No Longer Running On Empty?

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When one of Matthew Strack’s limo drivers takes a passenger from Orange County to Los Angles International Airport, he is paid well. But not for the trip back.

State and airport regulations that have the effect of protecting the taxi industry prevent limos from picking up travelers who haven’t made reservations at least an hour in advance.

That means Strack’s drivers return in their gas-guzzling Lincoln Town Cars in what the industry terms a “dead leg.”

“We would ferry someone from Orange County to LAX, drop them off and then drive back empty,” said Strack, owner of Strack Premier Transportation, a limo service with offices in West Los Angeles and Costa Mesa.

Recently, Strack created at least a partial loophole in the regulations through his website and smartphone app called EmptyLimo.com, which offers discounted limo rides to passengers who have not made reservations well in advance.

Travelers log on to the site to find if there is an available limo with a dead leg that is traveling close to their destination. EmptyLimo then quotes a price, based on mileage, typically about 50 percent lower than a standard fee. Because the trip has to be at least 60 minutes later to comply with regulations, the site is aimed at passengers who might be boarding a plane headed for LAX.

So far, about 25 limo companies have signed up for the service. which was launched in November, but it has only provided a few dozen rides. Strack hasn’t done any marketing yet.

For now, EmptyLimo is a free service for passengers and limo operators, but Strack said he has invested several thousand dollars in the business, and eventually plans a payment system that will give him a cut of each fare and help pay for marketing.

Antoine Royster, president of limo service Dream One Transportation near LAX, said it’s a great concept.

“If we run someone from West L.A. to Bob Hope (Airport), that would cost $112. But if we can get a fare from Bob Hope back for $60, it’s a discount, but it’s all incremental at that point. It just goes to the bottom line,” Royster said.

However, as might be expected, taxi operators don’t like the idea, saying lower-price limo service could cut into their market share at LAX.

“If they are successful in doing this, they would definitely affect business for the taxicab drivers,” said Mike Calin, general manager of Bell Cab Co. in Hawthorne, who estimated 15 percent of his business is picking up passengers at LAX.

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