Tampa Agency Says No To Green Limousine

The Toyota Prius Hybrid Sedan. Good enough to transport the Stars to the Academy Awards and gaining popularity across the U.S. for use as airport limousine sedans. Use these energy efficient vehicles in Tampa, expect a pair of handcuffs and a trip to the local jail. Moshe Leib, operating a airport limousine service in Pinellas County, Florida, was denied use of his hybrid Prius by the Hillsborough County Public Transportation Commission (HCPTC) a State created agency that oversees limousine operations in Hillsborough County and in any other county whose residents are reliant on nonpublic

transportation to and from the interstate transportation hubs located in Tampa.

To protect the Tampa Taxicab Industry from competition, the HCPTC has enacted several economic regulatory requirements placed on limousine operators including being restricted to "high end" luxury cars and minimum pricing that must be charged to the consumers under penalty of criminal prosecution. The HCPTC has decided that the Prius does not meet the requirements as a luxury vehicle and deemed not good enough to transport Mr & Mrs Retiree home from the airport. Says Walter Kozak, President of the Florida Intrastate Transportation Alliance, a consumer advocacy group, "this is just another example of this totalitarian agency imposing its will on motor carriers attempting to provide moderate priced transportation that meets the demands of the traveling consumer."

Finishes Kozak, "as this regulation is being placed upon a transportation service that exclusively provides prearranged transport to and from interstate hubs and the regulation is enforced to protect a particular business entity from competition, maybe it's time to look into violations of the Interstate Commerce Clause & the Sherman Act".