According to the National Limousine Association (NLA), stretch limousine rides make up only 1% of the services offered by “limo companies,” down from about 10% a decade ago. The organization blames the Great Recession, then the rise of app-hailing services like Uber and Lyft, and a pair of deadly stretch limo crashes that ushered in new regulations in NY State, one of the industry’s most important markets. Over time, stretch limos gradually fell out of favor, as passengers opted to travel somewhat less conspicuously in sedans or SUVs.
“There wasn’t one stretch limousine on the show floor [at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas],” said NLA president, Robert Alexander. “Not one. The stretch limo is – what’s the expression? – gone like the dodo bird. Extinct.”
Source: The New York Times
