New Jersey

Jersey City Proposes First-in-Nation Ride-Share Safety Measure After College Student's Deadly Mistake

Proposed measure comes after a New Jersey native was killed in South Carolina after mistakenly getting into a wrong car, allegedly thinking it was her Uber

What to Know

  • A city in New Jersey is poised to become the first in the state to require illuminated and identifiable signage for all rideshare vehicles
  • Jersey City mayor announced Friday the proposed ordinance that would require the signs to be displayed on dashboards or windshields
  • The measure comes in the wake of death of New Jersey native, Samantha Josephson, who was killed after mistakenly entering the wrong car

A city in New Jersey is poised to become the first in the state to require illuminated and identifiable signage for all rideshare vehicles.

Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop announced Friday a proposed ordinance requiring all ride-share vehicles operating within the city to have illuminated signs clearly displayed on the dashboard or windshield.

The measure comes in the wake of 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,” Fulop said in a statement.

Currently, there are no regulations or laws in New Jersey governing or requiring ride-share vehicles to have identifying signage.

Jersey City will be the first in the state to require signs that identify the ride-share vehicle while the driver is active on the Transportation Network Company’s digital platform or providing service within the borders of the city.

“Until now, ride-share regulations have come from the state. We’re taking charge of this issue locally, instead of waiting for others to act,” Fulop said. “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 ordinance will be introduced at the April 10 council meeting. Under the ordinance, the signage must be readable during daylight hours at a distance of 50 feet, no larger than 8 inches wide by 8 inches tall, and must be illuminated in such a way that it is patently visible in darkness.

It also calls for every Transportation Network Company must provide the Division of Commerce the name, contact information, license plate number and physical address of each driver operating out of Jersey City who has been issued a Trade Dress Beacon. 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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