LOS ANGELES, April 13, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Amid pressure from ride-hailing services such as Lyft, Sidecar and Uber, as well as from outside media sources, Los Angeles legislators are considering a repeal of airport regulations that will allow vehicles without commercial licenses to pick up arriving passengers at Los Angeles International Airport. The National Limousine Association (http://limo.org) vehemently opposes any deregulation at LAX or any other airport, and believes this would set a dangerous precedent, placing passengers in harm's way.

A recent op-ed article "How to simplify the LAX experience: Grant ride-share services access," written by Neal Ungerleider, ran in the Los Angeles Times on Friday, April 10th. In the piece, Ungerleider urges Los Angeles legislators to allow ride-hailing services to operate at LAX, asking "What's taking so long?" The article also mentions the efforts of Autumn R. Burke, the state assemblywoman for LAX and the surrounding area, who has called for permitting deregulation in a recent letter.

"The National Limousine Association has worked diligently to ensure that regulations and standards are enforced universally in the ground transportation industry. As a life-long California resident and President of the NLA, I am well acquainted with the traffic congestion at LAX. I do not agree, however, that allowing ride-hailing services such as Lyft, Sidecar or Uber to operate with impunity is a solution to this problem," said Gary Buffo, NLA President.

The NLA recently launched a campaign called Ride Responsibly™ (http://www.rideresponsibly.org), as a direct response to the myriad incidents reported in the media on a seemingly daily basis, as well as a result of a survey conducted by Harris Poll on behalf of the NLA that reinforced belief that the vast majority of passengers do not want convenience at the cost of safety. The campaign is an unprecedented effort to bridge an industry-wide gap between the rights of passengers and the responsibilities of service providers.

"In spite of Mr. Ungerleider's glaring case of denial, concern for our own safety and that of our fellow citizens is not trumped by the perceived convenience of digital hitchhiking."

Current regulations at LAX allow ride-hailing services to drop passengers at the airport, and vehicles with commercial licenses are allowed to pick up arriving passengers. Currently prohibited from passenger pick-ups are drivers without commercial licenses, commercial vehicles or the requisite insurance. Allowing these drivers to pick up arriving passengers would no doubt lead to increasing numbers of ride 'solicitations' and driver loitering in already congested locations.

"You wouldn't hitchhike home from the airport," adds Mr. Buffo, "but this is, in effect, what you would be doing if these services are allowed to operate at LAX."

ABOUT THE NLA:

The National Limousine Association is a non-profit organization responsible for and dedicated to representing the interests of the private driver transportation industry at the global, national, state, and local level. It is the unified voice of this industry – linking transportation industry professionals from owners and operators to suppliers, manufacturers, regional and state limousine associations. With more than 2,000 NLA members, the Association is committed to exceeding expectations with regards to professionalism, transportation efficiency and safe riding.

For additional information on the NLA, please visit www.limo.org.

ABOUT RIDE RESPONSIBLY™:

The Ride Responsibly™ campaign is an unprecedented effort to bridge an industry-wide gap between the rights of passengers and the responsibilities of service providers. The campaign will establish best safety practices for prearranged car services and transportation network companies (TNCs), which include ride-hailing app car services, such as Lyft, Sidecar, Uber and Whisk. This initiative by the National Limousine Association is designed to help address growing public concern and provide a forum for all to voice their views on the ground transportation industry. The program will focus on educating both service providers and the public about regulations, legislation and best practices within the industry. The goal is to empower and inform the public at large, and drivers and operators alike with the necessary tools to Ride Responsibly™.

For additional information on Ride Responsibly™, please visit www.rideresponsibly.org.

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SOURCE National Limousine Association

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