Jersey City to require illuminated signs on all rideshare vehicles
JERSEY CITY, New Jersey (WABC) -- Jersey City will soon become the first city in New Jersey to require illuminated signs on all ride-hailing vehicles.
Mayor Steven Fulop announced Friday that an ordinance will be introduced at the next City Council meeting on April 10 and will require rideshare drivers to have illuminated signs clearly displayed on the dashboard or windshield and readable from 50 feet away.
"Until now, rideshare 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 change comes after the murder of New Jersey native Samantha Josephson, who was killed in South Carolina after mistakenly getting into a car she thought was an Uber.
"These unfortunate tragedies bring to light the work that can be done on an administrative level to help keep people safe," Fulop said. "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."
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