Limo Law
Limousines and the Law.
Article featured in The Times on Sunday 31/10/04
The party's over for stretch limos.
Business is booming for ever-growing limos, but the long arm of the law is catching up with them, says Emma Smith of The Sunday Times.
Once the preserve of Hollywood starlets, stretch limousines now prowl the streets of even the most provincial of British cities at the weekend. These days, rather than carrying celebrities, the giant white cars usually contain a raucous hen night or office party.
However, the nights of back-seat revelry could soon be a thing of the past, for the excitable passengers probably don’t realise that their oversized party-mobile is almost certainly breaking the law.
Today the largest classic American stretch limos,
usually based on a Lincoln or Cadillac, carry up to 16 people. The newer
generation of stretched off-roaders such as Lincoln Navigators — and
even Hummers — can take up to 30 passengers.
But under current licensing laws limousines are not permitted to carry any
more than eight paying passengers. Vehicles that carry more are classified
as passenger-carrying vehicles (PCVs), and like a bus require a PCV licence.
However the government’s Vehicle Operator Services Agency (Vosa),
which is in charge of issuing these licences, refuses to recognise stretch
limos as PCVs, arguing they do not fulfil the stringent vehicle-safety standards
required.
Rather than admit defeat, many limo companies are
simply flouting a law of which passengers and policemen are mostly unaware.
“I think there are some firms out there who really do not care, and
if they can put 10 or 12 in a vehicle and get away with it they’re
going to do it,” admits Harvey Muxlow, chairman of the National Limousine
Association which represents about 200 operators. “They make more
money and that’s all they’re interested in.”
Vosa says the boom in popularity means there are
around 6,000 stretch limos now operating in Britain, of which an estimated
50% are illegal either because they carry more than eight or do not have
the correct licence.
“Under the current legislation, you cannot legally operate a limousine
for more than eight passengers because it cannot meet the criteria for a
PCV under the construction and use regulations,” says Juan Maddrell,
the policy advisor at Vosa.
But things are about to change. The agency has already begun to crack down
on unscrupulous operators in conjunction with the police and local authorities.
Next month Vosa is holding a meeting with the police, department of transport
officials and the DVLA to discuss ways in which to firm up the law.
“A lot of these vehicles are brought into the country without undergoing safety tests,” says Barrie Davis, the licensing manager for Torbay council in Devon, who has carried out detailed research into limousine safety and is advising Vosa. “They could have been welded together in a garden shed in America without the proper heavy-duty parts or expertise.
“Without local authority or Vosa checks, there is nobody testing the safety of these vehicles and nobody checking the credentials of the drivers. We need to stop accidents before they happen.”
Muxlow and the NLA are backing the clampdown, saying companies who obey the rules are losing out. An internet search reveals a host of firms in breach of the regulations, offering limos boasting 22ft-long mirrored bars, smoke machines, strobes and disco lights inside. Vosa cannot prosecute companies unless they are caught in the act, but inspectors are making it their business to do just that. “Unless the rules change it is hard to see how these cars can continue to operate,” says Maddrell.
So party revelers may soon have to revise their travel plans.
SO TO FINALISE In England, Scotland, Northern Ireland
and Wales limousines are all restricted to a maximum of eight passengers
no matter how large the vehicles are. There are NO exceptions to this rule.
The reason for this is that to carry more than eight passengers the vehicle
has to be registered as a Public Service Vehicle (PSV) and have a Certificate
of Initial Fitness issued (COIF). However NONE of the American limousines,
(Including the large 4wheel drive Navigators, Escalades, Excursions, etc)
comply with the requirements and are therefore restricted by law to a maximum
of eight passengers.
If any operator tries to convince a client otherwise, they should:-
A) Not book with them
B) Inform the Police
C) Inform the National Limousine Association (UK)
D) Report them as illegal operators to the Vehicle Inspectorate on 0870
60 60 440 (option 4)
It is in every ones interest to ensure that the paying public are protected from unscrupulous operators. In the event of an overloaded, unlicensed limousine being involved in a serious or fatal accident, the repercussions could be drastic and the ultimate losers would be the customers and the bona-fide limousine operators.
LATEST NEWS
FORD EXCURSIONS WITH COIF'S
There are now a few 140" Ford QVM (Qualified Vehicle Modifier) Excursions
adapted to get a COIF (Certificate of Initial Fitness), as a 13 passenger
carrying vehicle. At this time Ford Excursion limousines that have undergone
the necessary modifications and approvals are able to obtain a UK COIF.
A number of Hummers and Navigators for upto 16 people have also gained COIF
certificates.
So the bottom line is if you are going to book a limo with more than 8 seats then ask to see their operators license and COIF certificate before paying a deposit or booking it.
