New Mantoloking Taxi License Delayed Again

The Brick Township council this week decided against taking a vote to grant an embattled Mantoloking Road taxi company a license to operate.

Council members said New Mantoloking Taxi had failed to submit a zoning plan for its Mantoloking Road lot. It had also failed to complete required background checks for employees.

The company has been embroiled in a virtual war of attrition with the township for several years, beginning with its action to illegally clear a residential lot adjacent to its building and begin using it to park taxis. The township's Board of Adjustment eventually denied the company permission to leave the parking lot in place after the fact.

Neighbors often complained at council meetings that they were being intentionally harassed by the company's employees parking in front of their driveways, and several eventually resorted to placing yellow caution tape around their properties to ward off the employees' vehicles.

The company's owner denied any inconveniences to neighbors were done intentionally.

In September, the township council denied New Mantoloking a license to operate, effective acting to shut down the business entirely. But attorneys for the company filed a motion in court that eventually resulted in the company being able to use its expired license from the previous year as litigation proceeded.

That order remains in effect.

The resolution that would have granted the company its license back stated that New Mantoloking had moved limousine and medical transport businesses it operated in Brick without licenses to Toms River, and would only operate the taxi business in Brick.

Township Attorney Jean Cipriani said neighbors of the business had seemingly settled their disputes.

"The people who had objections were spoken to, and they seem satisfied with the current conditions," said Cipriani.

Council President Bob Moore requested Cipriani get in touch with New Mantoloking's attorney to find out when the necessary documentation would be in order.