A former Uber driver pleaded not guilty Thursday to trying to extort money from a passenger in order to get her phone back, then nearly running her over when he fled the scene in West Hollywood last year, prosecutors said.
Los Angeles Times article here
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To accelerate efforts to get self-driving vehicle technology on the road, General Motors is creating a team to focus on autonomous vehicles effective Feb. 1.
The new Autonomous and Technology Vehicle Development Team will recruit from across GM with a mandate to map out a strategy that includes engineering, as well as identifying investments and partnerships to ensure leadership in self-driving technology.
Detroit Free Press article here
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An early deadline looms for discounted passes to the 2016 International LCT Show and discounted hotel rooms at the Show site, the Mandalay Bay Casino & Resort in Las Vegas.
Reserve both now and get it out of the way on the Friday before the Monday morning Feb. 1 deadline.
With major fleet vehicle and product unveilings planned, the show floor, sessions and social events will keep attendees engaged and thrilled throughout the Feb. 29 — March 2 global industry event.
A sampling of highlights include technology user group sessions, Limo University courses, Ask The OEM panel sessions with Cadillac and Lincoln, an exhibitor-sponsored party at Mandalay Bay’s LIGHT nightclub, a B4 Business one-on-one networking session, and keynote addresses by Peter Sheahan, Founder and CEO of Changelabs, and former Disney executive, Doug Lipp.
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NEW YORK — Liat Forti stood before a roomful of Uber and luxury car drivers and asked them to name their biggest pain in the behind.
“The TLC!” blurted out one man, using the shorthand for the city Taxi & Limousine Commission, his comment eliciting laughter.
“The pain in your butt is?” said Forti, trying to continue her lesson.
“The TLC!” called out another jokester.
Forti, 36, a licensed massage therapist and personal trainer from the Upper West Side, was leading a class of 19 professional drivers — people who sit in cars for up to 12 hours per day — to talk about their aches and pains and teach them what to do about it.
New York Daily News article here
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MIAMI — With ride-sharing companies like Uber and Lyft gaining in popularity, a Miami Lakes company that provides old-school chauffeurs with luxury vehicles filed Chapter 11 reorganization.
Worldwide Transportation Services filed for protection from creditors in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Miami on Jan. 26. Its attorney, Eyal Berger, stressed that the company was operating as usual and continuing to provide service to its clients.
Berger said the main reason Worldwide Transportation Services filed Chapter 11 was litigation costs. A handful of its drivers filed wage lawsuits against the company over claims they should have been paid like employees, not independent contractors, he said. The expenses from defending those lawsuits caused a liquidity crunch at the company, Berger said. Its cash flow from operations was otherwise fine, he said.
South Florida Business Journal article here
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AMHERST, Mass. – Researchers from the Center for e-Design at the University of Massachusetts Amherst College of Engineering have designed a Retrofit Seat Belt System that makes it possible to install the safety devices on an estimated 30,000 motorcoaches and intercity buses nationwide that lack them.
The retrofitted seat belts will allow owners of buses and motorcoaches to install the seat belts for about one third to half of the cost on existing seats, the UMass Amherst research team says.
All new motorcoaches manufactured starting in 2016 will be required to have seat belts but only 20% of the existing buses have the safety devices. Seat belts could reduce the risk of fatal injuries by 77% in rollover crashes, primarily by preventing occupant ejection on impact.
UMass Amherst news service article here
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Party buses are one of the key nightlife entertainment sources for college students, but the newly enacted open carry law poses a dilemma for the industry across Texas.
As of Jan. 1, licensed handgun owners in Texas are allowed to openly carry their firearms in shoulder or belt holsters.
The University Star article here
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Lyft will not have to reclassify its drivers as employees after reaching a settlement yesterday, in which it agreed to pay $12.25 million extra in compensation and benefits. Uber is facing a similar lawsuit from its drivers, but a quirk in the litigation could make the outcome way worse for the world’s biggest transportation network company (TNC).
Attorney Shannon Liss-Riordan estimates that the $12.25 million Lyft agreed to pay its drivers was just one-fifth of what they could have won had the case gone to trial on a classwide basis. Does that mean Uber will have to pay its drivers $61.25 million to settle its case? Not at all. For one, Uber is a much larger company than Lyft with many more drivers, so the assumption is the penalty would be exponentially larger if Uber tries to settle. Also, Liss-Riordan has made it clear that what she is seeking is not so much financial redress, but the redefinition of how the on-demand economy operates.
Related article: Attorney Takes On Tech Gigster Giants
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A former Donald Trump campaign bus has been transformed into an anti-Trump art display, and it’s making its way through New Hampshire.
Mary Mihelic, 51, and others in an art collective, T Rutt, bought the bus for $14,000 off Craigslist. They covered the outside of the bus with satirical art, including an ‘Hasta La Vista Donny’ bumper sticker, Arabic writing in response to his Muslim ban proposal and a “Make fruit punch great again” display — a play on Trump’s signature “Make America great again” slogan.
Boston Herald article and video here
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An Uber driver yanked a nine-months-pregnant passenger’s service dog from her and slammed the pooch onto a Manhattan street because he did not want the animal in his car, cops said on Tuesday.
The 30-year-old Manhattan woman got into Muhammad Qayyum’s cab with her dog, named Brooklyn, at around 7:25 p.m. on Broadway near West 56th Street on Jan. 21, police said.
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LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Bill Faeth grew his limo business to $8 million in just under five years. Now, he’s brought his expertise to easy-to-understand online video training courses, offered through Limo University, which he launched last year.These videos empower operators to grow their own businesses without a sales team or marketing agency.
Faeth, also the co-founder and CEO of Inbound Marketing Agents, will deliver a three-hour program of Limo University courses on Monday, Feb. 29 from 9 a.m. to Noon during the International LCT Show at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. The sessions are open to all registrants with a full show pass or a Monday or a Tuesday pass.
Topics include how to include video in your marketing and branding tool kit on a shoestring budget, how to turn customers in to repeat customers, and using today’s technology and automation to promote business growth.
Read more here about the full program.
Register and book your hotel room at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino by Feb. 1 for the best discount on passes and accommodations. NLA members save even more.
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Cadillac’s 2016 CT6 luxury sedan will arrive as a lighter weight option to German competitors that’s shorter than full-size and significantly longer than mid-size options.
Automotive Fleet magazine article here
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Shannon Liss-Riordan made a name for herself defending workers against FedEx, American Airlines and Starbucks in wage and hour lawsuits.
If you’re a business executive and she’s knocking at your door, it probably means your company has been accused of doing something few Americans have much tolerance for: ripping off the little guy.
After slapping on-demand transportation company Uber with a class-action lawsuit over driver misclassification in 2013, the Boston lawyer has been busy, filing a dozen similar lawsuits against California tech firms.
Los Angeles Times article here
Related LCT article: Summit Speaker Could Bring Down Uber
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SANTA CLARA, Calif. — If you won’t be on the sidelines at Super Bowl 50, you could help others get to the frontlines.
A recruitment firm is on the hunt for hundreds of drivers to help chauffeur Super Bowl 50 players and VIPs.
KGO-TV ABC 7 article and video here
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SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The National Limousine Association cites several advantages of chauffeured transportation over TNC services for Super Bowl attendees, according to a Jan. 26 press release.
Super Bowl 50 is being held Sunday, Feb. 7 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.
Advantages of limo service include: Proximity to the stadium entrance, unlike transportation network companies (TNCs); a prohibition on “surge pricing” that TNCs typically impose on passengers during popular events; and a longstanding, proven commitment to preserving the integrity of the ground transportation industry and the safety of passengers and chauffeurs.
Full NLA/Ride Responsibly press release here
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In the blink of an eye, transportation network companies like Uber have all but crippled the U.S. taxi industry.
Lyft and UberX (Uber’s ride-hailing app for amateur drivers, versus its earlier service for licensed limousines) both started in 2012.
On Friday, San Francisco’s Yellow Cab cooperative filed for bankruptcy protection.
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LOS ANGELES — Loaded with advanced technology and luxury features, the 2016 Cadillac CT6 sedan is built to beat the Germans at their own game: To become the best big luxury sedan in the world.
The CT6 competes with large high-end luxury sedans like the Audi A8, BMW 7-series, Jaguar XJ, Lexus LS and Mercedes S-class. In terms of wheelbase, length and passenger space, it’s a bit bigger than the short-wheelbase versions of those cars and smaller than their stretched models. Trunk space in the middle.
CT6 prices (retail consumer market) start at $53,495 for the 2.0L, $55,495 with the 3.6L and $64,395 with the 3.0L bi-turbo.
Detroit Free Press / USA Today auto review, photos and video here
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