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The Minority Limousine Operators of America (MLOA) held another weekly conference call on Wednesday, April 22, to touch base with their membership and share best practices during the COVID-19 crisis. First Vice President Travis Latham of Fellowship Fleet served as host for this week’s call, and kicked things off by providing an update about the second round of stimulus that was in legislation (which was signed into law on April 24).
MLOA 1st Vice President Travis Latham of Fellowship Fleet
Latham then introduced Tiffany Hinton of MOTEV and Reginald Tymus of Capital City Limousine, both of whom serve on the MLOA’s membership committee. After thanking members for their consistent support of the weekly meetings, the pair also revealed future plans for the association to hold small regional meetings throughout the year.
Dan Goff of A. Goff Motorcoaches
Next, guest speaker Dan Goff of A. Goff Motorcoaches offered insight on social distancing and cleaning buses. As the industry ponders the future business needs of its customers, Goff believes it will be less about luxury and more about safety and trust. The veteran operator also shared the grim statistic that more than 100 bus captains have died from COVID-19, which only stresses the importance of having a strict procedure in place for cleaning and distancing.
Goff fielded a series of questions from the members including maximum seating on motorcoaches, pricing during the crisis, and cleaning frequency. He encouraged operators to check on the World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines at least weekly as scientists learn more about the virus every day. Goff created an information sheet with best practices available for download here.
MLOA Founder Maurice Brewster of Mosaic Global was the next speaker on the call, sharing a bit of advice on “getting business when there is no business.” Brewster advised all members to contact state and federal FEMA representatives about providing transportation, as that government agency is in need of service nationwide. After applying online at sam.gov to provide government work, Brewster found himself fast-tracked to get a contract. He stated that the government is actively seeking minority-certified vendors, and they are paying “top dollar” for transportation services.
The next MLOA conference call is scheduled for Wednesday, April 29, at 1 pm ET. Recordings of past calls and resources for operators can be found here.
Visit mlooa.org for more information.
[4.24.20]
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With the travel industry on hiatus, ABC Companies has turned its focus to shaping solutions that navigate the “how” of operating in this new reality. Putting effective safeguards and protocols in place designed to ensure the comfort and security of drivers and passengers will be paramount in the post-COVID environment. With the introduction of its new CLEANS (Contact Limitation & Eradication of Airborne Noxious Systems) program, ABC offers fleet owners a variety of products and services designed to thoroughly disinfect coaches and optimize cabin air quality while providing driver and passenger shielding and personal hygiene stations onboard fleet vehicles.
“As the economy restarts, demonstrating how operators can protect drivers and passengers will be a top priority in restoring traveler confidence,” says Vice President of Marketing Thom Peebles. “The new CLEANS suite of products and services gives fleet owners the tools to think ahead and begin planning to move as quickly as possible when health professionals give us the green light to get rolling.”
ABC says that its new CLEANS suite offers a variety of options that can work with the widest possible range of coach brands and models currently in service, as well as new Van Hool equipment.
“The immediacy of addressing customer needs and issues cannot be understated,” says President and CCO Roman Cornell. “Our focus is on creating viable solutions that can be easily adapted, installed, and removed, but most importantly, are ready to go now. Ultimately, we want to get passengers onto our customers’ coaches as quickly as possible, and creating an environment they feel comfortable traveling in is key.”
Most of the CLEANS suite of products can be retrofit on existing equipment (most major brands) or specified on new Van Hool motorcoach orders and include the following product and service categories:
Interior Sanitization/Disinfection
- Electrostatic fogging with solutions also used in commercial airlines providing up to a 99.994 percent reduction in Virus Control including the Human Coronavirus
- Fogging service conducted by ABC on-site or at a customer location
- Disinfectant electrostatic fogger units will also be available later through ABC
HVAC Purification Systems
- MERV 13 rated cabin filters capable of capturing particles between 1 and 5 micrometers and smaller
- UV light HVAC disinfection system which eliminates 90 percent of microbial contaminants after 10 minutes of exposure and 99 percent after 1 hour
- Factory-installed HEPA filtration system that can capture 99.9 percent of particles (bacteria, fungi, and larger viruses or virus clumps)
Passenger & Driver Contact Partitions & Personal Hygiene Stations
- Driver partitions ranging from full enclosures to temporary clear protective barriers
- Passenger protection shields including permanently mounted clear partitions and removable temporary shields
- Hand sanitizer stations that can be mounted at multiple locations
According to ABC, the branded CLEANS program will continue to grow as new products are added to the portfolio based on emerging technologies and customer needs. With decals, seals, and videos designed to remind drivers and passengers of their carriers’ commitment to their well-being, motorcoach operators can focus on getting passengers back on board.
“We are eager to help get our industry rolling again and believe that our CLEANS initiatives can provide a much-needed level of confidence for passengers, drivers and owners that can get us all moving in the right direction again,” said CEO Dane Cornell.
ABC CLEANS products are arriving at ABC locations now, many of which can be found in the Parts Source online parts store. For more additional details and pricing, contact an ABC account manager.
Visit abc-companies.com for more information.
[04.23.20]
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The United Motorcoach Association (UMA) hosted its weekly online Town Hall this past Thursday, April 16, led by UMA Chairman Jeff Polzien, Interim President and CEO Larry Killingsworth, and Vice President Ken Presley. Hundreds of members participated and chimed in with numerous questions and comments.
The SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) were again the first order of business as both programs had been reported to reach their max that morning, halting applications and leaving millions of small businesses without relief. Congress is still negotiating additional funding for PPP, which has been stalled by both parties attempting to add specifics to the bill such as funding for hospitals, state and local government, and increased COVID-19 testing support.
![United Motorcoach Association](/images/industry/2020/teasers/cd0420-07-UMA-town-hall-teaser.jpg)
According to CNN in a 4/21 interview with Senator Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.): “Of the $310 billion for the Small Business Administration's Paycheck Protection Program, $125 billion will be sent exclusively to the unbanked, to the minorities, to the rural areas, and to all of those little mom-and-pop stores that don't have a good banking connection and need the help.”
Presley and the UMA’s lobbyist Becky Weber of Prime Policy Group updated participants on their communication with Congress. Presley thanked the more than 6,000 UMA members who sent nearly 26,000 letters and emails to their representatives, noting that their efforts were making a difference. Killingsworth said that the emails and letters were a phenomenal response, but also encouraged members to make phone calls as they have been very effective.
UMA member John Grzywacz of CIT Signature Transportation shared that he has a successful phone conversation with Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) who offered her optimism: 1. Congress could still work together on the next round, so don’t lose hope; 2. Craft a concise, simple ask; 3. Reach out and call all representatives since they are stuck home in their districts—be the squeaky wheel and make your situation known.
Member Scott Riccio of Northeast Charter also shared that he had been contact with Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine), noting that she was receptive to a meeting, and had a call scheduled soon with Senator Angus King (I-Maine). Riccio is also attempting to get a meeting with Representative Jared Golden, a Maine Democrat.
As Congress works on the next relief package, Presley and Weber sent a letter to Secretary of the Treasury Steve Mnuchin regarding some flexibility of the PPP forgiveness. As the bus and motorcoach industry is very capital-heavy, they hope to have the forgiveness ratios of 75 percent for salaries and 25 percent for mortgage interest, rent, and utilities modified to a 50/50 split with vehicle interest included and forgiven. Presley said that other industries had also been having an issue with the breakdown, and that the “ask” could be accomplished by a simple administrative change. They also requested some flexibility with the forgiveness window, through December 31, as the travel and tourism industry will have a slow and staggered comeback throughout the country.
Town Halls are held every Thursday at 2PM ET. Information to join is available at uma.org.
[04.21.20]