- Details
- Category: Industry News
Naples, Fla.-based Dolphin Transportation owners Fizz Papps and Tim Rose announced on Facebook their merger with Sarasota Coach Lines of Sarasota, Fla.
According to the post, Sarasota Coach Lines, founded in 1993, has been a leader in motorcoach transportation in South Florida. Providing service to the corporate, leisure, and luxury hotel markets, they also serve the public and private school sectors.
Sarasota Coach Lines was recently acquired by Dolphin Transportation
Sarasota Coach Line’s owners John and Mary Beth Crockett have built the operation into a trusted and premier brand in the Sarasota area. The entire community knows Sarasota Coach Lines, the Crockett family, and the excellent service and reputation they have built.
Dolphin’s goal will be to expand on their success in the marketplace by providing the latest equipment and services.
“We are extremely excited to partner with John and Mary Beth,” says Rose.” The strategic merger of our two companies will create an incredibly strong portfolio and expand our coverage throughout the West coast of Florida. The combination of Dolphin and Sarasota Coach Lines creates a highly diversified fleet with the highest level of technology.”
The merger secures Dolphin’s presence in the Sarasota/Bradenton and Tampa areas. The Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beaches, Boca Raton, Marco Island, Naples, Ft. Myers, and Punta Gorda markets will also benefit from the consolidation of these two companies, according to the post.
Dolphin’s fleet now consists of over 175 vehicles, including ADA-compliant vehicles, sedans, SUVs, vans, limousines, minibuses, minicoaches, and full-size motorcoaches.
Visit dolphinnaples.com for more information.
[08.17.21]
- Details
- Category: Industry News
Reston Limousine President & CEO Kristina Bouweiri
Virginia Business Magazine recently named Reston Limousine President & CEO Kristina Bouweiri as one of the Top Female Executives in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Bouweiri was among 29 other distinguished female leaders profiled in the article. Reston was founded in 1990 with just five cars and grew to 250 vehicles with 450 employees. The company has been a major player in the Washington, D.C., and Northern Virginia market for decades.
The full write-up was the July 2021 cover story for the Virginia-based publication, which can be viewed here.
The profile, highlighting large and small company owners, also recognized Bouweiri as a champion for other women in the business world. In 2008, she founded Sterling Women, a female networking group, and she has focused on philanthropic work in her community throughout her career. Sterling Women has become one of the most sought-after monthly events for women executives in Northern Virginia. The exchange of ideas, networking, and listening to a casual keynote talk from a top female executive, all have morphed into a sisterhood that Bouweiri is extremely proud.
“Witnessing women helping women is the exact gesture and tone we need more of in the business community. Sterling Women is not just a group—it’s a movement that is empowering women to thrive with the best resources to be top executives in their lives,” she has said about the group.
She’s also serves on several community and regional boards, raised money for Loudoun Boy Scouts, and recruited members for 100WomenStrong, a group that is dedicated to improving life in Loudoun County, where her 31-year-old company is based.
Bouweiri is also scheduled to be a Mentor (partnered with Jay Erlich of Europe Limousine) for the Operator Mentoring Program at the upcoming CD/NLA Show this October 10-13 in Dallas. The full lineup and registration information is available here.
Visit restonlimo.com for more information.
[08.17.21]
- Details
- Category: Industry News
The Black Car Fund (BCF), New York State's workers' compensation provider for independent contractor black car operators, has partnered with Nexar, a leading AI computer vision company, to place cameras in thousands of cars to protect their members in the case of an accident or assault. Nexar's AI-powered dual-camera dash cams detect collisions, immediately notify BCF, and then send a detailed reenactment of the crash within minutes, allowing BCF to begin processing their workers' comp claim.
BCF Executive Director Ira Goldstein
"The Black Car Fund was formed by a New York State statute over 20 years ago to provide workers' comp for independent drivers who otherwise wouldn't be insured for on-the-job injuries,'' said BCF Executive Director Ira Goldstein. "Drivers are often unaware of their rights and the benefits available to them and may not know where to turn to if they are injured. Nexar's technology allows us to proactively reach out and support them when our help is most needed."
The Black Car Fund is funded entirely by passengers in the form of a small surcharge that is assessed on every ride dispatched by a member base. As per state law, The BCF uses a fraction of that surcharge to provide additional health-related benefits to its covered drivers (about 100,000 drivers).
Nexar was an obvious choice for the partnership as Nexar-powered dash cams enable new vision-based applications for better driving. When drivers pair these dash cams with the Nexar app, they join a network that powers new applications for driving and seeing the world. Using anonymous, aggregated data captured from this network, Nexar has developed a portfolio of vision-based data services for public and private sector partners to make roadways safer and more efficient.
Azam Hoosain is a Nexar camera user who was driving passengers when he was struck from behind. This caused his vehicle to flip over and seriously injure him. Nexar contacted Hoosaim, made him aware of the protections provided by BCF and assisted him with his claim, which, as a result of workers' comp, covered all medical expenses and saved him from a lawsuit.
Another driver, Ashish Sapkota, suffered injuries when a passenger violently assaulted him. The incident was captured by Nexar, and BCF was able to help the traumatized driver file a claim after the incident left him too scared to work.
"The Black Car Fund provides workers compensation along with free benefits such as basic dental and vision coverage along with other health-related benefits to approximately 100,000 drivers in New York, and we are so proud to work with them," said Nexar Co-founder & CEO Eran Shir. "Our first report of loss and unique scene reconstruction will be a game-changer for so many drivers who provide a tremendous service to millions of New Yorkers. The ability of Nexar's AI algorithms to 'understand' and report an incident in real-time allows us to make a difference in yet another sector.”
Visit nybcf.org for more information about the Black Car Fund or data.getnexar.com for more information about Nexar and its products.
[08.16.21]