No person shall operate a taxicab for hire upon any street in the City of Paterson, nor shall any person who owns or controls a taxicab permit it to be so driven, unless the driver of said vehicle has:
A. 
A valid New Jersey driver's license or a valid license from the state in which the taxicab service is located and his privilege to drive in New Jersey is not revoked or under suspension.
B. 
A valid City of Paterson taxicab driver's license or, where the operator merely discharged a passenger(s) within the City of Paterson and did not pick up or attempt to pick up a passenger(s), a valid license from the municipality in which the taxicab service is located.
C. 
Successfully completed Paterson's taxicab driver orientation class and any applicable refresher classes which are offered. All driver's are required to attend driver orientation refresher classes every three years.
D. 
Paid all outstanding motor vehicle or parking fines in full.
Each applicant for a City of Paterson taxicab driver's license shall:
A. 
Be at least 18 years of age.
B. 
Be of sound mind and body, with good eyesight and not subject to epilepsy, vertigo, heart trouble, drug or alcohol addiction or any other infirmity which might render him or her unfit for the operation of a taxicab.
C. 
Be able to read and write English.
D. 
Have driven a motor vehicle for at least one year.
E. 
Be clean in dress and person.
F. 
Be of good character.
G. 
Not have a criminal conviction for any drug or sex offense or for a violent crime, which includes but is not limited to murder, rape, robbery, assault, burglary and possession of a weapon.
H. 
Be a citizen of the United States or legal alien thereof.
I. 
Be the holder of a valid taxicab business license or be the employee or promised employment by an individual who has a valid taxicab business license.
J. 
Not have a conviction for driving while intoxicated within the past three years.
K. 
Not currently have seven points or more for moving violations on one's license.
L. 
Not have any motor vehicle or parking fines outstanding which have not been fully paid.
A. 
Every City taxicab driver's license application and application for renewal shall be filed with the Taxicab Division on forms provided by it and shall be retained on file as a permanent record, as provided in § 449-25.
B. 
Every application and every application for renewal shall be verified under oath and shall truthfully and accurately contain the following information:
(1) 
The applicant's full name and address.
(2) 
The applicant's date of birth.
(3) 
The applicant's social security number.
(4) 
The applicant's driver's license number.
(5) 
The applicant's residences for the preceding five years.
(6) 
The applicant's age, height, hair and eye color.
(7) 
The applicant's United States citizenship status.
(8) 
The applicant's employment history for the preceding five years.
(9) 
The applicant's criminal record.
(10) 
The applicant's official driving record with a separate list of moving violations and suspensions or revocations, with the cause for each suspension or revocation.
(11) 
Any other information required by the Division of Taxicabs.
C. 
Each application and each application for renewal shall be accompanied by four two and one-half by two and one-half (2 1/2 x 2 1/2) inches, recent front-view photographs of the applicant. One of said photographs shall be attached to the application maintained in the Taxicab Division.
D. 
The applicant shall submit with his or her application, on forms provided by the Taxicab Division, notarized affidavits regarding the applicant's good character from two reputable citizens of Paterson who have known the applicant and observed his or her conduct during the previous 12 months. Affidavits are not required for renewal applications.
E. 
Each application and each application for renewal shall be accompanied by a letter from a physician duly authorized to practice medicine in the State of New Jersey, certifying that he or she has examined the applicant and the applicant has been found to be physically fit and, in his professional opinion, medically able to perform the duties of a taxicab driver. Such examination shall not exceed 60 days prior to the date from the filing of the application.
(1) 
Annual drug testing for license applicants and renewal applicants. Every applicant for a new taxicab driver’s license or an existing license holder who applies for a renewal of his or her license shall submit to a drug screening test at his or her own expense and provide the City of Paterson with a certificate of compliance evidencing his or her satisfactorily passing said test. Any person who fails said test and tests positive for a controlled dangerous substance or a prescription medication that he or she does not have a valid prescription for shall be denied a taxicab driver’s license or renewal of an existing license and may not reapply for same until six months have passed from the date of the failed test. The applicant shall then resubmit a new certificate of compliance evidencing his or her satisfactorily passing the drug screening test.
[Added 11-27-2012 by Ord. No. 12-049]
F. 
Any false statement contained in the application will be grounds for rejection of the application and shall promptly be reported to the City Council and may subject the applicant to prosecution by the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office, in addition to penalties imposed under this Part 1.
A. 
Each applicant must pass an examination given by the Taxicab Division testing his or her knowledge of the provisions of this Part 1, the local geography, local traffic regulations and state motor vehicle laws.
B. 
Each applicant must take a road test accompanied by a taxicab inspector, and he or she must satisfactorily demonstrate his or her ability to drive in crowded and/or congested areas of the city.
A. 
The taxicab driver's license shall be signed by the licensee and the Director of the Taxicab Division.
B. 
A photograph supplied in accordance with § 449-21 shall be attached to the license in such a manner as to prevent the substitution of another picture without detection.
C. 
Taxicab driver's licenses shall otherwise take such form and content as is prescribed by the Director of the Taxicab Division.
[Amended 11-27-2012 by Ord. No. 12-049]
A. 
A license issued under this Part 1 shall be valid for a period commencing on December 1 of the year of issuance and ending on November 30 the following year unless sooner suspended or revoked.
B. 
The fee for a taxicab driver’s license shall be $75 per year or $50 for the remaining period if issued after December 1.
The Taxicab Division shall maintain a file on each licensee, and such file shall contain:
A. 
The licensee's original application and all subsequent applications for renewal, including photographs.
B. 
The licensee's official driving record submitted with the original application, plus updates, which are to be submitted with each application for renewal.
C. 
The licensee's official criminal history, plus updates, which are to be submitted with each application for renewal application.
D. 
Any records of complaints made about the driver.
Subject to City Council approval, the Director of the Taxicab Division is hereby authorized to make additional rules and regulations for the ownership and/or operation of vehicles for hire covered in this Part 1, so long as they are reasonable and not inconsistent with the other provisions of this Part 1.
A. 
Any licensed driver who defaces, removes or obliterates any official entry made upon his license or who removes the photograph which was attached to his or her license or who allows another to do either of the above shall be subject to suspension or revocation of his or her license.
B. 
Every taxicab driver licensed by the City of Paterson shall, upon demand of a taxicab inspector, police officer, passenger or other authorized person, exhibit his or her taxicab operator's license for inspection.
C. 
A taxicab operator's license is nontransferable, so it may not be lent, sold, given or otherwise transferred to any other person.
A. 
Taxicab driver's licenses may be revoked or suspended by the Director of the Taxicab Division pending a hearing before the Director of Public Safety or his designee where the continued operation of a taxicab by the driver presents an unreasonable risk to the health or safety of the public. Following the hearing, the Director of Public Safety or his or her designee may then confirm the revocation or suspension, he or she may modify the revocation or suspension or he or she may change entirely the penalty that is imposed.
B. 
Following a hearing before the Public Safety Director or his or her designee, a taxicab driver's license may be suspended or revoked for any violation of this Part 1.
C. 
Any suspension or revocation shall be noted in the Taxicab Division's file on the licensee in question, together with the reasons for such action. Additionally, the driver's employer may be notified of the suspension/revocation.
D. 
Where a license has been suspended for a specific period, the license shall be returned to the licensee at the expiration of the suspension period.
E. 
Where a license has been suspended for the same reason as a previous suspension or a license has been suspended for the third time for any reason, the license shall be revoked.
F. 
No taxicab driver whose license has been revoked shall again be licensed, except upon approval of the City Council.
G. 
Where a license is suspended or revoked, the licensee shall immediately turn in his or her license to the Taxicab Division. Failure to turn in a suspended or revoked license may subject the licensee to further penalties, as provided in § 449-52.
H. 
The Taxicab Division shall notify an applicant that his registration has been suspended or revoked, in writing, and shall retain a copy of this letter in the applicant's file.
I. 
A suspension or revocation of a taxicab registration shall become effective five days after written notice of the suspension or revocation was sent unless the applicant was otherwise notified of the suspension or revocation prior to the elapsing of the five-day period; then the suspension or revocation shall become effective on the date the applicant was so notified.