What's happening
This bill increases safety requirements for stretch limousines and requires a commercial driver's license to operate those seating nine or more.
Why it matters
Expands safety oversight. The bill brings stretch limousines with nine or more passengers under stricter state safety regulations, similar to those for larger commercial vehicles and buses. This could result in more rigorous inspections, maintenance standards, and enforcement, potentially reducing crash risks for passengers.
Raises driver qualification standards. Drivers of stretch limousines with nine or more passengers would be required to hold a commercial driver’s license (CDL) with a passenger (“P”) endorsement. This means they must meet higher training, testing, and medical fitness requirements, raising the professionalism and skill level of limo drivers.
Closes regulatory loopholes. The bill eliminates exceptions previously allowing smaller stretch limos to operate under less stringent rules, ensuring that these vehicles are not treated as standard livery or taxi services. This addresses gaps that have historically allowed some stretch limos to bypass regulations intended for larger passenger vehicles.
Aims to improve passenger safety after high-profile incidents. By targeting altered vehicles specifically designed to carry groups (like stretch limos), the legislation responds to past fatal accidents involving such vehicles in New York, seeking to prevent future tragedies by addressing both vehicle and driver factors.
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Who cares
Stretch limousine operators
Altered vehicles seating nine or more people, including the driver, would become subject to Transportation Law section 140 even when operating under the local taxi or livery exemptions amended by the bill.
Stretch limousine drivers
Drivers of those vehicles would need a commercial driver's license with a P passenger endorsement and could no longer rely on a Class E license.
State transportation and motor vehicle regulators
The bill would expand the vehicles subject to section 140 and change licensing requirements, with implementing rules authorized before the one-year effective date.
Headline styles
Toughen Limo Safety Rules
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
Assembly Member · Assembly District 111
25 Co-sponsors
- Chris Tague
- John T. McDonald III
- Steven Otis
- Steven Englebright
- Catalina Cruz
- Charles Lavine
- Fred Thiele
- Michaelle C. Solages
- Kimberly Jean-Pierre
- Anthony D'Urso
- Taylor Darling
- Judy Griffin
- Patricia Fahy
- Sandy Galef
- Marcos Crespo
- Didi Barrett
- Walter T. Mosley
- Marianne Buttenschon
- Jonathan Jacobson
- Karen McMahon
- William Colton
- Mary Beth Walsh
- Joe DeStefano
- Donna Lupardo
- David Weprin
History
- Signed chap.6
- Delivered to governor
- Returned to assembly
- Passed senateVote 60–0
- 3rd reading cal.80
- Substituted for S6192A
- Referred to rules
- Delivered to senate
- Passed assembly
- Ordered to third reading rules cal.4
- Rules report cal.4
- Reported
Show 6 earlier actions
- Reported referred to rules
- Reported referred to codes
- Print number 8474a
- Amend (t) and recommit to transportation
- Referred to transportation
- Referred to transportation
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Make Stretch Limos Safer
Senate Floor Calendar · Sponsor Timothy M. Kennedy
Full text
3 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
8474--A
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
July 8, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. SANTABARBARA, TAGUE -- read once and referred to the Committee on Transportation -- recommitted to the Committee on Transportation in accordance with Assembly Rule 3, sec. 2 -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT to amend the transportation law and the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to stretch limousine safety requirements and changing the class of license required to operate stretch limousines
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivisions 11 and 12 of section 151 of the transportation law, subdivision 11 as amended and subdivision 12 as added by chapter 330 of the laws of 2005, are amended to read as follows:
11. As a taxi or livery service, except for transportation services that are designed for the transportation of transportation-disabled persons, conducted in vehicles having a seating capacity of less than fifteen passengers pursuant to the jurisdiction or regulatory control of a municipality, other than a city with a population over one million, authorized to adopt an ordinance relating to both registration and licensing pursuant to subdivision one of section one hundred eighty-one of the general municipal law, when service is conducted wholly within such municipality and when such service is available to the general public on a prearranged or demand-response basis over a non-specified or irregular route with the point or points of pick-up and discharge determined by the passenger, but such taxi or livery service shall not include van service. For the purpose of this subdivision, the term "livery service" shall include the term "limousines" as used in subdivision one of section one hundred eighty-one of the general municipal law. Provided, however, that altered motor vehicles commonly referred to as "stretch limousines" having a seating capacity of nine or more passen-
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD11417-08-9
A. 8474--A 2
gers including the driver shall be subject to the provisions of section one hundred forty of this chapter.
12. As a taxi or livery service conducted in vehicles having a seating capacity of twenty passengers or less pursuant to the jurisdiction or regulatory control of a city with a population over one million, when such service is conducted wholly within such a city; provided, however, that vehicles having a seating capacity of fifteen or more passengers and altered motor vehicles commonly referred to as "stretch limousines" having a seating capacity of nine or more passengers including the driver shall be subject to the provisions of section one hundred forty of this chapter.
§ 2. Subdivision 1 of section 501-a of the vehicle and traffic law, as added by chapter 173 of the laws of 1990, is amended to read as follows:
1. Commercial driver's license or CDL. A class A or B driver's license or a class C driver's license which bears an H, P or X endorsement, which licenses contain the legend commercial driving license or CDL thereon and which is issued in accordance with the commercial motor vehicle safety act of 1986, public law 99-570, title XII, and this article which authorizes a person to operate a commercial motor vehicle and an altered motor vehicle commonly referred to as a "stretch limousine" having a seating capacity of nine or more passengers including the driver.
§ 3. Subparagraphs (ii) and (v) of paragraph (a) of subdivision 2 of section 501 of the vehicle and traffic law, subparagraph (ii) as amended by chapter 696 of the laws of 1990, and subparagraph (v) as added by chapter 173 of the laws of 1990, are amended to read as follows:
(ii) Class B. Such license shall be valid to operate any vehicle or combination of vehicles which may be operated with a class E license and shall be valid to operate any motor vehicle or any such vehicle, other than a tractor, towing a vehicle having a GVWR of not more than ten thousand pounds and shall be valid to operate any altered motor vehicle commonly referred to as a "stretch limousine" having a seating capacity of nine or more passengers including the driver except it shall not be valid to operate a motorcycle other than a class B or C limited use motorcycle.
(v) Class E. Such license shall be valid to operate only vehicles which may be operated with a class D license, except that in addition it shall be valid to operate any such motor vehicle, other than a vehicle defined as a bus in subdivision one of section five hundred nine-a of this chapter, used to transport up to fourteen passengers for hire and other than an altered motor vehicle commonly referred to as a "stretch limousine" having a seating capacity of nine or more passengers including the driver.
§ 4. Subparagraph (iv) of paragraph (b) of subdivision 2 of section 501 of the vehicle and traffic law, as amended by section 4 of part E of chapter 58 of the laws of 2016, is amended to read as follows:
(iv) P endorsement. Shall be required to operate a bus as defined in sections one hundred four and five hundred nine-a of this chapter, any altered motor vehicle commonly referred to as a "stretch limousine" having a seating capacity of nine or more passengers including the driver or any motor vehicle with a gross vehicle weight or gross vehicle weight rating of more than twenty-six thousand pounds which is designed to transport passengers in commerce. For the purposes of this subparagraph the gross vehicle weight of a vehicle shall mean the actual weight of the vehicle and the load.
A. 8474--A 3
§ 5. This act shall take effect one year after it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and completed on or before such effective date.
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