National Limousine Association Launches Ride Responsibly™ Campaign To Establish Industry Wide Best Practices For Car Service Passengers & Drivers

NLA Survey Reveals Passengers Using Ride-Hailing Apps Value Safety Over Convenience

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Feb 11, 2015, 11:15 ET

NEW YORK, Feb. 11, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Limousine Association (www.limo.org), the non-profit organization responsible for and dedicated to representing the interests of the private driver transportation industry, announces the launch of Ride Responsibly™ (www.RideResponsibly.org), an advocacy campaign to establish best safety practices and guidelines for prearranged car services and transportation network companies (TNCs), which include ride-hailing/ride-booking application based car services, such as Uber, Lyft, Sidecar and Whisk. The critical and urgent need for the Ride Responsibly™ campaign is underscored by the results of a recent online survey conducted by Harris Poll commissioned by the National Limousine Association ("NLA"). The announcement was made today by Gary Buffo, President of the NLA.

Said Mr. Buffo, "The stimulus for the Ride Responsibly™ campaign is the mushrooming number of reports in the media of incidents committed by car service drivers against passengers. The lack of standardized federal, state and local rules and regulations for ride-hailing/ride-booking application based car services have made it apparent that there is a critical need to enact and enforce reliable safeguards for drivers and passengers alike. The results of the recent NLA survey made it clear that decisive action, definitive guidelines and regulatory standards need to be established."

The online survey, conducted by Harris Poll earlier this year encompassing approximately 2,000 adults ages 18+, shows that 73% of Americans would not use ride-hailing apps if they were not safe, even if they were convenient. However, only 21% of Americans actually feel safe when using chauffeured car services including taxis, limousines, and ride-hailing apps. These results speak to how much passengers value safety in private ground transportation. The poll results further indicate that 88% of Americans believe that it is important to know if their driver has had a background check, and 81% of Americans believe it is important to have privacy protection from car service drivers. Results also demonstrate an astounding 84% of Americans believe that there should be set fares regardless of traffic conditions.

Ride Responsibly™ will establish voluntary standards and practices to act as a resource that equally addresses the safety and needs of prearranged ground transportation services and ride-hailing/ride-booking applications. The program will focus on educating the industry and public about regulations, legislation and best practices within the industry. The goal is to empower and inform the public at large, and drivers and operators alike with the necessary tools to Ride Responsibly™.

Methodology:

The survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Poll on behalf of NLA from January 29 to February 2, 2015 among 2,028 adults, 18-years and older. The online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact [email protected].

ABOUT THE NLA:

The National Limousine Association is a non-profit organization responsible for and dedicated to representing the interests of the private driver transportation industry at the global, national, state, and local level. It is the unified voice of this industry – linking transportation industry professionals from owners and operators to suppliers, manufacturers, regional and state limousine associations. With more than 2,000 NLA members, the Association is committed to exceeding expectations with regards to professionalism, Transportation efficiency and safe riding.

For additional information on the NLA, please visit www.limo.org.

SOURCE National Limousine Association