TNC Bills Move Forward In New Jersey, Pennsylvania

Two bills have passed New Jersey and Pennsylvania lower state legislatures regarding TNCs and will be considered by both state senates in the coming weeks over legalizing TNCs, including an array of restrictions, taxes, background checks and other rules and regulations—as well as compromises.

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives on Wednesday, Oct. 19 overwhelming approved a bill that would provide permanent authorization to TNC services Uber and Lyft and legalize their operation in Philadelphia.

Under the terms of the bill, a 1.4 percent tax on all Uber and Lyft rides would be divvied up between the School District of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Parking Authority.

Read Philly Voice article here

In New Jersey, the Assembly on Thursday, Oct. 20, approved a bill that would regulate TNC services such as Uber and Lyft.

The bill represents a compromise on whether to require finger printing of drivers, a requirement that officials with Uber and Lyft resisted. The bill now goes to the Senate.

Read North Jersey.com article here

Keywords

legislation   Lyft   New Jersey operators   Pennsylvania operators   state regulations   TNCs   Uber   

 

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NLA Supports, Celebrates Charities At LCT East

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — As if the People’s Choice Awards weren’t exciting enough, the NLA Charity Night will take place right after they are presented on Nov. 14 from 5pm to 7pm during LCT-NLA Show East at Harrah’s Atlantic City Resort and Waterfront Conference Center. The event is complementary for all Show attendees.

Three distinguished charities will be presented with checks from the Harold Berkman Memorial Fund, the NLA’s philanthropic arm created in 1996. This year’s organizations include St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the Fisher House Foundation, and City of Hope.

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital aims to advance cures, and means of prevention, for pediatric catastrophic diseases through research and treatment. No child is denied treatment based on race, religion, or a family’s ability to pay.

City of Hope is a leader in the fight to conquer cancer, diabetes, HIV/AIDS and other life-threatening diseases as an independent biomedical research, treatment, and education institution.

The Fisher House Foundation provides military families housing close to a loved one during hospitalization for an illness, disease, or injury.

Representatives from each of the charities will say a few words, except the oversized check, and show short videos about the causes they support.

To date, more than $670,000 has been donated by the Harold Berkman Memorial Fund to a variety of organizations including Alliance for Lupus Research, American Cancer Society, When Georgia Smiled, and many more.

HURRY!!

Today, Friday, Oct. 21 is the last day to save big on your pass to LCT/NLA East 2016 in Atlantic City! Early bird and group discounts end tonight at midnight, CST. Register here

Keywords

Atlantic city   charity   Harold Berkman   Harold Berkman Memorial Fund   Harrah’s   industry events   LCT-NLA Show East   NLA   People’s Choice Awards   

 

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Attention To Detail Sets California Operator Apart

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — It’s been said it takes 20 years to build a reputation, but only five minutes to ruin it. When a luxury ground transportation company has been around for 35 years, it’s no small feat. To have survived the 2008 recession, the advent of TNCs, and maintain a healthy number of clients, a business has to be truly remarkable.

When word of mouth is your most powerful marketing tool, there’s no room for error. After the unexpected death of John Havenner, founder of Ascot Limousine, in 2013, his godson Aaron Schiff, president, has made it his mission to maintain the company’s spotless reputation and exceed client’s expectations.

Happy Employees = Happy Clients

You’ve heard it a million times: Chauffeurs are the face of a limousine company. Since that’s the case, shouldn’t they be treated as such? After all, unhappy employees will produce unhappy clients. One quarter of the chauffer staff has been working at Ascot 15 years or longer, Schiff said. He offers his employees 401k plans, pays for half their health care, and has a profit sharing incentive.

“Also, I always try to see it from their perspective. Incentivize those who work late shifts; start them a few dollars higher than you normally would,” he said. “I want them to want to be here.” He also gives his staff bonuses at the end of the year and holds work parties, although it’s a bit difficult to get everyone in the same room at one time! This is a 24/7 operation, after all.

A newer benefit he’s implemented is letting chauffeurs take vehicles home with them. For example, if they are off Saturday and Sunday, they get to keep the car on weekdays. All chauffeurs must sign an agreement saying they understand they can drive within five miles of their home, but must be given permission to go any further when it comes to personal use. Because they don’t have to return to the garage to drop off the vehicle every single night, it makes on-demand rides slightly more realistic.

“We have rules, they’re just not over the top,” Schiff said. “You can use the car, just be reachable if we end up needing it.”

Different Is Good

The Ascot Limousine fleet consists of 19 vehicles. Although this is the lowest number they’ve had in a few years, just two years ago they had 25 with the same amount of business coming in.

“In my mind, if I farm out a few more jobs in LA, I have a lot less overhead. I’m still making a nice percentage with affiliates I trust, and I don’t have as much insurance and vehicle cost as far as maintenance,” Schiff explained. He plans to add one Lincoln Navigator and two new Continentals going into awards season — a particularly busy time for the City of Angels.

The current fleet is an eclectic one: Three Navigators, three Chevrolet Surburbans, one Cadillac Escalade, five Hyundai Equus’, one Cadillac XTS, one BMW 740Li, one Lexus 450H crossover, one Lincoln MKT, one Nissan van, one Lincoln L series stretch, and one nine-passenger Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Van.

“I like being a little different,” Schiff said. “When I decided to buy the Hyundai’s, everyone was like ‘You’re crazy!’. They were a bit of a hard sell in the beginning, but I told people if they didn’t like them or thought they were embarrassing, I’d comp their trip. They turned out to be a big hit!”

Learning To Run Before You Can Walk

When he figured out college just wasn’t for him, Schiff decided he would ask his godfather if he needed some help running the business. “John was hesitant,” he said. “He always told me not everyone worked out even with college degrees, and even people who were really smart somehow couldn’t master how to take a reservation or how to talk to high-end, demanding clients.”

As it turned out, Schiff was a natural.

In the beginning, he started out event coordinating at award shows. His first event was the 2009 Golden Globes, where he had an epiphany. He vividly remembers standing in the pouring rain while he held an umbrella over celebrities getting out of the vehicles.

“A part of me was like, ‘why am I even doing this?’ But then the other part of me understood this was what true service is. I was taking care of our clientele.”

After that, he transitioned into working in the office and learned how to do reservations. Eventually he became a dispatcher, and then helped with accounting. Experiencing all of those roles helped prepare him to jump into the vice president position. “It was a little overwhelming at first, but it made the transition from vice president to president a little bit easier.”

One of the most refreshing things about Schiff is his passion for what he does and his humility. When asked what he thinks has really helped him succeed, he says his attention to detail has been extremely beneficial.

“It’s something I really strive for and something that probably drives the office staff crazy,” he joked. “I’m so particular about how everything gets done. Sometimes it’s probably overboard, but I really want to strive for perfection. I’m glad we are small enough to be like that.”

As for his hopes for the future of the company, Schiff really wants to keep his staff happy and honor the memory of his godfather. “I’m trying to get the company to its 50 year anniversary. I think he’d like that.”

Keywords

Academy Awards   customer service   employee benefits   employee management   employee perks   employee retention   Fleet Vehicles   LCTFast40   Los Angeles   Los Angeles operators   managing chauffeurs   Millennials   operator profiles   special events   WebXclusive   

 

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Uber’s Creepy Drones And Drivers

Uber’s Drones Were Creepy, But Online Marketing Might Be Worse: The drone marketing stunt managed to fly under the radar for a few months, but it blew up after Bloomberg published a photo of the drones last week. Outlets called them creepy, badgering, mocking, and more. Mashable article here

Woman ‘Humiliated’ After Uber Driver Allegedly Offered To Accept Sex As Payment:  After getting into the vehicle, Erika Szabo told her driver her phone had died. Szabo alleges the male driver told her the payment wouldn’t go through if her phone wasn’t on. On the highway, he allegedly offered her two deals: give him oral sex or show him her breasts. CBC News article here

Emails Show Uber’s Cozy Relationship With Pittsburgh Officials: Though there is no sign of illegality in the emails, they show Pittsburgh Mayor William Peduto following Uber’s lead in arguing against a fine of $11.4 million, levied against the TNC by Pennsylvania’s Public Utility Commission for operating illegally there in 2014. FORTUNE article here

Atlanta Uber Driver Allegedly Punches Woman In Face: According to police notes, Anna Armas asked the driver why he was going “the long way” which led to an argument. 11 Alive article here

Uber Driver Attacked Rider Over Politics: Passanger Jeramy Waters says his driver went into a fit of rage when he asked to be let out because the driver said he was voting for Donald Trump. WCNC article here

Keywords

Atlanta operators   Canadian Operators   Georgia operators   legislation   North Carolina operators   Pennsylvania operators   Sales & Marketing   Sexual Assault   TNC travesty   TNCs   Uber   web marketing   

 

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Traditional Car Services Won’t Disappear From Corporate Travel

If all you did was read news reports and listen to the raves of fellow travelers, you would probably think TNCs are rapidly putting traditional car services out of business.

The reality, however, is more complicated.

The “Taxi & Limousine Services in the U.S.” report from IBISWorld shows luxury and sedan corporate car services account for 13.9% of the total ecosystem, while taxis account for about two-thirds of the market.

Car service use is on the rise in general, after losing ground to TNCs from 2012 to 2015, according to the report. Regardless, revenue and employees grew over the same time period when car services and taxi companies lost market share to company’s like Uber and Lyft. It pegs the segment’s revenue at $19.6 billion with a $1.7 billion profit, showing how expensive it is to run a car service company.

Skift article here

Keywords

business travel   corporate travel   industry trends   Lyft   research and trends   taxis   TNCs   Uber   

 

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Why You Don’t Have To Beat Uber

We have all at one time or another been forced to make difficult decisions that go against the grain of our nature but are necessary. Occasionally, as a pleasant surprise, the choice turns out better than predicted.

Such was the case with this magazine’s respected publisher, Sara Eastwood, who admitted in the August issue that circumstances and a tight schedule forced her to use Uber to get from Point A to Point B in a short time, a task that local car services could not conquer on that morning. Sara admitted, with no knowledge by us that she was being coerced or that loved ones were being held hostage, that her Uber experience was “good.”

True, this is hardly a glowing review, and to many it may seem like damning with faint praise. But coming from the publisher of a leading magazine in our industry, it also may seem like a shout from the mountaintop. Blasphemy? Treason? Hardly.

I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Sara for many years, and although it may seem like she has wandered over to the dark side, truth be told she only did what millions of people, including my own children, have always done when they need to get somewhere in a hurry. They use an on-demand service. That’s what taxis and transportation network companies (TNCs) are, but we are not.

At the end of her column, Sara mentions that Uber is trying to mimic us, which is true. Everyone wants to become the best at what they do and emulate those on a higher pedestal. And that is the key — “they want to mimic us.” Any baseball pitcher in the minor leagues will tell you he wants to be able to pitch like Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez. But did you ever hear Pedro say he wanted to be just like a pitcher for the Pawtucket Red Sox or the Toledo Mud Hens?

The point is this; just because Uber is trying to be like us doesn’t mean we should be having sleepless nights and restructuring our business plans to be like them, or to be an “on-demand” industry. If what makes us not an on-demand taxi service — having well-maintained vehicles, professional vetted drivers, adequate insurance to protect our clients, and the trust of Fortune 500 CEOs throughout the U.S. that we will be on time coming and going — then so be it.

In most instances, on-demand car services do an excellent job with their core function, which often is getting a couple from their hotel to a restaurant a mile away, for a minimal charge. Like most operators, we charge a two-hour minimum, or around $120. So it’s doubtful that the young couple will pay more for a ride than what their dinner will probably cost. But that’s a piece of the profit pie we are willing to concede, as long as we can retain Corporate America as the remaining 75% of the pie.

In some ways, the perception that our industry and Uber are battling it out like two gladiators sizing each other up in the Coliseum is somewhat misguided. It’s actually taxi companies (and to a lesser extent airport shuttle companies) that really have more skin in this game than we do. Taxi companies always have used as its bread-and-butter the convenience of being hailed from the street or being able to station themselves outside a hotel or airport terminal, a privilege regulators deny to limousine companies. But now Uber has entered the on-demand world and picked at the taxi business like so much carrion. Uber has blurred the lines between taxis and limousines. In doing so, it has inflicted painful wounds on both parties but none that should be perceived as fatal.

The onslaught of on-demand car companies shouldn’t be a rallying cry for us to be the best we can be. That’s a high bar that should have been set even if Uber never existed. We are not an on-demand service and I believe that is a plus, not a negative. It was always that very trait that elevated us above a taxi service, allowing us to charge more for our services because we offer better service. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t go to the wall to take care of our client’s last-minute needs.

If a good client calls me at 5 p.m. on a Friday night and needs to get to the airport in under an hour, I will do everything in my power to accommodate him. And that’s the best I can do. In the past, when I was unable to service his last minute needs, my client would simply jump in a taxi. I knew this and it didn’t bother me. Are there any of those among us who would deny jumping in a taxi to avoid missing a flight?

Today, that same client might summon an Uber vehicle instead, but it affects me at no greater level. I know this because of the outstanding service I have provided him over the years. That same client will have me on his speed-dial when he needs to have six important executives from Japan picked up at Logan International Airport and whisked at 5 p.m. through notorious Boston rush-hour traffic for a safe deposit at the Four Seasons.

The point to drive home here is that we can’t be all things to all people. Mercedes-Benz makes one of the finest cars in the world, but there will always be people out there who want, and need, a Kia. All we can do as an industry is continue to be the best at what we do, to keep upgrading our service and, as new technology evolves, to keep looking forward. But this can be very hard to do if we are always looking over our shoulders.

John M. Greene is a 25-year veteran of the limousine business, and President & CEO of ETS International in Randolph, MA. ETS International has an affiliate network of more than 350 limousine companies nationwide. The company won LCT Operator of the Year Awards in 2010 and 2014. Greene can be contacted at (617) 804-4801 and jgreene@etsintl.net

Keywords

building your clientele   client markets   customer service   John Greene   staying competitive   TNCs   Uber   

 

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Free Marketing Courses Added To LCT-NLA Show East Nov. 9

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Industry sales, marketing and operations expert Bill Faeth, president of Inbound Marketing, will present two interactive workshops focused on driving business and optimizing sales and marketing at LCT-NLA Show East, Nov. 8-10 at Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City.

Faeth, who launched Silver Oak Transportation in Nashville in 2006 — quickly growing the business to an $8 million operation in five years — will conduct two unique “interactive” workshops based on his branded Limo U courses that will include attendee participation and discussion. The sales, marketing and operational topics are designed to help small- and mid-size operators grow their businesses, maximize efficiencies and improve operations.

The sessions will be held at the show’s Innovation Theater on Monday, Nov. 9, from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. and  from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.

“The workshops will be totally different than the traditional PowerPoint presentation and a five minute Q&A,” Faeth said. “The goal is to dive deep into issues that will be driven by operator participation. I find that these open forums where operators can exchange views can add insight and analysis that address real-world business and operational issues. The format is extremely beneficial for attendees.”

Faeth, a long-time successful entrepreneur, who sold his Silver Oaks business in 2010, has used his hands-on industry experience and expertise in sales and marketing to build Inbound Marketing and his Limo U seminars geared to small- and mid-size businesses.

Register today to reserve a full conference and show pass for the upcoming annual LCT-NLA Show East, Nov. 8-10 at Harrah’s Atlantic City and its adjacent new Waterfront Conference Center.

In addition, the special hotel room rate deadline has been extended to Friday, Oct. 23. Book NOW to take advantage of affordable rooms — special group discount rates available.

This year’s all-under-one roof show and conference features numerous meet-and-greet sessions, events, parties, cocktail receptions and our notorious after-hours suite parties that will give attendees ample opportunity to network with old friends and meet potential affiliate partners from around the world.

 

 

 

 

 

Keywords

Atlantic city   Bill Faeth   business growth   Harrah’s   LCT-NLA Show East   limo tradeshows   marketing/promotions   meetings and conventions   Sales & Marketing   staying competitive   

 

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