How to choose the Right Limo Affiliates for your Executive in Seattle
How to choose the right limousine company for your executive team in the Seattle area.
Know if you are choosing a reputable limousine company to drive your most important executives
First and foremost do they have proper insurance? There are companies out there who acquire the insurance only to cancel it once they have the paperwork, and you would never know it unless they provide you with a Certificate of Insurance showing you as Certificate Holder, which will also list out:
· All vehicles in their fleet, including VIN numbers year make and models
· Insurance policy number
· Effective and expiration dates
· Name of insurance company
· Same owner name is on the business license application, vehicle registration and insurance
· A minimum combined single limit coverage of $1,050,000.00 per vehicle required by the State
*** Having a copy of the COI that shows you as the holder guarantees that when the policy is cancelled you would be notified. If they are not willing to provide this document, how can you be sure they have proper coverage? ***
If you have any questions about insurance requirements or insurance coverage, see WAC 308-83-115.
The company also needs to have Worker’s Compensation through Labor & Industries which can be verified by visiting the Washington State Department of L & I website www.lni.wa.gov
Certificate of insurance showing all vehicles and worker’s compensation guarantees you that chauffeurs and vehicles are owned by the company; and all permits, credentials, insurance, and legal documents are up to date.
Chauffeurs should be approved by Alliance 2020. Alliance 2020 performs all the background screening to insure your chauffeur behind the wheel is not a criminal or illegal citizen. The following procedures are done prior to their hire:
· Fingerprinting
· Criminal records check (7 years back)
· Sex offender registration status check
· Education verification
· Employment history verification
· Professional license verification
· Proctored knowledge testing
· Industry certification check
· Drug and alcohol test
· Random drug test
· And any others items as required
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Chauffeur Credential
Alliance 2020 is the exclusive partner for the Puget Sound Limousine Association’s (PSLA) SeaTac Limousine Association (STLA) in providing background screening and credentialing for chauffeurs accessing the Seattle Tacoma International Airport. As of September 1, 2009, all for-hire vehicle “luxury sedan” style vehicles entering the airport property to pick up clients for pre-arranged service are required by the Port of Seattle to either have a King County for Hire License, or the PSLA Chauffeur Credential. The program includes specific training with proctored testing for chauffeurs, and successful completion of the National Safety Council Defensive Driving Course program with proctored testing at the Alliance 2020 office.
Professional Training
Each limousine company trains their chauffeurs slightly different from others to add extra details the company provides to their clients.
Licensing and Credentials
All companies are required to have a Washington State Business License and a Business License in the cities they operate.
All vehicles must be registered, inspected annually by the state and the Port of Seattle and receive the appropriate decals for their vehicles to operate.
There are some companies that do not have the proper credentials, or do not get their vehicles inspected or cleared for the port and pick up passengers every day without concern for their clients should they be involved in an accident.
Many single car operators will tell you they have several vehicles and if they do, all of the vehicles need to be listed on their insurance certificate and they should provide a copy upon request.
In addition to the required state and city permits, credentials and insurances, companies need to maintain high standards for all vehicles and chauffeurs.
Chauffeurs always need to wear a black suit, white shirt and black tie; they always need to be professionally dressed.
A chauffeur will never answer the phone while driving a client because it is unsafe and is illegal in some states. 24-hour dispatching service provides a reliable way of knowing the location of your chauffeur.
The company also needs to provide the chauffeur’s name, cell phone number, as well as the model of the vehicle that will arrive — this is highly important. This is why it is crucial to do research and to avoid companies that can potentially cause problems throughout the service. Some companies work quickly for an increase in profit and unfortunately this causes a decrease in quality. Most of the time the service provided by these companies is not professional, as they do not know the name of the chauffeur that will arrive or the model of the vehicle, or how clean it will be and the professionalism of the chauffeur.
Having a GPS tracking system in vehicles is crucial since they tell you where chauffeurs are at any time.
Arriving 15 minutes early for all pickups ensures the vehicle will be on time when your VIP is ready.
Upon arrival at Seattle Tacoma International Airport, chauffeurs need to meet passengers at the baggage claim area with a sign. They will also monitor the flight status to make sure they are on time when passengers land. For private FBO arrivals, chauffeurs will meet passengers on the tarmac (where permitted) next to the jet.
There are many companies out there that operate without a professional software program, which means obtaining receipts or making reservations can be tedious. One of the advantages of using Pacific Northwest Limo Service LLC is that we use a professional limousine software program, which will allow you to do the following:
· Making reservations directly through our system; you will be provided with a username and password
· You will receive confirmations right away
· You can see chauffeur’s name, cell phone number, model of vehicle, as well as tracking information
· Once our service is completed and charges have been processed, your receipts will be emailed right away (you can retrieve them yourself as well)
Pacific Northwest Limo has been in the industry since 2004. We are dedicated to provide premier quality transportation to our corporate and affiliate clients. With the newest vehicles and senior chauffeurs, we maintain high standards and quality. As a result, our costs to provide service may be higher; but the quality of our service, and above all, safety of your executives is far more important to us than cutting corners.
We hope to have offered you some information that will better assist you in choosing a limousine company, which is fully licensed, insured, and credentialed. We look forward to having the opportunity to take great care of your most important executives.
