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Limo operators win battle to keep vans in fleets

By Joanne Kelley, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published June 4, 2008 at 6 p.m.

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Local limousine operators won a battle to keep conventional passenger vans in their fleets, a victory for the industry as the Democratic National Convention draws near.

The trade group representing limo companies spent months battling a proposal that would have forced them to phase out 14-passenger vans with bench seats because of questions about whether they qualify as luxury vehicles. The latest round involved an appeal, but the Colorado Public Utilities Commission voted ruled in the limo industry's favor.

"The industry finally won," said Gene Cuckenboo, president of the Colorado Limousine Association.

Cuckenboo said many vans have been booked for months ahead of August's Democratic convention. Now, limo companies can add more vans to their fleets.

Initially, the PUC wanted operators to replace current vans with new ones that could be outfitted with special chairs but fit fewer people. It eventually ruled vans can still be designated as luxury limos as long as they have certain amenities.

"We believe that the installation of an electronic video media system and beverage amenities sufficiently enhances the interior of a standard bench seat van to qualify it as a luxury motor vehicle," the commission ruling said.

Comments

  • June 5, 2008

    4:50 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    limolist1 writes:

    Luxury limousine services need to be able to provide the vehicles their clients request without foolish "definitions" from regulatory authorities that are centuries out of state. Many convention groups and sporting events order a large number of plain 15 PAX Vans along with SUV's and other vehicle types. This nonsense about calling these vehicles limos if they have add-on luxury items is ridiculous. Colorado regulators have always suffered from severe reductionistic thinking in this regard-remember the requirement that sedans had to have a TV and ice chest? Hilarious !! William Burroughs, the famous author called this type of thought and vision "insect imagery ".

  • June 5, 2008

    10:37 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    jacka writes:

    They are a luxury to those who rent them. Time to deregulate...