Bill easing expansion for small limo companies heads to Gov. Sandoval

CARSON CITY — A bill sought by a group of small limousine companies to make it easier for them to increase their fleets and grow their businesses won approval in the Assembly on Friday and now heads to Gov. Brian Sandoval.

Senate Bill 183 would allow the companies to go to the Nevada Transportation Authority and increase their fleets without having to fend of challenges from the large companies based on competitive grounds.

Current law says the transportation authority can deny additional vehicles to the small companies if they “would tend to increase or create detrimental competition in motor transportation.” The bill would delete this provision and allow challenges based only on safety issues.

The operators said Thursday they feared their bill could die because of resistance from large taxi and limousine companies who don’t face the same regulatory hurdles to expand their businesses, in part because of the potential of added competition from Uber and other ride sharing companies.

A bill that would authorize Uber and others to operate in Nevada, Assembly Bill 175, is in the Assembly awaiting action.

But the Assembly voted out SB183 on the last day to do so, by a margin of 26 to 16.