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UMA President & CEO Stacy Tetschner Washington, D.C. — More than 80 UMA members met with 150 congressional officers April 3 to educate members of Congress on the vital role private motorcoaches play, emphasizing the way they create jobs, generate tourism dollars and provide a safe, fuel-efficient, and green solution to transportation and travel.
“We work all year long on behalf of the industry but, as hired guns, we can only tell the story so many times. Who they really want to hear from are the people in their district,” said UMA President & CEO Stacy Tetschner, who accompanied members in a supporting role.
The 2019 Bus & Motorcoach Industry Legislative Fly-In included 21 national and regional organizations. UMA operators were supported by representatives from industry suppliers such as ABC Companies, MCI, Prevost, United Bus Technologies, and Temsa, who joined them in the meetings.
With a new Congress in place and new leadership in the House, the event provided an opportunity for operators to speak with a unified voice about the critical need to keep the partial fuel tax exemption for motorcoaches, while laying the seeds for returning to a full exemption, Tetschner noted.
Parity was a key message in advocating that motorcoach operators pay the same amount in taxes that mass transit does. If the government can’t eliminate the collective $65 million the industry pays in partial gas taxes, then mass transit should be asked to pay the same amount.
As they flowed into the state Capitol in the middle of the annual Cherry Blossom Festival and gathered inside small legislative offices—small state groups meeting with legislators or staff members from their particular districts—UMA members expressed fear the industry could lose that exemption as President Donald Trump and Congress are searching for money to shore up the Highway Trust Fund and fund an infrastructure bill to repair the nation’s deteriorating bridges. When the exemption started out in the 1970s, during the energy crisis, Congress granted motorcoaches a full exemption from the fuel tax, but that has been eroded by subsequent Congresses.
In their meetings, operators emphasized that motorcoaches shouldn’t be lumped in with the trucking industry on this issue. Lighter buses don’t wear out the roads like big rigs do and are much safer.
This year, there were two upgrades that helped operators be more efficient and effective during the Fly-In. Paperwork was replaced with a new app that guided members around the maze of corridors connecting the House and the Senate offices. It also made it easy to quickly complete surveys after each session. The other upgrade was a glossy, colorful four-page brochure that explained the industry’s impact in easy-to-understand graphics. Members passed those out as they entered meetings.
This was a good year to focus on educating Congress because there weren’t any driving regulatory issues to try to change, says Ken Presley, UMA’s vice president of industry relations and chief operating officer.
“Explaining the size and scope of the industry, who we are and what we do. We had a lot of staffers say, ‘I didn’t realize that is what you did,’” Presley said.
UMA will take the information that came from the meeting debriefs and the reviews to look for opportunities to follow up with congressional members.
Visit uma.org for more information.
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TLPA President Terry O'Toole New Orleans — The Taxicab, Limousine & Paratransit Association will now be named The Transportation Alliance.
The name change is part of a strategic positioning and rebranding effort that has been underway for more than a year within the 101-year-old trade association. The name was unveiled and officially adopted at a meeting of the group’s membership during its Spring Conference & Expo, which ran from April 24-26 in New Orleans, La.
“The Transportation Alliance is a modern, inclusive name we can all embrace as we look to the future of how our professional for-hire fleets connect with passengers,” said association president Terry O’Toole. “Transportation is one of the most rapidly changing industries on the planet right now, and that will continue. We needed a name that welcomes old and new partners alike into our broadening tent, and The Transportation Alliance imparts that strategic direction.”
The association has changed its name several times over the past century to best reflect its membership, which now spans 250 cities on four continents. Its last name change was nearly 30 years ago.
The new name was the product of several strategic planning sessions in 2018 aimed at positioning the association for the changing landscape of transportation. The name change and associated rebranding are expected to be fully in place within the next 90 days.
Visit tlpa.org for more information.
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ILLBA President Tracy Raimer Rosemont, Ill. — The Illinois Limousine & Bus Association (ILLBA) will be holding its annual in-person meeting May 15. Befitting the association’s first year under a new name, the event will be held at a new location, Edward Hotel/Victoria Banquets, just minutes from O'Hare International Airport.
The annual gathering typically brings together industry members from not only local metro areas but also all across the country—and features speakers, panelists, and facilitators representing various facets of chauffeured ground transportation.
And this year’s event is no exception.
The full day of networking, updates, speakers, education, and even a few neat prizes will include opportunities for vendors to showcase their products and services while all in attendance will be able to learn more about the likes of DOT compliance, digital marketing, updates about operating in the city of Chicago, and what ILLBA is doing for its members and the industry in general.
Industry representatives like Florida Limousine Association President and NLA board member Rick Versace and Chauffeur Driven Publisher Chris Weiss will talk about matters immediately impacting the industry; an update from the City of Chicago Business Affairs and Consumer Protection will provide further insight into local concerns. And both the ILLBA Meeting Committee and the association’s president Tracy Raimer of Windy City Limousine & Bus will discuss what the association has done and will continue to do for the industry both at the regional level and beyond.
Those who register for the meeting—which welcomes current ILLBA members and non-members alike—by May 3 receive the discounted early bird rate. Included with meeting registration is a ticket to attend the pre-meeting networking cocktail reception, which will be held the evening May 14 at the Edward Hotel.
Anyone interested in staying at the meeting’s host hotel should book by May 10 and mention the meeting for ILLBA’s block rate of $109/night.
To register for the event, click here; for more information, contact ILLBA Executive Director Paula DeBiasi at either illinoislimousineassociation@gmail.com or 630.665.9133.
Visit illinoislimousineassociation.com for more information.
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