Jersey City Introduces New Safety Rules, Requiring Lighted Signs On All Ride-Share Vehicles
JERSEY CITY, N.J. (CBSNewYork) – Ride-share vehicles in Jersey City will soon have new safety requirements to meet or face hefty fines.
The change comes following the murder of a New Jersey native at the University of South Carolina who got into a car she mistakenly thought was her Uber ride.
The mayor of Jersey City has announced that he's not going to wait around for the state to take action following the tragedy.
"The state tends to act very slow on things, so Jersey City has plenty of rides coming in and out so we'll start," Mayor Steven Fulop explained.
Fulop said a new ordinance will require illuminated signage on all ride-share vehicles.
"There's lots of regulations around the yellow taxi cabs and taxi cabs in general. There should be something around ride-shares."
Under the ordinance:
- The signage must be readable during daylight hours at a distance of 50 feet
- No larger than eight inches wide by eight inches tall
- Clearly visible in darkness
Every transportation network company will also be responsible for giving all the info for each driver operating out of the city to Jersey City authorities.
Ride-share companies must also notify the city if a driver no longer works for them.
MORE: Safety Tips For People Using Ride-Sharing Services
"We only say the name and we go inside, so it's something very dangerous I think it's a good idea," one ride-share passenger told CBS2's Alice Gainer.
An Uber spokesperson argued that requiring these lights could actually increase the risk of imposter drivers using fake signs and worried if people start just looking for a light it will make them less likely to check the app with the driver and car info.
"Usually they give you an identification. You know if you go on Uber it tells you the name of the person, what they look like, a picture of them, a description of the car," Ed Kaminsky of Linden said.
So how will it be enforced?
"So I mean we come across the ride-shares all the time at the Path stations, the light rails, pick-ups, drops-offs, and once you start enforcing it with tickets and fines then people start to take action," Jersey City's mayor explained.
Agree or not, the new ordinance will be introduced at the next city hall meeting next week.
