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Paul Miller, legislative counsel to The Transportation Alliance, testifies before the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Subcommittee on Highways & Transit
Washington, D.C. — Paul Miller, legislative counsel to The Transportation Alliance (formerly the Taxicab, Limousine & Paratransit Association) testified before the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Subcommittee on Highways & Transit recently, outlining passenger safety concerns about transportation network companies (TNCs).
Uber and Lyft surprised and frustrated lawmakers by failing to appear at the hearing. The topic of the hearing was “Examining the Future of Transportation Network Companies Challenges and Opportunities.”
Miller testified about the inadequacy of Uber’s and Lyft’s background-check process and the need for passengers to be protected by fingerprint-based background checks.
During the hearing, Miller informed the committee that the General Services Administration (GSA) is planning to reimburse TNCs for federal-employee travel instead of using taxis or other transportation modes. Chairman Peter DeFazio (D-OR) responded: “That was news to me. We definitely have a handle on that.”
“This is a particularly important moment for Congress to address TNC passenger safety as the GSA moves to outsource federally funded transportation,” said Terry O’Toole, President of The Transportation Alliance. “We urge Congress to protect riders by requiring effective fingerprint background checks of drivers.”
Visit thetransportationalliance.org for more information.
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Brussels, Belgium — Van Hool, independent manufacturer of buses, coaches, and industrial vehicles, chose to equip four coaches exhibited at Busworld with Vision Systems’ solution Smart-Vision. This camera monitoring system is part of the many technological innovations integrated in Van Hool’s vehicles that reflect the company’s innovative strength, and was featured both the EX and TX range coaches on display at the exhibition.
Smart-Vision replaces the rearview mirrors with high-definition cameras and interior displays to offer optimized visibility and enhanced ergonomics. Compared with standard rearview mirrors, the interior displays eliminate glare and the automatic adjustment of the screens’ brightness ensures excellent visibility in all lighting conditions, at the entrance and exit of tunnels, night and day, in all weather, and in any driving environment. In addition to eliminating lateral blind spots, the solution provides functions such as the suppression of the A pillar blind spot, parking and maneuvering aid, guidance assistance, and security monitoring around the vehicle.
The EX range takes into consideration the comfort and safety of the passengers in an environmentally and economically responsible manner while achieving efficiency and elegance. Vision Systems’ Smart-Vision is fully in line with these needs. The removal of the mirrors lowers wind resistance for improved aerodynamics, which reduces fuel consumption by around 5 percent and CO2 emissions. It also reduces maintenance costs and down time linked to mirror breakage and offers a very modern design.
With the TX range—and more specifically the TDX Astromega double deck coach—the remit was to provide the driver with a level of comfort as high as that of the passengers. Vision Systems’ Smart-Vision responds to that expectation as it reduces the driver fatigue by offering extended visibility and more ergonomics.
“We are so proud to equip the vehicles of a leading bus manufacturer in Europe with our solution. Being part of Van Hool’s innovative equipment is very rewarding and totally in line with our commitment to drive continuous innovation as a key to value-creating differentiation while responding to comfort and safety issues,” stated David Le Berre, general manager of safety tech business unit, Vision Systems’ division dedicated to ADAS.
Visit vanhool.be or visionsystems.fr for more information.
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A packed room greeted the NLA membership meeting at the CD/NLA Show in Boston October 14
Marlton, N.J. — The National Limousine Association has announced the candidates for the 2020 NLA Board Election. These candidates' nominations have been verified, deemed eligible by the NLA Nominating Committee, and approved by NLA President Gary Buffo.
The NLA Board election is anticipated to begin Thursday, November 7, and will end December 4. The unique login credentials to cast votes will be emailed from info@limo.org to all eligible voting members at approximately 12 p.m. EST November 7. The election will close Wednesday, December 4, at 3 p.m. EST.
Please note that for the Northeast Region, the candidate with the highest number of votes is elected to a 3-year term. The candidate with the next highest number of votes will be elected to a 1-year term.
L to R: NLA President Gary Buffo of Pure Luxury Transportation, NLA Director Jason Kaplan of The Driver Provider, and NLA Treasurer Robert Alexander of RMA Worldwide Chauffeured Transportation
The candidates and their regions are as follows:
At-Large (One Open Seat): Matt Assolin of Nikko's Worldwide Chauffeured Transportation and Michael Spreadbury of Helena Town Car
Central (One Open Seat): Ken Carter of Aadvanced Limousines and Stephen Qua of Company Car & Limousine
Northeast (Two Open Seats): Jay Erlich of Europe Limousine, Douglas Rydbom of Premier #1 Limousine, and Douglas Schwartz of Executive Limousine
Southeast (One Open Seat): Rick Versace of A1A Airport & Limousine Service
West (One Open Seat): Gary Buffo of Pure Luxury Transportation
The NLA also held a members-only meeting during the CD/NLA Show in Boston October 14, where topics of discussion included the upcoming election, the ongoing talks regarding a partnership between the NLA and The Transportation Alliance (formerly the Taxicab, Limousine & Paratransit Association), and opportunities for in-person discussion about the details of initiatives like the Chauffeur Driven/NLA partnership that was formalized earlier in the year and the No Operator Left Behind program, which is a two-part effort between both the NLA and Limo U.
The meeting was only open to current members in good standing, as they would be voting on the association’s recently updated bylaws. Some minor revisions had been made, which were approved during the meeting. The newly updated bylaws can be read in full here.
Additionally, the NLA welcomed more than 30 new members throughout the course of the show.
Visit limo.org for more information.
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