108-2022

January 25, 2022
 

As Mayor and Commissioner of Finance & Administration, I request Council confirmation of the following appointments to the Private For-Hire Transportation Advisory Committee:
 

Respectfully submitted,

Ted Wheeler

Mayor
 

Abubakar Ahmed

When The New Green Cab, a Portland immigrant-owned cab taxi company, was on the brink of closing its operations, Abubakar and other drivers took over the entity to continue running the business. Abubakar was immediately elected as the Chairman of the organization. Taking on management from the previous ownership, Abubakar protected the jobs of over 60 drivers and paid back drivers their missing capita of $120,000 in six months. Today, Abubakar is part of the Taxicab Alliance, an organization charged with shaping a better future for the Minority-Owned Taxicab companies. Abubakar graduated from Edison High School, Minneapolis, MN.

Statement of Interest:

Abubakar, is very excited about representing taxi drivers in a position on the Advisory Committee as the Taxi Drivers Representative. His excitement extends to all tax drivers, not just those who drive for his company. With over ten years of experience, he feels he can fairly represent drivers regarding policy issues that impact them directly. He is very passionate about the opportunity to contribute to a better future for these industry drivers and feels privileged to be the voice speaking on their behalf.

Darin Campbell

Darin Campbell was born in Portland and raised in the Northwest. He moved back to Portland from Eugene in 1991. Darin is currently the Director of Marketing, Media and Government Relations for Radio Cab Company. For the last six months he has served as the Chairman of the PFHTAC Fee’s and Fare’s Subcommittee. Darin began working in the Oregon State Legislature in 1991, at the age of 20, as the Reading Clerk of the Senate. In 1992 he moved to the Office of the Speaker of the House as Director of Referrals and Operations. In 1993 Darin became Chief of Staff for the Speaker of the House and in 1995 Darin joined  his parents and brothers in opening the Victory Group, a government affairs company. Here he represented many groups and businesses at the state legislature.  He represented the Oregon Association Chiefs of Police, AAA, Motorola and several other groups. In 2006 Darin decided to take a job in the metal industry closer to home to be able to spend more time with his wife whom he married a year earlier. Darin started with Radio Cab Company in 2010 as a driver. It was meant to be a temporary assignment until he was off on the next adventure in his career. Darin loved the taxi industry and decided to make this his career and became a Radio Cab owner-operator in 2011. Darin quickly utilized his years of experience as a state lobbyist to represent Radio Cab at the state level in Salem. In 2012 he was elected to the Radio Cab Board of Directors for a two-year term. Then in 2013 he was elected by the permitted taxi drivers of Portland to represent them on the Portland Private for Hire Transportation Board. He represented the Portland drivers as an appointed member of the three TNC Task Force Sub-committee’s during the entrance of Uber and Lyft. In 2017 he was again elected to the Radio Cab Board and in 2019 went to work full time in Radio Cab Management in his current role as Director of Marketing, Media and Government Relations. Darin is excited to bring his years of experience to the Advisory Committee and thanks everyone who had a role in making this position available to him.

Statement of Interest:
Darin’s interested in serving on the Private For-Hire Transportation Advisory Committee as he brings a great deal of experience to the Committee driving a taxi for ten years and is now a member of management for Radio Cab.  From 2013 -15 he served as Taxi Driver Representative and now will take the role of Taxi Company Representative.  He has several ideas that will improve transportation in Portland, especially for our community members requiring assistance. He feels that wheelchair-accessible vehicle services in Portland are not adequate and needs improvement.  Advisory Committee.

Dan Marks

Dan, began his work in the private for-hire industry in 2000 as an extra driver for Radio Cab, a Portland-based taxi company. He worked for Radio Cad off and on for 14 years and worked as a driver trainer for them for many years. Dan maintained a good relationship with former Radio Cab Superintendent Steve Fish, and when Steve retired, Dan felt it was time to move on. In 2014 with some guidance from the private for-hire program, he started Mark’s Car Service. Dan attended many PFHT Board Meetings, now the PFHT Advisory Committee, and was involved when Uber launched in Portland at Portland City Council.

Statement of Interest

I have been a permitted driver for over 20 years working here in Portland and would like the opportunity to provide input and recommendations that support good policy for the private for-hire industry. I believe my many years of experience will be valuable to the committee and my contribution will benefit the community we serve. I thank you for your consideration in this matter.

David Duncan

David’s career as it relates to the Private-for-Hire (Tourism) industry began in 1984 when he completed a travel agency training program and formed Norwester Tours upon completion.

Norwester Tours began immediately developing organized group tours using train, boat, and motorcoach for the transportation portion of these tours. During the period from 1984 through 2008, Norwester developed many operations as a partner or under contract to other entities to set up turnkey programs.

In 2009, David Duncan trained for and acquired a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) to oversee the development of local motorcoach tours. When Road & Rail Travel LLC acquired the Gray Line of Portland franchise in 2011, David was brought on as General Manager after assisting in the development of the 2011 Gray Line of Portland relaunch.

The oversight of these operations required many tasks to implement. These included hiring, training, driver file maintenance, scheduling, and payroll. These operations also require the need to maintain open and inclusive communication with the staff and problem resolution when necessary.

As the General Manager, Davids duties also require constant interface with the consumer/guest. These include creating a welcoming environment and problem resolution when necessary.

The creation of tour programs requires a long checklist of components to be identified, resolved, and then implemented to maintain and grow a successful operation. Once these programs are launched, it is also necessary to maintain the quality of the programs and make adjustments as necessary. David’s continued role for Gray Line of Portland would have only occurred by his ongoing commitment to this business and industry.

David’s participation in several committees has demonstrated his interest in helping shape the transportation needs of the region going forward.

Statement of Interest:

After almost 40 years working in the local tour industry in a variety of capacities, ranging from forming Norwester Tours in 1984 to his current role as General Manager for Gray Line of Portland, he wants the opportunity to lend his vast knowledge and experience to the Private-for-Hire Advisory Committee. He believes he can provide firsthand knowledge and solutions to the issues faced by tour operators specifically. This in turn will benefit the Private-for-Hire industry in Portland as a whole.