[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Council of the Township of Washington 6-3-1985 by Ord. No. 85-5 as Ch. 211 of the 1985 Code. Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Fees — See Ch. 212.
Vehicles and traffic — See Ch. 223.
Towing and storage of vehicles — See Ch. 461.
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
PERSON
Any individual, copartnership, association, corporation or joint-stock company, their lessees, trustees or receivers appointed by any court whatsoever. A word importing the masculine gender only shall extend and be applied to females as well as to males.
STREET
Any street, avenue, park, parkway, highway or other public place.
TAXICAB
Any automobile or motorcar, commonly called "taxi," engaged in the business of carrying passengers for hire, which is held out, announced or advertised to operate or run or which is operated or run over any of the streets or public highways of the Township of Washington, and particularly accepts and discharges such persons as may offer themselves for transportation from points or places to points or places within or without the said Township of Washington.
No taxicab shall be operated within the Township of Washington, in the County of Bergen, New Jersey, for the transportation of passengers for hire, until the same shall have been licensed in accordance with the following provisions of this chapter, such license to be known as a "taxi owner's license," nor until such owner shall have complied with all of the provisions of Revised Statutes of New Jersey, Title 48, Chapter 16, and the amendments thereof and supplements thereto.
No person shall drive or operate any taxicab within the Township of Washington, in the County of Bergen, New Jersey, used for the transportation of passengers for hire, until he shall have obtained a taxi driver's license as hereinafter provided. No driver shall operate such taxicab unless he shall wear upon his person a taxi driver's license badge issued to him under the provisions of this chapter, which badge shall be worn in such manner as to be visible to the passengers of such taxicab, and shall at all times when driving such taxicab have the driver's license issued to him conspicuously displayed in such taxicab.
A. 
No taxi owner's license shall be issued for any vehicle to be licensed under the provisions of this chapter to any natural person unless such person is at least 21 years of age, a citizen of the United States of America, a resident of the County of Bergen for at least 30 days next preceding the filing of his application for such license, nor until he shall have filed with the said Township an application addressed to the Township Council of said Township, which application shall set forth:
(1) 
Description of vehicle to be licensed.
(2) 
Name of owner.
(3) 
Residence address and office address of owner.
(4) 
Complete schedule of fares.
(5) 
Satisfactory evidence of good moral character attested in writing by two residents of said Township of Washington.
(6) 
Such other facts as the said Township Council may require.
B. 
Corporate licenses.
(1) 
No taxi owner's license shall be issued to any corporation unless each stockholder, director, officer and manager of such corporation qualifies in all respects as an individual applicant for such license.
(2) 
If at any time during the period for which such license is issued, any stock of such corporation is transferred or any new director or officer is elected or appointed or any new manager is employed, then such new transferee, officer, director or manager shall meet all of the requirements of an individual applicant for such owner's license before such license shall continue in effect.
C. 
Every application shall be accompanied by the fee for such license as hereinafter provided.
No person shall be entitled to receive a taxi owner's license until he shall have complied with the foregoing requirements, nor until such taxicab shall have been inspected and approved by the Chief of Police of said Township, who shall endorse his approval upon such application, nor until the owner shall have been fingerprinted and such prints filed at police headquarters of said Township, nor until such person shall have filed with the Township Clerk an insurance policy, with the premium prepaid thereon, 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 $50,000 to satisfy all claims for damages by reason of bodily injury to or the death of any one person resulting from an accident, and a sum of not less than $100,000 to satisfy all claims for damages by reason of bodily injuries to or the death of all persons on account of any such accident, by reason of the ownership, operation, maintenance or use of such taxicab; and conditioned for the payment of a sum of not less than $5,000 to satisfy all claims for damages to property of any person on account of any such accident by reason of the ownership, operation, maintenance or use of such taxicab. Such taxicab shall be licensed only so long as the insurance policy shall remain in full force to the full and collectible amounts as mentioned aforesaid. Such insurance policy shall provide for the payment of any final judgment recovered by any person on account of the ownership, maintenance or use of such taxicab or any fault in respect thereto and shall be for the benefit of every person suffering loss, damage or injury as mentioned aforesaid. A power of attorney shall be executed and delivered to the Township Clerk concurrently with the filing of such policy of insurance, wherein and whereby such owner shall nominate, constitute and appoint the Township Clerk his 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 such insurance policy.
A. 
No taxi driver's license shall be issued to any person unless he is at least 21 years of age, a citizen of the United States of America, a resident of the County of Bergen for at least 30 days, nor until he shall have filed an application for such license with the Township Clerk, addressed to the Township Council, setting forth the following information:
(1) 
Name of applicant.
(2) 
Residence address of applicant.
(3) 
Age of applicant.
(4) 
Satisfactory evidence of good moral character attested in writing by two residents of the said Township of Washington.
(5) 
Four recent photographs of the applicant of such size as shall be required by the Police Department (commonly known as "passport size"), one of such photographs to be attached to the driver's license, one to be filed with the application for such driver's license in the office of the Township Clerk and two to be filed at police headquarters.
(6) 
Such other facts as the Township Council may require.
B. 
Every application shall be accompanied by the fee for such license as hereinafter provided.
No person shall be entitled to receive a taxi driver's license until he has met the requirements of the foregoing section and until the Chief of Police shall have endorsed his approval of said applicant on the application filed and the applicant shall have been fingerprinted and such prints filed at police headquarters.
The Township Council shall have the sole power to issue licenses hereunder and may reject any applicant for an owner's or driver's license who cannot comply with the foregoing requirements.
A. 
The licenses to be issued hereunder shall be effective for one year, commencing January 1, and shall expire on December 31 of the year for which such license shall have been issued, and shall be issued and signed by the Township Clerk after approval by the Township Council and shall be sealed with the Township Seal.
B. 
No taxi driver's license shall be transferable. No taxi owner's license shall be transferable without the consent of the Township Council first obtained.
C. 
No more than 10 taxi owners' licenses shall be outstanding in the said Township at the same time.
[Amended 5-21-1979 by Ord. No. 79-9]
A. 
The fee for a taxi owner's license per year for each vehicle licensed hereunder shall be as set forth in Chapter 212, Fees.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. II)]
B. 
The fee for a taxi driver's license shall be as set forth in Chapter 212, Fees, per year.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. II)]
C. 
In the event that either of the foregoing licenses is applied for and issued subsequent to July 1 in any year, the fee for such license shall be 1/2 of the amount set forth in this section.
The taxi driver's license herein provided for shall be in such form as to contain the photograph and signature of the licensee, which photograph shall be a duplicate of the photographs filed with the application and shall be so attached to the license that it cannot be removed and another photograph substituted without detection. Upon the request of any law enforcement officer or passenger, the driver of any taxicab shall exhibit his license for inspection. Any licensee who willfully or maliciously defaces, damages or obliterates any official entry made upon his license shall be subject to the penalty of revocation of the said license.
The taxi owner's license shall at all times be openly and conspicuously exhibited in any automobile or motor vehicle licensed under this chapter, and it shall briefly describe the taxicab licensed, including the name of the owner thereof, and shall contain the motor vehicle registration number as well as the serial and motor numbers of such taxicab.
The Township Clerk shall keep a register of all licenses granted under the provisions of this chapter, which register shall show the character of the license, the number, date of issue, name and residence address and office address of person licensed and any other information pertaining thereto. He shall keep all applications, and on such applications for which licenses are granted by the Township Council, shall endorse the number of the license issued in pursuance hereof.
A. 
The charges for carrying passengers shall conform to the rates set out in the application for the taxi owner's license, unless a change in such rates shall be approved by the Township Council.
B. 
Every taxicab licensed hereunder shall have fastened in a conspicuous place therein a printed card showing the rates provided for in the approved application, in letters and figures of not less than 1/2 inch in height, which card shall bear the license number of such vehicle and also the name of the owner thereof. The charging of any fare or fares in excess thereof shall constitute a violation of this chapter by the owner or operator, or both.
No person shall solicit customers for transportation in any taxicab in a noisy or offensive manner nor at any place other than the office of the taxicab owner or at a public taxi stand.
No taxicab shall be permitted to stand on any street other than at a taxi stand, except when the same shall be waiting to pick up or discharge a passenger who is presently engaging the use of such taxicab, and the driver of any such vehicle shall remain in or immediately outside such vehicle when the same is at any taxi stand, street or public place.
All taxicabs herein required to be licensed, used or operated for the carrying of passengers within the scope of this chapter shall be automobile sedans with a minimum of three doors. At least two of said doors shall be for the exclusive use of the passengers. The said automobiles shall be at all times clean and in good repair.
No person other than the licensed driver or a passenger for hire of a taxicab shall ride or sit in the compartment of the taxicab reserved for the driver thereof.
The total number of persons permitted in any taxicab at any one time shall not exceed the number of persons for which permanent seating capacity is provided in the vehicle as originally designed.
Taxi stands may be established at the cost and expense of the taxi owner's licensee in such places as the Township Council shall from time to time authorize, which stands shall be designated by appropriate signs to be approved by the Township Council, and such taxi stands shall be occupied only by licensed taxicabs, and by no other vehicles.
A. 
The said Township Council is hereby authorized and empowered, in addition to any other penalty provided for the violation of any provision of this chapter, to revoke or suspend any license issued hereunder for such violation.
B. 
A second suspension of any license issued hereunder shall, at the option of the said Township Council, be cause for the revocation of such license.
[Amended 6-3-1985 by Ord. No. 85-5]
Any person, firm, corporation or association who shall violate any of the provisions of this chapter shall, in addition to the suspension or revocation of the license as hereinbefore provided, be punishable as provided in § 1-1 of Chapter 1, General Provisions. Every day that such violation continues shall be deemed and considered to be a separate and distinct offense.