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US Travel Association (USTA) convened top leaders in travel, transportation, and technology with policymakers and administration officials for the association’s first-ever Future of Travel Mobility Summit, which was held on October 26. It was held just ahead of the opening of the US to vaccinated international travelers on November 8.
The association noted that discussions were focused on issues central to the coming decade and beyond of transportation and technology innovation that will reshape how people travel, and which will ultimately enhance the traveler experience. Key topics included sustainability, seamless and secure travel, and innovative and emerging technology.
New research by Ipsos released in late October underscored the necessity of accelerating the advancement of new technologies and innovations, as highlighted at the summit. Over the next two to five years, one-in-four (24 percent) Americans plan to take fewer leisure trips than they did prior to the pandemic, according to Ipsos. Two-in-five (40 percent) business travelers plan to travel less for business than they did before COVID.
The same survey showed that the demand for travel would only increase if Americans had access to more sustainable, seamless, secure, and modern travel options, such as electric vehicles; airlines and fuels that produced fewer carbon emissions; improved Transportation Security Administration screening; and more efficient transportation technologies such as hyperloops or supersonic aircraft.
If travel were to increase by just 5 percent as a result of more sustainable travel options, it would result in an additional $50 billion in travel spending and $130 billion in economic output annually—supporting roughly 850,000 additional American jobs.
“These conversations are so important because we see that new, innovative transportation solutions are more than a customer preference—they are a necessity as we look ahead to the future of our industry,” said USTA President & CEO Roger Dow. “This is an opportunity to build a travel industry that is stronger, more modern, and more globally competitive than ever before.”
Remarks were delivered by Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.V.), Representative Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), Representative John Katko (R-N.Y.), and Austin Brown, Senior Director for Transportation Emissions, White House Office of Domestic Climate Policy.
They were joined by private-sector leaders including Delta Airlines CEO Ed Bastian; GM President Mark Reuss; Virgin Hyperloop CEO Josh Giegel, Joby Aviation CEO JoeBen Bevirt, and many more.
A recording of the full event is available here.
“US Travel is proud to bring so many incredibly relevant industry and government leaders together for this critical discussion across the travel, transportation and technology sectors. It is imperative that we continue to collaborate to drive the necessary policy outcomes and bring new ideas to the forefront to benefit the US economy and travelers alike,” said USTA Executive Vice President of Public Affairs and Policy Tori Emerson Barnes.
Visit ustravel.org for more information.
[11.02.21]
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SC Coach of Aiken, S.C., announced that it has added a new MCI J4500 motorcoach to its fleet. The company received the motorcoach as a demo unit in late 2020, which then turned into a 6-month lease, and ultimately they purchased the coach in October. This makes the ninth (soon to be tenth) J4500 in their fleet.
“MCI turned around a less-than-ideal situation on a previously purchased coach and was able to find a remedy with this coach. The customer service we received through the process was exceptional and made the sale simple and easy during a rocky time in the industry. This J4500 truly sets the bar for ground transportation in our area, and I could not be prouder to brand it with our logo,” says SC Coach Founder Jeff Canady.
Founded in 2000 as CLT Express Livery with just one sedan, they acquired their first coach company, Busy Bee Coach, in 2015. Busy Bee was rebranded into SC Coach, and the company soon traded in their existing fleet of coaches for their first J4500s. SC Coach has grown into 16 coach (and growing) fleet in just 6 short years. They are currently the largest chauffeured transportation provider in the Carolinas with over 85 vehicles.
“This new J4500 ties SC Coach back into our roots, truly bringing the limousine feel into the coach industry. From the leather seating, to the mood lighting, to the exceptional ride quality, the company feels that the luxurious feeling of an MCI is incomparable,” added Canady.
“When they say Reliability Driven, they mean it,” says Dustin Robinson, a driver with SC Coach assigned to the vehicle. “Almost every day I’m behind the wheel of this coach and I’ve yet to find a feature or, in better words, a lack of feature that I dislike. To pick a favorite, I’d have to say the mood lighting. When a team or group boards the coach and they see their colors, it takes it from another bus ride to a feeling of its their own team coach. From the ride quality to the comfort aspect, I love being behind the wheel of an MCI.”
SC Coach Maintenance Manager Jon Furtado is also impressed with the new coach.
“Running the most monthly miles in our fleet and only seeing it in the shop for routine services, inspections, and tires says a lot compared to our other new coaches with various other issues after delivery. From reliability to parts availability, to some of the best tech support in the industry, MCI makes a great product and stands behind it every step of the way,” says Furtado.
Visit scmotorcoach.com for more information.
[11.01.21]
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You asked for it and we listened. In this column, we ask operators of all sizes and from all walks of the industry a question about their business and report their answers so you can assess how your own company compares to your peers. If you would like to participate, please email Rob Smentek at rob@chauffeurdriven.com for next issue’s question.
TOPIC: What’s most important to you when purchasing a vehicle? Price, warranty, features, the relationship with the dealer, incentives, prestige of the brand/model, client demand/request?
Michael Barreto, President
Metropolis Passenger Logistics in Philadelphia, Pa.
Nick Boccio, General Manager
Buffalo Limousine in Buffalo, N.Y.
Fernando Carlison Jr., CEO
Mundi Limousine in Deerfield Beach, Fla.
Richard de Krijger, General Manager
DMC Limousines in Amsterdam, Netherlands
Karl Guenther II, President
Statement Limousine in Sheffield Village, Ohio
In my opinion, corporate customers aren’t as focused on expensive high-end vehicles, but more on mid-range equipment, customer service, cleanliness, and safe professional chauffeurs.
Joe Gulino, President
Gem Limousine in Woodbridge, N.J.
These days, many quality problems tend to occur on tech features, such as navigation, adaptive cruise control, reverse-parking assist, and telematics systems like GM’s OnStar. It’s important to note that redesigned or newly introduced vehicles will experience more quality problems during their first year of production than subsequent years. This is natural since manufacturers have to deal with unforeseen production glitches and errors. I recommend waiting until the second year of production before buying a new car—it will not only save you money, but you’ll experience fewer quality problems.
Factor 2: Cost of ownership. The long-term cost of owning a car is considerably more than the actual price you pay for it. Ownership cost includes depreciation, fuel, maintenance, repairs, and insurance. The largest of these costs is depreciation. Foreign cars tend to hold their value a little better than domestics.
Factor 3: Reliability. If you’ve ever owned a car that was always in need of repairs, then you understand why reliability is such an important factor. The good news is that most vehicles nowadays are highly reliable. New car warranties cover at least three years or 36,000 miles, and some even go as high as 10 years/100,000 miles. Nevertheless, you still want a car that’s going to be dependable.
Agustín Hernández, Owner
Blackcar Offers in Mexico City, Mexico
Gus Ortis, CEO
Executive Transportation in Minneapolis, Minn.
Jess Sandhu, Director of Operations
A&A Limousine & Bus Service in Kenmore, Wash.
It’s not only the increase in preventative maintenance spend and repairing failures but the slight increases in both fleet size and subsequent auto insurance needed to accommodate all the new downtime.
We’ll probably stay with Lincoln even though they only have “hatchbacks” now. The industry can help itself by providing good high-mileage fleet operating expense data.
Charles Wisniewski, President & CEO
Teddy’s Limousine Service in Norwalk, Conn.
But, as we all know, things are not that great for getting newer SUVs or stretch limousines; we are what I call “open to buy” for 3-5 new stretch limousines, which are not being made for many reasons that are beyond my comprehension. The latest in our industry are new 2019 stretch limousines for which the build will not be completed until next year—so new is actually three years old. I’m hoping someone builds out the Aviator as the new stretch as it has the look. As for SUVs chip availability is up in the air, plus the increase in price makes it impossible to make money with them. Hopefully, we will get back to a stable flow of vehicles soon as we all need them.
Cliff Wright, Owner
Royal Transportation Group in Orlando, Fla.
We’ve loved hearing your answers to our benchmarking questions—but we always welcome suggestions for future topics, too!
Send an email to rob@chauffeurdriven.com you just might see your query answered in our next e-News.
[11.02.21]