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Representatives of Motev accepting the IAACC Company of the Year Award
Inglewood, Calif. — The Inglewood Airport Area Chamber of Commerce (IAACC) held its annual Installation of Officers and Awards Gala on Friday, December 8, 2017, at the Sheraton Gateway LAX to recognize three Inglewood-based businesses for their outstanding corporate citizenship.
Of the IAACC’s 2017 awardees, Motev—the all-Tesla black car service—seemed to have particularly impressed the chamber with its commitments both to a business model specifically predicated on sustainability, as well as one focused on directly improving its proximate community. For its efforts, Motev garnered IAACC’s Company of the Year Award. The other businesses recognized by the IAACC at the gala included the Los Angeles Rams and the Los Angeles World Airport.
“We are truly thrilled!” beamed Robert Gaskill, Motev co-founder and CEO. “From day one, our focus has been to provide a beneficial and hyper-local impact on our immediate neighborhood and surrounding community.”
On average, electric vehicles reduce automobile emissions by about half that of gasoline powered cars. In Los Angeles, if just 10% of current motorists switched to electric cars, that would translate to an annual emissions reduction of approximately 8.75 metric tons. Put in those terms, the commitment Motev is making to environmental sustainability seems worthy of the IAACC’s recognition.
“We are extremely proud of our company’s focus on sustainability,” offered Chief Administrative Officer Tiffany Hinton. “It’s the reason our website landing page prominently displays our pledge to plant a tree for every ride Motev provides, which currently exceeds more than 3,000 trees planted in American forests.”
Visit motev.com for more information.
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NLA President Gary Buffo Marlton, N.J. — The National Limousine Association’s (NLA’s) Ride Responsibly initiative partnered with nonprofit organization Promoting Awareness, Victim Empowerment (PAVE) to produce a public service campaign, starring actress, activist, and sexual violence survivor Pamela Anderson.
The PSA, which can be viewed at youtu.be/bb9ZxP4rgSk, draws attention to the vast number of sexual assaults that have occurred in ride-hailing vehicles and questions if these were caused by insufficient background check procedures. It serves as a call to action following alarming revelations of sexual harassment and assault that reach far beyond Hollywood and Washington, D.C.
The video, titled “The Signs,” is Anderson’s second PSA for the Ride Responsibly initiative, and comes on the heels of the #MeToo movement. It is a stark reminder that even getting from point A to B comes with a risk.
“The astounding number of tweets that referenced #MeToo and #uber was absolutely frightening, and disheartening to say the least,” said NLA President Gary Buffo. “It is time to recognize that these services are simply unsafe and pose an inherent threat to anyone using them, due to the blatantly insufficient background checks that transportation network companies (TNCs) use. Our partner, PAVE, has been instrumental in our campaign to inform the public about the dangers these services pose. Together, we are actively working to compel safety measures that will prevent these crimes.”
For more than 20 years, Angela Rose and PAVE have been the only national charitable organization committed to both sexual harassment and assault prevention and recovery. Through its support, social advocacy, training, and education programs, PAVE is leading the way and tackling these issues head on in the hopes of minimizing their occurrences and impact.
Rose, the founder and director of PAVE, said “through our work with survivors, we have always been aware that cases of sexual assault and harassment can occur just about anywhere. Unfortunately, this now includes ride-hail apps such as Uber and Lyft, which is why we have partnered with the National Limousine Association and Pamela Anderson. It is critical that everyone be made aware of the risks associated with ride-hailing apps and PAVE is excited to support this campaign with best practices and tangible safety tips. It’s important to note that no matter how many safety tips you practice, it is never your fault if someone harms you.”
She added: “While we are so proud of the #MeToo movement and all of the brave men and women that have come forward, we are constantly working to bring an end to these crimes.”
“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,” Anderson said. “The reaction to our first campaign was inspiring, and also disheartening, as many voices came to the surface echoing the sentiment, #MeToo. Action, however, is more effective than a hashtag, and it is critical that we take the next step, demand justice for victims and force ride-hail apps to ensure our safety in their vehicles. Fingerprint-based background checks are a simple step that these transportation providers can take, and it is beyond me why this practice isn’t commonplace in 2018. These apps are optimized for predators and will remain so until common sense safety measures are put in place.”
Visit rideresponsibly.org and limo.org to learn more about the Ride Responsibly initiative and the NLA, respectively. Visit pavingtheway.net to learn more about PAVE.
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Ulrich Bastert, Head of Marketing, Sales & Customer Services, Daimler Buses Milwaukee — REV Group, a manufacturer of industry-leading specialty vehicle brands and leading provider of parts and services, announced today that its subsidiary, REV Coach, has been awarded the Daimler AG’s bus division North American sales rights to Setra Brand Coaches.
Beginning January 2018, REV will sell Setra motor coaches in the U.S. and Canada. Visitors of the upcoming 2018 UMA Motorcoach EXPO in San Antonio, Tex., will already find a Setra motor coach at REV’s exhibition stand. To guarantee a smooth transition process, Daimer’s previous partner Motor Coach Industries International (MCI) will remain in charge of after-sales service until June 29, 2018. Starting July 1, 2018, REV Coach will also be responsible for Setra’s after-sales service. In addition to distribution of Setra coaches, the parties have agreed to a strategic partnership to jointly explore further opportunities in the North American market in the future.
Tim Sullivan, CEO and President, REV Group “Together with the REV Group, we will strive to further expand Setra’s Market coverage, strengthen our performance, and further improve support to better serve our coach customers in the United States and Canada,” said Ulrich Bastert, head of marketing, sales & customer services at Daimler Buses. “On this occasion it is important to me to also thank our previous partner MCI for their contribution to our coach business in North America. In particular, we thank MCI for being very cooperative during the entire transition process, although we decided to terminate the distribution rights agreement as the product ranges of both companies do not fit perfectly well with each other.”
Tim Sullivan, CEO and president of REV Group commented, “We are absolutely delighted with this new opportunity to partner with Daimler Buses to explore strategic initiatives in North America. Daimler is clearly one of the great vehicle manufacturers in the world. We have enjoyed a long relationship as both a purchaser of chassis and vehicles and a supplier of truck components for many years but this new strategic partnership takes our relationship to a whole new level. As a start, we believe that adding the Setra motor coach to the REV Group full line of buses will provide yet another first class entrée to our portfolio of transportation vehicles. This collaborative agreement provides for limitless transportation opportunities to explore in North America that we jointly believe will significantly enhance our overall market presence.”
Visit revgroup.com for more information.
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