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Jagiela called the meeting to order with a special presentation to the membership. As VLA was recently honored with an Association of Excellence Award, all members received a copy of this certificate. Board members were presented with framed copies.
Walsh then took over and introduced VLA Treasurer Randy Allen of James Limousine to give the Financial Report. Meeting sponsors Zulfi Abbasi and Afzaal Iqbai of American Executive Sedan were then acknowledged and had a chance to address the group.
Chief Enforcement Officer Dennis Starks of the D.C. Department of For-Hire Vehicles next addressed the crowd as keynote speaker. Starks detailed a new app that is part of the Non-District Limousine (NDL) pilot program, for operators both in and out of district. It is being offered to operators at no initial cost as part of a beta test group. The current program will end August 31 and is limited to 300 permits. The NDL program allows approved operators to drive point-to-point inside the district
The app purports to connect riders with drivers who are “insured and vetted by the department,” according to Starks. “In addition, the drivers connected will have criminal background checks and an average of 20 years of professional driving experience.”
Starks also updated the membership on TNCs, regulations and enforcement in addition to the RIDE Act reporting requirements. Members who need more information on the app and DFHV NDL program, TNC regulations, and RIDE Act requirements can find it on the VLA website by logging into the members-only area of the association’s website.
Walsh then introduced Barbara Arkwright of the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, who updated members on changes in taxi regulations. These will now return to control of the municipalities, and the agency will have very little to do with taxi regulations in the future.
“Per new state guidelines, TNC registration is no longer required,” she said. “Anyone can work as a TNC if they follow the current code.” Arkwright also reminded the group that their agency, responsible for enforcement, remains committed to working with VLA members.
VLA Secretary Glenn Stafford of Love Limousine provided the group with a charity committee snapshot that featured a $1,000 check as part of a recent award and plans to poll membership for a decision as to where the funds should be directed.
John Oulton of Richmond Limousine has accepted the position of communication chair. As part of his duties, he will elevate the social media efforts and create a bi-monthly newsletter.
Allen again addressed the members regarding the education committee. He will be working with Jagiela to draft a survey of education topics the members would like to see moving forward. After that, vendor partners were introduced, including Barry Trabb of Complete Fleet. He offered an affinity sponsorship program to the members with a $100 gift card for every vehicle purchased and a matching $100 gift back to the association for same.
Just before adjournment, Jagiela raffled off a pass to the 2017 Chauffeur Driven Show in Orlando, which will be October 22-25. Barry Gross of Reston Limousine was the winner of the full show pass.
The next VLA meeting will be held June 5 in the Virginia Beach region.
Visit vla-limo.org for more information.
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Earlier this month, it was announced that more than 8,000 Massachusetts drivers for various TNC outfits were disqualified for operation after failing the state’s new background checks—background checks that members of NELA lobbied tirelessly to have put in place to ensure the riding publics’ safety.
Of the nearly 71,000 TNC drivers in the state who were under review, the 8,206 rejected account for 11 percent of a driving pool already approved by individual companies like Uber and Lyft. The background check nullified the companies’ approval based on both driving and criminal records that unearthed serious crimes and driving-related offenses: The agency tasked with conducting the state-level checks since January found the banned drivers’ histories included worrisome elements like sexual offenses, drunken driving, suspended licenses, and violence.
Adopted in 2016, the Massachusetts regulations for TNC drivers are among the strictest in the country. The state’s legislation goes back seven years in a drivers’ history to check for “less serious violent crimes” and moving violations like reckless driving and license suspensions; however, there is no cutoff time for sexual and violent crimes or drunken driving with serious—or fatal—consequences, and all such offenses are grounds for immediate disqualification at a statewide level.
This recent rejection of thousands of TNC-approved drivers has inspired other states across the country to reconsider if their own background checks are thorough enough, which you can read more about at goo.gl/q0aHbi.
Regulations and operational legality were among the timely topics explored at the 2017 DATTCO Sales & Service Expo held April 13 at Foxwoods Casino in Mashantucket, Conn. NELA had partnered with DATTCO to deliver a four-session seminar that morning with each track—HR and bus ownership—comprising two classes. The industry beyond NELA’s region even helped guide the classroom component, with Dan Goff of A Goff Limousine & Bus Company presenting “Business Aspects to Consider when Studying Getting into Bus Operations” and LEADER Worldwide Chauffeured Service’s/PAX Training’s Bruce Heinrich discussing chauffeur retention.
Check out the May 2017 issue of Chauffeur Driven for an in-depth exploration of how NELA and DATTCO’s teamwork on this annual event benefited the expo’s attendees.
NELA’s next event will be its Chauffeur Appreciation Day June 8, followed by a quarterly membership meeting June 20.
Visit nelivery.org for more information.
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New additions to the WFLA board include Secretary Justin Nystedt of Crowd Pleaser Limos and Director Ryan Hilberth of Rental Limo/Book.limo. Hilberth joins Matt Clemens of PIC Insurance as a second non-voting vendor board member. Soon after the new board was announced, the group identified a handful of issues to address at the association’s next meeting.
The WFLA board voted previously to drop from seven voting board members to five. The association then voted to rebrand the group with a slight change to the WFLA moniker, swapping the original “Livery” for “Limousine.”
“I’ve always had to tell people outside of our industry that the WFLA is the West Florida Limousine Association rather than ‘Livery’ because most people do not know what that word means,” says WFLA President Jenkins. “We are excited to announce that we officially changed the name from West Florida Livery Association to West Florida Limousine Association.”
In addition to the slight name change, the WFLA board also decided to acquire wfla.org as the association’s new domain name under the direction of Hilberth. “At our last meeting, we did a quick poll to see how many of our members knew the existing URL for the WFLA and the results were disappointing needless to say. As such, we decided that we needed a more memorable name that would elevate the WFLA as we re-brand.”
On March 29, the Hillsborough County Public Transportation Commission (HCPTC) voted unanimously in favor of reducing local limousine permits by 90 percent for all operators, including full refunds for those who already paid.
“This is a huge victory for us and we’ve waited a long time to level the playing field by getting this to go through,” Jenkins says.
The HCPTC board also voted to allow for controlled surge pricing for special events including airport rides, sports games, and concerts.
Following the acquisition of a new domain name, the group plans to redesign its logo to reflect the name change as well as re-design its website in the near future.
The next WFLA meeting is scheduled for May 17.
Visit wfla.org for more information.
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