I see on Facebook in the community forums constantly people are looking for recommendations for a car service going to the airports or similar requests; as well as people advertising to be such a service. Don’t be fooled by impostors, because they are out there in full force.
What do I mean? “Anyone have a recommendation for a car service to JFK?”
Comments: Use “this person”, they are great, very affordable.” or “PM me”, etc.
There are many individuals out there trying to make a quick buck offering to drive you to the airports for a fraction of the price of a car service. Some even advertising as a car service or just letting you assume they are. This practice is not only illegal but could be dangerous for you. They are not properly insured to offer or provide “For-Hire” (a ride in exchange for payment) services. If there were, God forbid an accident with a paying customer in the vehicle their private insurance will not cover the accident. Oh, but they do Uber/Lyft, aren’t they insured through them? Nope, not unless you ordered through the rideshare application. If you call or set up the ride privately it is not covered through the rideshare insurance policy.
I get it, a car service is expensive compared to these individuals. Why are we so expensive, you ask. Because we have overhead that they don’t.
- Office rent
- For-Hire insurance ($500-1500 per vehicle/month)
- Payroll, payroll tax
- Workers Compensation/Disability Insurance
- Sales Tax
- Proper license, registration and permits, etc.
- Advertising costs
A reputable company will be vetting their drivers with background checks and drug testing as well as training them properly. Is the safety of you and your family worth the few dollars you might have saved? If you call around for prices and you get a price well below the rest, beware.
Ways to know you are dealing with a real company who is properly licensed and insured: ***New York State***
- ***Ask to see the FH-1 for the vehicle; this is a For-Hire insurance card. ***
- License plate: May be a vanity plate, meaning could be company name or similar but under the plate #/name it should say “Livery, Taxi, Westchester County T&LC, T&LC or similar; the plate should not say New York, Empire State, Excelsior-these are private vehicle registrations. Most livery plates are 5 numbers followed by LA, LV, or LY; taxi followed by TX, TA, TY.
- Driver’s license: At a minimum the driver should possess a NYS Class “E” license or a CDL equivalent with passenger endorsement.
Why do we care so much? Well, as a reputable company:
- We are paying excessive insurance rates to guarantee coverage in the event of an accident
- We are putting your safety first
- Our rates include tax, tolls and gratuities for the drivers
- Our rates need to cover all our costs while making a minimum profit (that is why we are in business to begin with)
- We are paying fees to multiple state and local agencies for permits
While we make sure we are following the law and operating safely; these individuals are undercutting our prices to make cash under the table, untaxed and taking possible clients from local, small businesses only because they can provide a cheap ride. We have absolutely no issue with our competition when we are all following the same rules and regulations.
It very well might not matter to some people that are looking for the absolute lowest price and don’t care that your driver is going outside the law, and you may not be covered by any insurance. But for those that might care or don’t understand this happens, we are just looking to help our community understand & beware of the possibilities.
Safe Travels To All!