Glory Days in Tampa Bay taxi / limo industry

Super Bowl Gives Florida Operators Big Boost

TAMPA, Fla. — Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa had the potential to be a true shot in the arm for limousine operators and transportation companies in the Tampa and Orlando metro markets.

But as the big game approached, events began to vanish. Playboy and Sports Illustrated canceled their annual parties while many corporate events were scaled down. The economic downturn was extending its reach to America’s favorite pastime.

So with all of the festivities now over, how exactly did the event turn out for operators?

Marcos Lopez, owner of Tampa-based Embassy Limousines and Sedan Service, said the Super Bowl was an overwhelming success. Lopez normally runs 19 vehicles in his fleet. He supplemented it with six additional rented SUVs and brought in 13 additional vehicles from out of town affiliates (Ft. Lauderdale and Orlando).

“We went after the corporate business early and got a good portion of our business months before the event,” explained Lopez. “The Super Bowl hasn’t been a stretch limousine event in the past couple of years. Stretch limousines were the last thing for us to book. The corporate.......>>>

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Training Taxi Drivers in Tampa

Hospitality 101: Tampa Bay & Co. training taxi drivers




TAMPA — Polite or gruff, informed or oblivious, a taxi driver can make a big difference in a visitor’s first impression of a city.
Recognizing the value of this interaction, and its larger impact on tourism, Tampa Bay & Company will jump start its new guest services training program with training for drivers of vehicles for-hire, such as taxis, limousines and vans.

"I think it’s a good idea and it’s long overdue,” said Brook Negusei, president of Cab Plus Inc. in Tampa. “The first thing you see, coming into Tampa, is the cab driver, and when you leave, you see a cab driver.”

The initial training is slated for mid-August, in time for the Republican National Convention and the 50,000 visitors it will bring. Further ahead, the program will expand to include other types of tourism industry employees.

The program will provide an “enhancement of the total guest experience that the delegates, media and other attendees will witness first hand,” as opposed to being a traditional economic development tool, said Kelly Miller, president and CEO of Tampa Bay & Company.