[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Committee of the Township of Westampton 10-18-1984 by Ord. No. 12-1984. Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Streets and sidewalks — See Ch. 212.
Vehicles and traffic — Ch. 232.
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
DRIVER
Any person who drives a taxicab within the Township of Westampton.
LICENSEE
Any motor vehicle, as aforesaid, which has been licensed in accordance with the provisions of this chapter.
OPERATION OF A TAXICAB
Transporting in such taxicab one or more persons for hire in, on or along any of the streets or highways of the Township of Westampton or the acceptance of a passenger to be transported for hire within the Township of Westampton or from a point within said township to a point outside of said township limits shall be deemed to be the operation of a taxicab within the Township of Westampton under the terms hereof. The operation of a taxicab, as above described, by one other than the owner of such taxicab shall be deemed the operation by the owner as well as the person actually driving such vehicle. The transportation of any person other than the owner or driver in any such motor vehicle bearing a sign or signs therein or thereon and using the words "taxi," "taxicab," "cab," "autocab" or "hack" shall be prima facie evidence of operation.
OWNER
Any person, corporation or association in whose name title to any taxicab is registered with the Motor Vehicle Division of the State of New Jersey or who appears in such records as a conditional vendee or lessee thereof.
PERSON
Any individual, copartnership, association, corporation or joint-stock company, their lessees, trustees or receivers appointed by any court whatsoever, and shall include the plural as well as the singular.
STREET
Any street, avenue, park, parkway, highway or any other public place in the Township of Westampton.
TAXICAB
Any automobile or motorcar, sometimes known as an "autocab," 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 Westampton 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 Township of Westampton.
TOWNSHIP
The Township of Westampton.
From and after the effective date of this chapter, no person shall operate any taxicab within the Township of Westampton unless such taxicab is licensed pursuant to this chapter and conforms in all respects to the provisions hereof.
Any and all licenses issued pursuant to the terms of this chapter shall expire at 12:00 midnight of the 31st day of March following the issuance thereof, unless sooner surrendered, suspended or revoked.
All applications for the issuance or renewal of any license shall be made to the Township Committee of the township on forms provided by said township.
A. 
Each applicant for a license shall supply the information requested on the application in full and shall verify the correctness of such information by an oath or affirmation attached to such application, and such application shall be filed with the Township Clerk/Administrator, together with the proper fee, as hereinafter specified. As a part of such application, each applicant shall file a schedule of rates showing the charges to be made for the transportation of passengers.
[Amended 9-21-1992 by Ord. No. 10-1992]
B. 
Each applicant for a taxicab driver's license shall obtain from the Police Department of said township an affidavit from an appropriate officer of said Police Department to the effect that the applicant is of good moral character and that he has sufficient knowledge of the traffic regulations and geography of the township.
C. 
Each applicant must furnish with the application for such license a recent photograph of himself, three inches in length and four inches in height, in duplicate. He must also furnish evidence that he has been fingerprinted by the Police Department.
D. 
Each applicant must submit the names and addresses of two responsible property owners of the Township of Westampton as references.
E. 
Every license so issued shall be revoked upon conviction of two violations of the State Motor Vehicles Statute.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: See N.J.S.A. 39:1-1 et seq.
F. 
All changes of residence within 10 days on the part of the holder of any taxicab driver's license issued under this chapter shall be reported, in writing, to the Township Committee through the Clerk/Administrator of the township and be directed to the Police Department of the township within 10 days.
[Amended 9-21-1992 by Ord. No. 10-1992]
G. 
The Township Clerk/Administrator shall submit the applications to the Township Committee at the next succeeding meeting for action, and any or all applications may be granted or refused by the majority vote of the members of said body present at such meeting.
[Amended 9-21-1992 by Ord. No. 10-1992]
The annual fee for each taxicab license issued, or for renewal thereof, shall be $100 for each year for which the license is issued or renewed, except that where any such license shall be issued on or after the 30th day of September, the license fee shall be 1/2 of the sum, as aforesaid. No part of such fee shall be refunded for any reason, except upon the denial of an application for the issuance or renewal of a license by the Township Committee of the township, in which event 60% of the fee deposited shall be returned to the applicant, and 40% thereof shall be retained by the township as compensation for the investigation of such application.
The Township Committee may, in its discretion, refuse to issue or renew or may, after notice and hearing, revoke or suspend a license for the following reasons:
A. 
If the applicant or licensee has been convicted of a crime in this or any other jurisdiction; or has been convicted of being a disorderly person, or violates any provision of this chapter; or has any judgment unsatisfied or record against him arising out of an automobile accident; or has made false answers in his application for such license or any renewal thereof; or has failed or fails to render reasonably prompt, safe and adequate taxicab service; or has not complied fully with all the requirements of this chapter.
B. 
If the motor vehicle licensed or to be licensed by reason of unsafe or unsanitary conditions is dangerous to the safety or health of the passengers or other occupants thereof, or if statutory financial requirements (N.J.S.A. 48:16-3 et seq), as presently existing or hereafter supplemented or amended, have not been complied with or have lapsed, or if the financial responsibility required thereby is not maintained at all times.
[Amended 9-21-1992 by Ord. No. 10-1992]
Each applicant to whom or to which a taxicab license shall be issued shall also be given a license plate or card made of such material and in such form as the Township Committee shall decide, which shall at all times by kept clearly legible and be displayed on or in the taxicab so licensed. Such license plate or card shall, at all times, be considered the property of the Township Committee, and it shall be surrendered to and deposited with the Clerk/Administrator of the township.
Every taxicab so licensed shall have displayed on both sides thereof the word "taxi" or "cab" in letters at least four inches high or the name of the operating owner containing the word "taxi" or "taxicab."
[Amended 9-21-1992 by Ord. No. 10-1992]
No such consent shall become effective until the owner of the taxicab shall have filed with the Clerk/Administrator of the Township of Westampton, in which operation is permitted, an insurance policy of a company duly licensed to transact business under the insurance laws of this state, in the sum of $500,000 against loss from the liability imposed by law upon the taxicab for damages on account of bodily injury or death suffered by any one person and in the sum of $300,000 against loss on account of property damage suffered by any person or persons as a result of an accident occurring by reason of the ownership, maintenance or use of such vehicle upon the public streets of the township, and such consent shall continue effective and such operation be permitted only so long as such insurance shall remain in force to the full and collectible amount during the entire term of the policy. Such insurance policy shall provide for the payment on any final judgment recovered by any person on account of the ownership, maintenance and use of such taxicab or any fault in respect thereto and shall be for the benefit of any person suffering loss, damage or injury as aforesaid. In the event that the Legislature of the State of New Jersey shall at any time increase the amounts of insurance coverage provided in N.J.S.A. 48:16-3, then the owner shall comply by filing a policy in the increased amounts.
Any person violating any of the provisions of this chapter shall, upon conviction thereof, be punished by a fine of not more than $1,000 or by imprisonment for not more than 90 days, or both.