While drivers will still need to keep your eyes on the road, Avis and Budget are partnering with AT&T’s CruiseCast to beam television channels into rental cars.
For $8.95 a day, the passengers in the backseat will never need to part with their precious television. Sorry, no Tivo option yet…
Unsurprisingly, the channel lineup is heavily tilted toward kids’ programming. Disney Channel, Disney XD, Discovery Kids, Animal Planet, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network Mobile, USA, COMEDY CENTRAL, MSNBC, CNN Mobile Live and CNBC. Perhaps ironically, the Travel Channel is being added soon.
Cars will be outfitted with a roof antenna (pictured), and the streaming video will be cached for three minutes, to prevent signal drop when you lose a direct line of sight to the satellite.
Budget and Avis are pitching it to both vacationing families and business travelers. The family angle, I get. The business traveler, not so much. Keep CNN or the Colbert Report running in the background while you drive?
Is this something you’d opt for in a rental car? Hit the comments!
Hat tip Budget Travel
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January 14th, 2009 at 2:39 pm
I’m usually too busy trying to navigate to bother listening to any kind of talk on the radio. Forget TV running behind me. On a business trip, I’m usually on my own.
January 14th, 2009 at 2:48 pm
This is just stupid. I know that parents use the DVD player in the back to pacify their kids on a long trip (though I think the long-term impact of this is a generation of people with ADD and a lack of appreciation for either the world around them or their own inner thoughts)
But what business traveler will want a tv in the back? How often do business travelers fill the backseat with passengers?
And if it’s just for the background sound, are we that accustomed to having the tv on — at home and at work — that we need it on in the car?
I first thought this post was an April Fool’s Day joke, but it’s too f*&#ing cold here to be April yet.
January 14th, 2009 at 8:39 pm
the only time I ever rent a car is when I travel for business (usually try to vacation where I won’t need a car) – I can’t see the efficacy of trying to pitch this to a traveler like me.
I’m usually looking for NPR as it is; no television news ever provides enough information to satiate my thirst for what’s happening in the world.
January 15th, 2009 at 4:22 pm
I am with Tino. When I was a kid (yeah, yeah, sounding old) I was so excited just to be in the car going places. The world passing by me was a constant source of excitement. TVs are everywhere and I am sick of it! Don’t get me wrong, I like TV and watch my fair share of it but must every aspect of our lives be saturated by it? What I hate most is being in “remote” areas on vacation and then having to be subjected to television while I dine or drink or pass through a lobby. Often showing is American television (even in foreign countries) which is exactly what I am trying to escape. Where I live a new restaurant opened that has a television AT EVERY TABLE! I think Tino is right saying that TV is a constant in many people’s lives, but I do wonder about the social ramifications.
March 26th, 2009 at 4:53 am
BREAKTHROUGH! Avis Agrees To Halt Miami-Dade WeDriveU Operation
March 25, 2009
MIAMI — The chauffeured transportation industry scored a major victory Monday with confirmation that Avis WeDriveU has ceased its operations in Miami-Dade County.
The county had become a national focal point for the controversial Avis chauffeured drive model which avoided the rules and regulations required of chauffeured transportation operators of luxury vehicles. By not playing on a level playing field, Avis WeDriveU had the potential to seriously undermine the longstanding business model of chauffeured transportation operators and thereby radically remake the industry. Avis also was not required to follow the consistent standards of safety, reliability, and quality that have become the hallmarks of law-abiding, license-paying chauffeured operators.
The Miami-Dade County Consumer Services Department ruled that Avis would have to follow country ordinances that require permits, fees, licenses, safety and background checks, and other regulations that apply to luxury chauffeured vehicles, said Ron Sorci, president of the NLA and CFO of Miami-based Aventura Worldwide Transportation. Avis had managed to avoid these rules by forming two separate companies — one for its chauffeured rental vehicles, and another one for its chauffeur service.
The department told Avis they were not in compliance with the rules and regulations of the county’s chauffeured transportation ordinance, Sorci said. Officials also determined that Avis was violating its concessions agreement with the Miami International Airport. As a result, the Consumer Services Department received a letter from an Avis attorney confirming that the car rental agency had ceased its chauffeured service in the county, Sorci said.
Sorci said the decision has national implications for the industry. “The same arguments we made in Dade County are the same arguments you can make in other counties throughout the U.S.”
Since Avis began operating, the NLA, the Florida Ground Transportation Association, the Florida Limousine Association, the West Florida Limousine Association, and other NLA-affiliated associations nationwide have been blowing the whistle on such regulatory inequities. The decision against Avis this week culminates many meetings between association leaders and county officials, industry awareness efforts, and a videotaped expose of Avis chauffeured practices that were given to the Miami-Dade department.
Miami now joins Phoenix and Atlanta as the cities were Avis chauffeured operations have been beaten back, Sorci said.
The Miami-Dade decision concludes this phase of a 15-month battle for Carla Boroday, president of the Florida Ground Transportation Association and owner of Associated Limousine in Miami. Boroday was instrumental in first alerting the department to the Avis problem in the first quarter of 2008. She and other operators then repeatedly met with the Consumer Services Department through its Limousine Advisory Board.
“As far as we’re concerned, Avis was like a gypsy operator,” Boroday said. “They didn’t follow all the rules and regulations like everyone else did.”
Boroday said issuance of the final decision took a long time because the department wanted to make sure Avis would cease chauffeured operations at all airports and venues throughout the county.
Avis also is supposed to pull any WeDriveU advertisments in the county, she said.
Boroday remains cautiously optimistic that the problem has been resolved. Avis can still retain WeDriveU as a separate company, and continues to advertise the services of chauffeurs for clients’ personal cars, instead of rental cars.
“I hoping that this is the end,” Boroday said. “But what’s to stop WeDriveU from hooking up with someone else? Can they still be a personal chauffeur service? Is that a way of getting around it?”
A recent letter to a client promoted a $36.80 per hour personal chauffeur, with the first hour free. “Why waste thousands of dollars on limousine services?” the letter stated.
Now, the FGTA and other associations need to tackle the Avis chauffeured operations in other counties, such as Broward and Palm Beach, where going after the company is a bit more difficult.
Miami-Dade was a logical focal point for the battle because of its heavy regulatory atmosphere, Boroday said. “If ordinances were to be broken, that’s where they’d be broken. Palm Beach is open entry where it’s more difficult to stop.”
Scott Solombrino, CEO of Dav El Chauffeured Transportation Network and an NLA board member, said the decision marks a strong beginning to the eventual end of Avis inroads into the chauffeured transportation market.
“I think it starts to show that the regulators are now paying attention to operators trying to skirt the regulations and operate illegally,” Solombrino said. “This gives us huge credibility with other regulators, and gives us an example that says these people are breaking the rules and the laws.
“In short order, this program will no longer be viable for Avis.”
Solombrino said this decision is a “very positive step in a long process.” “I’m very excited about it. People are finally listening to us.”
The next fronts in the Avis battle will center on the New York Taxi and Limousine Commission and the California Public Utilities Commission. Solombrino predicted that the NY TLC’s standards will set the benchmark for other municipal regulators nationwide.
During a recent Limousine Associations of New Jersey meeting, TLC Commissioner Matt Daus appeared favorably receptive to the industry’s argument that Avis operates outside of the rules, Solombrino said. “Matt Daus gave us hope that they would take a hard, aggressive look at this.”
As to Avis still promoting personal chauffeurs, Solombrino said the correct concept of a personal chauffeur is essentially “your housekeeper chauffeuring you to work and then going back to clean your house” — as a hired employee.
A rented Avis chauffeur still would need to be subject to the same regulations as any other chauffeur, he said.
“Long term, we are going to win this. This will come out favorable to us.”
Source: Martin Romjue, LCT Magazine
April 24th, 2009 at 1:20 pm
Avis Agrees To Halt Miami-Dade WeDriveU Operation
March 25, 2009
MIAMI — The chauffeured transportation industry scored a major victory Monday with confirmation that Avis WeDriveU has ceased its operations in Miami-Dade County.
The county had become a national focal point for the controversial Avis chauffeured drive model which avoided the rules and regulations required of chauffeured transportation operators of luxury vehicles. By not playing on a level playing field, Avis WeDriveU had the potential to seriously undermine the longstanding business model of chauffeured transportation operators and thereby radically remake the industry. Avis also was not required to follow the consistent standards of safety, reliability, and quality that have become the hallmarks of law-abiding, license-paying chauffeured operators.
The Miami-Dade County Consumer Services Department ruled that Avis would have to follow country ordinances that require permits, fees, licenses, safety and background checks, and other regulations that apply to luxury chauffeured vehicles, said Ron Sorci, president of the NLA and CFO of Miami-based Aventura Worldwide Transportation. Avis had managed to avoid these rules by forming two separate companies — one for its chauffeured rental vehicles, and another one for its chauffeur service.
The department told Avis they were not in compliance with the rules and regulations of the county’s chauffeured transportation ordinance, Sorci said. Officials also determined that Avis was violating its concessions agreement with the Miami International Airport. As a result, the Consumer Services Department received a letter from an Avis attorney confirming that the car rental agency had ceased its chauffeured service in the county, Sorci said.
Sorci said the decision has national implications for the industry. “The same arguments we made in Dade County are the same arguments you can make in other counties throughout the U.S.”
Since Avis began operating, the NLA, the Florida Ground Transportation Association, the Florida Limousine Association, the West Florida Limousine Association, and other NLA-affiliated associations nationwide have been blowing the whistle on such regulatory inequities. The decision against Avis this week culminates many meetings between association leaders and county officials, industry awareness efforts, and a videotaped expose of Avis chauffeured practices that were given to the Miami-Dade department.
Miami now joins Phoenix and Atlanta as the cities were Avis chauffeured operations have been beaten back, Sorci said.
The Miami-Dade decision concludes this phase of a 15-month battle for Carla Boroday, president of the Florida Ground Transportation Association and owner of Associated Limousine in Miami. Boroday was instrumental in first alerting the department to the Avis problem in the first quarter of 2008. She and other operators then repeatedly met with the Consumer Services Department through its Limousine Advisory Board.
“As far as we’re concerned, Avis was like a gypsy operator,” Boroday said. “They didn’t follow all the rules and regulations like everyone else did.”
Boroday said issuance of the final decision took a long time because the department wanted to make sure Avis would cease chauffeured operations at all airports and venues throughout the county.
Avis also is supposed to pull any WeDriveU advertisments in the county, she said.
Boroday remains cautiously optimistic that the problem has been resolved. Avis can still retain WeDriveU as a separate company, and continues to advertise the services of chauffeurs for clients’ personal cars, instead of rental cars.
“I hoping that this is the end,” Boroday said. “But what’s to stop WeDriveU from hooking up with someone else? Can they still be a personal chauffeur service? Is that a way of getting around it?”
A recent letter to a client promoted a $36.80 per hour personal chauffeur, with the first hour free. “Why waste thousands of dollars on limousine services?” the letter stated.
Now, the FGTA and other associations need to tackle the Avis chauffeured operations in other counties, such as Broward and Palm Beach, where going after the company is a bit more difficult.
Miami-Dade was a logical focal point for the battle because of its heavy regulatory atmosphere, Boroday said. “If ordinances were to be broken, that’s where they’d be broken. Palm Beach is open entry where it’s more difficult to stop.”
Scott Solombrino, CEO of Dav El Chauffeured Transportation Network and an NLA board member, said the decision marks a strong beginning to the eventual end of Avis inroads into the chauffeured transportation market.
“I think it starts to show that the regulators are now paying attention to operators trying to skirt the regulations and operate illegally,” Solombrino said. “This gives us huge credibility with other regulators, and gives us an example that says these people are breaking the rules and the laws.
“In short order, this program will no longer be viable for Avis.”
Solombrino said this decision is a “very positive step in a long process.” “I’m very excited about it. People are finally listening to us.”
The next fronts in the Avis battle will center on the New York Taxi and Limousine Commission and the California Public Utilities Commission. Solombrino predicted that the NY TLC’s standards will set the benchmark for other municipal regulators nationwide.
During a recent Limousine Associations of New Jersey meeting, TLC Commissioner Matt Daus appeared favorably receptive to the industry’s argument that Avis operates outside of the rules, Solombrino said. “Matt Daus gave us hope that they would take a hard, aggressive look at this.”
As to Avis still promoting personal chauffeurs, Solombrino said the correct concept of a personal chauffeur is essentially “your housekeeper chauffeuring you to work and then going back to clean your house” — as a hired employee.
A rented Avis chauffeur still would need to be subject to the same regulations as any other chauffeur, he said.
“Long term, we are going to win this. This will come out favorable to us.”
Source: Martin Romjue, LCT Magazine
April 24th, 2009 at 1:56 pm
“HOUSTON, WE DON’T HAVE A PROBLEM!”
Joe Jordan, president of the Limousine Association of Houston, reports:
(Note: Portions edited by LCT Magazine)
HAIL, HAIL, THE WICKED WITCH IS DEAD. In a stunning series of events, the City of Houston Aviation Department, Finance and Administration Department, Transportation Department, Administration and Regulatory Affairs Department and the City Controller all sent urgent memos to the Mayor and City Council affirming that the Avis WeDriveU program was illegal and that immediate action was necessary to ameliorate the situation.
The Avis corporation concocted a nationwide scam wherein they would rent a car on one piece of paper and the on the piece of paper under it you would “Rent” a private driver, thereby evading the taxi and limousine ordinances. It’s a wonder they didn’t try to sell a fake Rolex watch in the same transaction. All very slick if you can get away with it.
In the City of Houston, limousine companies must have a license from the city and have large commercial insurance policies with the city named as an additional insured. Each vehicle must be licensed and inspected by the city and have Texas plates and inspection. Property taxes to the city and the county are also levied on the vehicle. The chauffeurs must pass stringent FBI background checks with no felonies the last 10 years and be finger printed and drug tested and have a doctor’s physical exam. All that data must pass through a certified chain of custody process through the Houston Police Department. The city is obligated to take these measures to protect public safety and health. Avis chose not to be trifled with and took the illegal path, becoming what the limo industry calls a “gypsy operator,” one who has no permits or insurance and skulks about going “psst-hey buddy want a limo at a cheap price?”
Here is the deal: The City of Houston Chapter 46-231 Ordinance states: “It shall be unlawful to lease a car including the service of a driver unless the person has a current and valid City of Houston Limousine Company License”. Sounds straightforward enough, right? Avis, however, saw what they felt was a loophole. If they use a totally separate company for the drivers, they have not supplied the car and the driver together, or so they thought.
How does the federal government look at these sorts of arrangements? Take airplanes and boats. If you rent an airplane and hire a commercial pilot, or if you rent a boat and hire a Coast Guard licensed captain and then charge people to ride on them, you now have a commercial airline service and a licensed commercial passenger vessel subject to all the laws of the FAA and the USCG. You are no longer a private citizen attending to a private matter.
We recommended a course of action to other limousine associations around the country to look into the concession agreements and ground leases for rental car agencies at the airports. These are very tightly written. “Subleasing” or “boothsharing” are not permitted, or the airport terminals would become flea markets complete with wandering minstrels and carnival hucksters. For instance, a magazine stand cannot sell mixed drinks and a shoe shine stand cannot sell airplane tickets. You can only provide the specific products or services permitted by your concession and ground lease.
Here’s where Avis’ incompetent attorneys dropped the ball. We are in possession of a letter sent to the Limousine Association of Houston dated 10/24/2007 by Avis’ Chief Legal Counsel, Frederic R. Grumman. He said, “Avis has a partnership with WeDriveU” and “Avis facilitates our customers seeking such services” and “Avis receives no portion of the payment” but “WeDriveU drivers are additional authorized drivers on our rental agreement”. (Can anyone say SUBLEASE, ENABLER, FACILITATOR!!!!!)
Like luring longhorn cattle into a box canyon, here is how we corraled the Avis chauffeured operation:
1) If the chauffeurs are de-facto Avis employees, then Avis is violating the Taxi and Limousine Ordinance.
2) If WeDriveU is in fact a totally separate company, then it is illegal for them to send employees(Chauffeurs) onto airport property and operate out of Avis facilities because they have no concession or lease privileges and are in fact trespassing as they are on airport property without a legitimate reason to be there.
EITHER WAY, THE AVIS WeDriveU OPERATION IS TOTALLY ILLEGAL AND WAS DESIGNED TO BREAK THE LAW AND ENDANGER PUBLIC SAFETY WITH UNLICENSED CHAUFFEUR AND UNINSPECTED OUT-OF-STATE VEHICLES
The Limousine Association of Houston would like to thank all the city departments who responded so forcefully to this scandalous affront of law and order and the common decency of the citizens of Houston. A very clear message was sent to Avis that their type of inappropriate business behavior is not tolerated here.
The Limousine Association of Houston is now in the company of other limo associations in Phoenix, San Francisco, Atlanta, and Miami who have been successful in holding regulators’ feet to the fire and have them enforce the the laws designed to protect the traveling public in interstate commerce.
We also feel that Avis’ stockholders should call a special meeting and demand that the Avis CEO, COO, CFO and Board of Directors do the right thing and submit their resignations for their ill-advised and illegal pursuits that evade the laws governing the regulation of their industry.
The Limousine and Taxi Industries in Houston have now been protected for generations from unscrupulous interlopers such as Avis, thanks to the efforts of the Limousine Association of Houston and the multitude of public officials who stepped up to the plate, did the right thing, and won the game for the citizens of Houston.
Joe L. Jordan, President
LIMOUSINE ASSOCIATION OF HOUSTON
P.O. Box 640
Kemah TX 77565-0640
713 680-3181
http://www.houstonlimos.info
PHOTO CAPTION: Left to right: Limousine Association of Houston President Joe L. Jordan and Board Members Richard Mishriky, Linda Pomerleau, Dave Hutson and Erich Reindl. (Not pictured, Vance Lane