Editorial: Going too far to save the public

Imagine getting fined up to $10,000 for asking airport passengers if you could help them.

Yet that was the policy for bus and limousine operators picking up passengers at McCarran International Airport.

Some companies contended that if they said "Good morning" or "May I help you" to a traveler, it was considered a solicitation, which would violate state Transportation Services Authority rules and subject them to fines of $1,500 to $10,000.

So some bus and limousine drivers stood there silently while passengers were looking for local transportation. Others were overly aggressive and rude, and shouted at passengers to get their attention. One carrier likened it to hustling.

Neither behavior was visitor-friendly. And that was the problem. How could carriers serve passengers' needs and stay within the TSA guidelines?

The TSA is expected to vote in November on a proposal to relax the rules. There would be four phrases carriers would be allowed to say: "May I help you," "Good morning," "Good afternoon" and "Good evening." Once a prospective customer asks a question, drivers are allowed to respond and explain their services.

According to Dennis Colling, manager of transportation for the TSA, "certificated carriers need to be on notice that any undue pressure or attempts to induce members of the public will be acted upon by the enforcement staff with great dispatch."

Rules and regulations are certainly needed to protect the public from being accosted by people trying to solicit their business. But limiting carriers' opening lines to a mere four phrases appears to go way beyond the normal bounds of regulation.

It seems ludicrous that such a "Hello Rule" should be needed at all. Whatever happened to common sense?

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