Registration Day!

While not yet officially opened, the conference began with the IATR’s intrepid Board of Directors arrival on Saturday, September 16, 2006 for a marathon opening meeting. Sunday, September 17, 2006 had a more ambitious bend, and opened with a joint meeting of the IATR and the highly respected Taxicab, Limousine and Paratransit Association (TLPA). IATR President James Bisson and hometown Board Member Mel McDonald welcomed delegates to a conference that would ultimately make history as the most active, engaging and entertaining conference in the organization’s history. The irony of attending the conference at the Renaissance Hotel after experiencing the IATR’s own renaissance under Bisson’s leadership was not lost on many of the attending delegates.

 

Day one started off with the cool (but comfortable!) snap of Seattle autumn in the air. IATR President James Bisson and Board Member (and city host) Mel McDonald set the positive tone with a hearty welcome to Seattle and the great Pacific Northwest.

Additional welcoming remarks made by representatives of sponsoring businesses Standard Vehicles Group LLP., Liberty Motor Company, Inc., Schaller Consulting, Cavu Corporation, Centrodyne Corporation, System International and VerifEye Corporation set the stage for an exciting time to come.

Day One – Vehicle Standards and Development

The first cycle of discussions revolved around “Inspections” and began with City of Calgary Manager and Chief Inspector Karen Cameron’s take on “Program Development: Frequency, Criteria and Best Practices.” Chicago Consumer Services Commissioner Norma I. Reyes delved deeply into “Who and How to Inspect: Public vs. Private Facilities and Other Methods.”

The second cycle focused on the timely topic of “Vehicle Retirement Policies” and was led by former District of Columbia Taxicab Commission Chair Causton Toney. Netherlands Ministry of Transport Taxi Policy CEO Theo Van Schaik explored the issue “Open Market vs. Control (Specifications and Approval Processes).” London Public Carriage Office Director Alan Matthews – Keeper of the Knowledge! – led the discussion on “Purpose Built Vehicles.”

Session 1 was all about Vehicles and Standards, starting with “Regulatory Policies, Standards, Experiences and Trends” and a Survey of Jurisdictions. The survey featured a panel that read like a who’s who of top regulators (Calgary’s Karen Cameron, Chicago’s Norma I. Reyes, Washington, D.C.’s Causton Toney, Miami-Dade’s Joe Mora, Theo Van Schaik of the Netherlands, and London’s own Alan Matthews) led by New York City Taxi and Limousine Commissioner/Chairman Matthew W. Daus, who was asked to develop, organize and oversee all of the first day’s activities and discussions.

In Session 2, conference attendees had the opportunity to study “Vehicle Design and Development” under the IATR’s expert microscope, starting with a panel that included international transportation journalist Wim Faber, Design Trust for Public Space Executive Director Deborah Marton, Magna Motors President Mark Hogan and Marc Klein, President of the Standard Vehicles Group, whose purpose built taxicab created its fair share of buzz during the conference.

As if Day One hadn’t already started with a bang, Pulitzer prize-nominated author, and acknowledged alternative fuels expert Edwin Black graciously agreed to offer the keynote luncheon address, discussing his hard-hitting, hot off the presses book “Internal Combustion.” The provocative book -- and its more provocative author – tackled the controversial issue of petro-politics and the nation’s seemingly unquenchable thirst for oil.
 

With the stage set by Edwin Black, the afternoon continued with Session 3's exploration of “Alternative Fuel Vehicles,” led by facilitator and New York City Taxi and Limousine Commissioner/Chairman Matthew W. Daus. Daus welcomed a Survey of Jurisdictions and an “Overview of Clean Fuel Taxicabs” presented by the NYC TLC’s Assistant Commissioner for Safety & Emissions Peter Schenkman and Eric Kim, Chief of Staff to the TLC’s First Deputy Commissioner.

A highly-anticipated “Environmental Roundtable Discussion” began with a panel on “Environmental Stakeholders Working Together – Advocates, Regulators and Manufacturers”. This who’s who of environmental advocacy featured SmartTransportation.org Chair Jack Hidary, National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) representative Luke Tonachel, Ford Motor Company Marketing Manager Gerald Koss, Center for a New American Dream Program Manager Matt Kittel, ECO Fuel Systems Marketing Director Markus Wenzel and US DOE FreedomCAR and Vehicles Technology Program Team Leader Kevin Stork, who treated rapt attendees to a panel on “Alternative Fuel Sources and Vehicles – Options & Outlooks” (see below).

Click Here for Day Two

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