Rhode Island To Set Regulations For TNCs

Rhode Island has settled — for now at least — the contentious debate about how it should regulate ride-hailing companies such as Uber and Lyft.

Before dawn on June 18, the General Assembly passed a bill that legalizes the companies and sets up a series of permits and rules for drivers using them.

The bill, developed by the Raimondo administration and Uber, means Uber and Lyft can continue expanding in Rhode Island while avoiding the bitter standoffs and departures triggered by regulators in some cities.

Providence Journal article here

Keywords

legislation   Lyft   regulatory enforcement   Rhode Island operators   state regulations   TNCs   Uber   

 

Follow @lctmag on Twitter

via Limo News http://ift.tt/28MF25r

NELA Announces New Board Officers at June Meeting

Ellen Kearns of Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete with NELA Executive Director Rick Szilagyi

Saugus, Mass. — More than 75 members were on hand at the New England Livery Association (NELA) quarterly meeting held on June 14 at the Kowloon Restaurant. In addition to providing news and industry updates for the members, the evening meeting also saw the announcement of the 2016-2017 NELA board of directors, who will assume their roles on July 1. The elected officers are:

President: Michael Callahan of Able Limousine
1st Vice President: Andrew Tighe of Tristar Worldwide Chauffeur Services
2nd Vice President: Tina Benson of L.A. Limousine Service
Treasurer: Teale Smith of Maine Limousine Service
Secretary: Lynda Saitta of Momentum Drives

NELA Executive Director Rick Szilagyi, Scott Solombrino of Dav El/BostonCoach, Brett Barenholtz of Boston Car Service, and NELA President Michael Callahan of Able Limousine
Following a cocktail hour and a demo of the Mercedes-Benz Metris, sponsored by Flagship Motors of Lynnfield, Mass., the group took part in a buffet dinner. After the meal, the evening’s sponsors spoke to the members. CD Publisher Chris Weiss, representing the meeting’s entertainment sponsor Chauffeur Driven, thanked the association and briefly touched upon October’s Chauffeur Driven Show in Washington, D.C. Rob Slocum from Flagship was next to speak, followed by Chris Simpson of Allied Technologies, who sponsored the evening’s raffle.

NELA Executive Director Rick Szilagyi of Lexian Management provided his update, which included the introduction of the new board and a recap of highlights from the fiscal year, which included NELA’s recent Chauffeur Appreciation Day at Logan Airport that served barbecue to 1,000 drivers in the area. Szilagyi also touched upon recent TNC legislation in the six states that represent the association.

National Limousine Association (NLA) Secretary Scott Solombrino, president of Dav El/BostonCoach, took to the podium to share NLA news. As one of the chauffeured ground transportation industry’s leading opponents of TNCs, Solombrino detailed the challenges operators currently face on the local, state, and federal levels.

“We’re fortunate to have Scott working on the TNC issue across the country,” said Szilagyi. “He’s a dynamic speaker, and we’re always glad to have him present.”

NELA Board of Directors
The final speaker of the evening was Ellen Kearns of Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, who has been an editor of the first, second, and third editions of the Fair Labor Standards Act. She was on-hand to discuss the impending changes to the overtime rules, which goes into effect on December 1.

The meeting concluded with a number of raffles. Weiss donated a pass to the Chauffeur Driven D.C. show, to be held October 9-12, and was won by Brittni Kirk of All Points Limousine, Boston, Mass. Jeff Brodsly of Chosen Payments was the winner of the evening’s 50/50, and he generously donated the money back into the association.

NELA’s next quarterly membership meeting is scheduled for September 13.

Visit nelivery.org for more information.

[CD0616]

via Limo News http://ift.tt/28PNK2Q

Georgetown Insurance’s Jack Rolfe Announces Retirement

Georgetown Insurance President Jack Rolfe

Silver Spring, Md.— After five decades in insurance, nearly 40 of which have been in chauffeured ground transportation, Georgetown Insurance Service President Jack Rolfe is retiring. Rolfe made the announcement last week in a true-to-form hilarious letter to his colleagues, customers, and friends. He will retire this Wednesday, June 22, one day before his 74th birthday; he has been busy handing off his duties to his capable team-many of whom have worked for the company for years.

A transplant from across the pond, Rolfe moved to the U.S. in 1967-as he said, “with no job, a pregnant wife, and a lovely black cat named Inky.” He began his career with a Scottish insurance company, and later moved on to Safeco and AIG before co-founding Georgetown Insurance Service in 1977.

“In the very early ’80s, two fine gentlemen gave me an opportunity to insure Carey Limousine, yep, the whole thing. We did it and handled it profitably for them, the Hartford, and this little agency Georgetown, and I am happy to tell you that after almost 40 years we continue to be of service to parts of this vanguard of the chauffeured transportation industry,” he said in the letter. “I met so many great operators from San Diego to Wisconsin to New Jersey, and, of course, Texas and Tennessee. We wrote single car operators to bus fleets. Back then and still today, we have a team that cares about you…”

Rolfe has been a fixture at all of the industry trade shows for years, including Chauffeur Driven, which he still plans to attend this October 9-12 in D.C. He would often regale his captive listeners with stories about his time growing up in England and his many travels abroad. He also served as a vendor member for the NLA, was a frequent attendee at local associations, and was a part of the Chauffeur Driven Insurance Committee and team of contributing writer.

“So to all my hard-working colleagues, dear friends, family, and to those of you who started out as a customers and became a dear, dear friend, thanks for letting me take so much of your time. Thanks for listening to the tales, 90 percent of which are true,” he concluded in his letter.
On behalf of Chauffeur Driven, we send our congratulations and wish Jack a very happy birthday!

Visit georgetownins.com for more information.

[CD0616]

via Limo News http://ift.tt/28PNFMD

Key Transportation Wins LMC Circle of Excellence Award

Miami — Key Transportation Worldwide Services, a Miami-based luxury ground transportation company, recently received the LMC Group Circle of Excellence Award.

Key Transportation, the largest woman-owned transportation company in Miami-Dade County, is known for providing first class chauffeured travel. President and CEO Orlie Jedwab places customer service is their top priority, and they exceed client expectations with their state-of-the art technology and personalized approach, combined with their wealth of experience and dedication to safety. Because the company is located in a major international destination like Miami, Key is available to assist clients who are traveling domestically or abroad.

Key’s approach to business development is a large factor in their success. They take a team approach to attract major contracts, with personnel from various departments playing a role. Their creative resourcefulness has resulted in their securing significant opportunities. Rather than being reactive, Key’s business development philosophy is strategic and demonstrates long-range thinking.

Hannah Haverdink, LMC Business Development Director, has worked with Key Transportation in their business development efforts.

“Orlie’s hard work and dedication to getting all the information and presentation material just right is to be admired,” said Haverdink. “Commitment to details has put Key Transportation into a winning position for continued business development growth.”

LMC Group Founder Kristen Carroll remarked, “I have been thoroughly impressed with the team at Key Transportation since the moment we started working with them. In the highly competitive market of Miami, they have grown from just a few vehicles to over 50+ in just over 15 years. The clients who work with Key choose them because they are looking for the very highest level of professionalism, style, and service, and Key never fails to impress. I look forward to seeing them grow even more in the months and years to come, and I’m thrilled The LMC Group gets to be a part of it!” 

Visit key-transportation.com for more information.

[CD0616]

via Limo News http://ift.tt/28Ut0mV

Video of Grace Limousine’s “Papa” John Goes Viral

Grace Limousine’s Maintenance Technician “Papa” John Campbell

Manchester, NH — A video of Grace Limousine’s maintenance technician and grandfather-in-residence, “Papa” John Campbell, recently went viral with more than 37,400 Facebook views. The 89-year-old World War II veteran completed 22 push-ups as part of the #22Pushups challenge to honor veterans and to call attention to the tragedy of veteran suicide. According to #22KILL, the charity that launched the #22Pushups challenge, 22 U.S. veterans commit suicide every day.

Veterans’ issues have always been a high priority to Grace Limousine, which was founded by U.S. Marine Ian Campbell. After #22KILL challenged supporters to do 22 million pushups to raise awareness, Grace launched its own challenge, asking employees to take turns completing 22 pushups over 22 days. Shared on social media, the Grace challenge was joined by customers, family, and friends.

“Papa” John, the father of Campbell, has been a constant at the company since 1997. Despite his 90th birthday approaching in November, he continues to work six days a week and has been featured in Grace’s “Bigger Than You Think” ad campaign. He is well-loved figure in the community and is known for his “fighting spirit, determination, and spunk,” according to his grandson, and Grace CEO Michael Campbell. And now thousands of other people have been introduced to “Papa” John through his viral Facebook video.

Not content to rest on his laurels, “Papa” John was back with another video on day 14 of the challenge with an even bigger accomplishment: 30 knuckle pushups.

Visit gracelimo.com for more information.

[CD0616]

via Limo News http://ift.tt/28UsWUe

Ireland Welcomes First Wheelchair-Friendly Executive Minicoach

Dublin — DC Chauffeur Drive recently unveiled Ireland’s first wheelchair accessible executive mini-coach, which can carry two wheelchair passengers and four others.

“Over the years, I noticed that wheelchair users were not being catered for in the luxury end of the market, and in fact, some wheelchair accessible vehicles could not be used for more than one user at a time,” said DC Chauffeur Drive Owner Brian Curtin. “Since DC Chauffeur Drive had this vehicle designed and built to our specifications, I have had a lot of enquiries, so I can envisage having similar vehicles on the road by year-end.”

Curtin added, “When you book this vehicle, it is like booking the first-class option on a long-haul flight – luxury, comfort and style.”

The company launched the vehicle at a ceremony with broadcaster Ryan Tubridy and along with athletes Graham Merrigan and Steven Cluskey. Merrigan, born with spina bifida, is a basketball player with his eye on a place on Ireland’s team for the Rio Paralympics while Cluskey, paralysed from the neck down at age 20, set the rugby players’ transport challenge that was broadcast last year on TV3.

Visit dcchauffeur.com for more information.

[CD0616]

via Limo News http://ift.tt/28PNRLA

Dashride Introduces Dashride Connect to Unify the Taxi and Limousine Industries

New York — Dashride, a provider of dispatch, reservation software and other proprietary technologies that improve the processes of limousine and taxi companies, recently announced that it launched Dashride Connect, the world’s first on-demand affiliate network.

The Dashride Connect service allows operators of livery companies to communicate with one another so they can better satisfy the ground transportation needs of their customers. With Dashride Connect, companies can instantly farm in and farm out rides to swiftly fulfill requests no matter where a customer is located. Dashride Connect is available to all taxi and limousine companies, regardless if they are using Dashride as their back-office software. Fleets from across the world are opting-in to Dashride Connect and leveraging the affiliate network to grow revenues, increase customer satisfaction, and gain global coverage.

“Since starting Dashride two years ago, our primary mission has been to empower livery operators by increasing their digital capabilities and improving their internal systems,” said Nadav Ullman, founder and chief executive of Dashride. “With Dashride Connect, we are unifying fleets worldwide. The technology is an industry changer that strengthens legacy operators facing competition from ride services like Uber and Lyft.”

Dashride Connect is the latest offering of Dashride, a company currently empowering more than 250 operators of limousine and taxi companies across the world. Dashride allows these established businesses to provide today’s consumers with the mobile tools they demand. The technology also serves as a comprehensive back office tool, modernizing a livery company’s day-to-day operations by improving everything from dispatching and billing procedures to vehicle management.

“There are more than one million established livery companies operating across the globe today, and these organizations service millions of loyal customers,” said Ulman. “Dashride Connect is the first and only platform with the ability to link each and every one of these livery operators. We are providing the largest affiliate network in the history of the taxi and limousine industry, and we’re doing it at no cost to the operators.”

While Dashride Connect links operators globally, the technology also helps companies satisfy customer demand closer to home. In periods of high demand, an operator of a modest sized fleet may have trouble servicing ride requests. Even those with large fleets admit that they occasionally abandon requests due to the labor involved with managing those rides. Dashride Connect technology allows operators to instantly farm-in and farm-out customer calls. This increases revenues for the operator while advancing customer retention.

“We’ve worked hard for years to become a highly trusted transportation provider, but we are constantly evolving and improving to ensure our clients receive the service they desire,” said Abe Amer, the owner of Angel Elite, a growing corporate & private Chauffeur service in NYC. “While we enjoy strong loyalty in our home city of New York, our customers often ask for our services when they’re traveling out of town or arriving in their home cities. Dashride Connect has expanded our affiliate network allowing us to compete at the highest level. Whether our clients are traveling domestically or internationally, we’ve got them covered”

Visit http://ift.tt/28UsTI3 for more information.

[CD0616]

via Limo News http://ift.tt/28PNEbp

ALA Names Board of Directors

L to R: Steve Kaplan of The Driver Provider, Billy Jinks of JET Limousines, Ben Zaharie of AZ Sedans, Keith Clifton of Desert Knights Sedans and Limousines, Ira Schneider of Goldstar Executive Transporation Services, Jeff Goldin of Southwest Sedan Service

Scottsdale, Az. — The Arizona Limousine Association (ALA) recently held a membership meeting on June 14 at Certified Benz and Beemer. Twenty-seven members were in attendance for the event, which included the announcement of a new board of directors.

The meeting was facilitated by acting president Steve Kaplan of The Driver Provider, who opened the meeting with a membership update. Kaplan reported that ALA now includes 32 transportation companies and 6 vendor members among its ranks.

Chief among Kaplan’s industry updates was the recent City Council hearing in Phoenix, which approved TNC pickups at the city’s airports. While ALA was understandably displeased with the results, they hope that the group’s presence will increase along with their membership, ultimately allowing them to fight harder.

Next, ALA Administrator Joe Guinn of Limo & Bus Compliance gave the group a presentation about the importance of DOT compliance in the industry. He provided an overview of the requirements for receiving MC and DOT numbers on vehicles.

After Guinn concluded, the 10-member board of directors was then announced. They are Kelly Alderete of Xtreme Limousine, Andrew Boorse of Transtyle Transportation, Keith Clifton of Desert Knights Sedans and Limousines, Jeff Conly of Vitesse Worldwide, Marla Evel of Marveless Transportation, Jeff Goldin of Southwest Sedan Service, Billy Jinks of JET Limousines, Ira Schneider of Goldstar Executive Transporation Services, Joe Trobunella of AZ Limo, and Ben Zaharie of AZ Sedans.  The board is planning a closed-door meeting with Kaplan in which officers will be appointed.

Visit azlimousineassociation.com for more information.

[CD0616]

via Limo News http://ift.tt/28PNHnz