Reuven Blecher’s alarm sounds at 3 a.m., starting a day that could task him with anything from shuttling Manhattanites to JFK to picking up a celeb from a swanky hotel. By 9 a.m., when most New Yorkers are en route to work or settling into the office, his workday has already slowed down, and he’s usually reading a book or listening to the radio in his Lincoln sedan, awaiting the inevitable afternoon rush.
A driver with NYC-based Carmel Limo, the 22-year industry veteran says that most days go smoothly, with traffic the only perennial annoyance. However, he does encounter the occasional not-so-desirable passenger.
“[Carmel] has a policy that if you use a coupon you have to [hand it] to the driver, otherwise the driver doesn’t get credit for the ride,” he says. “When I once explained that to a passenger, she cursed me out!”
While bad attitudes can be a nuisance of any service-related industry, Carmel Limo CEO Avik Kabessa prioritizes two things to minimize disputes.
“The main reason we’re successful is because the cars are on time,” Kabessa shares from Carmel’s Upper West Side office. “The second is because the price is right.”
Kabessa moved to New York from Israel in 1983 and — following brief stints as a bike messenger and hotel clerk — founded a car-service company the same year. In 1985, he merged with the then-6-year-old Carmel, owned by Aviv Baran. Over the years, Baran and Kabessa have expanded Carmel to 320 locations worldwide. Once exclusive to the tri-state area, Carmel is now an international company and is expected to land in 400 markets by the end of 2014.
Kabessa spent the majority of his early years in the business working behind the wheel — so when a customer unleashes a complaint, the executive presumes the driver to be innocent until proven guilty.
“I understand how a driver’s behavior can be twisted by a passenger,” says Kabessa, adding that his driving days entailed working with a few celebs he describes as being “verbally abusive.” Starlets stealing the limo’s crystal champagne glasses and shouting things like, “Just drive the car!” are among the ill-mannered antics he witnessed.
But regular folks behave badly, too. A few years ago, when a Carmel passenger accused her driver of becoming physically violent with her and breaking her guitar, Kabessa initially caught heat for not immediately dismissing him.
“They wanted me to disaffiliate the driver,” Kabessa recalls. But he did his own investigation first.
After confirming with the police department that the driver had called 911 to report that he was the one assaulted, Kabessa went to the Manhattan building where the altercation took place.
“The doorman had witnessed everything,” he says. Apparently the passenger became irate when the driver requested she leave her guitar while he waited for her to run an errand, as insurance that she wouldn’t skip out on her payment.
“She left and came back with four guys who beat the driver up and hit him with the guitar,” Kabessa says. “That’s what broke it!”
Thankfully, the CEO says, such antics are rare, and most clients are polite and easy to work with — regardless of their star power. “One who I remember being extremely nice [was] Brian Dennehy,” Kabessa says of the actor, adding that Whoopi Goldberg was also a pleasure to whisk around town.
Though Carmel’s drivers are independent contractors who own their cars, there is a screening process for becoming affiliated with the company, and a recruiter, who simply goes by Gadi, tries to ensure applicants are ready to take on the job.
“First we want to make sure that they’re properly licensed and insured,” Gadi says, explaining that both a driver’s license and a license from the Taxi and Limousine Commission is required. A written test to check their knowledge of the city follows.
“It’s basic stuff,” says Gadi, noting sample questions such as, “In which direction does Second Avenue run?”
Those who pass are invited to a one-day orientation, where they’re briefed on company procedures and offered advice on everything from how to handle no-shows to what they should wear. “We can’t force them to wear a shirt and tie, but we ask them to dress properly,” Gadi says. From there drivers get to work, creating their own hours and claiming jobs via a droid device provided by Carmel.
While not every day goes as smoothly as planned, Blecher says he enjoys meeting passengers, reading books between trips and being on a schedule that gets him home by 3 p.m.
And there’s one more thing: “Very good tips!”