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On February 9, the GCLA hosted an open planning meeting that included association information as well as lobbyist updates from Gregg Cook of Government Affairs Consulting. The GCLA reaffirmed that it does not believe the industry should adopt an across-the-board independent contractor model to remain in competition with TNCs. Those present discussed how high turnover at the California Public Utilities Commission (PUC), combined with being chronically understaffed, has inhibited consistency in enforcement; its new chairman has considered disbanding the organization entirely.
Day on the Hill proper began with a briefing the morning of February 10, which included presentations from guest speakers Deputy Secretary of DMV/California Highway Patrol Rhonda Pascal and Patrick West of Senator Jerry Hill’s office. Afterward, GCLA operators and vendors took to the capital and spoke to an array of representatives and their staff members about the association’s most pressing concerns. Members’ overall reactions to their boots-on-the-ground efforts were positive, while government representatives had much to share with GCLA.
Senate Transportation Committee Chair Randy Chinn spoke about the competitive landscape of transportation and the ways TNCs are affecting public transit, and how current troubles surrounding California’s PUC may lead to lowering regulations all around rather than increasing those relating to TNCs. He discussed AB-1677, a taxi/bus bill introduced in January about the authority to regulate and inspect vehicles.
Edmund Cheung of the Assembly Utilities and Commerce Commission also included the PUC among 2016’s major issues, touching on its possible dissolution and noting that other agencies, such as the departments of Motor Vehicles or Transportation, would have to take over its duties. Cheung also touched upon the necessity of defining what constitutes a bus from a regulatory standpoint as well as ramping up safety inspections for high-occupancy vehicles.
GCLA members also heard from Evan McLaughlin, the Chief of Staff for Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, who is heavily involved in the state’s labor-related initiatives. He talked about how workers are currently facing a “gig” economy, wherein workers are finding more freelance-style jobs available than traditionally full-time ones. AB-1727, a bill sponsored by Gonzalez, is currently in the House and aims to amend Section 2750.5 of the Labor Code so that “a worker performing services for which a license is required under the Contractors’ State License Law, or performing services for a person who is required to obtain that license, is an employee, rather than an independent contractor.”
The next GCLA event will be its April 12 meeting in Los Angeles.
Visit gcla.org for more information.
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According to the association’s administrator, Joe Guinn of Limo & Bus Compliance, a number of Arizona operators have not only expressed interest in seeing the ALA reform but also made a concerted effort to breathe new life into group.
“There are a couple of us who have been working on this but we would be nowhere without the leadership of Steve Kaplan at The Driver Provider,” says Guinn. “This is something that we have been hoping could be reestablished for a while. We can all agree that there is power in collaboration.”
The meeting included a brief history of ALA and an overview of who held officer and director positions within the association when it last met. The importance of a formal election process was included in the conversation, with an emphasis on attracting new and previous members to the organization in order for it to avoid the pitfalls of the past.
According to Guinn, Kaplan was appointed as ALA’s interim president during the meeting, given his history as an active member who had previously led the association. He will serve as a “representative of the group for the purpose of presenting joint opposition” on behalf of the industry as it faces the very issue that area operators saw a key reason to resurrect the association: TNC operation at Sky Harbor (PHX).
“The timing was so critical because we’re currently facing a deregulation at the airport that would allow TNCs to freely operate at PHX, as well as higher airport fees and decreases in background checks for drivers that we believe compromise public safety,” Guinn says.
Guinn, Kaplan, and Chris Przybylski of The Driver Provider reached out to their various networks of affiliates, vendors, and previous members to generate interest in bringing back the association to offer the chauffeured ground transportation industry a more unified front in Arizona.
“We made sure that we utilized our full reach into the state, and I think we were all very happy that we had so many people that we packed the meeting room,” says Guinn. He added that many who were unable to attend the recent meeting have expressed interest in rejoining ALA.
For more information on getting involved with the newly reformed association, contact Kaplan at sk@driverprovider.com or 602.453.0001.
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The rules, which initially took effect in May 2008, addressed all vehicle model years, and were subsequently modified in 2015 to establish that black cars model year 2013 and newer would not be subject to any type of mandatory vehicle retirement. Black cars model year 2012 and below, however, would be subject to a uniform seven-year retirement structure.
The reasoning behind the proposed repeal of the 2008 requirement was that the market itself was the driving incentive for the constant upgrading of Black Cars due to consumers' ever-increasing demand for high quality, safe and reliable vehicles; something we've known to be true of our industry since its inception.
In the following statement from the TLC, the upcoming City Council legislation is referenced as a main contributing factor to this wise decision. "In contemplation of the Council's consideration of legislation that would discontinue the remaining mandatory retirement for vehicles 2012 and older, the TLC has suspended enforcement of this requirement until further notice."
BCAC President Berj Haroutunian was quick to issue the following statement. "It has long been a goal of the BCAC, and the black car industry as a whole, to do away with this rule. I believe I can speak for all industry members when I say that we are thankful that the TLC and NYC Council have agreed to hear our side on this matter; the TLC in particular for going the extra mile and suspending enforcement. They saw the potential negative implications, and they saw to it that it did not go any further in anticipation of the pending legislation. I'd like to extend a special thank you to the BCAC's executive director, Ira Goldstein. Since day one he has been a strong advocate for our industry and was a crucial player in this deal."
Had this agreement not been reached, the existing vehicle retirement rules would have required the purchase of many new vehicles at great expense, potentially leading to rate increases to share these increased costs with clients, and perhaps even resulting in lost ridership
Visit nybcac.org for more information.
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