Jersey City to become First in the State to Require Illuminated, Identifiable Signage for all Rideshare Vehicles

In light of the Recent Tragedy involving a New Jersey College Student, Mayor Fulop takes Action to Avoid Potential Harm to Others

JERSEY CITY – Mayor Steven M. Fulop announces an ordinance requiring all rideshare vehicles operating within Jersey City to have illuminated signs clearly displayed on the dashboard or windshield. The purpose of the ordinance is to alert riders and prevent a tragedy such as the horrific death of New Jersey native, Samantha Josephson, who was killed in South Carolina after she mistakenly entered a car that was not the Uber she had requested.

“These unfortunate tragedies bring to light the work that can be done on an administrative level to help keep people safe,” said Mayor Fulop. “I encourage all rideshare users to verify the driver they requested by looking for these signs, and to ensure extra precaution, ask the driver to identify themselves using a name or a pin number.”

Jersey City will be the first in the state to require signs that identify the rideshare vehicle while the driver is active on the Transportation Network Company’s digital platform or providing service within the borders of the City. Currently, there are no regulations or laws in New Jersey governing or requiring rideshare vehicles to have identifying signage.

“Until now, rideshare regulations have come from the state. We’re taking charge of this issue locally, instead of waiting for others to act,” said Mayor Fulop. “We’re modeling our ordinance off of South Carolina’s upcoming legislation. The idea is that the signs will be provided by the companies, and returned when the driver stops working for them.”

The City’s ordinance is an amendment to an existing Municipal Code and will be introduced at the next City Council meeting on April 10th, 2019. Under the ordinance, the signage must be readable during daylight hours at a distance of fifty feet, no larger than eight inches wide by eight inches tall, and must be illuminated in such a way that it is patently visible in darkness. Additionally, every Transportation Network Company will be responsible for forwarding the name, contact information, license plate number and physical address of each driver operating out of the City who has been issued a Trade Dress Beacon to the City’s Division of Commerce. The company must also notify the Division of Commerce when the driver ceases employment with the company and returns the sign.

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