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Rockville, Md.— Uber made headlines this week with grossly misleading statements about how much their UberX drivers can make. The ‘Who’s Driving You?’ campaign breaks it down here:
- * Uber claims the median income for an UberX driver in San Francisco is $74,000. That assumes the driver works “at least” 40 hours a week. Most drivers work closer to 60 hours per week.
- * A typical taxi driver puts 50,000 miles a year on the vehicle. Using the government rate of 56 cents per mile to reimburse for mileage, gas, maintenance, and wear and tear on a car, those 50,000 miles a year will cost an UberX driver $28,000.
- * In addition, there is insurance. If UberX drivers want to avoid losing their life savings in an accident, they need to get primary commercial automobile liability insurance coverage. It will cost around $5,000 per year more than regular car insurance.
- * Taxicab drivers also incur a variety of other costs such as tolls, parking, carwashes, etc., which account for another $3,000 per year.
The numbers break down to approximately $36,000 less per year than Uber’s claims of $74,000 per year. To extrapolate the numbers further: At 60 hours per week for 50 weeks, that equates to $12.67 per hour; 40 hours per week equates to $19.00 per hour with no benefits at all.
“We know where this road ends,” said Dave Sutton, spokesperson for the ‘Who’s Driving You?’ campaign. “It ends with Uber getting rich without taking any responsibility, while its drivers wreck their cars and accept all the risk. Uber’s like a casino: The house always wins.”
Visit whosdrivingyou.org for more information.
6/14
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Peekskill, N.Y. — Settembre Luxury Limousines, a mainstay in the chauffeured ground transportation industry in upstate New York for over 20 years, is honored to recognize its General Manager, Kristi Fornges, for winning the 2014 Strathmore Who's Who in Business Award.
Fornges has been working in the transportation industry since 2008. She started off as an Affiliate Coordinator and Event Planner with LEROS Point to Point in Hawthorne, N.Y. but in 2010, she moved into her current role with Settembre.
“It’s certainly a privilege to be recognized for this award,” says Fornges. “As a service industry, customer service is the number one priority. I strive to establish close relationships and follow-up with clients and affiliates. Problems do arise at times, but excellent interpersonal skills and an ability to think and act quickly when faced with a problem are necessary qualities to possess. As always, a sense of humor can go a long way too.”
“Kristi is a go-getter...a real winner for sure,” says Tony Settembre, owner of Settembre Luxury Limousines. “Her outstanding achievements and overall leadership abilities are worthy of this great recognition. We’re very lucky to have her on our team!”
Visit settembrelimo.com for more information.
6/14
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- Category: Industry News
Raleigh, N.C.—The ugly head of Uber (and the other ridesharing apps) has reared itself in the Raleigh/Durham area as of late. As with the majority of other industry associations, North Carolina Limousine Association (NCLA) members are up arms in regard to Uber’s lack of compliance to long-standing regulations which allows undercutting of prices while using substandard and dangerous practices. And, like the other associations, the NCLA operators want the rogue apps out of their respective cities and towns.
Mark Mazza of HUB International offered his input, stating: “The answer is to crack down on the lack insurance coverage they carry. That is how several cities like Seattle and Miami had them removed from their areas.” Mazza intends on sending NCLA members more information on how other localities have limited ridesharing apps from doing business in their areas.
Rene Lawson of Northland Insurance gave an enlightening presentation on the dangers of distracted driving. The thrust of the presentation was that studies show that hand held devices are the most prevalent cause of driver distraction. The largest percent of accidents are a result of drivers being distracted by hand held devices. An accident is four times more likely to occur when the driver is engaging in usage of a hand-held device.
The best way for chauffeured ground transportation company managers and owners to combat this is to implement a policy for no cell phone usage. Unfortunately, this is not entirely possible in our technology reliant industry. Lawson offered a few suggestions for limiting driver distractions:
- * Implement vehicle tracking and dash cams in your vehicles to lessen the necessity for contacting your chauffeur while driving.
- * Set company policies in place for limits and guidelines for hand held device usage for when your chauffeur is driving.
- * Limit your conversation with chauffeurs until the vehicle is not in motion.
- * Encourage your chauffeurs to pre-load common activities and/or phrases (such as “on site” and “in car”) into their phones and tablets so that messages may be conveyed prior to the vehicle being in motion.
- * Implement a “three strikes” policy for repeat offenders of unnecessary handheld device usage while driving.
Lawson closed out the presentation by stating, “Regardless of what method you use to curtail distracted driving, planning ahead is key and will surely lessen undesired situations and expenses from arising.”
Visit nclimo.org for more information.
6/14