6 months ago
LINTHICUM, Md. (WUSA) -- Limousine drivers at BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport say police are taking them for a ride--in a squad car.
17 drivers have been either arrested or cited since January for not having a separate permit to operate at the airport.
A spokesman for the Maryland Aviation Administration, Jon Dean, says BWI has required it for years. Because of infrequent enforcement and inconsistent renewal notices, many companies now claim they didn't think they needed them anymore.
That's what Jim Overmier of Coach and Courier in Crofton, Maryland thought until he got a call from passengers saying their driver had just been arrested.
Bob Creesy is 59 years old and had a perfect driving record. He produced two of the proper licenses and permits undercover Maryland Transportation Authority officer asked for last month, but didn't have the separate one to operate at BWI.
"They put him in handcuffs and hauled him off to jail," Overmier says. "We've had to hire a criminal defense attorney to clear his good name."
The President of the Washington Metropolitan Limousine Association says they have received numerous complaints from drivers about the BWI permits.
"We did some research and learned that because of the Ride Act of 2002, the fees are not legal," Paul Rodberg says. "If they don't provide a benefit to us, they can't charge a fee."
Rodberg says he may get together with other Association members and file a lawsuit suit.
Rather than risk having his drivers arrested, Overmier paid $300 to get permits for his six vehicles.
"I would think if we weren't in compliance they could issue a citation. But to arrest a driver, tow away his van for a fee he didn't know anything about is ludicrous,"Overmier says.
Sgt Jonathan Green, spokesman for the Maryland Transportation Authority police that arrested the drivers says the crackdown began after the Maryland Aviation Administration expressed concerns about so-called gypsy drivers who show up and solicit fares at the Airport.
Green says officers have the option to simply cite the driver or arrest them, depending on how things go.He says the stepped up enforcement effort is now under review.
"When you go to BWI," six year driver Emerson Phillips says, "you better be prepared because you don't know what the police will do."
Written by Audrey Barnes
9NEWS NOW & wusa9.com
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