More than half of the limousine companies listed in the Montgomery County phone book are operating without a license, leaving customers vulnerable to unsafe cars, unreliable service and fraud, the Montgomery County Office of Consumer Protection said Tuesday.
“Consumers just sort of assume that someone in the Yellow Pages is not hiding the fact that they’re an underground limo company,” consumer protection Director Eric Friedman said. “But it’s very difficult to know who’s on the other end of the phone with these companies. It just seems like it’s a little bit of the wild, wild, West.”
Maryland requires limo and sedan companies in the stateto have a license from the Public Service Commission, which ensures their vehicle inspections are up to date and that their drivers are licensed and insured.
Those that operate in Montgomery, Prince George’s, Arlington or Fairfax counties, or in the District or Alexandria, also need a license from the Washington Metro Area Transit Commission.
But after cross-checking phone listings with state and city records, the Office of Consumer Protection found that 51 percent of the limousine companies in the phone directory were not licensed in Maryland and 88 percent were not licensed by WMATC.
Calls from The Examiner to many of the unlicensed companies found that most of them had disconnected their phones.
Many of the companies named in the report are listed as having 301 area codes in the Montgomery County phone book, but also have 202, 703 and 800 numbers, and some are individuals with only one car who act like brokers, using friends’ cars when needed.
The problem with that is customers can’t be sure that the car they have reserved and paid for in advance is actually in stock, officials said. If the car is a no-show or is involved in an accident, unlicensed companies can simply vanish, reopening undetected under a different name and phone number.
State and D.C. officials said it is impossible for them to keep track of unlicensed lone-wolf drivers and that they are usually alerted to rule-breakers by unhappy customers.
“I think you have to tell people to ask these companies to show them a license from somewhere,” said Bill Morrow, director of WMATC. “Then at least you know someone is keeping an eye on their insurance and the safety of their vehicles.”
