WSMV Channel 4 Metro business owner sues over limo, taxi fees

Metro business owner sues over limo, taxi fees

A Metro business owner has sued the city over a law he said he will destroy his business. Then, he said, Metro staked him out for fines and citations.

Limousines mean luxury, and for Syed Bokhari, they are a livelihood.

Six years ago, he moved from Pakistan to Nashville and founded Metro Livery.

"Business was so successful before we had last year, the limo regulation came from the city," Bokhari said.

Metro enacted a $45 flat-rate requirement for every livery company. So, Bokhari sued.

"It killed the competition, and it takes the customer's choice," Bokhari said. "I think this is my right to charge customers what I want. And government doesn't have any business to interfere with our prices."

Since then, enforcement officers cited and fined Bokhari's company several times. Last week, a driver charged an inspector, posing as a customer, just $25.

The citations and fines followed.

"I believe that enforcement is only on my company and my drivers, and it looks like they are punishing me for suing the city," Bokhari said.

"We're doing it as fairly as we can with the resources we have," said Brian McQuistion, with the Metro Transportation Licensing Commission.

And that can be tough, because Metro currently has three enforcement officers tracking about 55 registered livery companies in Nashville and finding those who operate illegally.

"It's a delicate balancing act. You want to as best for everyone, but you can't satisfy anyone with the ultimate product. You just have to figure out what is the best for Nashville," McQuistion said.

That's why Metro will soon hire a consultant to study livery and taxi companies and figure out a better system for licensing.

For some, though, it might be too little too late.

"We have been struggling since last year," Bokhari said. "I believe I'm going to lose everything."

There's a push for Metro to finish reworking its system by next Spring, when the new convention center opens downtown.

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