Cleaning is in overdrive at Premiere Transportation in Albany.

Patrick Goyette has been a detailer with the company for two years, but with the pandemic, his job is more important than ever.

“I want to make sure it’s clean, and it makes me feel good to do my job and make sure it’s safe,” says Goyette.


What You Need To Know

  • With the cancellation of bus trips, weddings, and proms, the transportation industry took a major hit during the pandemic

  • Premiere Transportation is now implementing strict precautions and cleaning processes to help keep people safe

  • The transportation industry also has to adhere to new limousine laws, which went into effect in 2021

A disinfecting routine occurs at least once a day, or between each and every passenger. It's a process that owner Dave Brown increased and made mandatory for his business.

“They’re vacuumed, Lysol-ed up, and we do use a special disinfectant that kills 99 percent of the viruses," Brown said.

A mission that is personal to Goyette is making sure he gets every nook and cranny.

”COVID, my sister caught it. I’m very particular about this. I don’t want anyone to get this. It’s just important me that these vehicles are disinfected and clean," Goyette said.

But the past year hasn’t been easy for Premiere Transportation, or any of the transportation companies across the state. The pandemic halted nearly all their services - weddings, proms, and athletics.

“When the travel industry went down, we took the hit ourselves," said Brown.

They had to lay off about 100 employees last spring. But with vaccines rolling out, Brown says the industry is starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. He says business is slowly starting to pick back up, and he has been able to bring back nearly all of the staff.

Goyette says he was one of the employees brought back. “I’m grateful to be back, because a lot of people aren’t working right now,” he said.

Brown said, “There was a lot put out at one time regarding the social distancing and all of the health regulations - the rules, the laws. We had to take a step back, take a breath, and say, 'What do we have to do to do things right?' We had a list.”

Brown says that means going the extra mile for his customers and staff. He has even implemented extra, non-mandatory precautions inside the vehicle. There are barriers installed inside the vehicles to separate the driver from passengers.

“People were even concerned about the distance between them and the drivers,” said Brown. “I understand the driver has a mask on in the vehicle, is there anything else we can do on top of that? Yes, we can. We have dividers in the vehicles.”

The large fleet that Premier Transportation operates has allowed them to social-distance out groups.

“People don’t want to get together with other people, and they still don’t," Brown said. "So we social distance.”

But this year isn’t just about health precautions. It's about safety, too. The limousine industry must also adhere to new limo legislation that went into effect this month.

“It’s not a big switch over for us. The concern is safety, and that’s what we’re trying to address with people,” said Brown.

The changes include stricter seatbelt regulations, inspections, and commercial drivers' licenses. It was passed into state law after a push from the families of the 20 victims in the Schoharie limo crash.

Brown says hopefully the new health and safety protocols from the state will prevent bad actors from allowing their vehicles out on the road.

“To be honest with you, between the shakeout of the New York state laws and COVID-19, we saw a lot of shakeout in our industry. Unfortunately though, the owner/operator businesses took a pounding, and you’re going to see a lot less of them,” said Brown.

They're making sure they do their part to keep people safe. Every employee at Premiere Transportation - from top to bottom - is doing the same.

“Regardless of your views or ideas, we need to come together for this, because it affects everybody,” said Goyette. “I take pride. I know it’s just washing cars, but I take pride in what I do. Being able to do this, and knowing I’m keeping people safe, that makes me feel good, as well.”