Limousines and the Law.Under the current licensing laws limousines are not permitted to carry more than eight passengers. There are NO exceptions to this rule. The reason for this is that to carry more than eight passengers the vehicle has to be registered as a Public Service Vehicle (PSV) and have a Certificate of Initial Fitness issued (COIF). However the government’s Vehicle Operator Services Agency (Vosa), which is in charge of issuing these licences, refuses to recognise stretch limos as PSVs, arguing they do not fulfil the stringent vehicle-safety standards required, because of this NONE of the American limousines, (Including the large 4wheel drive Hummers, Navigators, Excursions, etc) comply with the requirements and are therefore restricted by law to a maximum of eight passengers. If any operator tries to convince a client otherwise, they should:- a) Not book with them
b) Inform the Police
c) Inform the National Limousine Association (UK)
d) Report them as illegal operators to the Vehicle Operator Services Agency (Vosa) on 0870 60 60 440 (option 4) It is in everyone’s interest to ensure that the paying public are protected from unscrupulous operators. In the event of an overloaded, unlicensed limousine being involved in a serious or fatal accident, the repercussions could be drastic and the ultimate losers would be the customers and the bona-fide limousine operators. Vosa says the boom in popularity means there are around 6,000 stretch limos now operating in Britain, of which an estimated 50% are illegal either because they carry more than eight or do not have the correct licence. “Under the current legislation, you cannot legally operate a limousine for more than eight passengers because it cannot meet the criteria for a PSV under the construction and use regulations,” says Juan Maddrell, the policy advisor at Vosa.
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