Limo company president says regs hindering expansion plans

By RICK BRUNDRETT

Editor’s note: Today’s story is part of a two-article package on transportation issues facing South Carolina. The other story can be found here.

Greer-based Eastside Transportation bills itself as a “top-tier chauffeur service” for the Upstate, Columbia, Charlotte, Asheville, Atlanta and surrounding areas, providing rides for airport transfers, weddings, corporate events or “any other transportation need,” its website says.

In a recent interview with The Nerve, Seth Cochran, who has been Eastside’s president since 2023 when the business, which has been operating for 27 years, underwent a restructuring, said he would like to expand the 35-vehicle company to include what's commonly referred to in the industry as "non-emergency medical transportation" (NEMT) services.

“I’ve had recommendations from customers,” he said. “We get calls about it frequently.”

But Cochran, a former Naval Officer who holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of South Carolina, said the state won’t let him use any of his limousines for NEMT services, and he can’t financially justify buying separate vehicles for that purpose.

“I cannot use the same SUV to take somebody to a dialysis appointment as I would to the airport because they run different license plates,” he said.

The Nerve’s review of state Office of Regulatory Staff (ORS) records as of Jan. 5 found that out of the more 2,200 “Class C” vehicles operating at the time, there were no entries of a same make/model vehicle with the same vehicle-identification number being used for limo and NEMT services.

Asked how current state regulations have affected his business, Cochran gave the example of a driver making three runs to the airport in a morning at $100 per trip.

“I’m going to use super round numbers,” he explained. “Let’s say the driver makes $25 out of that $100 run. Generally, that driver probably is going to be done for the day. They’ll make $75 in a relatively short time frame, like an hour and half, taking people to and from the airport.

“The driver wants more work. Well, throughout the day, there aren’t quite as many urgent, high-paying customers to go to the airport. But insurance companies, medical companies, etc., absolutely need to take people to dialysis twice a day or to an eye doctor appointment, or whatever. Those drivers would love to have another, say, four runs and make an extra $100 that morning. I cannot offer that to my employees because the state will not let me use the same vehicle.”

Cochran said the result for his company is that he has a “long list of part-time staff,” which he noted is “enough to keep us in business, but it’s not enough to ensure that … I’ve got a long list of full-time staff.”

Official dodgeball

Charter limos and buses, taxis, and NEMT vehicles, including stretcher and wheelchair vans, with Class C certificates are regulated by the ORS and the S.C. Public Service Commission (PSC). License plates for those vehicles are issued by the state Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV); limousines have special “LS” plates, though there is no special license plate for an NEMT vehicle.

The Nerve’s review of state law and regulations found no specific prohibition for a company such as Cochran’s using a Class C charter limousine for NEMT services. But spokesmen for the PSC, ORS or DMV wouldn’t answer that question directly when contacted recently by The Nerve.

In written responses within minutes of each other on Jan. 16, PSC spokesman Rob Bockman and ORS spokesman Hank Page each said their respective state agency couldn’t provide “legal advice” to The Nerve – despite being informed that The Nerve was not seeking legal advice but rather asking a specific question for a news story about whether a vehicle legally operating as a charter limousine could also be used for NEMT services.

“I’m happy to go get registered with the state as being able to do those things, to carry out those functions and have accountability for those functions,” Cochran told The Nerve. “I just want to be able to use the same vehicle.”

“I asked folks at PSC/ORS about running both on the same license plate, but they said no,” Cochran said. “I’ve tried to make it work out, but no luck.”

In a written response to The Nerve, DMV spokesman Mike Fitts said the agency wasn’t taking a position on that issue, noting that “it’s going to be ORS/PSC to answer your question on how they handle what the state law requires and what it doesn’t.”

“The SCDMV does issue a special plate for a Limo/Taxis,” Fitts said, adding that “we only issue one plate per VIN number.”

Limo, NEMT regulations

Under state regulations, separate Class C certificates are issued for charter limousines, defined as for-hire vehicles used to carry up to 15 passengers on a prearranged basis; and NEMT vehicles, which provide for-hire transportation over irregular routes to or from medial facilities in non-emergency situations.

In comparison, Class C taxis are vehicles that can carry a maximum 15 passengers and which provide on-call or demand/response service. Class C stretcher vans are used for non-ambulatory passengers who can’t be transported to or from medical facilities in a wheelchair van, which is a separate category.

The Nerve’s review of ORS records found that as of Jan. 5, there were 1,428 non-emergency vehicles, 478 charter limousines, 265 taxis and 80 listed stretcher vans operating in the state.

Compared to standard limousines, safety and equipment requirements under state regulations are more stringent for NEMT vehicles. For example:

• NEMT drivers must have current CPR and first-aid certification and undergo 12 hours of annual in-service training.
• NEMT vehicles must have a stool or extra steps for loading, and specialized fasteners or straps if transporting wheelchairs along with a loading entrance and lift or ramp.
• NEMT vehicles must be identified with letters at least 3 inches high on both sides and rear of the vehicle.

Both limousine and NEMT drivers must pass criminal background and sex offender registry checks.

Other transportation issues

Since last year, The Nerve has focused on state regulatory challenges facing local transportation businesses and the impact on communities, revealing, among other findings, transportation “deserts” in small, rural municipalities and counties statewide that often aren’t served by popular ridesharing companies.

A pending state House bill would make it easier for certain private transportation companies to serve the state’s rural areas, supporters contend. State Rep. Bill Herbkersman, R-Beaufort, who chairs the House Labor, Commerce and Industry (LCI) Committee, told The Nerve last week that it’s his hope to quickly get the bill, which was introduced a year ago, out of his committee, “unless there is some unforeseen reason.”

Herbkersman told The Nerve for a story last July that he likely would assign the bill to the LCI’s Regulatory Review Subcommittee, chaired by Rep. Chris Wooten, R-Lexington, for public hearings after the Legislature reconvened this month.

As The Nerve previously reported, the bill, authored by Rep. Leon Stavrinakis, D-Charleston, has twice passed the House in recent years only to die in the Senate.

Brundrett is the news editor of The Nerve (www.thenerve.org). Contact him at 803-394-8273 or [email protected]. Follow The Nerve on Facebook, Instagram and X (formerlyTwitter) @thenervesc.

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