For close to four years, the Illinois Limousine & Bus Association (ILLBA) has presented their free mid-morning Coffee With ILLBA webinars on a semi-monthly basis to offer education on products and services to operators around the world. On Tuesday, February 13, the association held their latest online meeting with special guest speaker Amir Zafar of GRiDD Technologies. Thirty attendees from as far away as the Netherlands took part in the webinar.
ILLBA President Tracy Raimer of Windy City Limousine & Bus kicked off the online event by welcoming attendees and introducing the Board of Directors. She then introduced Zafar, who said he was “honored” to be part of the organization and speaking to attendees.
Zafar provided an overview of GRiDD’s GNet software platform, including its history and the services it provides to integrated reservations systems. He also revealed that they are working on a new, improved portal for the platform, with plans to preview it at the 2024 CD/NLA Show in Las Vegas. One new feature will be the option to search for operators on the system by their association membership.
ILLBA Executive Director/Secretary Paula DeBiasi of Chicago Coachworks then discussed the benefits of GNet regarding affiliate work. Rather than dispatchers—or even chauffeurs—fielding phone calls from affiliates looking for client status, using GNet provides instantaneous information. Before signing off, Zafar then fielded many questions from the attendees, notably about rate scheduling on the platform.
DeBiasi then provided an update on what’s happening on a local level at the Chicago airports. Currently, due to construction at O’Hare, the shuttle bus center is closed and vehicles have been moved to Terminal 2. Limousine operators familiar with the terminal have requested that the car rental shuttles monitor their speed closely within the Terminal as they have been speeding over the posted limit.
The next Coffee With ILLBA meeting is planned to be an in-person event on March 19. Details will be announced at a later date.
Visit illba.org for more information.