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Due diligence can save headaches when booking limo service

By Danny Bacher

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Published: 20Nov2009
Word count: 599
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Most people book a limo as dependable transportation with a little style - to celebrate a special occasion or impress a client. But recent events reveal that style and cost should be at the bottom of your list of questions for your transportation company.

In Georgia, 13 members of a college marching band were injured when their chartered bus crashed on the way to a football game. While that was bad enough, the investigation quickly turned from the driver to the limo company, when Georgia's Public Service Commission announced that the company wasn't licensed to operate in the state (see http://www.11alive.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=137019&catid=3 for details). If the allegations pan out, the transportation company could be facing fines in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Any time you ride in a chauffeured vehicle, you are putting your life in another person's hands. Accidents can happen to any type of vehicle, chauffeured or not. And, while price is a consideration, an even larger concern should be if the company is properly licensed and insured for your state.

How low can you go?
If a limo company is offering rock-bottom pricing, it's important to question their licensing, insurance, quality of vehicles and service. They have to be doing something in order to pass a lower cost on to you, perhaps by driving personally insured vehicles or running much older vehicles that are not maintained properly. If you value your safety, it's your job to find out why their prices seem to be better.

It's expensive to use brand new, top-of-the-line vehicles - expensive for both the vehicles and the insurance. Regardless, all chauffeur companies should carry commercial insurance on every vehicle they operate. In addition, all chauffeurs should have the proper permits and licensing to operate these vehicles. The company should have a business license with the city in which they operate, as well as being registered with their local airport(s) and public service commission.

What to look for
It's easiest to focus your search for the right balance between price and safety when you know what to look for. Here are some questions to ask a prospective transportation company:

About a vehicle:
* What type of vehicles do you offer?
* How are they insured, and for how much?
* What is the year of the vehicle?
* How frequently do you maintain your fleet?

About a chauffeur:
* How many years of experience do you require to hire a chauffeur? This will tell you, on average, how experienced your driver is.
* Are the chauffeurs properly licensed? This is a separate license from that of the company.
* Additionally, any chauffeur operating a vehicle with more than 15 people or weighing more than 26,000 lbs is required to have a Commercial Driver License (CDL).
* What level of insurance do your drivers carry?
* Are all chauffeurs W-2 employees? To be legal, they must be.
* Are chauffeurs required to speak English?
* Are chauffeurs legal citizens of the U.S.?
* Are chauffeurs subject to background checks? Drug and alcohol tests? How often?
* What is your standard chauffeur's uniform?

About the company:
* Does the company pay worker's compensation on all employees?
* Can you provide insurance certificates and license certificates?
* Can I come and see your office and vehicles and meet your staff?
* Does the price include all taxes, fees and gratuities?

While price is certainly a consideration, please do your due diligence before getting in the back of a vehicle and putting your life - or the lives of your friends, family and business associates - in someone else's hands.

Danny Bacher is CEO of Topper Limousine - providing Atlanta airport limousine service, the party bus, Atlanta limo rentals and wedding limos. Ask about 1 free hour of service or a complimentary upgrade to a larger vehicle.

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