subject to fingerprinting. Per the New Jersey State Police, applicant fingerprinting is to be performed by Indentogo. The cost for the fingerprinting and, including all costs of administering and processing, shall be borne by the applicant.
[Amended 5-5-1997; 7-14-1997; 4-15-2002 by Ord. No. 02-17; 12-1-2003 by Ord. No. 03-47; 11-21-2011 by Ord. No. 11-49; 5-21-2012 by Ord. No. 12-34; 3-28-2022 by Ord. No. 22-19]
A. 
No private livery automobile or limousine shall operate hereafter upon the streets of the Township of Bloomfield without first obtaining a license, which license shall be issued to expire 12 months next succeeding the date of registration and insurance renewal, unless sooner suspended or revoked by the Mayor and Council. The annual fee to be paid for such license for each vehicle with a seating capacity of no more than nine passengers, not including the driver, shall be the sum of $150 per year or any portion thereof. The annual fee to be paid for such license for each vehicle with a seating capacity of no more than 14 passengers, not including the driver, shall be the sum of $300 per year or any portion thereof.
B. 
No person shall operate any livery automobile or limousine for hire within the Township without having first obtained a license as a driver from the Municipal Clerk, and no person under the age of 18 years shall be so licensed. The annual fee to be paid for such operator (driver) license shall be the sum of $50 per year or any portion thereof.
C. 
The fee to be paid for each replacement vehicle shall be 1/2 of the annual fee.
[Amended 4-16-2001 by Ord. No. 01-10]
No such autocab, limousine or livery service shall be operated wholly or partly along any street in the Township of Bloomfield until the owner of the autocab, limousine or livery service shall have filed with the Township Clerk of Bloomfield an insurance policy of a company duly licensed to transact business under the insurance laws of this state in the sum of $1,500,000, required to be provided by law against loss by reasons of the liability imposed by law upon every autocab, limousine or livery service owner for damages on account of bodily injury or death suffered by any person as the result of an accident occurring by reason of the ownership, maintenance or use of the autocab, limousine or livery service upon any public street. The insurance policy shall provide for the payment of any final judgment recovered by any person on account of the ownership, maintenance and use of such autocab, limousine or livery service or any fault in respect thereto and shall be for the benefit of every person suffering loss, damage or injury in the aforesaid.
The owner of the autocab, limousine or livery service shall execute and deliver to the Clerk of the municipality a power of attorney wherein and whereby the owner shall appoint the Chief Fiscal Officer of the Township of Bloomfield their true and lawful attorney for the purpose of acknowledging service of any process out of a court of competent jurisdiction to be served upon the insured by virtue of the indemnity granted under the insurance policy filed.
No limousine licensed under this article is permitted to display any form of advertising on the vehicle either by painted lettering or affixed placards.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I)]
The Township Clerk, upon the filing of the required insurance policy, shall issue a certificate, in duplicate, showing that the owner of the autocab, limousine or livery service has complied with the terms and provisions of this article. Such certificate shall recite the name of the insurance company, the number and date of expiration of the policy, a description of every autocab, limousine or livery service insured thereunder and the registration of the same. A duplicate certificate shall be filed with the Motor Vehicle Commission before any such car is registered as an autocab, limousine or livery service. The original certificate shall be posted in a conspicuous place within the autocab, limousine or livery service.
Nothing in this article shall exempt any person owning or operating any autocab, limousine or livery service from complying with the law relating to the ownership, registration and operation of automobiles in this state.
The Mayor and Council may, in its discretion and after notice and hearing, refuse to issue or renew, revoke or suspend any license issued to autocab, limousine or livery service owners under this article where the applicant or licensee has once been convicted of a crime in this or any other jurisdiction or twice convicted of being a disorderly person or in violation of Title 39 of the Motor Vehicle and Traffic Regulations of the Revised Statutes of New Jersey, or who has violated any provision of this article or has any judgment of record unsatisfied against them arising out of an automobile accident, or who has failed or fails to render a reasonably prompt, safe and adequate formal, private automobile livery or limousine service or has not complied fully will all of the requirements of this article for such class of license.
[Amended 5-5-2008 by Ord. No. 08-18]
Any person, firm or corporation violating any of the provisions of this article shall be, upon conviction thereof, punished as provided in § 1-15 of this Code, in the discretion of the court, and in addition thereto, the license provided by this article shall be suspended, pending action by the Mayor and Township Council with respect to suspension or revocation of said license in accordance with the terms of this article. It shall be the duty of the Judge to notify the Mayor and Township Council of all convictions for violations of the terms of this article.