- Details
- Category: Industry News
After some mingling and refreshments, LBTOUNY President Kevin Barwell of Giorgio’s Limousine Service kicked off the meeting with a brief overview of some old association business before turning over the mic to Katie Mitchell of National Interstate Insurance. Mitchell spoke about automatic event recorders and the different types available for the chauffeured transportation industry. She shared about a dozen videos that helped to establish what party was at fault when both claim innocence, and if any injuries occurred to passengers during the collision. The videos also showed if the transportation driver acted properly before, during, and after the accident—or if he should be retrained or dismissed.
It was back to business as Barwell spoke about the sales tax repeal, which the association has been fighting for years but had made tremendous progress on in the last legislative session. LBTOUNY launched a successful grassroots effort to gather support in the state senate, but the bill stalled in the assembly.
“The assembly felt that they would have a $24 million loss in the budget, so it wasn’t doable for them,” said Barwell. “We may not see an outright appeal but an exemption like in other states. The issue isn’t dead, but it’s slowed up a bit. Now that we have a voice, we can get the momentum going again.”
Barwell also noted that sales tax audits have become a little more aggressive and are hitting some transportation companies hard. “Anything is taxable that you charge to a customer, including tolls, water, everything except gratuities,” he said.
Immediate attention, however, is focused on stopping two bills that are currently in both houses that would exempt TNCs from all requirements that limousines, taxis, and buses face. Barwell notes that they were able to fight them aggressively in Buffalo, but Lyft has said it wants to resume operating in the city by July. LBTOUNY is organizing a Lobby Day in Albany; as of press time, the final date was not yet available pending a meeting schedule with state representatives. Other state associations are encouraged to join the event. In the meantime, the association has started an online petition against the state senate to push them to pass legislation that treats TNCs like transportation companies with the same regulations. The petition can be found at chn.ge/1J9EAYk.
Chauffeur Driven raffled off a pass to the Miami show, which will be held at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel this October 11-14. LBTOUNY Chairman Scott Pizzo of Park Place Corporate Transportation won the pass.
The next official meeting is scheduled for July, date to be determined, in Buffalo.
Visit lbtony.com for more information.
[CD0515]
- Details
- Category: Industry News
Those attending the legislative event rode together in a Sprinter supplied by Julian Enescu of Inter-Continental Limo Services, which gave them the opportunity to plan the day and prioritize the representatives they would arrange meetings with.
“The main purpose of this visit was to make introductions to (the representatives) we have not met with in person at their local offices and to refresh our relationships with the ones we had met in office,” Whitaker said. “This was a chance to introduce them to the Illinois Limousine Association, talk about the size of our membership, ask them to use us as a resource tool in deciding on future passenger transportation legislation, and if they asked, make them aware of our stance on TNCs. We succeeded in doing just that.”
ILA members were able to attend both Transportation Committee meetings held during the day and a Tour and Convention Committee meeting, as well as the House General Session that afternoon.
“This was more of an educational trip than anything,” said Whitaker. “We wanted to experience firsthand how our state government operates in Springfield and to make them aware that we are there for them if they have questions about our industry. In this aspect, I feel that we accomplished our goal and we will continue to enhance these relationships as time goes on.”
On the heels of a successful inaugural event, ILA’s plans are to continue making longer visits with legislators at their district offices.
The next ILA event will be its annual spring meeting, which is scheduled for May 20. The meeting will include updates on wage and hour issues, Department of Transportation audits, the Olive-Harvey College chauffeur training program, the operational considerations of employee and independent contractor models, updates from Chicago’s Department of Business Affairs & Consumer Protection, and a presentation from CD’s Publisher Chris Weiss.
Visit illinoislimousineassociation.com for more information.
[CD0515]
- Details
- Category: Industry News
After CLA dispensed with monetary issues pertaining to an NLA refund check and a sponsorship donation from local dealership Sill-TerHar Motors, Denver International Airport (DEN) representative Mike Percy spoke about the airport’s new construction projects, as well as commercial parking’s staging areas. The completed project allowed for the addition of a second lane and new spaces. Dwell time had originally been reduced from 15 minutes to 10, but a request from CLA’s advisory board had the original period reinstated.
TNCs’ airport privileges were also up for discussion, especially regarding how they differ from those extended to traditional commercial vehicles; for example, TNCs and their drivers are not allowed any dwell time and must be registered with DEN. The airport has already begun issuing fines to those who fail to recognize regulations, as well as holding meetings with TNC representatives to make them aware of the consequences accompanying a failure to follow the rules, such as additional fines and vehicle impoundment.
The association also addressed its search for a new executive director at the meeting, and later hired Jagiela for the position.
“We are excited to have Philip on board,” said CLA President Shane Stickel of Presidential Limousine. “His industry and association experience will give us the advantage of having a professional manager running our organization. With the challenges our industry is facing with unregulated app technology, our board will have more time to focus on these rather than the day-to-day running of our association.”
Jagiela raffled off a pass to Chauffeur Driven’s Miami show, which was won by Dianne Cavender of DDG Classic Limousines.
CLA’s next meeting is scheduled for June 16, and the association invites all members to send Secretary Nikko Ouzounis of White Dove Limousine any items they would like to see included in future meeting discussions.
Visit cololimo.org for more information.
[CD0515]