Victor Dizengoff, President of Taxicab,
Limousine & Paratransit Association

New York Transportation Pioneer, Victor Dizengoff, Elected President of Taxicab, Limousine & Paratransit Association

(ROCKVILLE, Maryland)—Almost 50 years ago, Victor Dizengoff first slid behind the wheel of a Checker taxi that he remembers "had a floor board that was so rotted out you could put your foot through it to stop the cab." Vehicle safety and quality have dramatically improved since then, and now, with a lifelong involvement in the for-hire transportation industry, Dizengoff, Executive Director of New York's Black Car Assistance Corporation and also The Black Car Fund, is assuming the reins as President of the Taxicab, Limousine & Paratransit Association (TLPA).

Dizengoff will take over the annually revolving position from Rick Hewatt of Atlanta Checker Cab Company, who served the 2008-2009 presidential term. Dizengoff will serve through October 2010, after which time President-elect Robert McBride of Metro Taxi, Denver, Colorado, will assume office.

With a dozen family members looking on, including his wife, children and grandchildren, Dizengoff was sworn into office at the annual meeting of TLPA, held this year in Las Vegas, in front of more than 1,000 industry peers from across America and from as far away as Great Britain and Australia. His acceptance remarks focused on a message of recovery for the industry, which he laid out in "The Three R's: Resilience, Recovery and Recreation."

"Even though the economy has slumped, the industry has remained solid and the price of the New York City medallion has increased and New York City franchised black cars have either remained the same or even increased in value depending on the company," Dizengoff said. "Having been in this industry for the past 50 years, I've been down this road before and lived through the economic ups and downs. We will live to see a brighter day. There is no denying that this economy is a tough one, and it will take us longer to recover than it has in the past, but this is what we are about: Recovery."

A pioneer of New York City's transportation industry, Dizengoff helped start the first Black Car company in New York in 1976. The company was sold in 1983. In 1984, he opened Vital Transportation, Inc., which he sold to the drivers as a cooperative in 1990.

After spending some time in Chicago opening that city's first Black Car company, King Cars, he returned to New York in 1991, taking over ownership of Black Car News. Before transferring it's ownership, Victor built, the monthly publication into one of the most respected newspapers in the industry.

Established in 1917, the Taxicab, Limousine & Paratransit Association (TLPA) is a non-profit trade association of and for the private passenger transportation industry. Its extensive membership spans the globe to include 1,000 taxicab companies, executive sedan and limousine services, airport shuttle fleets, non-emergency medical transportation companies, and paratransit services. For more information, please visit www.tlpa.org.