RSSJune, 2012 | San Francisco Travel Blog Archive
Club Owners Slam San Francisco Party Buses at Community Meeting
Club owners recently held a public meeting where they aired their grievances with San Francisco party buses and the rowdy behavior of some party bus guests. They claim that a never-ending stream of drunken revelers pull up outside their clubs in party vans most evenings and cause a variety of problems. Many are saying enough is enough and have banned Bay Area party buses from dropping off guests at their clubs.
"As someone who has put on events in San Francisco for 20 years, party buses are just bad news," said Chris Smith, owner of Om Records and co-owner of Monarch, a popular nightclub in the SoMa neighborhood. "We don’t allow party buses at Monarch. If one comes up to our club, it’s getting towed."
Other club owners voiced similar complaints at the community meeting organized by the Tenderloin’s Community Leadership Alliance.
Steven Lee is the owner of popular nightclub The Grand and also a member of the San Francisco Entertainment Commission. He also said that party buses have been a persistent problem outside his club.
"Most clubs I know say ‘no’ to party buses," he said. "People do all their drinking on the buses and it’s not a benefit to the club. We have to deal with all the security and all the hassle without any of the benefit."
He echoed other club owners who said that drunken party bus guests were responsible for causing problems inside and outside their establishments.
One San Francisco party bus service owner took issue with club owners blaming all operators for the actions of a few limo services with lax control.
"We station security on all of our buses and we limit people to two complementary drinks per passenger," she said. "I think it’s important to have management on board supervising what’s happening."
In addition to irresponsible Bay Area party bus providers, a big part of the problem is lax laws that govern behavior on party vans. While there are strict regulations on guest behavior while riding in limousines, there are few regulations on party buses, a relatively recent but increasingly popular mode of group transportation. South Bay Assemblyman Jerry Hill agreed with club owners, saying that the city needs to write and enforce tougher regulations about behavior on party buses.
"The growing popularity of party buses requires that the law keep pace with the trend," said Hill in a statement. "These are really rolling bars — and teenagers should not be allowed to drink on them."
We are saddened and unhappy that the actions (or inactions) of a few Bay Area party van providers are casting our limousine service and those of other ethical businesspeople in a bad light. In accordance with California law, we never allow minors to drink in any of our luxury vehicles and ask all our guests to respect our vehicles, other guests and clubs and neighborhoods where we drop them off. If you’re thinking about renting a San Francisco party bus for an upcoming event but prefer to do business with a limo service that puts the safety of its guests above all other considerations, call us at NLS Limo today at 800-339-8936.
Mercedes Looks to Regain Lead With New Luxury SUVs
Since they lost their spot as the top seller of luxury vehicles in the world more than ten years ago, legendary automaker Mercedes-Benz has been on a quest to regain that lofty position. Mercedes has been devising a strategy and now believes that their new lineup of luxury sports utility vehicles will help them achieve their goal. In 2011, they launched a new M-Class SUV, a new C-Class coupe and a refreshed C-Class sedan, and sales for the first few months of 2012 suggest that they may be poised to overtake archrival BMW for the top spot.
Rebecca Lindland, an analyst with researcher IHS Automotive, had complimentary words for the venerable German automaker.
“Mercedes has upped its game,” she said. “The refreshes and redesigns they’ve done on their sedans are going to be very nicely complemented by the work they’ve done on their trucks.”
In August, Mercedes will unveil their newest luxury SUV, an updated GLK compact SUV. In September, their new GL-Class large SUV will grace showrooms all over the world. Mercedes sold 531,382 during the first five months of 2012, putting it third overall in luxury vehicle sales globally. BMW sold 607,207 vehicles and was followed closely by Audi, which sold 600,200 luxury models.
Steve Cannon, chief executive officer of Mercedes-Benz USA, said that he has been pleased with sales thus far for 2012 but was reluctant to forecast that his company would finish first overall this year.
“We are outpacing all of our competitors, we’ve got great new products to launch,” he said. “If at the end of the year the luxury sales crown happens naturally, that’s great.”
Automotive insiders have singled out Mercedes’ new GLK for special mention. They say the nearly 1,000 new parts for the model have given it a much-needed and classy makeover.
Lindland was especially smitten by the new circular chrome air vents in the redesigned interior of the GLK.
“You don’t really appreciate all of the differences until you’ve looked inside,” she said. “Who knew that you could fall in love with vents?”
We knew. We’re crazy about cars, especially luxury vehicles, and we love details like chrome air vents that complement a well designed and executed interior. A big part of the luxury vehicle experience is the feeling that you get when you step inside and go for a ride. We do not yet offer any of the new Mercedes SUVs in our fleet of San Francisco limousines (we’re working on it!), but we do offer our very lovely S500 luxury sedans for discriminating guests for business travel, airport transportation, VIP transportation and other applications. For more information about our Mercedes sedans or any of our other Bay Area luxury transportation options, call us at NLS Limo today at 800-339-8936.
New Cable Car Expected to Be Ready to Transport Olympic Visitors
Organizers of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London recently announced that a planned cable car that will transport passengers over the River Thames on the way to and from events would be operational in late June. Called the Emirates Air Line after the Middle Eastern airline that invested $56 million for naming rights for the first ten years of operation, the new cable car will ferry passengers between Greenwich and the Royal Docks. Each trip between the two destinations will cover one kilometer and afford passengers a spectacular view of Olympic Park, the Thames Barrier, a series of massive flood control structures in the river, the Canary Wharf financial district and London itself.
London Mayor Boris Johnson was especially pleased that the project was finished in time for the Olympic Games.
"The Emirates Air Line is part of my plan to develop a package of new river crossings in east London and transform the surrounding area into a vibrant new metropolitan quarter that will attract new jobs, homes and enterprise."
The Air Line features 34 cable cars that can comfortably accommodate up to ten people. The cable cars and the infrastructure resemble the gondola cars found in many European ski resorts. Each one-way trip is expected to cost 3.2 English pounds, or around $5.
We know of another world-famous destination that is also known for cable cars! They are an integral part of the Bay Area experience, and very few visitors to San Francisco leave without taking at least one cable car ride. However, the problem with these cable cars is that they run on fixed routes and may or may not be able to take you where you want to go. If you are looking for an authentic cable car experience that can transport you and your friends and family all over the city and surrounding area, why not check out our San Francisco cable car rentals?
Each cable car in our fleet is built to look just like the cable cars seen in postcards and photographs, but these can take you wherever you’d like to go! Each can transport up to 34 guests very comfortably and affordably, and you can choose from open-air models for an authentic San Francisco experience or our enclosed models to shield you from the winds coming off the Bay. For more information or to reserve a San Francisco cable car rental for an upcoming visit, just give us a call at NLS Limo today at 800-339-8936!
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I've used Nationwide 3 or 4 times now and have not once been disappointed. Great customer service, great prices, and always a lot of fun. Staff always helps me pick the best option for my group and our budget.