Charlotte Hotels Transportation Service | L.A. to re-examine regulations controlling city’s taxi companies

By:Eric
Posted By:www.access-clt.com   

Charlotte Hotels Transportation Service:

In a push to level the playing field for taxi firms competing with new, app-based ride-sharing businesses, Los Angeles officials agreed Thursday to re-examine hundreds of regulations that control the city’s nine licensed cab companies.

At the urging of Mayor Eric Garcetti, the five members of the Board of Taxicab Commissioners said they would review a 64-page taxi rulebook with an eye toward scrapping some regulations and modifying others that put cabs at a competitive disadvantage.In a letter sent to the taxi board Wednesday, Garcetti urged the officials to “take all steps necessary to ensure equal competition.” The growth of companies such as Uber, Lyft and Sidecar means taxi officials need to update policies, including those governing availability of cabs and rates that can be charged, Garcetti wrote.

Lyft, Uber and Sidecar are regulated by the California Public Utility Commission and are not subject to Los Angeles taxi rules. However, city officials could modify existing policies, allowing more taxis to operate in the city or granting them more flexibility in setting fares.
Other U.S. cities, including Chicago, Houston and Seattle, have moved to impose controls on ride-sharing firms, requiring driver training, insurance policies and vehicle inspections. Los Angeles is the first major city to pursue the opposite strategy: easing regulations for legacy cab operations.

Garcetti’s office did not respond to an interview request Thursday. Eric Spiegelman, the president of the taxi commission, declined to comment.

Customers summon ride-sharing services using smartphone apps, and drivers transport passengers in personal vehicles. The services are often marketed as a cheaper, more casual alternative to taxis and have rapidly gained popularity in L.A.

Uber, Lyft and Sidecar use flexible pricing models, called “surge pricing” or “prime time,” that increase during peak periods, such as nights and weekends.

In contrast, Los Angeles’ regulated cabs are required to charge fixed rates: $2.85 when a ride begins, and $2.70 for each subsequent mile. The City Council has capped the number of cabs in the city at 2,300, split among nine licensed companies.

The taxi commission’s review of current rules will require “cooperation and regulation” from the state, Garcetti said in his letter. The statewide Public Utilities Commission requires ride-sharing services to obtain permits and comply with safety requirements, including vehicle inspections, basic insurance coverage and driver background checks.

Garcetti asked city taxi officials to present recommendations by the end of the year. Major policy changes, including ones involving fares, would have to be approved by the City Council.
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Source: www.latimes.com

Charlotte Hotels Transportation Service | NLA Takes Stand on Transportation Network Companies

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By: Adam
Posted By:www.access-clt.com

Charlotte Hotels Transportation Service :
The National Limousine Association has released a Position Paper that addresses industry concerns over the proliferation of Transportation Network Companies (TNCs) and their effects on the passenger transportation industry.

The six-page paper, prepared by the NLA’s Executive Board, addresses major concerns that operators have raised regarding the TNCs  non-compliance with transportation industry regulatory, legal, safety and insurance requirements, as well as false advertising of facts to the  public that utilize TNC for-hire vehicles.

The NLA Board of Directors agreed at its June meeting, held in Washington, DC, to create a Position Paper to address the growing concerns of the business model of TNC companies. Board members were tasked with creating, defining and establishing the paper to address the growing concerns of TNC companies. They also enlisted the assistance of Manesh Rath of Keller & Heckman, NLA’s legal counsel; Louie Perry of Cornerstone Government Affairs, the NLA lobbying firm; and NLA Executive Director Philip Jagiela.

The team provided a draft to the NLA Board for review, suggestions and guidance. Exhaustive efforts were applied by all and after several minor modifications were made, a final draft was adopted.
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Source:www.limo.org/

Charlotte Hotels Transportation Service | Hertz Plunges on Auto Recalls, Accounting Problems

 Charlotte Hotels Transportation Service

By: Eric
Posted By:www.access-clt.com
Source:www.businessweek.com

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The wave of auto industry recalls has dinged car rental chains, and few are suffering as much as Hertz Global Holdings (HTZ). The Florida-based firm withdrew its profit guidance for the year, given the costs of the recalls and an ongoing accounting review of the past three years of company results.

Hertz—which has not reported any financial results this year because of the accounting problems—said on Tuesday evening that it expects profits to “be well below the low end of its 2014 guidance,” given the massive auto recalls, higher operating expenses in the U.S. fleet, and soft demand in its construction-equipment rental business. Hertz had planned to spin off that unit early next year, but says the transaction may be delayed due to the accounting review, which began in March.

The operational troubles have attracted calls for change, with activist investor Carl Icahn disclosing an 8.5 percent stake in Hertz and his “lack of confidence in management.” Icahn will seek talks with Hertz directors, and possibly a board seat, his fund said Wednesday in a regulatory filing. Another hedge fund investor, Fir Tree Partners, called for Hertz directors to replace Chief Executive Officer Mark Frissora. “The CEO has had some serious missteps, and it’s time for a change,” Fir Tree spokesman Scott Tagliarino told Bloomberg News. The fund has a 3.1 percent stake in Hertz.
Story: Why Hertz Is So Hot for Off-Airport Rentals

Given the operational troubles, Hertz withdrew its profit forecast for the year. In response, spooked investors sent shares down more than 10 percent on Wednesday morning, before news of Icahn’s stake arrested the slide. Hertz shares finished 4 percent lower.

The auto industry has recalled more than 44 million vehicles this year, with General Motors (GM) accounting for more than half. The recalls have forced rental chains to pull cars from their fleets for repairs, which has required shuffling vehicles and led to tight inventory in some places. GM is a major supplier for all the large chains; Hertz has GM’s Chevrolet Malibu and Buick LaCrosse sedans, along with a variety of GM sport utility vehicles in its U.S. fleet.

“While demand was trending ahead of plan, transaction days in the 2014 second quarter were tempered by already tight fleets in the face of rising [manufacturer] recall activity, which limited the company’s ability to convert demand into transaction days,” Hertz said. Total daily revenue rose 2 percent in the second quarter, with daily revenue at airport locations rising 5 percent. International rental revenues rose 7 percent.
Story: If Uber Is Killing Taxis, What Explains the Million-Dollar Medallions?

Still, the recalls are a temporary drag on an industry that has been consolidating, trimming its fleet sizes, and reaping robust pricing power in return. Avis Budget Group (CAR), the third-largest U.S. rental chain, crowed earlier this month that business has never been better and raised its profit forecast for the year. At Hertz, the operating environment isn’t nearly so pleasant.

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Source:www.businessweek.com

Ballantyne Transportation Service | Helicopter crashes in Seattle, killing 2

Ballantyne Transportation Service 

                   Ballantyne Transportation Service

By : John
Source : philly.com
Posted By : (450) 669-1886

SEATTLE - A news helicopter crashed into a street and burst into flames Tuesday near Seattle's Space Needle, killing two people on board, badly injuring a man in a car and sending plumes of black smoke over the city during the morning commute.

The chopper was taking off from a helipad on KOMO-TV's roof when it went down at a busy downtown intersection and hit three vehicles, starting them on fire and spewing burning fuel down the street.

Kristopher Reynolds, a contractor working nearby, said he saw the helicopter lift about five feet off the low-rise building before it started to tilt. The chopper looked like it was trying to correct itself when it took a dive.

"Next thing I know, it went into a ball of flames," Reynolds said.

Witnesses reported hearing unusual noises coming from the helicopter as it took off after refueling, said Dennis Hogenson, deputy regional chief with the National Transportation Safety Board in Seattle. They also said the aircraft rotated before it crashed near the Seattle Center campus, home to the Space Needle, restaurants and performing arts centers.

Mayor Ed Murray noted the normally bustling Seattle Center was relatively quiet at the time. Had it been a busier day, "this would have been a much larger tragedy," he said.

Murray added the city will review its policies about permitting helicopter pads in response to the crash.

Investigators were working to document the scene and clear the wreckage, and will examine all possibilities as they determine what caused the crash, Hogenson said. A preliminary analysis is expected in five days, followed by a fuller report with a probable cause in up to a year.

KOMO identified the pilot as Gary Pfitzner, of Issaquah. The other man killed in the crash was Bill Strothman, a former longtime KOMO photographer. Both men were working for Cahokia, Ill.-based Helicopters Inc., the leasing company that operates the Eurocopter AS350 helicopter.

KOMO is a block from the Space Needle and is surrounded by high-rise office and apartment buildings. Workers at the station rushed to the window when they heard the crash. KOMO reporters were then in the position of covering their colleagues' deaths.

One of them, Denise Whitaker, said on the street shortly after the crash: "It is definitely a tragic scene down here. It is a difficult time for all of us this morning."

Source : philly.com | Helicopter crashes in Seattle, killing 2

Huntersville Transportation Service | Gravity cameraman collects Hollywood honour

Huntersville Transportation Service | Call: (704)-493-3671

              Huntersville Transportation Service

By:John
Source: bbc.com
Posted By:  www.access-clt.com
.
The chief cameraman on Oscar-winning film Gravity has won an award for his work at a ceremony in Los Angeles.

Peter Taylor was named camera operator of the year ahead of a field of nominees including cameramen who worked on American Hustle and Saving Mr Banks.

The Society of Camera Operators (SOC) also paid tribute to Sarah Jones, who was killed by a train in the US while working on the film Midnight Rider.

The 27-year-old's parents accepted an honorary membership on her behalf.
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Her father Richard said: "I know she is looking down with a smile. Her enthusiasm is contagious and I hope it lives on."

The crew of the film had laid down a bed on a railway line in Georgia before the collision, which injured several other members of the crew.

The SOC's David Fredrick urged the 500 people attending the awards to sign a pledge calling for greater safety on film sets.

In accepting the award for his work on Gravity, Peter Taylor dedicated it to the film's camera and grip crew.

He also thanked the film's cinematographer, Emmanuel Lubezki, for employing him.

Lubezki was among members of the film's team who were honoured at the Academy Awards for their contributions.

The film, which charts an accident in outer space and stars Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, won technical prizes for film editing and sound mixing among its haul of seven statuettes.

Its most high profile prize was best director for Alfonso Cuaron.

The SOC awarded the best camera operator in television to Don Devine for Mad Men.

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Source: www.bbc.com/entertainment-arts

Charlotte Hotels Transportation Service | Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain withdraw envoys from Qatar

                                                                                              

                                                                                                                   Charlotte Hotels Transportation Service

Charlotte Hotels Transportation Service

By-Adam
Source-edition.cnn.com
Posted by- www.access-clt.com


(CNN) -- Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain announced Wednesday the withdrawal of their ambassadors from Qatar because Doha had not implemented an agreement among Gulf Arab countries not to interfere in each others' internal affairs.

The three countries, which are all part of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) along with Qatar, announced the unprecedented move in a joint statement.

They said GCC members had signed a deal November 23 that included "a security agreement and a commitment to the principles that ensure non-interference in the internal affairs of any of the GCC countries, either directly or indirectly, and not to support any activity that would threaten the security and stability of any of the GCC countries from organizations or individuals, including support for hostile media."

GCC foreign ministers met in Riyadh Tuesday to try to persuade Qatar to implement the agreement, the statement said.

"Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain hoped that the agreement will be implemented, however, after more than three months after the signing of the agreement, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain feel that the State of Qatar did not take the necessary actions to put it into practice," a statement on the Charlotte Hotels Transportation Service Saudi Foreign Ministry Facebook page said.

"Therefore Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain regret to announce that they will take what they deem to be the appropriate steps to protect the security and stability of their nations by withdrawing their ambassadors from Qatar."

Tensions

Qatar expressed "regret and surprise" at the decision and said it would not reciprocate with the same move, a cabinet statement published on the state Qatar News Agency said.

It said it would remain committed to "preserving and protecting the security and stability" of the GCC countries.

Tensions between Qatar and the rest of the GCC have increased in recent years.

Wednesday's announcement is the clearest sign yet of a rift between Gulf Arab nations and Qatar, a perceived supporter of Islamist groups such as Charlotte Hotels Transportation Service, the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and elsewhere in the Middle East -- which are viewed with suspicion or outright hostility by some fellow GCC members. Qatar denounced last year's ouster of Egypt's Islamist President Mohamed Morsy, who hails from the Brotherhood.

The GCC, formed in 1981, consists of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Oman.


Source- edition.cnn.com/world/meast/gulf-qatar-ambassadors

Transportation Service Charlotte | Apple announces new in-dash system

Transportation Service Charlotte

Transportation Service Charlotte

By- Bruce Simon
Source- mercurynews.com
Posted by-access-clt.com

In another move along the road to weaving smartphone technology into your driving experience, Apple announced Monday that select car manufacturers will soon begin offering CarPlay, a system that brings iPhone features and its Siri voice-activation system right into the dashboard.

The move, announced at the Geneva International Motor Show, is an aggressive foray by Apple in the growing battle with Google and others to make mapping, messaging and music as much a part of the automotive zeitgeist as honking the horn. With 80 million new vehicles sold each year, the automobile represents a potential gold mine for any tech company that can dominate the space. Earlier this year, Google announced its Open Automotive Alliance to work with automakers to bring Android technology to cars.

Apple says CarPlay will allow users to access the iPhone's features by touching icons on an in-dash console or activating Siri through a button on the steering wheel. Billed by Apple as "the best iPhone experience on four wheels," CarPlay will debut later this year in vehicles from Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo, with other carmakers such as Ford and Honda joining the pack "down the road," according to a news release.

"CarPlay has been designed from the ground up to provide drivers with an incredible experience using their iPhone in the car," Greg Joswiak, Apple's vice president of iPhone and iOS product marketing, said in a news release. "iPhone users always want their content at their fingertips and CarPlay lets drivers use their iPhone in the car with minimized distraction."

Apple's announcement raised more questions than it answered. Most significant, it's unclear whether the new cars that feature CarPlay will also allow a driver to use an Android or Windows device, or whether a buyer might select one system over another as an add-on option. While Apple did say that CarPlay would work with a variety of third-party apps, including Spotify and Beats Radio, it did not say whether only iOS-generated content would appear on the console.
Apple’s new CarPlay system will integrate iPhone features, including Siri, into select cars. (Apple photo)
Apple's new CarPlay system will integrate iPhone features, including Siri, into select cars. (Apple photo)
Some news reports said the technology would work only with an iPhone, but Apple wouldn't comment. And while a Volvo spokeswoman said it was too early "to discuss such specifics," the company's news release seemed to suggest the new XC90 SUV would handle only iOS devices.

Volvo said CarPlay at first will require the user to plug the iPhone in with a cord, but that Wi-Fi connections are "coming in the near future."

CarPlay is essentially a re-branding of Apple's operating system iOS in the Car, a product first unveiled last year at the Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco.

"This is another big step in connecting different technologies together," said analyst Avi Greengart with Current Analysis. "If you bought a new car in the past few years, you could connect your smartphone to the sound system but it was often a lousy connection. With CarPlay, Apple is trying to provide that connection in a smoother and more standardized way."

The reason, said Greengart, is to stake a claim in a burgeoning new profit center.

"We're clearly moving toward a digital car," he said, "and the dashboard is the main focus."

Once CarPlay rolls out in cars with Apple's initial three partners, 13 other manufacturers expect to feature the technology in the future, including Ford and GM.

Noticeably absent from the third-party apps that CarPlay will accommodate is Pandora Media, the Oakland-based streaming-radio pioneer that has worked hard to integrate its product with automobiles.

"At this time, Pandora is not integrated with Apple CarPlay," Pandora said in a statement, pointing out that "there are more than 130 vehicle models that include a native Pandora integration available from 26 major auto brands."

Contact Patrick May at 408-920-5689; follow him at Twitter.com/patmaymerc.

About Apple's CarPlay

Features: Make calls, use Maps, listen to music, access messages.
Controls: Touch the in-dash console or push-and-hold steering-wheel button to activate Siri.
Devices: Works with Lightning-enabled iPhone 5S, iPhone 5C and iPhone 5
Partners: Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo, followed later by others, including BMW Group, Ford, General Motors and Honda.
Third-party apps: Spotify, Beats Radio, iHeartRadio and Stitcher.
Debut: 2014

Source-mercurynews.com/apple-announces-new-dash-system-bring-iphone-features