Television networks broadcast at the roadside memorial scene of Saturday's fatal limousine crash in Schoharie, N.Y., Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. A limousine loaded with people headed to a birthday party blew the stop sign at the end of a highway and slammed into an SUV parked outside a store, killing all people in the limo and a few pedestrians, officials and relatives of the victims said. (AP Photo/Hans Pennink)

FALCONER — The concern for safety of his passengers is why a former local limousine business owner stopped providing the service.

Jeff Daversa, Fancee Transportation and Fancee Wheels owner, said in December 2016 his business changed from providing limousine services to only offering medical transportations.

“Part of the reason we got out of the limo business is the safety of them,” he said. “They’re not built for crashes, they don’t have proper air bags and ours had seat belts in the back, but they’re not mandatory to wear.”

Daversa said he would do license checks and drug and alcohol testing of the drivers to protect customers the best he could. He said the limos he operated held less than eight passengers, which meant the driver had to have a New York Class E or a chauffeur’s license.

“To get a Class E license you just need to go to the Department of Motor Vehicles and pay the fee. There is no test,” he said.

Daversa believes the limousine involved in the accident in Schoharie that killed 20 people was one that held more than eight people, which means the Department of Transportation needed to approve the vehicle for the highway and the driver needed a commercial driver’s license.

The Schoharie accident involved a 2001 Ford Excursion limousine that was traveling southwest on Route 30, about 170 miles north of New York City, when it failed to stop at a T-junction with state Route 30A, state police said.

The limo went across the road and hit an unoccupied sport utility vehicle parked at the Apple Barrel, a local institution and popular stop for autumn leaf-peepers. The impact also killed two pedestrians standing nearby.

“It’s bad I would say about the safety of limousines,” Daversa said. “There are no air bags, there is no crash testing done. People are just thrown around back there. I had a few medium accidents where no one was killed, but people got hurt. That is why I got out of it.”

Fancee Transportation and Fancee Wheels offer 24/7 services every day of the year. For more information, call Fancee Transportation at 483-3661 and Fancee Wheels at 665-7075 or visit fancee.com.