Section 19-504. General provisions for licensing of vehicles

a. (1) A
  taxi-cab, coach, wheelchair accessible van,  commuter  van  or  for-hire
  vehicle  shall  operate  within  the  city of New York only if the owner
  shall  first  have  obtained  from  the  commission  a  taxicab,  coach,
  wheelchair  accessible van, commuter van or for-hire vehicle license for
  such vehicle and only while such license is in full  force  and  effect.
  Vehicle  licenses  shall  be  issued for a term of not less than one nor
  more than two years and shall expire  on  the  date  set  forth  on  the
  license  unless  sooner suspended or revoked by the commission. No motor
  vehicle other than a duly licensed taxicab shall be permitted to  accept
  hails  from  passengers in the street. No commuter van shall be operated
  within the city of New York unless it is operated as part of a  current,
  valid authorization to operate a commuter van service duly issued by the
  commission pursuant to section 19-504.2 of this chapter.
    (2)  No  commuter  van  license  shall  be issued unless the following
  conditions are satisfied:
    (i) such commuter van is to be operated as part of  a  current,  valid
  authorization  to  operate  a  commuter  van  service issued pursuant to
  section 19-504.2 of this chapter;
    (ii) the commission determines that the applicant is fit, willing  and
  able to operate a commuter van;
    (iii)  the  applicant  is in compliance with the provisions of section
  19-504.3 of this chapter, and the  applicant  has  not  engaged  in  any
  conduct  that  would  be  a  basis  for suspension or revocation of such
  license pursuant to rules promulgated by the commission; and
    (iv) the applicant has satisfied such other criteria as the commission
  deems to be in the interest of the safety and convenience of the  public
  and necessary to effectuate the purposes of this chapter.
    b.  The  license fee for each taxi-cab and coach shall be five hundred
  fifty dollars annually. The license fee for each  wheelchair  accessible
  van  and each for-hire vehicle shall be two hundred seventy-five dollars
  annually. If a license is granted for a period other than one year,  the
  fee  shall  be prorated accordingly. There shall be an additional fee of
  twenty-five dollars for late filing of a wheelchair  accessible  van  or
  for-hire  vehicle  license  renewal  application  where  such  filing is
  permitted by the commission.
    c. In the  event  of  the  loss,  mutilation  or  destruction  of  any
  medallion  or  vehicle license issued hereunder, the owner may file such
  statement and proof of the facts as the commission may require,  with  a
  fee  of  twenty-five  dollars,  at  the office of the commission and the
  commission shall issue a duplicate or substitute medallion or license.
    d.  Applications  for  vehicle  licenses  shall  be  filed  with   the
  commission  upon  forms  which  shall be provided by the commission. The
  date and time of the receipt of each application shall be noted  by  the
  commission.
    e.  Any  owner  operating  a  vehicle  under  a  license issued by the
  commission, or by the New York  city  police  department  prior  to  the
  effective  date of this chapter, shall be entitled to renew such license
  as a matter of right upon compliance with all the  other  provisions  of
  this section relating to the licensee's vehicle.
    f.  All  taxicabs now or hereafter licensed pursuant to the provisions
  of this chapter shall be inspected at an inspection facility operated by
  the commission at least once every four months,  in  accordance  with  a
  procedure to be established by the commission. All other vehicles now or
  hereafter licensed pursuant to the provisions of this chapter other than
  commuter  vans  shall  be  inspected  at  official  inspection  stations
  licensed by the commissioner of motor vehicles pursuant to section three
  hundred three of the vehicle and traffic law at least  once  every  four

  months  in  accordance with the regulations of the commissioner of motor
  vehicles, codified in part seventy-nine of title fifteen of the official
  compilation of codes, rules and regulations of the state of New York (15
  N.Y.C.R.R.  part  79).  All  commuter  vans  now  or  hereafter licensed
  pursuant to the provisions of this chapter shall be inspected and  shall
  meet  safety  standards as provided in paragraph two of subdivision a of
  section 19-504.3 of this chapter. The fee payable to the commission  for
  the  inspection required for the issuance of a certificate of inspection
  for a taxicab, inclusive of the issuance of such certificate, shall  not
  exceed  thirty-five dollars for taxicabs inspected through June 30, 1991
  and fifty dollars for taxicabs inspected on or after July  1,  1991.  If
  any  taxicab  fails to pass such inspection, it shall be reinspected for
  no additional fee. If any taxicab fails to pass  such  reinspection,  it
  shall  be reinspected a second time for an additional fee of thirty-five
  dollars. If any taxicab fails to pass such second reinspection, it shall
  be reinspected a third time. No additional  fee  shall  be  charged  for
  third  or  subsequent  reinspections.  The  fees payable to the official
  inspection station for the inspection and the issuance of a  certificate
  of  inspection  for all other licensed vehicles other than commuter vans
  shall be the fees  charged  and  collected  pursuant  to  section  three
  hundred five of the vehicle and traffic law. The commission or any other
  agency  authorized  by law may conduct on-street inspections of vehicles
  licensed pursuant to the provisions of this chapter.  The  date  of  the
  inspection  of  a  taxicab  and  the signature of the persons making the
  inspection shall be recorded upon the rate card in  the  space  provided
  therefor.  An  owner  shall  be  ordered  by the commission to repair or
  replace his or her licensed vehicle where it appears that it  no  longer
  meets  the  reasonable  standards  for  safe operation prescribed by the
  commission. Upon failure of such  owner  to  have  his  or  her  vehicle
  inspected or to comply with any such order within ten days after service
  thereof,  the  license shall be suspended; upon failure of such owner to
  comply with any such order within one hundred twenty days after  service
  thereof, the license may, at the discretion of the commission, be deemed
  to have been abandoned by nonuser.
    g.  The commission shall revoke any license for nonuse in the event it
  shall determine that  the  vehicle  has  not  been  operated  for  sixty
  consecutive  days,  provided that such failure to operate shall not have
  been caused by strike, riot, war or other public  catastrophe  or  other
  act  beyond the control of the owner; or in the event the owner has sold
  his or her vehicle and has failed to  replace  the  vehicle  within  one
  hundred  and  twenty  days  from the date of sale. However, in the event
  that  it  is  shown  to  the  commission  by  competent  proof  that  an
  owner-driver has been disabled through illness, his or her license shall
  not be revoked because of such nonuse as provided in this subdivision.
    h.  A  medallion  or  license  may  be transferred from one vehicle to
  another, subject to the approval of the commission and upon  payment  of
  such  fee  as  the  commission  shall  require,  but not to exceed fifty
  dollars. A vehicle licensee may change the  base  communications  system
  with  which  it is affiliated, subject to the approval of the commission
  and upon payment of such fee as the commission shall require, but not to
  exceed fifty dollars.
    i. The ratio of the number of taxicab licenses, as determined  by  the
  total number of taxicab licenses held by owners of more than one taxicab
  license  and  the total number of taxicab licenses held by the owners of
  one taxicab license, shall remain the same as it exists at the  time  of
  the enactment of this section unless or until changed by local law.
    j.  The  commission  shall  replace  the  medallion  for every taxicab
  license which is renewed pursuant to this section once every two  years,

  or  more  frequently at the discretion of the commission. The commission
  may charge a  fee  not  to  exceed  ten  dollars  for  each  replacement
  medallion.
    k.  The  commission may charge a fee not to exceed twenty-five dollars
  per vehicle for the replacement of license plates issued by the New York
  state department of motor vehicles.
    l. Prior to the issuance of a  commuter  van  license,  the  applicant
  shall  be  fingerprinted  for  the  purpose of securing criminal history
  records from the  state  division  of  criminal  justice  services.  The
  applicant shall pay any processing fee required by the state division of
  criminal justice services. Fingerprints shall be taken of the individual
  owner if the applicant is a sole proprietorship; the general partners if
  the   applicant   is   a  partnership;  the  officers,  principals,  and
  stockholders owning more than ten percent of the  outstanding  stock  of
  the corporation if the applicant is a corporation.
    m.  The  commission  shall  approve or disapprove an application for a
  commuter van license within  one  hundred  and  eighty  days  after  the
  completed  application  is  filed.  The failure to approve or disapprove
  such  completed  application  within  such  time  shall  be   deemed   a
  disapproval of such application.
    n.  Every  commuter  van license shall be issued on the condition that
  the applicant is in  compliance  with  the  registration  and  insurance
  requirements set forth in section 19-504.3 of this chapter and any rules
  promulgated  pursuant  thereto  during  the time that such license is in
  effect. Notwithstanding any other  provision  of  law,  the  failure  to
  comply  with  either  such  registration or insurance requirements shall
  render the commuter van license suspended on and after the date of  such
  noncompliance  and  during  the  period  of  such noncompliance, and any
  person using such commuter van in the course of operations of a commuter
  van service during such period of noncompliance shall be  deemed  to  be
  operating without a license required by this section.
    o.  The  annual license fee for each commuter van license shall be two
  hundred seventy-five dollars. Commencing two years  after  the  date  of
  enactment  of  the  local  law  that  added this subdivision, the annual
  license fee for each commuter van  shall  be  an  amount  equal  to  the
  license  fee  for  a for-hire vehicle set forth in subdivision b of this
  section, as it may be amended. The license fee shall be prorated to  the
  term of the license.
    p. A commuter van license shall not be transferable or assignable.