The Prom Night Limousine: PUC, High Schools Sound a Warning

Limousines and party buses have become the chariots of choice for many coiffed and tuxedoed teenagers heading to their high school proms.

To ensure their children’s safety and avoid being ripped off, parents need to be on guard against unlicensed or unscrupulous companies, the California Public Utilities Commission warns.

The horror stories that parents and teenagers can recount about their experiences with limo services “could fill a book,” says Armando Rendon, a spokesman for the PUC, which regulates limousine services.

Among the complaints listed in a consumer advisory issued by the San Francisco-based commission are limousines cruising busy city streets with faulty brakes and other suspect equipment; passengers being chauffeured in a stolen limo; services insisting on advance payment--then not showing up; and “teenagers marooned when a driver jacked up the price before he’d get them home.”

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Not surprisingly, limousine drivers have their own prom-night horror stories to tell. So many have had to deal with drunk, drugged or ill-behaved youths that some firms have established zero-tolerance policies: Break the rules, and the party’s over.

Some teenagers have “behaved very badly--screaming and trashing the limousine,” says Igor Shneir, co-owner of Los Angeles Limousine Service.

As a result, the company sets strict rules for teenage passengers: no drinking, no smoking, no using the privacy partition between them and the driver, no sticking their heads through the sunroof while the vehicle is moving.

Los Angeles Limousine requires an eight-hour minimum charge, at $55 to $75 an hour, for a vehicle carrying six to 10 passengers.

If prom-goers violate the rules, Shneir says, “we terminate the run--we stop the car, call the parents and wait until they come to pick them up.”

The message: Parents also bear their share of responsibility for keeping their kids safe on prom night. Among other things, that means making sure they don’t try to sneak alcohol or drugs aboard the limo, law enforcement officers and educators advise.

Last year, 20 Irvine High School students were suspended for five days after they were busted outside their senior prom for having marijuana, alcohol and nitrous oxide in a chauffeured van.

They were caught when an assistant principal boarded the van and smelled marijuana. Checking limos and party buses when they arrive at the prom has become standard practice at many schools.

At Los Alamitos High School, students and their parents have been warned that limos and party buses will be boarded by private security guards and searched for alcohol and drugs, says Assistant Principal Jerry Halpin.

Before students will be allowed to enter the prom June 9 at the Sports Club of Irvine, Halpin says, they will be patted down by the guards and turned away if alcohol or drugs are discovered.

School representatives even carry Breathalyzer tests that can be administered on the spot to any student suspected of being under the influence of alcohol. Students have the right to refuse testing, says Halpin, adding that he can recall only one incident in the last 11 years in which a student was caught with a container of alcohol in a rented vehicle.

By alerting parents to the potential problems, the school hopes to discourage them from serving their teens alcohol beforehand. Some students in the past have acknowledged that their parents had served them champagne before sending them off to the prom, Halpin said.

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The PUC urges parents to make sure the limousine service is licensed and clear of any violations with the agency.

A reputable service would prohibit the use of alcohol and drugs by passengers and forbid their drivers to purchase any for their passengers--or themselves.

A limousine driver was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving last year in New York when his prom-night passengers called police by cell phone from the rear of the limo. The youths, ages 15 to 17, alerted Nassau County police after the driver appeared lost and started driving erratically, swerving and stopping in the middle of the road.

In California, parents can call the PUC at (800) 877-8867 to check the limo company’s record on holding an up-to-date permit, having current insurance coverage, meeting safety requirements and employing licensed drivers.

The best way to find a service is to search the Yellow Pages because, by law, limo companies are not allowed to advertise there without a permit from the commission, says Kyle Devine, a PUC spokeswoman in Los Angeles.

The agency also suggests that parents obtain recommendations from other parents or check to see if their children’s school maintains a list of reliable firms.

It’s best to get all contracted terms in writing, the PUC advises. Drivers have been known to “bait and switch,” or quote one price on the phone and raise it before the passengers are allowed to board.

And if you have a contract, you are more likely to get back your deposit in the event of any problems. Complaints involving limo services can be directed to the PUC at (800) 894-9444.

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Jeanne Wright cannot answer mail personally but responds in this column to automotive questions of general interest. Write to Your Wheels, Business Section, Los Angeles Times, 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012. E-mail: jeanrite@aol.com.