Thursday, February 14, 2008 |
|
Alexander Wood reports: My take on the new pilot by Freedom Mobility Inc (FMI) -- which, incidentally, passed unanimously, is that competition is good. There was a lot of talk about re-opening the RFI that Autovan responded to last year again, 6 months into Autovan's pilot, while all reports are that Autovan's vehicles are on the road and performing well, but, according to Peter Shenkman the TLC is awaiting additional data before evaluating the project and making recommendations re: rulemaking. But isn't competition a good thing? If there is more than one retrofitter out there who can put accessible taxis on the road, then there will be more accessible vehicles on the road quicker, right? And presumably, that will keep the conversion prices competitive, as the companies strive to provide better service at lower cost... FMI presented impressive testimony about providing accessible vehicles in the Houston and San Francisco markets (claiming that Houston has just ordered an additional 94 accessible taxis, making it the largest accessible fleet on the road in the US today... Not sure how many accessible cabs are on the road in Houston already with Greater Houston Transportation). Evidently FMI was the original converter of the rear-entry Toyota Sienna, and has been doing such conversions for 20 years. There is a legal action between Autovan and FMI because folks at Autovan may have taken proprietary info about the conversion techniques of FMI to their new company when they were hired away (but all this was a bit mysterious, as the guy from FMI would not discuss the legal matter, so whatever came out was hearsay spilled by Daus, Salkin, Shenkman, and Gianoulis... There is a medallion sale projected for some time in May. TLC is hoping to have updated rules by then, as Autovan is near supplying the data that shows what the pilot has demonstrated... In the end, though, in my opinion, the TLC is acting in good faith letting FMI in the door. They have not rejected Autovan, and so far, the word has been positive about the accessible Siennas on the street, which is more than anyone can say for the Uplanders and Dodge Caravans on the road. Beresford Simmons (an owner/operator of accessible taxis) has had negative experiences with both vehicles, and says his accessible taxis have cost him tens of thousands in additional maintenance, and yet he continues to field those vehicles, and seems strangely happy to do so. I left the hearing when Deborah Marton started her Design Trust spiel, as I have heard it many times, and sat through the entire hearing last week... Daus acknowledged Michael Harris and Micah Kellner, and offered Micah an opportunity to speak, which the Assembly Member declined. I do not see any reason to object to FMI entering the mix. But, of course, I could be wrong. There was a lot of negative feeling about their being allowed to enter the game at this late stage. One commissioner asked if a third company came forward if the whole process would be reopened? The concensus seemed to be that whatever gets more accessible vehicles on the road should be pursued. I like that concept, I admit. |
| posted by Webmaster 2 at
2/14/2008 01:22:00 PM email this post  |
 |
|---|
1 Comments:
We're expecting another write-up from the meeting soon, which I'll post as soon as I can after it arrives.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home