Boston Mayor Walsh's Fight for Comprehensive Regulation of Ride-Hailing Services like Uber & Lyft is Commended by The National Limousine Association and the National Sexual Violence Resource Center

NEW YORK, Aug. 22, 2016 -- The National Limousine Association (http://limo.org) praises Mayor Walsh's commitment to stricter regulations ride-hailing services, such as Uber and Lyft, in the city of Boston. In the open letter below, on behalf of the membership of the National Limousine Association, NLA Co-Founder Scott Solombrino commends His Honor's oath of office to protect the citizens of Boston.

Dear Mayor Walsh,

My name is Scott Solombrino and I am the Co-Founder of The National Limousine Association (NLA), and the spokesperson for Ride Safe Massachusetts. The NLA, founded in 1985, is an organization comprised of ground transportation providers across the globe, committed to upholding the integrity of our industry. We go to great lengths to ensure that drivers and passengers consistently travel in the safest conditions possible. We insist transportation providers properly screen all drivers, perform comprehensive background checks, comply with all training standards, undergo routine drug screening, and comply with all regulations established by responsible municipalities. To that end, we launched the Ride Responsibly (www.rideresponsibly.org) initiative to further educate the public about the current risks associated with utilizing ride-hailing services. Recently, Ride Responsibly has partnered with The National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) in an effort to inform the public about the dangers of riding with unchecked TNC drivers. The NSVRC is the leading nonprofit in providing information and resources to prevent and respond to sexual violence.

The NLA is deeply disturbed by the latest incident in which an Uber driver was charged with sexually assaulting his passenger, and we commend your calls for city oversight of the ride-hailing industry and firm stance that ride hailing drivers must undergo criminal background checks. Your allegiance to your citizen's wellbeing with regard to Transportation Network Companies (TNC), such as Uber and Lyft, has been unfolding in the brightest of spotlights, and I feel compelled to publically voice The NLA's support for your stance on this critical issue.

The NSVRC has particular expertise in the prevention of sexual assault. While criminal background checks will reveal only the crimes for which a person has previously been convicted, they are also the first and easiest step an employer can take toward safeguarding employees and customers. NSVRC is ready and available to assist with identifying additional measures that might be implemented to further reduce the risk of sexual violence.

The implementation of new technology does not grant immunity from the laws and regulations that have been put into place to protect drivers and passengers. Technology must not progress faster than the government's ability to safeguard our citizens. To that effect, it is time that we establish a new nationwide standard, inclusive of fingerprint background checks for all ground transportation providers.

The drivers of these TNCs operate in a manner that – with few exceptions – mirrors taxi and private "black car" services, and interact with a large cross section of your populous in Boston. It is only fair that the citizens of your great city step into a TNC-operated vehicle with the same confidence and security they have when using any other means of private ground transportation.

The National Limousine Association and National Sexual Violence Resource Center applaud you, and proudly stand by your side.

Thank you,

Scott Solombrino
President of Dav EL/ Boston Coach
Co-Founder
National Limousine Association

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.

ABOUT RIDE RESPONSIBLY™:

The Ride Responsibly™ campaign is an unprecedented effort to bridge an industry-wide gap between the rights of passengers and the responsibilities of service providers. The campaign establishes best safety practices for prearranged car services and transportation network companies (TNCs), which include ride-hailing app car services, such as Lyft, Sidecar, Uber and Whisk. This initiative by the National Limousine Association is designed to help address growing public concern and provide a forum for all to voice their views on the ground transportation industry. The program focuses on educating both service providers and the 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™.

For additional information on Ride Responsibly™, please visit www.rideresponsibly.org.

SOURCE The National Limousine Association

CONTACT: EVINS Communications, Matthew Berritt: (212) 377-3577, Matthew.Berritt@Evins.com; David Harrison: (212) 377-3584, David.Harrison@Evins.com