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Louisville, Ky.—Chantz McPeek, industrial fire coordinator with the Kentucky State Fire Commission, visited the latest meeting of the Kentucky Limousine Association (KLA) this January to discuss the development of custom, fire safety training programs for chauffeurs in light of the limousine-related combustion tragedies that occurred in 2013. These safety programs are slated to begin in February. KLA Vice President NeVelle Skaggs, who is also a firefighter, will be assisting with the various seminars and training programs for state certification.
Al Barber, fleet sales manager with Germain Cadillac in Columbus, Ohio, also made a presentation at the meeting, highlighting the dealership’s newest vehicles and promotions. Germain Cadillac is the closest Cadillac dealer to the Louisville area.
Officer Jared Newberry, friend and ally to KLA, dropped by to update the association as he continues to fight the good fight against illegal operators, which are quite prevalent in the state of Kentucky. Officer Newberry and his team have been actively responding to reports of those that are flagrantly disregarding the state transportation laws by issuing citations and even bringing one case to court.
The next KLA meeting will take place on March 10 and 11 at Harrah’s in Chicago, Ill.
Visit kylimo.org for more information.
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Dallas, Texas—A much anticipated face-off took place at Dallas City Hall on January 21 between app-based, transportation-for-hire services, Uber and Lyft, and Dallas’ traditional car services, limousines, and taxicabs. Although no resolutions were reached and no votes were taken by the Dallas City Council’s Transportation and Trinity River Project Committee as of yet, all sides made their cases quite clear.
Each faction got to share its opinion: Taxi drivers complained that limousine drivers are overcharging customers, jumping in lines at hotels, and stealing their business. Lyft users spoke of the “joyous” experience that comes from making new pals while ridesharing. Uber’s Justin Kintz, one of the company’s public policy gurus, insisted that Uber already runs background checks and carries a million-dollar insurance policy that the city requires.
Michael Morris, the transportation director for the North Central Texas Council of Governments, urged the council to wait until it finishes writing a region-wide policy, which should be done within 60 to 90 days.
“We need more technology and more enforcement,” Morris says. But right now the region is troubled by “in-consistent standards and a lack of enforcement,” he says. Morris also suggested the concept of instituting a single permit/license—what it’s calling a Regional Limousine Permit—for all cab, limousine, and ridesharing companies.
These ideas were seconded by Dallas Fort Worth Limousine Association (DFWLA) President Richard Weiner of Carey Dallas, who attended and spoke at the meeting. Weiner also stressed to the committee that “the present rules and regulations do not need to be changed; they only need to be enforced.”
Visit dfwlimoassociation.com for more information.
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Aurora, Colo.—The Colorado Limousine Association (CLA) held its monthly meeting in late January in Aurora. Elections were held at this meeting and the new board officials were ushered in to their respective positions. The leaders of the CLA for 2014 are:
President: Youssef Marrakchi of Centennial Transportation
Vice President: Adam Paul of Colorado Corporate Car
Treasurer: Mary Norby of Corporate GT Denver/Carey Denver
Secretary: Dianne Cavenner of DDG Classic Limousine
Sergeant-at-Arms: John Hafer of A Custom Coach WW Transportation
After serving as president of CLA in 2013, Franci Ouzounis will now assume the position of chairman of the board.
Visit cololimo.org for more information.