Safety crackdown on limos at Save Mart Center

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Several people who rented limousines to get to Tuesday night's Bruno Mars concert at Save Mart Center had to find a different way home. Five limos and a party bus were towed away shortly after they dropped people off.

The CHP, state Public Utilities Commission inspectors and Fresno State campus police were set up along Shaw Avenue to perform safety checks on limousines. In all, 25 vehicles were screened.

The five limos and party bus were taken to impound yards for various violations. Inside some of the vehicles we found personal items of concert-goers.

Cellphone video showed one limo being towed away from the Save Mart Center. The surprise checks were done to ensure drivers were properly licensed and the vehicles were safe.

Sgt. Ruben Madrigal of the Fresno State Police Department said, "A lot of the vehicles we towed were overweight. The vehicle weight exceeding the tire rating. These are huge hazards. Some of these tires are just rated at so many pounds. If they were to have too many passengers, they have about 10-15 passengers, tire rating exceeds the weight of the tires."

Authorities say limo safety checks hadn't been conducted in the Valley in a decade.

Sandeep Singh of Crown Royal Limo doesn't believe his Cadillac limo should have been impounded. He said, "It was because we didn't have our TCP number visible on the bumper."

Transportation Charter Party numbers are required. Singh said his was recently removed because the limo was just re-painted but officers said that still is a violation.

Singh said, "It makes me want to go out of business."

Ernie Cortez of Destine Limo of Porterville told Action News his limo was impounded because investigators said his son did not have a class B license to drive a 15-passenger vehicle however Cortez said, "This particular vehicle only had 8 people in it so a class C license would have covered it."

But again the limo's TCP number was at issue. It was not paid.

Authorities said the limo checks will continue to better protect the public after last year's fatal fire in a limo on the San Mateo Bridge. Two Fresno women were among the five killed.

Limo company owners said they're glad authorities are performing surprise checks to ensure only licensed companies are transporting people.