A.
No person shall operate a taxicab along any street
in the Village of Ridgefield Park with the Village of Ridgefield Park
being the principal place of business until the owner thereof has
obtained a license from the Board of Commissioners of the Village
of Ridgefield Park consenting thereto. Prior to obtaining a license,
any person seeking to operate a taxicab in the Village of Ridgefield
Park shall complete the form of application required by the Village
Clerk.
B.
Each applicant shall sign a form of authorization
permitting the Village of Ridgefield Park Police Department to perform
a driver's license and motor vehicle check. In addition, an interview
with the Chief of Police or other member of the Police Department
may be required of the applicant.
C.
The application shall be presented to the Board of
Commissioners, which shall approve or deny the application. In the
event of denial, the Board of Commissioners shall adopt a resolution
setting forth the reasons for such denial, and the applicant shall
be given an opportunity to be heard prior to the adoption of such
a resolution.
No license shall be issued pursuant to this
chapter until the owner of the taxicab shall have filed with the Village
Clerk an insurance policy of a company duly licensed to transact business
under the insurance laws of the State of New Jersey, conditioned for
the payment of a sum of not less than $100,000 against loss from liability
imposed by law upon the owner for damages on account of bodily injury
or death suffered by one person; and in the sum of $300,000 against
loss from the liability imposed by law upon the owner for damages
on account of bodily injury or death suffered by more than one person
as a result of an accident occurring by reason of the ownership, maintenance
or use of any vehicle licensed by the Village; and in the sum of $20,000
to satisfy all claims for damage to property 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. The insurance policy
shall provide for the payment of any final judgment recovered by any
person on account of the ownership, maintenance or use of the taxicab
or any fault in respect thereto and shall be for the benefit of every
person suffering loss, damage or injury. If such owner operates more
than one taxicab, the owner may file with the Village Clerk a bond
or insurance policy in the amounts set forth herein, which shall be
a blanket insurance covering all taxicabs operated by such owner.
No license shall be issued pursuant to this
chapter until the owner of the taxicab shall have filed with the Village
Clerk a power of attorney in the form required by the Clerk, appointing
the Chief Fiscal Officer of the Village of Ridgefield Park as a 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.
Any person to whom a license is issued to operate
a taxicab shall file with the Village Clerk, prior to commencement
of operations, a listing of all routes and rates, the location of
the operator's base of operations and the location at which all taxies
will be garaged. Each licensee shall file a listing of routes and
rates annually with the Village Clerk.
All taxis licensed pursuant to this chapter
shall be garaged and shall not be parked on the street.
[Added 7-9-2013 by Ord. No. 2013-04]
No vehicle with taxi or limousine license plates from any state and no vehicle for hire used for the purpose of the transportation of passengers shall be parked on any day of the week on any street within the Village of Ridgefield Park between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. Unless another penalty is expressly provided by New Jersey statute, every person convicted of a violation of this section shall be subject to the penalty set forth in § 197-4 of the Village Code.
Licenses issued pursuant to this chapter shall
be signed by the Village Clerk and shall have the Village Seal affixed
thereto. The Village Clerk shall not issue any license until after
the application therefor has been approved and the conditions established
by this chapter shall have been complied with.
Each license shall bear a number and shall state
the name of the person licensed. It shall briefly describe the vehicle
licensed and, if such vehicle has a license number issued by the Commissioner
of Motor Vehicles of the state, such number shall also be stated in
such license. The license shall also state the manufacturer's number
of such motor vehicle.
Every vehicle licensed under this article shall
have fastened in a conspicuous place a printed card showing the rates
of fare, the license number of the vehicle and the name of the owner
thereof.
All licenses granted under this chapter shall
expire on the first day of March following the date of issue.
Any license issued under this chapter may be
renewed annually upon application to the Village Clerk and payment
of a fee as provided for herein.
Upon notice and an opportunity to be heard,
any licenses issued by the Village Clerk may be revoked for the violation
of the following:
A.
Submission of false data in an application.
B.
Failure to pay the licensing fee.
C.
Repeated violations of the traffic laws.
D.
Violation of any statutory requirements for taxicab
and limousine operations as set forth in N.J.S.A. 48:16-1 et seq.
E.
Operation of a vehicle which is unsafe or in any other
respects is in violation of the law.
F.
Other conduct of a serious nature warranting revocation
of such license.
The fee for a taxicab license shall be $50 per
year for each vehicle.
