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UMA Members at Capitol Hill
Alexandria, Va. — Members of the United Motorcoach Association (UMA) took to Capitol Hill at the end of June to speak to their Congressional officials to discuss key MAP-21 issues affecting the motorcoach industry at UMA's annual event, Capitol Hill Days.
In total, UMA operator members held 284 individual appointments at Congressional offices, having increased from 210 appointments at last year's event.
In their meetings, UMA members shared information about their own businesses and presented key message points vital to motorcoach operators. Message points included: federal minimum financial responsibility limits, preservation of charter bus protections, return to zero federal fuel tax for over-the-road buses, increased opportunities for contracting with local transit agencies, and a host of regulatory reforms that include due process for Imminent Hazard and Out-of-Service orders, and prohibition on third-party inspection requirements, local entity requirements for registrations of charter bus operators, and en route inspections.
“To say our day was a success is an understatement," says Victor Parra, UMA president and CEO. "The feedback we've heard from our members on their meetings tell us they had a great experience and that this is exactly what we needed to make an impression on our regulators. This day may not provide the instant gratification we have all become accustomed to in this day and age, but I can promise you, the messages our members shared all over the Hill today will have a positive impact as we move closer to the reauthorization of the highway safety bill."
The day of meetings concluded with a reception for UMA members and Congressional Members and staff. Representative John Mica (Fla.-R) attended and was awarded with the inaugural "Motorcoach Champion Award" for his unfailing support for the private bus and motorcoach industry.
"Our members were incredible today," said Ken Presley, UMA's vice president of industry relations and COO. "It can be daunting to walk into a Representative or Senator's office and ask for their support on our issues, but they rose up to the challenge and made a difference."
Visit uma.org for more information.
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(L to R) Friedel Greene Corporate Livery Director for BMW of El Cajon, Marco Schnieder Key Marketing Manager for BMW of North America, Ron Mangseth General Sales Manager BMW of El Cajon, Dale Theriot and Rick Brown Owners of La Costa Limousine
San Diego, Calif.—
Fifteen black on black BMW 740Lis recently found a new home at La Costa Limousine, which serves the greater San Diego area. Co-owners Rick Brown and Dale Theriot began testing the 740Li with its customers several months ago and received a good reception, but the need to turnover their aging Town Car fleet made it imperative to make the major purchase.
“Our passengers are paying for a luxury service, and the BMW, especially the 7 Series, has that perception of luxury,” says Theriot. He said that they looked at other sedan options, but they either lacked the room or the panache of the BMW. “It’s a great car and our clients love the extra head and leg room. The trunk is even spacious.” He says the vehicles have had an unexpected bump in fuel efficiency of an average of three miles per gallon when in ECO PRO mode (the gas-saving level of BMW’s Driving Dynamics Control) over the old Town Cars. The fuel economy of the 740Li is rated at 19/29 mpg (city/highway).
Brown and Theriot worked with Friedel Greene, corporate livery director, and Ron Mangseth, general sales manager, both of BMW of El Cajon, to secure the vehicles. Marco Schneider, key account manager for BMW’s Limousine & Hotel Shuttle Program, was also involved and was able to offer additional incentives beyond those for livery customers thanks to the size of the purchase. A new program through the manufacturer includes tiered fleet discounts for multi-vehicle purchases, starting with as few as five cars. The current livery price for a single 740Li is $64,760 (additional dealer fees apply).
La Costa has been in business since 1989 and has a diverse fleet of 55 vehicles.
Visit
lacostalimo.com for more information. For more information about BMW livery incentives, contact Marco Schneider at
Marco.R.Schneider@bmwna.com
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NLA Executive Director Phillip Jagiela and NLA President Gary Buffo
Washington, D.C. — It was that time of year again when several hundred members of the National Limousine Association (NLA) descend upon our nation’s capital to meet with their representatives (or their staffs) to discuss the issues affecting the industry in their area. The event also included a meeting of the NLA Board; educational sessions on how to work with politicians before, during, and especially after the meetings; and a first-ever Association Presidents’ Summit, which was created to keep the conversation going.
The board, led by NLA Executive Director Philip Jagiela and President Gary Buffo of Pure Luxury Transportation, worked with Cornerstone Government Affairs to set up the meetings with representatives. Cornerstone also provided tips on how to work most effectively with not only Washington politicians, but also their state governors and representatives. After a day on Capitol Hill full of shaking hands and speaking their minds about what’s impacting their businesses in their districts, attendees enjoyed a multi-course meal and plenty of cocktails at Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab.
The following day, the Association Presidents’ Summit included over two dozen local association presidents who gave the roundtable a snapshot of what was happening in their areas, legislatively and professionally, and how the discussions with their representatives went.
Louie Perry, one of the founders of Cornerstone, said that working with local politicians gives the industry a unique opportunity to be heard. “On the federal level, legislation moves much slower, but the state, especially the executive branch, can react faster and legislation can be written quicker,” he said. “Local and state legislators aren’t as sophisticated as those in Washington because it’s often a part-time gig for them, but there is an opportunity to educate them and earn them as an advocate in a way that is much more impactful.
The conversation, unsurprisingly, was dominated by Uber and the TNCs, as every association president mentioned the current status of the app in their cities and states. Limousine Association of New Jersey President Jim Moseley of TripTracker shared a call he got from a new operator who purchased an established company in N.J. “He called me and asked what we could do to help. He said that they were losing chauffeurs to Uber at a rate of about 10 percent per month and that another month or two of this and he would have to file bankruptcy. He just purchased the company a few months ago for a quarter-million dollars. Uber is very, very clever, and we have to be, too.”
(
L to R) LBTOUNY President Kevin Barwell, AJ Thurber of Grech Motors, and Tony Simon of Reston Limousine
Greater California Livery Association President Rich Azzolino of Gateway Global says that they are meeting more frequently because of TNCs. “We’re meeting, at least the board is, almost every week. We were doing quarterly meetings, but now it’s meetings in different parts of the state twice a month. In California, the cab companies are almost out of business because of TNCs. Uber doesn’t want regulation, period, but I think the regulators are coming around to understanding our side of the issue.” Azzolino was also one of many presidents to mention the benefits of working with a local lobbyist.
But the news wasn’t all discouraging. Vice President of West Florida Livery Association Dave Shaw of Olympus Limo & Sedan Service reported that a bill that was crafted by and in favor of the TNCs was thrown out and rewritten. Shaw says that he hopes to work with legislators to craft the new bill’s language.
Perhaps the biggest announcement to come out of the event was NLA’s newly active stance on fighting Uber and other TNCs. Buffo said that the association, partially because it was a regional issue, was previously neutral on the apps, preferring instead to support regional associations as they battled it locally. He said that as of its executive board meeting that enough was enough and they are going to ramp up not only their backing of regional associations, but will aggressively take on the issue itself. More information will be released in the near future and will be circulated to all of the local associations.
Visit limo.org for more information.
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