Meet The Suitcase Chauffeur Who Can Drive Your Car

The future of autonomous vehicles may not be a car at all, but instead a portable robot that can fit inside a handheld suitcase before taking its place in the driver’s seat.

LiveScience.com article here

LCT related article: How To Offer Good Limo Gigs That Last

Keywords

autonomous vehicles   driverless cars   managing chauffeurs   recruiting chauffeurs   self-driving vehicles   vehicle technology   

 

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ABA Takes Motorcoach, Travel/Tourism Issues to Capitol Hill

WASHINGTON, DC – The American Bus Association (ABA), the industry leader advancing North American motorcoach travel, will kick off its annual Capitol Hill Fly-in on May 4 to provide ABA members an opportunity to meet with their elected legislative officials and staff to discuss the important issues facing the motorcoach, travel, and tourism industries today.

“With a new administration and Congress, the Fly-In presents an important opportunity for ABA members to meet personally with their elected representatives and staff about their businesses, the industry, and the impact our industry has on local and national economies,” said ABA President and CEO Peter J. Pantuso. “As Congress considers legislation that may influence how their business will be regulated, it’s critical our members’ voices be heard.”

The Fly-in will kick off with an address from Reps. Charlie Dent (R-Pa.), member of the Appropriations Committee; Sam Graves (R-Mo.), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee – Subcommittee on Highways and Transit; and Steve Chabot (R-Ohio), chairman of the House Small Business Committee, providing an opportunity to engage with the Congressmen on issues important to the motorcoach, tour, and travel industry.

Following the morning briefing, Fly-In participants will meet with members’ offices from both the House of Representatives and Senate. At these meetings, Fly-In participants will discuss critical issues, such as the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s lease and interchange rule and bus security grant funding and encourage members to support a robust infrastructure package and tax reform.

Watch ABA Capitol Hill Fly-in Kick Off Action Video

About the American Bus Association
The American Bus Association (ABA) is the trade organization of the intercity bus industry with more than 1,000 motorcoach and tour company members in the United States and Canada. Its members operate charter, tour, regular route, airport express, special operations and contract services. Another 2,800 members are travel and tourism organizations and suppliers of bus products and services who work in partnership with the North American motorcoach industry. Information: www.buses.org

Related LCT article: 2016 ABA Fly-In Event

Keywords

American Bus Association   charter and tour operators   Day On the Hill   Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration   federal regulations   industry politics   legislation   lobbying   motorcoach operators   motorcoaches   Peter Pantuso   

 

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How To Create A Special Events Playbook

To devise a special event master plan, you’ll need a tabbed binder with all relevant information in a single place. The binder should have tabs that allow you to quickly locate important phone numbers, the event contract you are working under, emergency procedures, and event details.

The Communications Tab

This tab should have a list of cell phone numbers for every person assigned to work the event. It should have contact numbers for everyone you might need to talk to, from the client who booked the job to FBOs you may use to pick-up passengers for the event. 

If the event has security, you need to include a number for the security company in case you have any issues. Rather than try to deal with a security guard, it is better to call the office of the security company. This number should be immediately available. If you are using a two-way radio system, you should have your transmit and receive frequencies along with your PL Code so others using radios can program their radios to communicate with your coordinator if needed. Communications is the key to the success of managing a large event, so be prepared to communicate with anyone you need.

The Maps Tab

Have maps of every area you might need. This includes road closure maps, backstage entrance routes, maps of offsite facilities such as FBOs, large hotel properties, airports, and any other place one of your vehicles might end up needing directions for. Having the maps in one place will make it easy for the coordinator to help a driver who gets lost. Make sure to include extra copies you can tear out and give to others if needed.

The Contract Tab

Having a copy of the contract for the particular job can be helpful in case of a discrepancy over how the job is being handled or if the client should ask how much extra they might have to pay for a deviation in the requested service. 

Vehicles & Employees Tab

This important document should contain a list of every employee working the event showing their expected start and end times, their cell phone numbers (even though it is on the communications page), the vehicles or job duties assigned, and a place to check them in or out of their assignments as well as tracking mandatory rest breaks during the event.

The vehicle list should include every vehicle assigned and the passenger capacity, color, and license plate number for each. Having the license number can help others on the property identify your vehicles. The list should be cross-referenced with who is assigned to drive it and the driver’s cell number — again.

Emergency Plans Tab

Emergency evacuation routes should be planned in advance and communicated to each employee working the event. A code should be established that would alert all employees by text or radio. The code could be as simple as “999” to indicate that emergency plans have been implemented.

The Emergency Plan should include at least two different routes out of the facility and a predefined meeting point offsite at least two miles away where drivers can take their passengers to await further instructions. If law enforcement is assigned to work the event, ask if you can have a contact number for the officer in charge of the event. Keep this phone number on the communications page and within the emergency plan page.

Smooth Operations provides a broad range of information focused on new ideas and approaches in management, human resources, customer service, marketing, networking and technology. Have something to share or would like covered? You can reach LCT contributing editor and California operator Jim Luff at Jim@LCTmag.com.

Keywords

communications   emergency preparedness   employee management   Fleet Vehicles   mapping & routing   special events   working with event planners   

 

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Lessons From Operators Serving Kentucky Derby

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Kentucky Derby brings a few images to mind: Fast horses, unique hats, and good times. Now in its 143rd year, the event packs the city with spectators and tourists who need reliable transportation.

And They’re Off

George Doyle, president and CEO of Gold Shield Limousine Co. Inc. in Lexington, starts prepping the hardest for the Derby starting in January. His company has been providing transportation for the event for about 30 years, so he has an idea of what they have to do (including securing additional equipment, help, and licensing), and how far out they have to do it. “It’s the week that makes the year, so you start looking at getting ready for the next one as soon as the one you are working is over,” he says.

For Carey Fieldhouse, president and owner of R&R Limousine and Cosmopolitan Coach in Louisville, her 15th Derby is sure to be a busy one. Her company will have more than 200 cars on the road during Derby week, and will be bringing in vehicles from all over the Eastern half of the U.S. “We really have to start negotiating and re-upping those contracts starting in January, and we start taking reservations from returning clients that month as well,” she says.

Todd Roberts and Nick Lopez, president and vice president of JACO Limousine with offices in Louisville, Cincinnati, and Knoxville, say this has been their biggest year demand wise, and is in step with an increase in their regular business. This will be Roberts’ fifth Derby. “We immediately start prepping from year to year, because right after the Derby is when you recognize what mistakes you made and what you did extraordinarily right,” he says.

Ready For Anything

While R&R Limousine runs every type of vehicle except antique, Fieldhouse says she tracks revenue numbers starting in January so she has a good overall estimate of the final number. This way she can set some vehicles aside because she knows she’ll be getting orders for them in the two weeks leading up to the event.

Her clients for the event include various celebrities, who she often doesn’t know until the day of the event since they don’t make reservations in their own names. R&R also transports many international groups as Kentucky continues to push Louisville as a destination city.

Roberts says he also sees more last minute reservations year after year. “Even though people have their tickets all year, they still wait right up to a day or two before and start panicking because they haven’t arranged transportation,” he says.

JACO runs every type of chauffeured vehicle in its fleet, but so far SUVs are the most popular for the event. They also drive celebrities, including NFL and NBA players, as well as some politicians.

Gold Shield has many loyal, year-to-year corporate clients, some of whom reserve 10 to 30 vans a year for the Derby. “Even though the event is in Louisville, Lexington is the horse capital of the world. You have a lot of people internationally who own farms around the area who come in for the Derby, as well as people who have a bloodline that goes back two or three generations in the horse business so you deal with them every year. And you always have first timers and corporate clients who want to entertain someone.”

He also runs every type of chauffeured vehicle you can think of, and a great number of them at that. “Normally throughout the year we have about 60 to 65 vehicles we use in our fleet every day, but for Derby we can do anything from about 125 to 150.”

Related: Nick Lopez Talks Recruiting Quality Employees

No TNC Troubles

Lopez isn’t worried in the slightest when it comes to the inevitable interference of Uber and Lyft. “The only area there might be competition from TNCs is shuttle work. It’s not exactly a higher level, exclusive service. If you look at surge pricing during Derby, their prices are out of sight, so people are going to pay big no matter what kind of transportation service they use. Most of our clientele for this event aren’t on-demand.”

Doyle says it all boils down to what people want. “I believe those who are used to black car service are not going to show up in an Uber. They aren’t going to come out with 150,000 people at the end of the race and not know exactly where their car is, and they won’t drive themselves because the parking is astronomical,” he says.

“Clients who come in on private jets are not looking for a dollar trip away from the airport. TNCs haven’t impacted our business in the slightest bit,” Fieldhouse says.

Be Prepared

On Tuesday of Derby week, R&R Limousine’s IT teams come in and set up computers, printers, desks, and telephones in one of the company-owned garages as a satellite office. “It’s made the center of the universe from Tuesday until Monday morning when they come take it down after the event,” Fieldhouse says.

About 80% of the business’ Derby chauffeurs return from previous years, taking vacation days from the companies they work for full time to participate. This makes everything run much smoother since they are already familiar with policies and procedures.

They, as well as new staff members, go through an hour and a half long classroom training session, at the end of which they are broken down into smaller one-on-one groups lead by veteran chauffeurs for about another half hour.

On the day of the Derby, she packs a cargo van full of Kentucky Fried Chicken with her husband and children and serves it to all of the chauffeurs right in the parking lot of Churchill Downs. “Serving over 200 chauffeurs is a lot of work, but it’s our thank you to everyone that works so hard to pull off the event. We usually have chauffeurs from other limo companies join in as well as long as we have enough food,” she says.

Up to 95% of Gold Shield’s chauffeurs who work Derby have done so before. “There are people that work big events like this over and over again even though they may not work for us day in and day out,” Doyle says. The company has a meeting well in advance to go over what’s needed to make the Derby as successful as possible, including what to take with you, what to do, and what not to do.

The event is orchestrated out of the company’s own facility built in 2007. Doyle has increased his wash crew and has them use a unique spot-free water system.

Related: Industry Scholarship Motivated Kentucky Leader

“We haven’t had to wipe down a vehicle in more than 10 years. We rinse them, prep the inside, dress the tires, and then pull it out into the sun. It saves a lot of time and labor, especially since you have vehicles coming back at two or three in the morning that have to be back out at seven or eight. You have a short window to clean a lot of cars, so it helps improve the efficiency of getting that done,” he says.

Lopez and Roberts make use of videos on a private Vimeo channel to help chauffeurs understand procedures specifically for the Derby, and also perform ride-alongs with key personnel. Apps like Zipwhip and Slack help them stay in constant contact with them during every part of the event.

Because they bring in employees from the other markets they serve, they partner up with a local hotel and conference center so they have access to large conference rooms and lots of parking space.

Takeaway Tips For Big Events

• For any large, recurring event, start looking at getting ready for the next one as soon as the one you are working is over
• Don’t be dismayed by TNCs; focus on providing incredible customer service for the discerning type of clientele 
• Make training a team effort; take things seriously, but allow time for bonding as well
• Treat your chauffeurs right; big events take a toll on everyone involved. Provide something extra (like food!) to sweeten the deal.
• Make use of technology to simplify and streamline processes

Keywords

Carey Fieldhouse   chauffeur training   group transportation   Kentucky operators   mobile technology   Nick Lopez   special events   sporting events   Todd Roberts   WebXclusive   

 

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