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Meeting Host Dean Farmer of Sonny Merryman
Bristow, Va. — More than 30 members and supporters attended the April 2 Virginia Limousine Association (VLA) general meeting at vendor member Sonny Merryman’s headquarters. Among them was CD Industry & Brand Ambassador Philip Jagiela, who also serves as Executive Director of the VLA.
The meeting kicked off as a social event, complete with a catered lunch serving up Southern fare, before meeting host Dean Farmer offered a facility tour complete with several vehicles on display.
VLA President Paul Walsh of Superior Executive Transportation then welcomed everyone before board introductions and VLA Treasurer Randy Allen of James Limousine Service presented the association’s financial report.
L to R: Eric Ampedu and Mia Bowden of D.C. Department of For-Hire Vehicles and VLA President Paul Walsh of Superior Executive Transportation
The afternoon’s Keynote Speaker was Eric Ampedu, the Enforcement & Compliance Administrator for the D.C. Department of For-Hire Vehicles, whose accompanying PowerPoint presentation further illustrated the many points he addressed. The agency, previously known as the D.C. Taxi Commission, is currently undergoing a rebranding initiative to better express its focus on the passenger transportation industry as a whole.
Part of that new image includes retooling Hack Inspectors as Vehicle Inspection Officers (VIOs), who are tasked with being the on-the-ground enforcement of the agency’s regulations—particularly those under Title 31, which pertains to topics such as the insurance requirements, accessibility offerings, and definitions within the for-hire vehicle realm.
Ampedu also explained the reciprocity agreements among operators hailing from outside the District, especially regarding the non-D.C. residence permits (NDLs) that offer operators properly licensed within their home states the all-clear to perform point-to-point work within the capital’s city limits for 180 days under this pilot program that the agency wishes to make a permanent one.
Of particular interest to legitimate, traditional ground transportation operators is how the program aims to offer more oversight of TNCs—ultimately provider a more level playing field for all facets of the industry.
One of Sonny Merryman’s Berkshire Coach vehicles on display during the VLA meeting
Before taking questions, Ampedu introduced Assistant Chief Vehicle Inspection Officer Mia Bowden, who spoke about the agency’s appreciation of its growing business relationship with VLA, emphasized that enforcement is a round-the-clock effort, and reminded those in attendance that cooperating with VIOs goes a long way. For those who feel that they have been treated unfairly by a VIO, however, complaints can be lodged at dfhv.dc.gov.
VLA vendor member Lee Edward of Wells Fargo Equipment Funding then provided a comprehensive presentation on the mechanics of funding, which included details on how to secure approval and speed up the application process.
Barbara Arkwright of the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles then spoke about a new TNC operating in the state, Care360, which provides almost exclusively medical-related transportation. She also provided updates about SB-128, which passed last month and dictates how trade dress—the legal term for identifying a specific product—should be used in TNC vehicles to “limits the display and color of such illuminated interior trade dress devices and requires a TNC that issues such devices to file the specifications of the device with the Department of Motor Vehicles.”
VLA vendor member Lee Edward of Wells Fargo Equipment Funding
Arkwright emphasized that the DMV continues to invite reports of potential violators as it continues its own efforts to both monitor and patrol large events for illegal activity.
Farmer then returned to the mic to drum up support for and interest in a mini expo for the VLA in 2019. The event would be fashioned in the likeness of industrywide trade shows to serve as a fundraiser for the association while presenting all its benefits to a regional audience.
Jagiela closed the meeting by discussing the 2018 Chauffeur Driven Show, which will be held at the Gaylord National—right in many VLA members’ backyard.
The next VLA meeting will be June 4 at Sonny Merryman’s Chesapeake location in southern Virginia.
Visit vla-limo.org for more information.
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Aurora, Colo. — The Centennial State’s operators continue to band together and explore new ways to handle the many issues and concerns they’re facing, as evidenced by the extensive conversations members, supporters, and speakers had at the Colorado Limousine Association’s (CLA’s) most recent meeting held March 20.
The association welcomed two speakers, Jaime McLaren of DriveProfit and Chairman of the Colorado Democratic Party Morgan Carroll, both of whom represented an area in which CLA members wished to be better empowered.
McLauren discussed the ways that the association could increase its website’s visibility and traction through an array of optimization methods that would make it an improved tool for sharing information and rallying members, both current and potential. DriveProfit is currently working with the CLA to revamp the site to achieve those ends.
“She made some suggestions on what we needed help with on our website, and she made it much cleaner and prettier,” CLA President Jason Ramsey of Prestige Worldwide said. “We’re really happy with what she and DriveProfit have done.”
Much of the conversation that Carroll led was dedicated to specifying the ways that the CLA can act as citizen lobbyists to advocate for themselves at the state legislative level without shouldering the expensive burden of seeking outside assistance.
L to R: John Hafer of A Custom Coach Transportation, Jorge Sanchez of Hermes Worldwide, and CLA Secretary Jeremiah Kidane of Ambassadors Limo recently spent a day at the Colorado Capital Building working with legislators on pending bills that affect the luxury ground industry “She showed us how to get information on what bills are pending, how we can know there’s an upcoming hearing or floor vote on a bill, where we can listen to live audio broadcasts so if we can’t get there we can at least know what’s going on, and also when and how we can weigh in on legislation that affects us,” Ramsey said. “We found out that we don’t actually need to hire an attorney or an expensive lobbyist. She showed us that we can get someone to sponsor a bill—the General Assembly already has a team of lawyers on their staff who would draw up the legislation and then we review it, make sure it’s what we want, then take it back to our sponsor. And they also have a research staff.”
With a third of the Colorado General Assembly and the governor up for re-election this year, Carroll advised members to “hit the campaign trails and talk with the candidates about where they stand on issues affecting the industry.”
According to Ramsey, there is currently a bill that would deregulate “large-market taxi operations,” House Bill 18-1320. More information about the pending legislation can be found at dpo.st/2IJ5BWl.
Beyond their membership meeting, CLA members attended a March 29 hearing on proposed Public Utilities Commission (PUC) regulations regarding Proceeding No. 17R-0796TR. This proposal, simply put, would prohibit operators who do out-of-state affiliate work by presenting additional hurdles to the way the Colorado ground transportation industry handles business.
“We’ve been working tirelessly,” Ramsey said. “Our new Legislative Committee Chairperson Jeremiah Kidane has been on the calls with the General Assembly and he’s getting some great results. We’re a limited regulation industry: That means they have limited regulations over us, and we want the PUC to basically have three points of authority: the fingerprint background checks, insurance, and granting authority. That’s what we’d like the PUC to be because all the changes they’re trying to make are unenforceable and they don’t deal with safety.”
With Ramsey noting that Uber and Lyft both faced hefty fines recently—$8.9M and roughly $500K, respectively—he and the CLA are fighting for safety legislation to focus more on TNCs than traditional operators who are already operating well within prescribed laws.
The next CLA meeting will be May 15.
Visit cololimo.org for more information.
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General Manager Abdou Louarti
Tucson, Ariz. — Luxury ground transportation provider Diamond Transportation has been selected as a finalist in by the Better Business Association (BBA) of Southern Arizona for their 2018 Torch Awards for Ethics.
The Torch Award is the most prestigious honor the BBB can present to a business. Being a recipient indicates that the business not only believes in the high standards promoted by the BBB, but also consistently acts on them and continuously integrates them into daily practices.
“We are proud of our company's transparency and ethics and it has won us business,” says Abdou Louarti, Diamond general manager. “Being a finalist for the BBB Torch Award for Ethics is recognition of our hard work and a great morale booster for our team.”
In addition to Diamond Transportation, the BBB of Southern Arizona has named 15 other finalists of the upcoming awards in four separate categories:
- Customer Excellence Award: Catalina In-Home Service, Pima Dermatology, OOROO (aka Vistoso Automotive), Family Air Cooling and Heating.
- Ethics Award: Re-Bath, Diamond Transportation, High-End Used Saddles, Catalina In-Home Services.
- Good Neighbor Award: Chestnut Building & Design, Raskob Kambourian Financial, Re-Bath, High-End Used Saddles.
- Spark Award: Hayes Construction, Re-Bath, Omni Pools, Pressure Works Industries.
Visit diamondtransportation.com for more information.
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