The National Limousine Association (NLA) is collaborating with the University Transportation Research Center (UTRC) at the CUNY–City College of New York to develop a report on best practices for chauffeured transportation service at airports to ensure safety, sustainability, and a high standard of service. The project is being led by Attorney Matt Daus of Windels Marx, who is the former longest-serving Chair of the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission and Transportation Technology Chair at UTRC.
Matt Daus of Windels Marx
According to the press release from the organizations, the goal of the report is to identify the challenges that both transportation providers and passengers experience while using these services at airports, and to propose any changes that will benefit all.
This updated report will expand upon UTRC’s previous “The Airport of the Future: A Sustainable & Equitable Ground Transportation Management Paradigm” and examine best practices to manage chauffeured transportation services at the airport.
The report will include:
- Business and first-class travelers help sustain and subsidize airports: These customers generate significant revenue for airlines and airports. They pay a premium for airfare and specialized ground transportation service and assistance inside the airport.
- Limos need dedicated pickup space at a preferential location: To best accommodate customers, the space should be adjacent or integral to the terminal, on an inner curb near exit(s) serving major airlines.
- Chauffeured vehicles need longer curbside dwell times: Drivers need to be able to leave their vehicles to meet passengers inside the terminal to assist with baggage.
- Airport fees should be proportionate to each mode’s actual use of airport curb space and facilities: Fees should be no more than necessary to cover the cost of the mode’s impact on the airport. Limousines should not hold up the rates of other ground transportation operators or the airport’s operations. Airports may need to decrease these fees and increase fees for private vehicles and other modes.
- Go green: To encourage and facilitate greener transportation, airports should offer reduced fees for zero-emissions vehicles and provide EV chargers at staging lots.
The final report will include a comprehensive literature review as well as a survey of NLA members who are directly impacted by such policies and procedures to ensure a balanced perspective between established research and current industry practices.
Visit surveymonkey.com/r/H2S6BBZ to take the survey.
[05.28.24]