Wednesday, October 21, 2015

80% Of Public Believes TNCs Are Transportation Companies

<p>A scene from the Ride Responsibly safety awareness video. About three-fourths of the public thinks TNC drivers are employees, not independent contractors signing up to do ride gigs with TNCs.</p>

NEW YORK — A survey conducted online by Harris Poll and commissioned by the National Limousine Association in October  among more than 3,000 U.S. adults ages 18 and older, reveals 80% of consumers believe that transportation network companies (TNCs), such as Lyft, Sidecar, Uber and Whisk are transportation providers, not technology companies as these services claim, in circumvention of the Fair Labor Standards Act

According to the survey, 73% of consumers consider TNC drivers to be employees of the services, when they are actually independent contractors who are not required to adhere to or comply with the same standards and regulations applicable to taxis and limousines. Only 18% of Americans would continue to use ride-hailing services if they did not adhere to applicable labor laws.

“In a society that increasingly values convenience over safety and responsibility, it is the obligation of the National Limousine Association to raise awareness about how ride-hailing services, for reasons of financial gain, are circumventing the fair labor laws and are not required to adhere to or comply with the same safety standards and regulations applicable to taxis and limousines. As the survey clearly illustrates, ride hailing services are misleading passengers, exploiting drivers and putting the public at risk,” said Scott Solombrino, NLA co-founder and board director and CEO of the Dav El/BostonCoach Chauffeured Transportation Network.

To this end, the National Limousine Association, a not-for-profit organization responsible for and dedicated to representing the interests of the private driver ground transportation industry, launched Ride Responsibly in February 2015. The program is an unprecedented effort to bridge an industry-wide gap between the rights of passengers and the responsibilities of service providers, promoting best practices in regards driver and passenger safety and duty of care.

“While the NLA applauds the steps that a handful of cities and municipalities have recently taken action to regulate ride-hailing services, there is much work to be done on a national level,” adds Gary Buffo, NLA president. “As these results overwhelmingly enumerate, a more accountable system and universal corporate responsibility remain the ultimate goal. Therefore, it is imperative this debate be afforded the national platform it deserves.”

Methodology:
This survey was conducted online within the U.S. by Harris Poll on behalf of NLA from Oct. 6-8, 2015 among 3,027 adults ages 18 and older. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, contact NLA@evins.com.

About The NLA 
The National Limousine Association is the worldwide voice of the chauffeured transportation industry, comprised of more than 2000 members, including industry professionals, owners and operators, as well as regional and state limousine associations, that encompass nearly fifty thousand vehicles. Formed in 1985, the NLA is a non-profit organization responsible for and dedicated to representing the interests of the chauffeured ground transportation industry at the global, national, state, and local level. More information: www.limo.org.

About Ride Responsibly 
The Ride Responsibly campaign is an unprecedented effort to bridge an industry-wide gap between the rights of passengers and the responsibilities of service providers.The campaign will establish best safety practices for prearranged car services and transportation network companies (TNCs), which include ride-hailing app car services, such as Lyft, Sidecar, Uber and Whisk. This initiative by the National Limousine Association is designed to help address growing public concern and provide a forum for all to voice their views on the ground transportation industry. The program will focus on educating both service providers and the public about regulations, legislation and best practices within the industry. The goal is to empower and inform the public at large, and drivers and operators alike with the necessary tools to Ride Responsibly. More information: http://ift.tt/1OckddM.

Source: NLA/Evins press release via PRNewsire

Keywords

employee vs independent contractor   Gary Buffo   industry surveys   labor laws   national limousine association   NLA   passenger safety   public relations   Ride Responsibly   Scott Solombrino   TNCs   

 

Follow @lctmag on Twitter

via Limo News http://ift.tt/1jBBSSK


No comments:

Post a Comment