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\tBy RICHARD N. VELOTTA
\n\tLAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
\n\tThe Nevada Transportation Authority is gearing for one of those \u201conly in Nevada\u201d moments as it works through a revised regulation that would define rolling ultra-lounges.<\/p>\n
\tThe three-member commission that oversees charter buses and limousines in the state will have public hearings in the weeks ahead on revisions to bus and livery limousine regulations that would define vehicles that could be equipped with stripper poles, nightclub lights and fog machines.<\/p>\n
\tThe expanded definitions are being proposed as a means of clamping down on so-called gypsy limo and bus companies that come from outside the state when a large number of tourists are in Nevada for special events and large conventions. The proposed regulation also would block charter bus companies from entering the lucrative party-bus industry.<\/p>\n
\tRegulators say many out-of-state limos and buses are unlicensed and potential threats to public safety because they are uninsured or haven\u2019t been inspected by authorities.<\/p>\n
\tThe amended rules are part of a general overhaul of regulations and address fuel surcharges, whether vehicles may be placed in service as taxicabs and whether free shuttle services are considered common motor carriers.<\/p>\n
\tBut the eye-catching passages of the proposed amendment are in the definitions of buses and livery limousines. Under the proposal, vehicles would be classified as livery limousines if they are equipped with \u201ca pole or other apparatus generally used for dancing; nightclub-style lighting such as rotating lights, strobe lights or lasers; or, fog or smoke machines.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tWhile the classification is \u201climousine,\u201d the definition is based on the chassis of the vehicle. So though it looks like a bus, people can stand up in it and it could have a pole in it, it\u2019s still considered a type of limousine.<\/p>\n
\tLas Vegas was in the spotlight in 2009 in a similar transportation-centered craze \u2014 the arrival of the \u201cstripper mobile.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tAs a promotional stunt, the Little Darlings and D\u00e9j\u00e0 Vu Showgirls topless clubs operated U-Haul-like vans with Plexiglas walls on the Strip. Scantily clad women gyrated on poles as the vehicle traveled along the street.<\/p>\n
\tWhen members of the Clark County Commission voiced safety concerns about distracted drivers, the clubs voluntarily shut down the vehicles. But in the two-month run that they operated, the clubs said business nearly doubled, and while some observers said they were disgusted with the stripper mobiles, others praised them as a genius marketing maneuver.<\/p>\n
\tThe biggest difference this time is that vehicles involve transporting passengers and the mobile lounge environment is to entertain those on board.<\/p>\n
\tTransportation Authority Chairman Andrew MacKay said the public got its first look at the proposed regulations in February. Another hearing is planned in the next two months, but it hasn\u2019t been scheduled.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cThe problem is that some of the companies that own these types of vehicles have been blurring the lines and attempting to avoid the more stringent application standard for charter limousines,\u201d MacKay said.<\/p>\n
\tInterstate bus travel is deregulated, and companies are monitored by the U.S. Department of Transportation.<\/p>\n
\tCharter buses, while also deregulated, are different. They must apply for certification from the Transportation Authority to operate within the state. With the popularity of rolling ultra-lounges on the rise, some companies have converted buses to a lounge environment.<\/p>\n
\tRegulators hope to further tighten the rules by specifying that free shuttle service must occur \u201cfrom a point of origin to the provider\u2019s licensed place of business and from the provider\u2019s licensed place of business back to the same point of origin with no intermediary stops.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tWhile there\u2019s nothing in the revised regulation about prostitution, bus and limousine operations are subject to inspection and law enforcement can make traffic stops on vehicles.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cIt\u2019s a lot easier to get a charter bus license than a charter limousine license,\u201d said Brent Bell, president of the Livery Operators Association, which represents about three-quarters of the taxi and limousine operations in Southern Nevada.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cSo you have several charter bus companies in Las Vegas that will take a bus, gut the inside of it, put in couches, put in stripper poles, put in lights and then hold themselves out as a party bus company,\u201d Bell said. \u201cThey\u2019ll advertise it as a \u2018party limo.\u2019 They\u2019re advertising it as a limo without a limo license.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tBell said the association is supporting the rule changes.<\/p>\n
\tAlso in support is the operator of the city\u2019s largest fleet of limousines, the Alan Waxler Group, which built the company from a single vehicle in 1996 to a fleet of 260 today.<\/p>\n
\tThe fleet includes limousines, luxury sedans, sport utility vehicles, motor coaches and limo coaches \u2014 the company\u2019s entry in the rolling ultra-lounge category.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cIt\u2019s kind of a cross between a bus and a limousine,\u201d said the company\u2019s senior chauffeur, Dan Stafford. \u201cYou can get in and out of it in a classier way.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tStafford said drivers are trained specifically to put a chauffeur\u2019s touch on a vehicle that handles like a bus. Drivers caution passengers to be careful when standing when the vehicle is in motion.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cIt\u2019s a great way to get a Las Vegas celebration started, whether it\u2019s a wedding, a bachelor party or just friends getting together here, from the time they get to the airport to the time they get to their hotel,\u201d Stafford said.<\/p>\n
\tAWG limo coaches are equipped with lounge-style leather seats, ice and beverage compartments, a high-end sound system and special lighting \u2014 but no dancer poles. The 14 limo coaches in the fleet have capacities of 16, 20 or 28 passengers. The Transportation Authority classifies a vehicle that can hold 16 or more passengers as a bus.<\/p>\n
\tAlan Waxler, the company\u2019s owner, laughed when asked whether passengers ever have sex on his limo-coaches.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cRiding these are a social opportunity,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s like meeting with friends in someone\u2019s living room.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tWaxler said the main reason he hasn\u2019t installed dancer poles in his vehicles is to discourage people from standing up and dancing when the vehicle is in motion.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cI\u2019ve had less than zero interest in that because it only promotes problems,\u201d he said. \u201cPeople cut off buses all the time in traffic, and the last thing we want is for our drivers to have to slam on the brakes when somebody\u2019s up dancing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tDrivers have the discretion of ending a ride if there\u2019s anything illegal going on.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cThe way we look at it, the chauffeur is like the pilot of an airplane. If anything illegal is occurring, the pilot is going to land the plane and the passenger is arrested. In our case, we\u2019re not going to invade our customers\u2019 privacy, but if we suspect anything illegal is going on, smoking marijuana, using illegal drugs, we can stop and tell them their ride\u2019s over. But I can\u2019t recall that ever happening.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tAWG\u2019s vehicles rent for $125 an hour, which includes water and ice and the first hour\u2019s fuel surcharge and driver gratuity.<\/p>\n
\tLatoya Rowell, who manages reservations for AWG vehicles, said the limo coaches are hot products that often are booked well in advance.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cThey instantly put you into a party scene,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\tMost of the transportation is from the airport to hotels or for group outings on the town, but the company occasionally takes groups to Lake Mead or the Grand Canyon.<\/p>\n
\tWhile many of the bookings are for partying tourists and companies in town for conventions and business meetings, Rowell said they\u2019re sometimes used for children\u2019s birthday parties.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cInstead of party and dance music, you\u2019ll hear kids\u2019 songs on the sound system, and instead of alcohol, they\u2019re serving cupcakes,\u201d said Al Travis, an AWG chauffeur.<\/p>\n
\tDrivers say their passengers are rarely disorderly and are there to maximize their time together.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cIn the times I\u2019ve driven, I\u2019ve never had anyone take off their clothes,\u201d Travis said.<\/p>\n
No replies were posted for this topic.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By RICHARD N. VELOTTA LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL The Nevada Transportation Authority is gearing for one of those \u201conly in Nevada\u201d moments as it works through a revised regulation that would define rolling ultra-lounges. The three-member commission that oversees charter buses…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7119","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-latest-casino-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumarchives.tmsites.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7119","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumarchives.tmsites.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumarchives.tmsites.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumarchives.tmsites.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/36"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumarchives.tmsites.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7119"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumarchives.tmsites.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7119\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumarchives.tmsites.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7119"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumarchives.tmsites.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7119"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumarchives.tmsites.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7119"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}