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New Law Aims at Putting Limos on Leash
Provisions Took Effect Jan. 1;
New City, State Rules Pending

Most cities require that dogs be kept on a leash when on the street. They cause less trouble that way.
Unfortunately, California hasn’t allowed cities to pass leash laws for limousines. And the state, which has an open-entry policy for limo operators, does next to nothing about keeping the vehicles it licenses and regulates under control.
The predictable result is familiar to every cab driver: a glut of limos on the streets, many driven by bandits who blatantly violate the requirement that they transport passengers only by prearrangement.
When limos grab off passengers who should be in cabs, at prices that are often much higher than a taxi would charge, both the cab driver and the passenger lose out. S.F. cab drivers estimate that limo thievery is easily costing them and unwitting limo passengers millions of dollars a year.
United Taxicab Workers is working to change that. Last year, with the help of State Assemblyman Mark Leno, we proposed and saw passed new provisions of state law designed to help state and local authorities crack down on bandit limousines. The legislation had the support of the San Francisco Taxicab Association and the cities of San Francisco and Los Angeles, among others.
These are the new provisions of law that went into effect Jan. 1:
* The maximum criminal penalty for operating a taxi without a license is now $2,500 for the first offense and $5,000 for any subsequent offense.
* A new administrative penalty of up to $5,000 may be imposed by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) against limousines illegally operating as taxis.
* When local authorities arrest a limousine operator for illegally performing taxi services, they may seize and impound the vehicle.
* In addition to other required information, limo waybills must now contain the name or affiliation of at least one passenger, and must state whether transportation was prearranged by telephone or written contract.
* Cities and counties have been granted new authority to impose rules for the inspection of limo waybills in order to verify prearranged transportation.
The new limo provisions also apply to other “charter-party carriers of passengers,” a state designation that includes airport shuttles and chartered buses.
The CPUC is currently in the process of changing its rules on charter-party carrier waybills to conform to the new requirements. San Francisco is soon expected to adopt its own rules authorizing waybill inspection.
Here’s the big question: will the law be enforced, or will the bandits continue to conduct business as usual? Time will tell.