New limo laws are changing the industry. Ten new laws were signed by Governor Cuomo, all tightening the reigns on limo companies.

Premiere transportation is one of the many companies still feeling the effects from the limo crash in Schoharie back in October 2018, according to CEO David Brown.

“The limousine industry has seen its better days. We’ve seen a slight decline; we’ve also seen more people questioning the insurance the safety,” said Brown.

A year and a half later, major changes to the law are now tightening up the industry. 

“They’re talking about implementing a lot of things. For example, they’re talking about making sure that these vehicles are having double protection in the stretch itself,” adds Brown. 

New laws signed by the governor now focus on how limos are made. However, Brown says people are already shifting their focus away from traditional stretches to mini-buses. 

“Limousines will never go away, the idea of them will never go away," Brown added.

He says these vehicles come directly from the manufacturer, taking away the possibility of any problems popping up when modifying it. 

“The braking system is designed to handle this type of weight. A stretch limousine has the same brakes when it carried three or four people. Let that sink in,” Brown said.

Another big change to the law are seatbelts. One for every passenger must now be included even in the rear of the limousine. They must be worn by every passenger before the limo can move, but Brown adds, there's a catch.

“A big part of the challenge is going to be people wearing the seatbelts. People can unbuckle while it's in motion and it ends up on the driver," Brown said. 

The 10 bill package also includes a mandatory GPS navigation system. The system must be in place for all companies by next year. 

“These GPS tracking devices are like a black box for the transportation industry,” Brown added.

Premiere already has the system in place. It allows them to pinpoint a driver’s location and speed at any moment, with a click of a button. Brown says it’s a huge help for the daily routine and it also could help in moments of tragedy.

“If the Schoharie accident had this, they’d be able to take that information to use it,” adds the industry expert. 

The struggle is, how will mom and pop shops will be able to afford it? 

“We’ve already seen transportation/limousine companies go out of business or sell their larger vehicles,” Brown answers. “It’s going to be a hardship on some of the members of the industry, especially with the modern requirements of GPS.” 

He says at the end of the day, customer safety is what comes first. 

“You can never say it’s not worth it to save lives,” Brown added.