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“We’ve had 1.4 billion impressions in just 14 days,” said NLA Secretary Scott Solombrino of Dav El/BostonCoach regarding the PSA. “In comparison, all of the press releases that NLA produced last year barely hit 1 billion impressions, combined. We’ve had a massive effect against these companies that have tens of millions of dollars for public relations.”
Buffo and the NLA Public Relations Committee, co-chaired by Solombrino and Jason Kaplan of The Driver Provider, have been working with Evins Communications for the past three years to develop a multi-tiered strategy to combat TNCs to achieve a level playing field—and to have regulators take notice of the dangers that the riding public is subject to without one. The timing for this PSA, however, couldn’t have been better as sexual harassment scandals have exploded across numerous industries, spurring the #MeToo movement.
“Pam deserves a lot of credit,” said Kaplan. “We’re not a huge conglomerate that’s paying her tons of money to be a spokesperson. It’s not about that. It’s a personal and passionate cause for her, and she has gone above and beyond to take on this battle. She believes in this so strongly that she’s become a better spokesperson than we could have ever hoped for.”
“When I first embarked on my quest to raise awareness about the safety risks associated with ride-hailing apps, I had no idea of the frequency or disturbing nature of the incidents,” said Anderson. “It is digital hitchhiking. These apps are optimized for predators and will remain so until common sense safety measures are put in place.”
The NLA began working with Anderson last year with its “The Driving Game” PSA, featuring Anderson taking on the bubbly, flirty persona that she has become known for. The NLA has garnered national press through its Ride Responsibly campaign, such as its summer 2017 partnership with nonprofit Jobs With Justice, to highlight the responsibilities that Uber and Lyft have shirked regarding their drivers—often leaving those drivers chasing trips far from their homes or working insane hours for a low payout. The Huffington Post took notice of that campaign and reported on it in August of last year. Compounding a very bad year, which included proven claims of sexual harassment and a frat-like working environment at its headquarters, Uber quickly scrambled for its PR life and ousted its longtime CEO Travis Kalanick—but not before a #DeleteUber hashtag caught fire.
This time around, “The Signs” PSA—with a more serious tone and a focus directed toward corporate customers and corporate travel buyers—caught the attention of publications like The New York Times, Today With Megyn Kelly, and was even featured in entertainment website TMZ’s daily rundown. Kelly had a sit-down interview with the actress, where she recalled times in Hollywood where she was promised cars or homes if she would be a director’s or a producer’s “number-one girl,” but that she walked away without exception. Anderson has also been open about her abuse by a babysitter and a later rape when she was a preteen, and she now works closely with nonprofit PAVE, which aims to empower students, parents, and civic leaders to end sexual violence with prevention education. PAVE, founded by rape survivor Angela Rose in 2001, also cosponsored the PSA.
"The question is, whether [Uber & Lyft’s background checks] are as tough as ones you get through a pre-arranged service. The bottom line is be smart, be safe, and never get into any car with someone who is a stranger to you,” said Kelly during the program.
Anderson will also make a stop at LCT’s Las Vegas show this March, where she will have a one-on-one conversation with Solombrino about her involvement in future campaigns. They have invited the national press and Solombrino is confident that it will continue to media momentum that they have built thus far.
“We’re on a mission to get fingerprinting and drug testing as a standard in all states for all TNC drivers. We’re trying to elevate the level of consciousness of the general riding public. No sane person would ever get on an airplane if they didn’t think that the FAA had drug testing requirements for pilots,” said Solombrino.
“I’ve had numerous meetings with California legislators and they get it, but they won’t stop or slow down the progress of these companies for the sake of innovation. And if they have to ignore safety and regulations for innovation, then they will—and do,” said Buffo about why regulators have largely given technology companies a pass on corporate responsibility regarding its workers and customers.
The NLA is working on another PSA that will be released later this spring, one that Solombrino says will hit on all the pillars that they think are important to get across to the riding public and regulators. He says that the next will ultimately build on what they have wanted to communicate so far.
“In 2017, we created and built upon the public’s awareness of the downside of TNCs with Evins’ guidance. In 2018, we’re making that impact. And now with the #MeToo movement, it’s helped to make it a global issue where TNCs are a landscape that need to be examined and truly made safer for consumers,” said Kaplan.
We’ll have more in-depth look at the NLA’s campaign and its explosive PSA in the next issue of Chauffeur Driven.
Visit rideresponsibly.org or limo.org for more information on the campaign. Visit youtube.com/watch?v=bb9ZxP4rgSk to view the latest PSA in its entirety.
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Since Brightbill Body sponsored the meeting, there were several buses on display for members to check out throughout the evening, which Ken Ingram was on hand to discuss with meeting attendees.
PRLA has been pushing hard to make headway with the state, working especially closely with lobbyist Jodie Stuck of government affairs firm Malady & Wooten in regard to legislative matters. Both the Philadelphia International Airport’s and the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission’s (PUC’s) fee structures have been an ongoing point of contention for members, given the uneven playing field it perpetuates with TNCs.
Stuck, who was unable to attend the meeting but did provide an update prior to it, has helped draft HB-1977 and SB-1004, which propose an assessment fee of 1 percent of gross revenue for work done in the city instead of the $500 per vehicle fee that the city currently imposes. (TNCs currently pay a 1.4 percent levy of rides originating in the city, which is split between the Philadelphia Parking Authority and the city’s schools.)
While those initiatives are gaining traction, however, the PUC did recently deliver a decidedly expensive blow to the industry.
According to a press release from the PUC, the proposed rule, which was approved by a 5-0 vote, “would change liability limits for motor carriers transporting fewer than 16 passengers, increasing from $35,000 to $125,000 the minimum coverage for bodily injury, death or property damage incurred in an accident arising from authorized service. The new proposed $125,000 minimum coverage would be split in the amounts of $50,000 bodily injury per person (in place of the current $15,000), $100,000 bodily injury per accident (in place of the current $30,000) and $25,000 property damage per accident (in place of the current $5,000).”
Anyone wishing to comment on the proposed rulemaking must do so as soon as possible by referencing Docket Number L-2017-2604692 and submitting their comments to:
Secretary
Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission
Commonwealth Keystone Building
400 North Street
Harrisburg, PA 17120
In other news, credit card processor Chosen Payments has announced the formation of a vendor alliance with the PRLA. Chosen Payments specializes in providing merchant services to ground transportation providers throughout the nation.
The next PRLA meeting will be in April.
Visit prlainc.com for more information.
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Once President Paul Walsh of Superior Executive Transportation and Treasure Randy Allen of James Limousine Service dispensed with their updates and duties, meeting host John Oulton and sponsor Brian O’Neill of Grech Motors both spoke to the crowd.
The meeting also featured three keynote speakers: Keith Johnson of Reston Limousine, Virginia State Trooper Patrick H. Phalen, and Barbara Arkwright of the Department of Motor Vehicles.
Johnson, Reston’s safety and training manager, kicked off the keynote portion of the meeting by discussing the increasingly important topic of electronic logging devices, better known as ELDs. Despite being in use for more than three decades, ELDs have recently become a hotly discussed issue largely in part of increasingly stringent Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regulations mandating their use.
During his presentation, Johnson provided some background on how the devices that were originally intended to track service hours evolved into a method of GPS tracking, monitoring vehicles’ speed and idleness, driver activity and habits, and more—leaving many feeling a little too closely monitored. He also outlined Reston’s preferred alternative: Automatic On Board Recording Device (AOBRD), which only tracks service hours.
Other topics Johnson covered included an overview of the regulations the FMCSA has instituted in its comparatively young 18-year history, how any automobile transporting more than nine people (including the chauffeur) is considered a commercial motor vehicle, the ins and outs of CDL requirements, and driver log books. He also further elaborated on ELDs, though it is a topic necessitating 21 pages of regulatory explanation.
Then Phalen, who has nearly 20 years’ experience as a state trooper, began his time speaking with the VLA by reinforcing and reiterating what Johnson discussed before explaining what operators and their driving staff can expect from a roadside stop. He also further clarified the differences in expectations and regulations when differentiating between “hauling property and driving passengers.”
Finally, Arkwright reported that the VA DMV stings during the holiday season’s Tacky Christmas Lights Tours yielded the dismissal of two illegally operating outfits from service, as well as verifying that she was unaware of any new legislation being considered for the transportation industry in the year to come. She introduced her department’s new senior officer Mike Lewis to the VLA, too.
The association’s various committees sounded off on more internal updates. Among them: The membership committee seeks additional volunteers to assist in its aim to gain new members each month; the education committee has finalized the next two meetings’ topics; and the social media/public relations committee emphasized the value in interacting with the VLA’s posts.
Before the meeting ended, Jagiela raffled off a pass to the 2018 Chauffeur Driven Show, which was won by Patrick Helvey of ETC Limousine.
The next VLA membership meeting will be held April 2 at the Sonny Merryman facility in Bristow.
Visit vla-limo.org for more information.
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