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West Haven, Conn. —Andrew Okoski, who has been driving with Hy's Limousine Worldwide Transportation since 2015, was on a routine trip to the airport at 3:30 a.m. in early February when he narrowly avoided a snowplow and crashed into a truck on the Van Wyck Expressway. His driving skills led him to avoid the accident entirely, but he had the wherewithal to hop out of the car and spring into action after checking on his client.
Okoski and the snowplow driver broke the windshield of the disabled truck and brought the unconscious driver out of the vehicle to safety. With the driver safely out of harm’s way, Okoski rushed back to his client and was able to deliver her to the airport as scheduled. Apparently this type of act didn’t make the driver’s brag list, as the management only learned of his actions later from the impressed client.
Matt Levine, executive vice president, remarks that this was a “really amazing act by the chauffeur. He put his well-being in jeopardy to ensure another was alright. We’re glad to have him on staff.”
Operating in Connecticut and the tri-state area, Hy's has been in business since 1951. And it's back to business as usual for everyone involved. “We have not checked on the client—who happened to be pregnant—as she was away,” Levine says, “but we will.”
Visit hyslimo.com for more information.
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Members of the GCLA board with CD Industry & Brand Ambassador Philip Jagiela (center left) during the organizational meeting
On February 8, Greater California Livery Association (GCLA) continued its annual tradition of heading to Sacramento for a Day on the Hill to discuss with elected officials its most urgent issues and biggest concerns. The event was preceded by a February 7 meeting where board members discussed the legislative day’s focus as well as an array of association matters. CD Industry & Brand Ambassador Philip Jagiela attended both days of GCLA activities.
Chief among the meeting’s topics were: airport updates, especially the four-month backlog of obtaining operational permits from San Diego International; the state’s consideration of revoking livery industry oversight from the Public Utility Commission, a move supported by GCLA; and how the following day’s legislative endeavor would support the association’s prevailing theme of public safety.
With 21 attendees participating in this year’s Day on the Hill, GCLA was able to send its representatives to more than 30 meetings with elected officials. Armed with talking points and association-supplied information, GCLA spoke with assemblymembers, consultants, senators, and committees about three primary areas of public safety, illustrating how chauffeured ground transportation’s standards go above and beyond TNCs’ considerably more lax requirements.
L to R: GCLA Director Mo Garkani of Continental Limousine, GCLA Treasurer Rick Buell of Diva Limousine, Carlos Garcia of Carlos Transportation Service, and GCLA Director Raphael Sousa of SF Limo Express
To emphasize its commitment to safety measures, the day’s discussions zeroed in on GCLA’s support of SB-20 (“The Bus Safety Bill”), which would require passengers riding in a motorcoach or bus to wear their seatbelts while the vehicle is in motion. Duty of care discrepancies between this industry and TNCs were also highlighted, as was the legislation that the GCLA will be putting forth to allow transportation providers utilization of Department of Justice background checks in an effort to ensure that all chauffeurs are thoroughly screened.
David Kinney of API Global has been actively involved with the GCLA’s legislative efforts in the past, and was pleased with the outcome of his first Day on the Hill as association president.
“The day went really well,” he said. “The most important part was educating our representatives about who the GCLA is. This is the third year we’ve done this, and we’re getting more and more exposure—they know us a little better so they’re getting more responsive to us.”
The GCLA made a video about its Day on the Hill, which can be seen at goo.gl/ZD8sWD.
The association’s next general membership meeting will be March 13 in Las Vegas.
Visit gcla.org for more information. [CD0317]
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FLA President Rick Versace Fort Lauderdale — When Florida Limousine Association (FLA) met up January 24 with more than 40 companies represented, all eyes were on a statewide proposal from Uber that would allow the company to operate in all 67 counties without regulations from each municipality, while also sidestepping taxes enforced by authorities at the state’s ports and airports.
The TNC is looking to pay a flat $5,000 fee to eschew traditional operating standards in the state, a privilege that, if not also afforded to traditional transportation providers, could further create an uneven playing field in an already fractured state.
With the state legislation session beginning in early March, FLA President Rick Versace of A1A Airport & Limousine Service stressed the importance of starting now to formulate a strategy, organize, and come together.
“If they succeed in passing this legislation, it’s game over,” Versace said. “We need to either stop this bill or get the taxi and limousine industries included in it. We know Uber is here to stay and has hired some of the most powerful lobbyists in the state but now we're asking that we're given the same opportunities that the TNCs are--if they're given carte blanche to operate within the entire state, then we want that, too.”
The issue will be further discussed at future FLA meetings, starting with the next one in Las Vegas on March 14.
Visit floridalimousine.com for more information.
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