SEDAN OWNERS PROTEST RATES:

Already reeling from one insurance rate increase still under appeal, independent sedan transportation operators in Maryland have been told rates will be going up again. The Maryland Automobile Insurance Fund sent notice of a 32 percent rate increase effective with the next renewals, according to Connie Galiani, co-owner of Towson Sedan Inc. An increase of 52.8 percent was approved in September, something sedan owners have been fighting ever since.

Galiani’s 11-car company pays $4,000 a year in insurance on each car. The latest increase would push the tab to about $5,300. The insurance hikes have caused a crisis in the industry, according to Ira Cooke, executive director of Sedan Transportation Association of Maryland Inc. Sedans differ from taxicabs in that taxis are allowed to pick up fares on the street while sedans must be summoned by a telephone call to a dispatcher. Cooke said independent sedan owners would like to self-insure and are seeking advice about how to do this.