From solar compacting trash cans to bike sharing, Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer has been a champion of technology’s ability to solve urban problems. So it’s no surprise that she has publicly come out in support of ridesharing services Uber and Lyft, which send a car to a user with a tap of the user’s smartphone. However, at the same time, her administration has been cracking down on Uber drivers much more than in any other city in Hudson County.
In April, Zimmer sent a letter to Hoboken’s legislators supporting changes to laws that will allow companies like Uber to operate legally, but within certain safety regulations that taxi drivers have to follow.
In the meantime, the administration has dramatically escalated its enforcement of pertinent state and local laws. In just the 35 days between Sept. 27 and Oct. 31, Hoboken police cited 81 drivers for at least one violation associated with operating an unlicensed taxicab or limousine, according to public access reports provided by the Hoboken Municipal Court. Court representative Luigi Percontino said that Hoboken did not cite any Uber drivers prior to September.
The minimum fine is $500, although some drivers have been able to plea bargain.
“I can’t tell the police not to enforce the law.”—Dawn Zimmer
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In April, Zimmer sent a letter to Hoboken’s state legislature delegation, saying that Uber and Lyft “provide a valuable service to our communities” and “can facilitate car-free living and provide the ‘last mile’ of connectivity between public transportation and our homes and businesses.”
State Sen. Brian Stack and State Assemblyman Carmelo Garcia have sponsored bills establishing a regulatory scheme for ridesharing services, though neither bill has made it out of committee.
Other nearby towns have not cracked down as much. Despite having twice as many taxis and 12 times the total land area as Hoboken, Jersey City has issued only nine summons for operation of a noncertified taxicab since January 2014.
Hands tied or hypocrisy?
To Assemblyman Carmelo Garcia, who has clashed with Zimmer before, cracking down on Uber while publicly speaking in favor of its service is hypocritical. “On one breath,” he explained, “they say, ‘oh yeah, we’re supporting it,’ but on the other breath, they’re hammering the Uber drivers.”
Garcia said he had heard from constituents that two undercover law enforcement officers drive around Hoboken in a white van solely apprehending Uber drivers.
Zimmer does not see her stance as being contradictory. “I can’t tell the police not to enforce the law,” she said.
She added, “I just want to make sure that it’s safe. God forbid a driver comes in and tries to take advantage of a woman late at night in Hoboken who is one of their drivers. At the end of the day, I’ll be the one that’s responsible for that.”
Zimmer said she was reaching out to all sides to get their perspective on changing the law. She said he had an “excellent meeting” with Uber two weeks ago and plans to meet with Hoboken taxi drivers and Lyft.
One man’s experience with the police
The Hoboken Reporter spoke to one of the Uber drivers who was cited in Hoboken. The driver, who requested that he not be identified due to fears of jeopardizing his position at Uber, was pulled over by an undercover black SUV after picking up a passenger at 14th and Washington streets.
When the Uber driver was unable to produce a hack license, his passenger was told to exit and the driver was given a summons for violating subsection 179A-14 of the Hoboken municipal code, which states that is “unlawful for a non-licensed taxicab to pick up or accept a passenger within the city for a destination within the city limits.” The city defines a taxicab as any vehicle for hire.
The charge carries a potential fine of no less than $1,000 and/or 180 days in prison. When the driver contacted Uber, the corporate office said they would send a lawyer to represent him.
When his court date arrived in October, the driver found that Uber’s outside counsel had already ironed out a plea bargain for the many drivers coming before the Municipal Court. He pleaded guilty and was required to pay $288, which Uber said it would reimburse.
Though most of his fares come from Hoboken and Jersey City, the Uber driver said he had picked up and dropped off people from as far as Seaside Heights and Morristown, and that Hoboken was the only place he had encountered issues with police.
Squeezing taxi drivers
At least one group in town think Hoboken’s crackdown on ridesharing hasn’t gone far enough: taxi drivers, who sometimes have to struggle to make a living as it is. Taxi licenses in Hoboken cost around $380,000, and drivers pay license holders hundreds of dollars a day for the right to drive a Hoboken taxi. They must meet tough standards about background checks and insurance.
Several drivers have spoken out at City Council meetings recently, saying it is harder to survive when competing with the new services.
Carlo Davis may be reached at cdavis@hudsonreporter.com.