With prom season approaching, Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara is calling for the passage of what he’s calling a “common sense measure” aimed at making important information about carriers that operate stretch limousines in New York State public and easily available to consumers. The new legislation would create an online database of all carriers that operate stretch limousines, where consumers can find important information (i.e. company record/violations, current vehicle inspections and driver licensing information). Similar to the New York State Education Department’s Office of the Professions licensing database—searchable at any time for current licensing status and any violations prior to hiring. The database would also work in reverse—allowing consumers to report operators that are not following the law, such as a vehicle that arrives and has a failed inspection on the database or a driver that has an improper or suspended license reported on the database.

“This information is important for consumer protection and right now it’s not so easy to find,” said Assemblyman Santabarbara. “In the age of smartphones and technology, making this information public and readily available to consumers—in the case of prom season, concerned parents—provides an easy way to check important information before hiring anyone,” Santabarbara said.

Santabarbara introduced the bill following the tragic crash in Schoharie, New York that claimed the lives of twenty people this past October. The bill (A5774) now sits in the Assembly’s Transportation Committee.