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Limo - Limo Co. Sues City
By Limo Guru | May 2, 2008
Friday, May 02, 2008By DAN MURTAUGH
Source - http://www.al.com
Staff Reporter
Limousine News - A limousine company owner is suing the city of Mobile, saying its practice of requiring drivers of taxis, limos and shuttle buses to be licensed by the Police Department violates state law.
A hearing is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. today before Mobile Circuit Court Judge John Lockett to determine whether the city will have to temporarily stop enforcing its chauffeur license laws. However, city spokeswoman Barbara Drummond said Thursday afternoon that officials would ask for a postponement.
Willie Bridges, who owns Quality Limousine Service, argues in the lawsuit, filed April 23, that state law says local governments have no power to pass a law requiring chauffeurs to get an additional license to use public roads.
City attorneys could not be reached to comment on the details of the case.
Bridges wants the judge to stop the city from enforcing the law because it “will prevent Quality from conducting its business and causing Quality irreparable harm as it will be deprived of its income and unable to do business,” according to the lawsuit.
Bridges has complained to the City Council in the past that the license requirement was hindering him from hiring enough drivers to operate his business.
This week, Bridges referred all questions to his attorney, Richard Watters.
Watters said Bridges has been talking to city officials about the issue for more than two years, since the City Council passed a new licensing law in November 2005 that requires drivers to undergo a national criminal background check. Those talks recently reached an impasse, Watters said, and Bridges decided to sue.
“It’s a matter of principle,” the attorney said.
The law was passed a few months after a Mobile taxi cab driver was charged with raping a passenger. Nancy Johnson, a spokeswoman for the Mobile Police Department, said people often call cabs when they are drunk or impaired, and they need to know they’ll be all right if they’re left alone with the driver.
“It’s our duty to make sure, as best as we can, that we can assure their safety,” she said.
Margie Wilcox, who owns Mobile’s largest taxi company, Yellow Cab, said city licensing does more good than harm because it makes people more confident in public transportation.
“Anytime you’re entrusting the unsuspecting public to a professional driver, the city needs to do checks,” she said.
City laws require the prospective driver to get medical clearance showing they have no vision problems or conditions like epilepsy and to pass a criminal background check.
After initial complaints that the background check was taking too long, and drivers were leaving for other work, the City Council allowed the Police Department to issue temporary licenses.
Drivers need to get medical clearance and pass a local background check for that, and then police run the national check while the driver is under the temporary license.
Wilcox said that because of Police Department budget constraints, some drivers have had to wait three weeks to get their temporary licenses.
Johnson said the department has recently streamlined the process, and drivers should be able to get the temporary permit in 30 minutes once their medical check is done.
Topics: Limousine News |
One Response to “Limo - Limo Co. Sues City”
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February 26th, 2010 at 12:37 pm
Whats up! Great idea, but can this genuinely function?
KRISTA