The National Limousine Association (NLA) and the University Transportation Research Center at The City College of New York (UTRC) unveiled preliminary findings from a new national study of illegal and unlicensed ground transportation operators across the country. Matt Daus of Windels Marx and UTRC Transportation Technology Chair once again led the study.
NLA First VP Robert Alexander of RMA Worldwide announced the study's findings at the GBTA Convention in early August
The data, which were presented at the recent Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) Convention in Chicago earlier this month, pointed to a hidden duty-of-care risk for business travelers when using ground transportation. It explored how illegal operators use websites, social media, and private messaging groups to mimic licensed professional chauffeured transportation providers.
Among the findings:
- Illegal for-hire activity is evolving from street solicitation into organized, technology-enabled networks.
- Airports, hotels, conventions, and major events are recurring hotspots, and off-app trips may fall outside standard insurance and platform protections.
- Passengers may be transported without verified driver screening, vehicle inspections, or reliable trip records.
- Illegal operators avoid licensing, insurance, tax, and airport-access costs required of legitimate providers.
- Fragmented enforcement can produce unclear jurisdiction and inconsistent penalties.
“Duty of care does not end when an employee leaves the airport terminal,” said NLA President Brett Barenholtz of Above All/Maine Limousine. “Companies need confidence that the provider, vehicle, and driver transporting their people are safe, properly licensed, and fully insured. As illegal operators become more sophisticated, verification must keep pace.”
The preliminary legal review also identified at least seven states with laws expressly criminalizing rideshare or transportation network company (TNC) driver impersonation, including California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
“Illegal transportation is no longer only a curbside problem,” said Daus. “It is a technology, jurisdiction, and public-safety issue requiring coordinated enforcement, verification tools and updated laws.”
While the release of the preliminary data coincided with the business travel industry’s largest event of the year, the GBTA Convention, Barenholtz said that the information also reached a national audience.
“Our press release generated 535 media pickups with a potential audience exceeding 101 million people, meaning our message about safety, duty of care, and professional ground transportation reached an audience roughly equivalent to one out of every three Americans,” he said.
Key Recommendations
Additionally, UTRC and NLA provided suggestions for corporate travel buyers and travel managers to avoid duty of care gaps by:
- Prioritizing approved providers and booking channels whenever possible
- Including ground transportation in sourcing and risk reviews, verifying licensing, insurance and airport authorization
- Independently verifying the company, driver, vehicle, and trip details for exceptions.
- Educating travelers and maintain tracking, emergency communications, and incident reporting
UTRC and NLA also highlighted ways for law enforcement and local regulators to identify the environment that makes this illegal activity possible, which could include stronger penalties and coordinated enforcement at airports and major events; updating laws; reining in advertising with technology, and more traveler education and hospitality personnel training.
The NLA team also used the report’s findings at their booth on the floor of the GBTA Convention, where they invited travel buyers and business travel professionals to participate in their "Who's Driving You?" challenge.
The NLA partners with Chauffeur Driven to produce several events annually, including the upcoming CD/NLA Show this October 25-27 at the Gaylord National in Maryland.
Visit limo.org for more information.
[08.11.26]
