[R.O. 1966 C.S. § 24:1-24; Ord. 6 S+FG, 1-17-2007 § 1; Ord. 6 PSF-A(S), 1-7-2016]
a.
It shall be unlawful to operate a taxicab in the City unless the same is equipped with a taximeter of a size and design approved by the Office of Taxicabs. The taximeter shall be fastened in front of the passengers, visible to them at all times, day and night; and after sundown, the face of the taximeter shall be illuminated. The taximeter shall be operated by a mechanism of standard design and construction, driven either from the transmission or from one of the front wheels by a flexible and permanently attached driving mechanism, and shall be sealed at all points and connections which, if manipulated, would affect their correct reading and recording. The taximeter must:
1.
Be fully electronic.
2.
Have all access points sealed by a licensed taximeter shop that has been approved by the Office of Taxicabs.
3.
Have casing made of hard impenetrable plastic or metal.
4.
Be capable of operating within a temperature range of -20° F. and +120° F.
5.
Automatically produce a printed receipt for passengers which indicates date, time, medallion number, fare paid, extras, and the Office of Taxicabs telephone complaint number. This receipt shall have all readouts in a minimum of five figures including decimals (e.g. 000.00).
6.
Be capable of releasing a printed receipt within 10 seconds.
7.
Be capable of producing a printed receipt for Office of Taxicabs personnel which shows total mileage, total paid mileage, total trips and total units, and total extras. All these readouts must show a minimum of six digits exclusive of decimals (e.g. 999,999). This function shall be operated by a separate button or switch.
8.
Have all seals indicating the licensed meter shop by name and license number. If an adjustment can be made to any component affecting the performance of the printer, then provision shall be made for applying a seal in a manner which requires the seal to be broken before an adjustment can be made.
9.
Have an auxiliary power source which operates independently of the vehicle's electrical system contained in the unit and it shall operate the memory at its full capacity for a minimum of two years.
10.
Have a memory which shall be nonerasable. Upon reaching the limits of any display, the unit shall be capable of turning over.
11.
Have a fully programmable fare structure with low cost rate change capability.
12.
For two-piece units, have a printer capable of interfacing with and recording information from a fully approved electronic taximeter.
13.
For two-piece units, have all connections between display meter and the unit permanently sealed and tamper-proof by use of approved tubing or electrical conduits. The display unit must be unable to function if disconnected from the memory unit.
14.
Be capable of automatically making meter display inoperable if printer paper is not available in the printing unit.
15.
Have model and serial numbers appearing on the face of the unit. For two-piece units, model and serial numbers must appear on the display unit and the printer unit.
16.
Have properly illuminated operating buttons and/or switches related to passenger functions that appear on the face of the unit and indicate its function.
17.
Have extras that shall appear separately on the display as well as on the receipt for passengers. Extra indicator must be illuminated when in operation.
18.
Have a fare display that remains on a total of 15 seconds from the time the printer begins to print the customers receipt at the completion of the ride.
19.
Have a fare display that is clearly visible.
20.
Have a receipt disposal unit that is visible to the passenger.
21.
Have illuminated indicators of sufficient candlepower that are visible to the passenger.
22.
Be permanently affixed to the vehicle in a location approved by the Office of Taxicabs.
23.
Have a rooflight controlled by the engaging of the meter that denotes when the vehicle is employed and when it is not employed.
24.
Be capable of calculating and displaying two alternative rates of fare. In addition to displaying the rate of fare, the meter unit shall also be capable of displaying the flat rate of fare for a trip from Newark Liberty International Airport to Staten Island.
25.
Meet the specifications and tolerances published in the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
b.
The taximeter shall be subject to inspection from time to time by the Office of Taxicabs whose representative shall test the taximeter for accuracy, and affix thereto a seal of the Division of Taxicabs, so as to prevent tampering with the inner portion of the taximeter.
c.
Any representative of the Office of Taxicabs is hereby authorized, either on a complaint of any person or without such complaint, to inspect any taximeter. Upon discovering any inaccurancy in the taximeter, the inspector shall notify the person operating such taxicab to cease operation of the taxicab. The vehicle shall be kept off the streets until the taximeter has been repaired, placed in the required working condition, reinspected, and resealed.
d.
If the taxicab has not been placed into the required compliance and returned to service within 60 days after the notice to cease operation as provided in paragraph c above, the Manager may suspend or, after hearing, revoke the taxicab license, and provided that the taxicab has not been removed from service as provided in Section 34:1-54a.,2.
[1]
Editor's Note: Taxicabs who currently have medallions and are not in compliance with this section shall have until November 1, 2007 to come into compliance with the terms of this section as set forth in subsection a.