No person shall hire out or keep or use for hire or pay, or cause to be kept or used for hire or pay, any taxicab, limousine or livery without first having obtained a license for that purpose from the Director of Licensing. A separate license shall be required for each taxicab, limousine or livery.
A. 
Each application for a taxicab, limousine or livery license shall be in writing and filed with the Director of Licensing, in duplicate, on forms provided. The application shall contain:
(1) 
The name and address of the owner.
(2) 
The name and address of the lessee, if any.
(3) 
The business or trade name, if any, under which the owner or lessee will operate the taxicab, limousine or livery.
(4) 
The serial number, make, model, year and color of the taxicab, limousine or livery.
(5) 
The automobile registration number issued for said vehicle by the New Jersey Division of Motor Vehicles.
(6) 
The maximum number of persons it is to carry.
B. 
In the event that, after the filing of said application and before the expiration of the license issued thereunder, any change in circumstances shall occur with respect to any information submitted on the application, the applicant shall, no later than 10 days following the occurrence of such change, give written notice thereof to the Director of Licensing, indicating the nature thereof and the manner in which the information set forth on the original application should be amended, modified or corrected to conform to such change in circumstances.
A. 
No taxicab, livery or limousine shall be licensed until a policy of insurance has been filed with the Director of Licensing. The policy must be issued by an insurance company that is licensed to do business and regulated by the State of New Jersey. Insurance companies that are only subject to the regulatory jurisdiction of other states or foreign jurisdictions do not qualify as compliant. The policy for taxicabs shall be in the minimum sum of $75,000, and for livery and limousines, as provided by N.J.S.A. 48:16-14 in minimum sum of $1,500,000, against any loss by reason of the liability imposed by law upon every taxicab owner for damages on account of bodily injury or death suffered by any person as a result of an accident occurring by reason of the ownership, maintenance or use of the taxicab, livery, limousine upon any public street.
[Amended 12-11-2017 by Ord. No. 38-2017]
B. 
Such policy shall be subject to the approval of the Director of Licensing and the City Corporation Counsel.
No taxicab, limousine or livery license shall be approved or issued until the vehicle has been thoroughly inspected and found to be in a clean and sanitary condition and mechanically safe for the transportation of passengers, to be evidenced by a current inspection sticker issued by the New Jersey Division of Motor Vehicles. Each vehicle shall also contain a first aid kit, fire extinguisher and some sort of equipment allowing for an emergency contact.
No taxicab license shall be approved or issued until the taxicab has been inspected in the manner provided in § 249-6 and is found to meet the following requirements:
A. 
There shall be displayed on the exterior of the two front doors of each taxicab the name or trade name of the owner. The height of the lettering shall be at least three inches. Each taxicab shall be equipped with a dome light on the roof of each vehicle, and said light shall be in working order. No taxicab shall bear a name, monogram, insignia or color scheme in conflict with the name, monogram, insignia or color scheme used by any other person licensed hereunder in such a manner as to mislead or deceive the public. Taxicabs operated by one owner must be identical in color.
B. 
Taxi fare rates are conspicuously posted on the inside of each vehicle.
C. 
The vehicle license, driver's operating license, insurance card and rate card with zone map must be conspicuously placed inside all vehicles, pursuant to the provisions of the chapter.
No person shall operate or permit a livery owned or controlled by him/her to be operated as a livery upon the streets of East Orange unless the principal place of his or her business is in the City of East Orange. Said principal place of business must be a lawful occupancy and within all municipal rules and regulations. No vehicles can be stored on the streets of the City of East Orange. A certificate of occupancy or continued use where required must be presented to the Licensing Division.
A. 
All taxicab companies operating in the City of East Orange must be licensed pursuant to the rules and regulations contained herein.
B. 
They must maintain office space within the City that includes a hard-wired phone line for incoming requests for services and other business operations. The office must have regular and posted hours of operation and must be staffed by at least one person during open hours.
C. 
A certificate of occupancy must be issued by the City.
D. 
Every company must own at least five taxicab licenses entitling it to operate at least five vehicles within the City. Those companies operating at the time of the adoption of this chapter that don't meet this requirement are deemed lawful.
E. 
All taxicabs operating within the City of East Orange must be affiliated with a licensed taxicab company. All taxicabs must be licensed pursuant to this chapter.
F. 
All taxicab companies licensed by the City are responsible for the meeting of all City and state requirements of the individual cabs licensed under their authority.
G. 
All taxicabs operating under a specific company must have the same color scheme as approved by the Director of Licensing.
H. 
All taxicab companies must maintain dispatch and trip records for all vehicles licensed under their company. These records must be available for inspection at any time upon the request of the Director of Licensing.
I. 
All taxicab companies must maintain up-to-date records of all affiliated drivers to include name, residence address, and phone number. These records must be accessible upon request by the Director of Licensing.
J. 
A lost-and-found must be maintained for any items belonging to passengers that were left in a taxi. This must be made available to the public during reasonable business hours at the principal place of business of the company. Reasonable business hours are prescribed as being from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
K. 
No vehicle shall be more than 10 years old.
[Amended 12-11-2017 by Ord. No. 38-2017]
Licenses for taxicabs, limousines and liveries shall be issued by the Director of Licensing and shall be signed by him or her in the name of the City.
Upon issuance of a taxicab license, the Director of Licensing shall issue to the licensee a card containing the name of the owner, the license number of the vehicle, year of issue and the rates of fare as provided in hereof. The card shall be inserted in a card rack or frame provided by the owner and attached on the inside of the taxicab on the front dashboard.
Upon issuance of a livery or limousine license, the Director of Licensing shall issue to the licensee a card containing the name of the owner or lessee, the license number of the vehicle and year of issue. The card shall remain in the livery or limousine for which issued. It shall be exhibited by the owner or lessee or driver thereof upon request.
All taxicab licenses shall expire August 31 and must be renewed prior thereto, unless sooner suspended or revoked. Any application filed for renewal after September 15 will be subject to a renewal assessment of $500 per vehicle.
Each taxicab, limousine or livery license shall apply only to the person to whom granted and shall not be transferable to any other persons. With the approval of the Director of Licensing, the holder of a taxicab, limousine or livery license applicable to a particular taxicab, limousine or livery may transfer the same to another taxicab, limousine or livery owned or leased by him or her upon payment of a transfer fee of $25.
A. 
The number of taxicab licenses outstanding shall not at any time exceed 130. Any license issued in excess of 100 will be issued at the discretion of the Director of Licensing. The number of livery and limousine licenses outstanding shall not at any time exceed 50 presently.
B. 
Nothing contained in this section shall prevent the renewal of licenses in existence on the effective date of this section. For the purpose of this section, any license for a new license term which is issued to replace a license which expired on the last day of the license term immediately preceding the commencement of the new license term, or which is issued to replace a license which will expire on the last day of the license term immediately preceding the commencement of said new license term, shall be deemed to be a renewal of the expired or expiring license; provided, however, that said new license is of the same type as the expired or expiring license, is issued to the holder of the expired or expiring license and is issued pursuant to an application therefor which shall have been filed prior to the expiration of the expiring license. Licenses issued otherwise than herein provided shall be deemed to be new licenses.
A. 
The license fee for each taxicab shall be $250. All duplicate and replacement licenses shall be $25. The license fee for limousines and livery cars shall be $250. However, the fee of any license issued in February or anytime thereafter before the expiration date of August 31 in any given year shall be $125.
B. 
The Director of Licensing shall charge a fee of $500 for all taxicab business licenses per year and a late fee, where applicable, of $250. All duplicate and replacement licenses shall be $25.