Do TNCs Really Prevent Drunken Driving?

Noli Brazil, a postdoctoral research associate with the University of Southern California, says as Uber becomes more popular across the United States, a growing body of research could indeed show the app leads to lower drunken driving rates — but it’s too early to say for sure.

The New York Times article here

Keywords

alcoholic beverages   drunk driving   drunk passengers   Lyft   passenger safety   research and trends   TNCs   Uber   

 

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TNCs Become Legal Statewide Under NY State Budget

After years of efforts, ride-hailing advocates are celebrating in New York. The latest state budget deal paves the way for companies like Uber and Lyft to operate upstate.

Both companies are planning rollouts as they try to determine areas where need exists, and whether service should be activated in one city or area before another.

WAMC article here

Keywords

Lyft   New York operators   New York state regulations   TNCs   Uber   

 

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Stretch Demolition Derby Is Best Prom Ending

Ah, prom. You and several other sweaty, nervous teens pile into a nice car or limousine for a night of awkwardness, like stepping on your dance partner’s feet. You know what would make it all so much more worthwhile? Getting to watch the limousine get wrecked afterwards.

Black Flag article here

Keywords

prom   stretch limousine   

 

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How To Work With Brides On A Budget

What do you do for a wedding that has no real budget? Discover what the engaged couple really wants to know and how you can help.

Transporting wedding guests has become more common in recent years, especially with destination weddings growing in popularity. But with this comes a price tag for transportation — often in the thousands. So, if a bride or groom calls with champagne tastes and beer budgets, work the call so everyone gets most of what they want. If the budget is limited, find out what most concerns the new couple.

A desire to transport festive attendees safely may be more important, for example, than a fancy get-away car, and their priorities will determine where they spend a small budget.

In the April 2016 issue of LCT, an article provided all kinds of ways to increase the revenue from a wedding, making it an event that truly spans days with multiple little occasions from bachelor parties to rehearsal dinners. [see article pp. 20]

With less money to spend, the conversation around transportation should be a bit more collaborative. For those couples whose goal is to keep guests safe but limit spending, consider these ideas to make the cost more affordable for young couples on a tight budget. While we’re in this to make money, remember, transportation is not yet considered something that must be provided to guests. So if you offer options, it may keep this source of business coming your way.

• Remind the bride and groom the hotel might offer a free shuttle. This may relieve them to reserve transportation for the wedding party only or take care of the specialty rides for special guests like great grandmothers.
• Coordinate passenger-paid rides. Most couples have websites with wedding information for guests. Ask to be included on that site as an alternative for guests who want their own chauffeur or need an airport transfer. Just getting your company name on the engagement website will drive guests to you directly and cost the bride nothing, yet the guests will see their transportation needs were considered, even if they are the ones paying for it.
• For shuttles from a hotel to a wedding site, can you forego the full hourly rate while just sitting at the venue? Sure, it’s the ideal gig as an operator, but if you own the vehicle, maybe you can charge for two less expensive transfers, buy a nice lunch for your chauffeur in-between, and still make money on the deal, especially if the wedding guests book you privately.
• A family with limited means might actually promote your service if it means getting a discount on the wedding day. If you get a dozen airport transfers, maybe you can drop your wedding day rates by a pre-set percentage.
• Be extremely clear about costs and overtime. State everything in the estimate, including tip. Service cost surprises are particularly unwelcome on emotionally-charged days like a wedding. Try to get the wedding planner, if there is one, involved. Even if it’s crazy Aunt Sally, that person will work to keep the costs down and people moving on time better than a chauffeur ever could if they recognize what a delay will cost.

Understand the couple’s priorities, and you may find a life-long client. A specialty getaway vehicle with champagne just for them may be all they want for photos and fun. But for the bride who is happy on a bicycle while her guests are safely transported, your cost-conscious suggestions and flexibility will be the best gift of the day.

California operator Anne Daniells has more than 25 years of experience in corporate America and the limousine industry, and once owned an LCT Operator Of The Year Award-winning limousine company. She can be reached at Anne@lctmag.com.

Keywords

Anne Daniells   Ask LCT   client markets   customer service   hotels   How To   shuttle vans   special events   Trolleys   wedding planners   weddings   

 

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Royale Takes Nothing For Granted

HAVERHILL, Mass. — What does it take to be a great coachbuilder? It’s not just skill, reasonable prices, or innovative ideas. Steve Edelmann, director of sales for Royale Coach Builders, says the way to ensure satisfaction and stronger loyalty through repeat business is to back your product and not treat your customers as if they owe you anything.

“We don’t take anything for granted, because we feel we must earn the customer’s trust and business every time,” he says.

Don’t Sit Still

Since the company was founded in 1982, three challenging economic periods have forced them to restructure and diversify their products. This has only made them more of a force to be reckoned with. When the economic crisis hit in 2008, for example, they began to expand into building broadcast vans for TV stations on the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, Chevrolet, and Ford platforms.

Now that the economy has stabilized and limousine companies are prospering again, Royale is building a variety of stretch limousines, stretched sedans, SUV conversions, and Sprinter and Transit conversions.

Fast Facts

Location: Haverhill, Mass. and Long Island City, N.Y.

Service: Custom coachbuilder

Founder: Milton Smith (brothers Cabot and MacGregor Smith are now owners)

Founded: 1982

Employees: 70

Website: www.royalelimo.com

Contact: (800) 544-5587, (978) 374-4530 (outside of the US)

Royale’s most popular livery vehicles are the Lincoln MKT Town Car 120-in. stretch limousine and Cadillac XTS 70-in. with a fourth or fifth-door, Sprinter and Transit limo conversion and minicoach shuttles with a slider or bus door, and luxury vans upfitted into paratransit vehicles that include a wheelchair lift for companies serving clients who need ADA compliant transportation.

More recently, operators have started to move into the Sprinter and Transit territory because clients would like to avoid the stigma of being driven in a limousine, Edelmann says. It’s likely they’ve seen a surge in popularity because they look more like a van on the outside, but have the amenities of a an executive shuttle, can fit more people in them, and can be used for a variety of different events like weddings, funerals, and road shows.

Royale is always trying to improve, although they feel they’ve built some of the best vehicles on the market, Edelmann says. “We’re never happy unless we are innovating and improving.”

Quality Comes First

“Everything we do, we want to make sure the vehicle is built similar to the way the original equipment manufacturer would build it,” Edelmann says. They’ve built many prototypes for Lincoln and Cadillac, as well as the first Lincoln Town Car extended sedan for Cary International in 2002. Royale was also the first coachbuilder to be tested under Lincoln’s QVM program in 1990 when it was formed under Roy Radakovich, the Lincoln engineer who originated the program.

Since then, they’ve also received certification as a Cadillac Master Coachbuilder, Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Master Upfitter, and Ford QVM Transit Conversion Builder as well. “We feel it’s important to make sure our customers have a vehicle that’s a quality product backed by the manufacturer of the vehicle with both the warranty and safety able to withstand additional weight and durability requirements,” Edelmann says.

To ensure quality and timely customer response and service, a builder has to understand the details and specs of each vehicle, Edelmann says. For example, Royale develops and designs its own electrical systems in-house, so if their customers have an electrical issue, it can be easily handled by knowledgeable employees.

If operators purchase a vehicle from a coachbuilder who deals with outside vendors, they would have to call the builder of the electrical system to get the problem solved, resulting in more vehicle down time and lost profits.

“If someone has a problem with our product, we can send them what they need to immediately solve the issue, eliminating down time and expediting the repair,” Edelmann says.

Under the same ownership for 35 years, Royale supports local associations as well as the NLA. It believes in giving back to the industry by helping resolve issues facing chauffeured transportation.

Keywords

coach-builder profiles   coachbuilders   custom coachbuilders   industry vendors   Royale   Steve Edelmann   

 

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