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Rochester, N.Y.—The Limousine, Bus, Taxi Operators of Upstate New York (LBTOUNY) convened its bi-monthly meeting in Rochester. Foremost on the agenda was the continued efforts to repeal the tax on limousines.
LBTOUNY has been working hard on repealing the unfair N.Y. state tax bill (A-8751A; S-4920) which is greatly inhibiting operators in the upstate New York area. Unfortunately, the original champion of the bill to repeal this tax, Assemblyman Dennis Gabryszak (D-Cheektowaga), resigned in December 2013, but the cause is now being advocated by Assemblyman Robin Schimminger (D-Tonawanda). Their fight needs a total reboot after Gabryszak dropped the ball, but Schimminger, along with other supporters, appear committed to make this repeal happen at any cost.
All of this effort appears to have (finally) paid off because on March 13, the New York State Senate passed a senate budget resolution in their one house budget calling for the elimination of sales tax on black car and limousine services. There is still a good amount of work to be done to ensure that this repeal passes, and LBTOUNTY members are doing their level best to keep the awareness level high in the minds of the New York State Assembly and Governor Cuomo himself. This issue is still developing, so there will more to come in future updates.
Uber was also on the minds of LBTOUNY members, as it is with most people in the chauffeured ground transportation industry these days. There are rumblings that the company is looking to push northward in New York state. “Albany seems to be were a service like Uber would make the most sense,” says Kevin Barwell, president of LBTOUNY and VP/director of sales for Giorgio’s Limousine Service. “We’re trying to let our members know that Uber is a very real threat and we need to come up with a plan for when, not if, they move up this way.”
And finally, the installation of digital recording devices inside of livery vehicles was tabled for discussion. This is a law that has been passed, but seems to be at a standstill as the DOT as not done anything, one way or another, to address and/or enforce it, leaving the upstate N.Y. operators stymied.
Visit lbtony.com for more information.
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PRLA President Jim SalingerTrevose, Pa.—The Philadelphia Regional Limousine Association (PRLA) hosted its monthly meeting at Twining Hall in Trevose, Pa. The event was sponsored by M.A. Brightbill Body Works of Lebanon, Pa.
PRLA President Jim Salinger of Unique Limousine took the podium to announce that Terminal F at the Philadelphia international Airport (PHL) will be closed for some time due to construction. Passengers should be informed/directed to use Terminal E instead. Salinger then announced that PRLA attorney, Michael Henry informed him that the Pa. Supreme Court has refused to hear the Philadelphia Parking Authority’s (PPA) appeal, which means that PRLA, barring a few loose ends to tie up, has won its fight against the PPA in regard to several long-standing issues that the organizations were squabbling over.
From there, the discussion evolved into an ardent, free-form debate about Uber and the other rogue apps. Many of the operators in attendance expressed great surprise at Uber’s bold and aggressive business maneuvers (legal or otherwise) within the city. Mike Barreto of Flyte Tyme Worldwide Transportation, Rich Ackerman of the P.A. Post Agency, and Jim Moseley of TripTracker lead this examination with several other operators chiming in with their thoughts on, and overall experiences with, Uber and the other apps of that ilk. It was ultimately decided that a PRLA “discovery” committee would be formed, with Barreto heading up this committee. It was also mentioned that alliances with the Limousine Associations of New Jersey (LANJ) and NLA should be considered to present a more unified front against the money and political influence that Uber, in particular, possesses.
The next PRLA meeting will be held on April 16 again at Twining Hall. Visit prlainc.org for more information.
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L to R: Michele Nosko and Ken Presley of UMA Los Angeles, Calif.—The United Motorcoach Association’s (UMA) Motorcoach Expo at Travel Exchange took place in Los Angeles in mid-February. This was the 30th anniversary for this grandiose event. Chauffer Driven’s President and Publisher Chris Weiss was on hand to experience the conference’s many events as well as meet with old and new friends in the motorcoach and chauffeured ground transportation industries.
A variety of products and services were on display in the City of Angels, including full-size coaches, vans, shuttle buses, pre-owned coaches, transit buses, tires, safety products, brakes, parts and components, mobile electronics, seats and upholstery, insurance, and more. Not only did the Expo floor feature 189 suppliers, 50 of those companies were not on the floor in 2013 and 39 of those companies were exhibiting for the first time—a fabulous sign that the economy is coming back strong.
Sponsors for the event included TEMSA & CH Bus Sales, the Los Angeles Tourism Board, Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, Sardo Bus & Coach Upholstery, and Amador Stage Lines and Certified Transportation Services.
“Exhibit space was virtually sold out and that's a testament to the fact that Expo delivers the kind of quality buyers that suppliers have come to expect from us,” says Victor Parra, UMA president and CEO. “In Los Angeles, operators were able to see all of the established vendors they already do business with and at the same time, meet new vendors and see new products and services too.”
Parra continued: “Many operations are finding that it's necessary to diversify their fleets and offerings to meet consumer demand; at EXPO we helped them meet those needs. Along with the full-size coaches attendees traditionally come to see, we've had a variety of other equipment on the floor this year, like transit buses, midsize coaches, shuttle buses, and vans.
Next year’s UMA Motorcoach EXPO will be held in New Orleans, La., from January 18 to 22.
Visit uma.org or motorcoachexpo.com for more information.
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