- Details
- Category: Industry News
BCAC Chairman Berj Haroutunian kicks off the meetingLong Island City, N.Y. — The Black Car Assistance Corporation (BCAC) held its first general membership meeting of 2018 on February 9. The meeting, which was open exclusively to BCAC members, was held to discuss the group’s positions on some key regulatory issues that the New York City FHV Industry is currently facing.
Before that conversation could begin, however, a more sobering item needed to be addressed. On February 5, Douglas Schifter, a career black car driver and outspoken industry advocate, took his own life in a highly visible and publicized manner outside New York’s City Hall. The BCAC announced its intent to cover all costs for his funeral.
“I knew Doug for years as a fellow columnist in the Black Car News, and the Industry came to know Doug as a passionate advocate for all things aimed at the prosperity of our industry, and those within it—it is a severe loss,” said BCAC Executive Director Ira Goldstein. “I’m glad the BCAC is in a position to remove some of the financial burden from his loved ones during this already difficult time that nobody should have to endure.”
The most threatening among the regulations discussed at the meeting is the New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission’s vote on wheelchair accessibility. The rule, recently passed by the agency, requires that 25 percent of all job requests be dispatched to accessible vehicles by the year 2020, regardless of whether or not the client requesting the vehicle indicates a specialized vehicle is needed.
With nearly 900 New York City FHV bases, a majority of which are small to medium-size base operations already hurting from the current oversaturation of the local market, there would be the need for significant widespread investment on their and/or their drivers’ parts in order to comply with the rule. Thousands of accessible vehicles would unnecessarily need to be purchased, which are unpopular and costly to both purchase and maintain.
The BCAC had its first meeting of the year February 9When these rules were first proposed, the BCAC and fellow groups formed an FHV Industry Coalition aimed at tackling the then-proposed rule. The coalition developed an alternative solution to the issue of inadequate accessible vehicle service in New York City and proposed it to the TLC. After several rounds of revisions and negotiation with the TLC and industry stakeholders, the TLC Board of Commissioners voted to pass the coalition’s plan as a pilot program, set to run concurrent with its rulemaking.
The FHV Industry Coalition has numerous reservations about entering into the pilot program approved by the TLC due to some “poison pill” provisions insisted on by the TLC (such as the chair being able to cancel the pilot at any time and for any reason). With significant financial investment needed to get the pilot off the ground, the coalition is currently negotiating with the TLC to arrive at a memorandum of understanding while simultaneously litigating the rule.
An industry stakeholder presented the BCAC membership with the details on how such a pilot program would logistically be structured, as well as what would be required from all operators and stakeholders involved in order to make sure the pilot complies with the detailed benchmarks that the TLC put forward to measure success. Failure to meet any of the benchmarks would spell the end of the road for the coalition’s plan.
On the bright side, Edison Interactive, a targeted media marketing and technology company based in Denver, Colo., fully sponsored the event and presented the Industry with a way of providing a new revenue stream for base operators and drivers in the form of in-vehicle passenger tablets with targeted ads, free Wi-Fi, USB ports, and more. The drivers and operators receive a portion of the revenue taken in from advertisers, and the systems are obtained, installed, and serviced all at no cost to drivers or operators. This will be a nice injection of cash to the industry when it is sorely needed.
Visit nybcac.org for more information.
[CD0217]
- Details
- Category: Industry News
VLA Executive Director Philip Jagiela (left) and DFHV Director Ernest ChrappahWashington, D.C. — On February 13, the Government of the District of Columbia’s Department of For-Hire Vehicles (DFHV) invited members of the Virginia Limousine Association (VLA) to its annual meeting before D.C.’s city council. The hearing serves as a report card of sorts to determine how the agency is performing, and VLA’s Executive Director Philip Jagiela—who also serves as CD’s Industry & Brand Ambassador—provided a testimony on behalf of the livery association.
And it was a largely successful endeavor that showed that the district is listening to the operators working under its jurisdiction.
“Our industry regularly attempts to meet with legislators, regulators and airport officials and are often given a deaf ear,” Jagiela said. “That has not been the case for the VLA.”
He added that most participants were from the general public addressing their challenges while also expressing their “pleasure in dealing with the DFHV.”
During his opportunity to speak, Jagiela acknowledged the promising “new direction, efforts, and successes the VLA has experienced while working with Director [Ernest] Chrappah since September 2016.” He also addressed the member-provided feedback from the VLA regarding areas the DFHV would do well to improve, such as enforcement limitations, a lack of renewal notifications for District Operating privilege stickers, and how a lack of access to staging areas often lead to loitering violations.
Jagiela believes this is “a first for any regulatory agency to want stakeholders to speak about their business relationship,” and found both the opportunity and the DFHV’s willingness to hear about its successes as well as its deficiencies an optimistic development.
The next VLA meeting will be April 2.
Visit vla-limo.org for more information.
[CD0217]
- Details
- Category: Industry News
The National Limousine Association’s (NLA’s) Ride Responsibly initiative partnered with nonprofit organization Promoting Awareness, Victim Empowerment (PAVE) to produce a public service campaign starring actress, activist, and sexual violence survivor Pamela Anderson.
The PSA, which can be viewed at youtu.be/bb9ZxP4rgSk, draws attention to the vast number of sexual assaults that have occurred in ride-hailing vehicles and questions if these were caused by insufficient background check procedures. It serves as a call to action following alarming revelations of sexual harassment and assault that reach far beyond Hollywood and Washington, D.C.
NLA President
Gary Buffo Titled "The Signs," the video is Anderson’s second PSA for the Ride Responsibly initiative, and comes on the heels of the #MeToo movement. It is a stark reminder that even getting from point A to B comes with a risk.
"The astounding number of tweets that referenced #MeToo and #uber was absolutely frightening, and disheartening to say the least," said NLA President Gary Buffo. "It is time to recognize that these services are simply unsafe and pose an inherent threat to anyone using them, due to the blatantly insufficient background checks that transportation network companies (TNCs) use. Our partner, PAVE, has been instrumental in our campaign to inform the public about the dangers these services pose. Together, we are actively working to compel safety measures that will prevent these crimes."
Angela Rose
of PAVE For more than 20 years, PAVE and its founder/director Angela Rose have been committed to both sexual harassment and assault prevention and recovery. Through its support, social advocacy, training, and education programs, PAVE is leading the way and tackling these issues head on in the hopes of minimizing their occurrences and impact.
"Through our work with survivors, we have always been aware that cases of sexual assault and harassment can occur just about anywhere," Rose said. "Unfortunately, this now includes ride-hail apps such as Uber and Lyft, which is why we have partnered with the National Limousine Association and Pamela Anderson. It is critical that everyone be made aware of the risks associated with ride-hailing apps, and PAVE is excited to support this campaign with best practices and tangible safety tips. It’s important to note that no matter how many safety tips you practice, it is never your fault if someone harms you."
Visit rideresponsibly.org and limo.org to learn more about the Ride Responsibly initiative and the NLA, respectively. Visit pavingtheway.net to learn more about PAVE.
[CD0218]