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August 3 Thursday, MCI Des Plaines, IL
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CONTENTS
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––––––––––– IN THIS ISSUE ––––––––––– Expands From Airport Shuttle To Motorcoach Market
The Villages Transportation.................8 From One Limousine To Motorcoach Tour Company
A Touch Of Class ..............................22 Busline’s Buyers Guide To
Software Systems .................................32
Busline’s Buyers Guide To
Brakes & Tires .....................................36
CTAA EXPO June 11-15 In Detroit.............................................40 INDUSTRY NEWS .................................Page 43 Busline Vehicle Showcase:
RAPID RESPONSE ................................Page 54
ALTERNATIVE FUEL & HYBRID VEHICLES 38
ON THE COVER: The Villages Transportation provides a variety of bus and motorcoach services in Central Florida and beyond. Shown, left to right, are Scott Workman, president; Emily Workman, director of marketing & events; Chris Roberts, motorcoach division manager; and Glenn Cook, vice president of sales. See page 8.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS JUNE 2017 June 11-16 Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA) Expo 2017 Detroit, MI Info: 800-891-0590
AUGUST 2017 August 6-9 International Motorcoach Group (IMG) Strategic Alliance Meeting Nashville, TN Info: 888-447-3466
JULY 2017 July 14-19 National School Transportation Association (NSTA) Annual Meeting Indianapolis, IN Info: 703-684-3200
August 16-20 National Association Of Motorcoach Operators (NAMO) Annual Conference Alexandria, VA Info: 571-312-7117
July 30-August 2 Association for Commuter Transportation (ACT) International Conference New Orleans, LA Info: 202-792-5801
SEPTEMBER 2017 September 11-13 BusCon 2016 Indianapolis, IN Info: 800-576-8788
OCTOBER 2017 October 8-11 APTA Expo & Annual Meeting Atlanta, GA Info: 202-496-4800 JANUARY 2018 January 6-10 United Motorcoach Association (UMA) Motorcoach Expo San Antonio, TX Info: 800-424-8262 January 27-30 American Bus Association (ABA) Annual Meeting & Marketplace Charlotte, NC Info: 800-283-2877
Busline Magazine is published 6 times a year by Rankin Publishing, Inc., 204 E. Main, P.O. Box 130, Arcola, IL 61910-0130. Publisher assumes no liability whatsoever for content of any advertisement or editorial material contained herein. Copyright 2017 Rankin Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without written consent of Rankin Publishing, Inc. Subscription Rates in United States: 6 issues $25. Single Copy rate: $10 including postage/handling; Buyer’s Guide $15 including postage/handling. International rates: 6 issue annual Air Mail Subscription $60 U.S. dollars net
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BUSLINE
May/June 2017
EDITORIAL & CORPORATE OFFICES
Rankin Publishing Co., Inc. Don Rankin and Linda Rankin, Publishers 204 E. Main Street • P.O. Box 130 Arcola, IL 61910-0130, USA Email: drankin@consolidated.net Website: www.rankinpublishing.com (800) 598-8083 (U.S.) • (217) 268-4959 Fax: (217) 268-4815 Editorial: Harrell Kerkhoff, Editor Rick Mullen, Associate Editor Design: David Opdyke, Kris Bott Reception: Mary Jo Dunn Advertising Contact Kevin Kennedy @ 813-502-6672 Email: kevloraz@gmail.com Or Don Rankin @ 800-598-8083 Fax: 217-268-4815 Email: drankin@consolidated.net
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MAY/JUNE 2017 Published by Rankin Publishing, Inc. www.buslinemag.com
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Motor Coach Industries 38
New Flyer 38
Nova Bus 39
Complete Coach Works 39
Read or Download Complete Issues Of Busline Magazine Online At: www.buslinemag.com
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BUSLINE
May/June 2017
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We always y have time for YOU turns. 877-723-4045
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The Villages Transportation Expands From Airport Shuttle To Motorcoach Market
Scott Workman, president
The Lake Sumter Landing depot is one of three bus depots at The Villages.
By Harrell Kerkhoff Busline Magazine Editor
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ith its relatively recent entry into the motorcoach market, Central Florida’s The Villages Transportation has been able to expand its services with dramatic results. Once mainly known as an airport shuttle bus service provider, today’s company also provides day trip excursions, via motorcoach travel, and has recently opened a new travel and tour division. At a reported yearly growth rate of 20 percent, success has followed the business over the past three years — due, in large part, to the company’s additional transportation services. This escalation simulates the path of expansion that has made the company’s home city, The Villages, FL, one of the fastest growing communities in America. It’s home to a highly active retirement community, full of people wanting to see and do things — often on a weekly, if not daily basis.
The Villages Transportation facility is located in The Villages, FL.
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The Villages Transportation was purchased three years ago by longtime transportation professional Scott Workman, who is president of the company. Under Workman’s leadership, the company has grown from primarily serving as an airport shuttle bus provider between The Villages, FL, and the Orlando (FL) International Airport, which is located approximately 70 miles to the south. “We continue to operate the airport shuttle bus service, transporting up to 400 people per day during our peak season, which in Florida, is during the colder months. However, we have since expanded to offering a wide variety of day trips through motorcoach transportation, and we recently opened a travel and tour division, which we are very excited about,” Workman said. “My opportunity came when I was introduced to the Morse family, founders and owners of The Villages retirement community. It was formed in the 1980s, and The Villages Transportation Safety Director Mike Smucker, right, is shown with Driver Bill Russ. has grown to an estimated population of 157,000 residents.” n Travel and Tour Division — Brand new to The Villages The Villages Transportation was also started in the 1980s, originally designed to transport prospective buyers of homes to and from the Transportation is the company’s travel and tour division. The grand community, and was later transformed into a full-time airport shuttle opening took place on May 1. An open house followed on May 6, helping introduce visitors to the company’s travel agents. bus operation. “With this new division, we are targeting multi-day trip options, “The process of purchasing The Villages Transportation took about a year, and was finalized in 2014,” Workman said. “The company has with transportation being provided by our fleet of motorcoaches. dramatically grown since the purchase through new travel options, Destinations will mostly be located in the southeastern part of the United States, such as Asheville, NC; Savannah, GA; Myrtle Beach, and by purchasing larger equipment, such as motorcoaches.” Today’s three-pronged approach for reaching current and potential SC; and Nashville, TN,” Workman said. “These will be fun trips taking two to four or more days, and will include hotel accommodations. customers of The Villages Transportation involves: “With the addition of this new division, we are now officially a n Airport shuttle bus service — “This remains our primary business, operating 15 times a day on a set schedule, to and from the travel agency and transportation company — all under The Villages Orlando International Airport. Our yearly average is around 300 pas- Transportation name.” Workman said the company’s travel and tour division has partsengers per day,” Workman said. n Day trips — “The way we have truly transformed the company nered with Travel Leaders, a North American network of professionis through the motorcoach market, starting with our day trip offers. al travel agents. “We see our new division as providing the company’s next big These consist of a wide variety of trips to locations within two hours of The Villages,” he said. “Obviously, a lot of these trips visit the area of growth, helping keep our motorcoaches filled with occunearby Orlando area, due to this region’s many attractions. We also pants,” he added. head to such Florida cities as St. Augustine, Daytona, Sarasota and the A COMMUNITY ON THE GO Tampa/St. Petersburg/Clearwater region. “There are many different things to see and do every day through s the population of The Villages continues to grow, so does our day trips. They include a tour escort. We take care of all of the the demand for more transportation destinations and options. logistics, including tickets to specific events, and are constantly seekThis is a growing community full of people who, although ing new locations to visit.” Workman added that the company’s day trips are reasonably priced, often retired, are not willing to stay inactive for very long. Workman said it’s this active nature of The Villages’ residents that most in the $45 to $85 range. “We experience a lot of repeat business with our day trips. There has led to his company’s rapid growth over the past three years. “We have taken advantage of the area’s demographics. We operate are individuals who will travel with us once a week,” Workman said. “A big part of our success is the price point and trip options. We trav- in a community full of extremely active 55 and older residents. They el each and every day with our day trips, learning as we go. want to do and see things. Many are from the north, such as Sometimes a new destination becomes popular, and sometimes it Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Michigan, Illinois and Wisconsin,” doesn’t attract much interest. If the latter occurs, we move on to Workman said. “They have come to live in Florida, and don’t necessarily want to spend all of their time driving in order to visit difsomething else.”
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ferent attractions. They are also very interested in traveling with their friends or to meet new people. This lends itself to the types of bus and motorcoach services that we offer. The Villages Transportation does the driving, so residents of The Villages can better enjoy themselves.� He noted that there are around 2,000 registered clubs within The Villages’ population. These clubs are of various sizes, all involving people with specific interests. Many club leaders seek out transportation in order to take their groups to various events and sites. “We also reach out to these clubs ourselves, offering competitive rates. I have found that many people at The Villages are willing to do something every day. They are quite active with rec center activities such as swimming, dancing, shooting pool, etc. They also like to travel,� Workman said. Although The Villages Transportation is owned by Workman, through an IP (intellectual property) agreement, the company is able to use The Villages’ logo on the sides of its vehicles. Workman’s company also holds the exclusive right to pick up passengers at The Villages’ three bus depots, and has access to The Villages’ email database. “In return, we have a huge responsibility to uphold, due to The Villages’ logo being on our vehicles. We must always reflect The Villages in a positive light with everything we do as a transportation provider,� Workman said. “The Villages is a place where residents go to enjoy retirement. We work hard to properly serve these people.� Helping to get the word out about the growing services provided by The Villages Transportation is Scott Workman’s daughter, Emily Workman, who holds the title of director of marketing & events at the company.
“My daughter is a college graduate and, like a lot of young people today, understands today’s electronic technology, such as launching social media sites,� Scott Workman said. “She works on both our company websites, which serve the airport shuttle and day trip business as well as our new travel and tour division. I’m very proud of Emily’s work. She has displayed good timing when implementing our different marketing programs.� Emily Workman added that she works with the many club members at The Villages, helping them with different transportation desires. “For example, there is a deep sea fishing club. These members will hire us to transport them, by motorcoach, on fishing trips,� she said. “We work with different club leaders, all in an effort to have our vehicles operate each and every day.� Along with marketing the company’s transportation services via the internet, Emily Workman also works closely with The Villages Daily Sun newspaper. “A lot of our marketing is conducted through the local paper, which is read by many area residents,� she said. “We work hard to make sure those living in The Villages know about our transportation events, allowing them to see what trips they would like to take. This includes day trips as well as our new travel and tour options. “As a transportation provider in our area, it’s very important to live up to The Villages’ name and reputation. There is a certain expectation that comes with the logo that is on the sides of our vehicles. Therefore, customer service is very important. Our passengers come to expect that if they use our vehicles, they are going to be in the best possible hands. Using The Villages’ brand is a huge advantage for our company, but it also comes with added responsibility.�
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LARGER EQUIPMENT LEADS TO GREATER OPTIONS
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lthough his involvement with The Villages Transportation goes back just three years, Scott Workman has spent much of his working career helping to transport people to and from different locations in central Florida. Originally from Iowa, Workman started in the transportation industry in 1985 by managing a Tampa, FL, limousine business. Two years later, venturing on his own, he started a limousine company in Orlando to take advantage of the growing central Florida tourism market. “I used to drive triple-axle limousines. I now tell people I have graduated from limos to buses,” Workman said. “I sold my last limousine eight years ago, but still operate about 20 mini-buses in Orlando for the corporate market. I’m relatively new to the motorcoach portion of the business, having bought my first motorcoach just three years ago, approximately six months after purchasing The Villages Transportation.” Prior to his arrival, the company operated smaller shuttle bus equipment to transport people to and from the Orlando airport. “Today, the buses we use for airport shuttles at The Villages Transportation hold 33 to 37 passengers, with rear luggage capabilities,” Workman said. “Meanwhile, our motorcoaches are predominantly from Temsa. We have seven Temsa TS 45 motorcoaches in our fleet, the oldest being a 2015 model. There are four more TS 45s on order. They are 2018 models and expected to be delivered in August.
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The Villages Transportation’s staff includes (left) Claudine Webb, office manager; (and above) Kathie Campbell, day trip coordinator; and Douglas Colson, director of travel and tour.
“We mostly use our Temsa coaches for day trips. They will be used even more as our travel and tour division begins to grow.” Workman said his company has had a successful relationship with Temsa and CH Bus Sales, LLC, the exclusive distributor of Temsa motorcoaches in the United States and Canada. “I became familiar with Temsa while using the CH Bus Sales’ facility in Orlando to service our mini-buses. When we entered into the motorcoach market, Temsa representatives were obviously very eager to talk with me about that side of the industry, which I see is our largest future growth area,” Workman said. “We eventually purchased a couple of used Temsas. Although operating quality vehicles is important, what I look for the most is service after the sale. The Temsa
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representatives who we work with have been very accommodating when it comes to service. This includes providing loaner vehicles when needed. They have been very attentive to our needs.” Among the most important passenger-focused amenities found on today’s motorcoaches are Wi-Fi capabilities, USB ports and 110-volt outlets. All of this technology is now available on the Temsa motorcoaches operated by The Villages Transportation. “These amenities are used by a lot of passengers each day. We also have GPS-tracking capabilities with all of our vehicles,” Workman said. “It seems new technology is introduced on a daily basis. This includes the use of onboard cameras with our motorcoaches.” His company is also preparing for the federal electronic logging device (ELD) mandate. This requires most motorcoach drivers to switch from paper logs to ELDs by Dec. 18, 2017. “Many companies take a ‘wait and see’ attitude about technology. This is often due to the huge investment that is involved. However, everyone in our industry knows about the ELD mandate, whether they like it or not,” Workman said. “All of our vehicles will be set up with these devices. We are already demoing ELDs in some of our units, and understand the time is quickly coming for the technology’s mandatory use.” One low-tech “amenity” provided for the benefit of motorcoach passengers at The Villages Transportation is not mandated, but very important to Workman and his staff nonetheless — the availability of free bottled water. “We supply free water for each trip. It’s just something we do. All of our passengers are offered bottled water as they get on and off our coaches, and they really appreciate the gesture,” Workman said. “It’s no secret that Florida experiences hot and humid weather. Water is needed everywhere we go.”
The Villages Transportation’s fleet consists of 58 vehicles. This includes 15 motorcoaches and 25 mini-buses. The rest of the fleet is comprised of vans and sedans. Keeping this fleet looking good — both inside and out — is the job of three full-time professional cleaners. “I am a huge stickler for cleanliness, and will periodically sit in different seats of various vehicles, looking for something that needs to be fixed or cleaned,” Workman said. “We also quickly fix any dents and/or scratches on our vehicles. It’s important to us that each piece of equipment looks as new as possible, no matter the age.”
FINDING EMPLOYEES WHO ‘FIT RIGHT IN’
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ith its official nickname, “The Sunshine State,” Florida is often viewed as an ideal place for retirement living. Many people take advantage of the state’s warmer weather and abundance of attractions — including mile after mile of beaches — to spend their post-working years. The state, of course, is also home to many non-retirees — younger people who are either natives or who have moved to Florida at some point to seek “sunnier” opportunities. When it comes to hiring people, officials at The Villages Transportation seek both types of residents — those who are perhaps retired from past careers but still wanting to work, and people looking for full-time employment. “We currently have 105 employees, of which 70 are drivers. What is unique about our situation is, many of our drivers have retired but still work for us on a part-time basis. These are people who really like to work and travel to different destinations,” Workman said. “I would say 50 percent of our drivers
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are part-timers, transporting our passengers one or two times a week. It keeps them fresh.” As a professional driver himself for many years, Workman looks for specific qualities when it comes to driver candidates. This is true whether the candidate has a long history behind the wheel or not as much experience. “One of the biggest characteristics that I look for in a driver is a candidate’s respect for equipment. If a person has proper respect for equipment, then everything else can be developed,” Workman said.
training programs and policies. “Mike is a retired safety manager from a very large trucking company and was a longtime driver himself. We are lucky to have him on our staff,” Workman said. “Our company has experienced dramatic growth over the past three years. Therefore, properly managing this growth, while finding the right individuals to work “One of the biggest characteristics that I look for here, is essential. Mike has been a huge help. He in a driver is a candidate’s respect for equipment. conducts our safety and If a person has proper respect for equipment, The Villages Transportation driver training meetings Safety Director Mike Smucker. and programs, overseeing then everything else can be developed.” that side of the business.” — President Scott Workman Smucker added that he also oversees DOT (Department of Transportation) compliance for the company, such as hours “Obviously, possessing the right kind of people skills is another area of service and other government regulations. “I do whatever I can to increase safety, thereby reducing accidents. of high importance. This industry is unique in that we are operating not only heavy equipment, but equipment that is transporting people. This includes introducing loss prevention techniques for our drivers, It’s not like driving a dump truck or road grader, where all a driver has which is part of the training process,” Smucker said. “My background to do is make sure he is using that piece of equipment correctly. With is largely based in freight. I was a professional truck driver for 28 the bus/motorcoach industry, safely transporting passengers is above years, which included driving 3 million accident-free miles, and I all else. Again, I feel it all goes back to drivers showing the proper later served as a safety manager in the freight business. “A lot of that experience is transferable, but transporting boxes in a respect for the equipment they use.” Workman credits The Villages Transportation Director of Safety trailer is a whole lot different than driving passengers in a bus. Mike Smucker for helping his company implement quality driver Therefore, we have considerably raised the bar here pertaining to
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safety. We take it very seriously. One of the first “We have considerably raised the bar here pertaining things I did when I started working at The Villages Transportation was develop a four-hour driver trainto safety. We take it very seriously. One of the first things ing course. This includes a review of hours of service regulations, going over safe driving techniques, talk- I did when I started working at The Villages Transportation ing about drug and alcohol issues, and understanding was develop a four-hour driver training course.� the dangers of distracted driving. This is all done to — Director of Safety Mike Smucker improve safety awareness.� Smucker also has helped develop a driver obstacle course at The Villages Transportation’s facility. The er is not attentive enough, doesn’t take safety seriously, and/or the goal is to have drivers practice their close quarters maneuvering person’s driving skills are not up to par, then we don’t hire or retain skills. that driver. “It’s always good to reduce close quarters accidents. Our current “We demand attentiveness as well as a high level of understandobstacle course is set up for shuttle bus drivers. We have another ing about the rules of the road, company policies and government course planned in the near future for our motorcoach drivers,� regulations as it pertains to being a professional driver. Some peoSmucker said. “I also send regular safety bulletins to our drivers, ple just don’t take safety seriously enough. They are too nonchalant focusing on such topics as proper backing while operating a while driving. It’s something I look for, and try to correct if possibus/motorcoach as well as how to keep passengers safe during ble. If a person’s habits can’t be corrected, then we will look for a trips. These are weekly reminders about safety. I feel this is replacement.� important because it’s easy to form bad habits when drivers stop Workman said one of the common challenges found within the thinking about safety all of the time.� bus/motorcoach industry remains that of finding and retaining qualiSmucker said The Villages Transportation continues to extend its ty drivers. Once a good driver is on the payroll, it’s essential that the training programs for both potential and current drivers. When asked company properly recognizes that person’s importance. what characteristics are needed to make a good driver, Smucker “We do a lot of extra things to help our drivers, such as require referred to the well-known term, “the right stuff.� mandatory gratuities during trips,� he said. “Generally, this refers to astronauts, but I think there is a ‘right Having a fleet full of safe and well-maintained vehicles is also stuff’ for drivers as well. You can often tell, when training somebody important for Workman, Smucker and the entire staff at The Villages to drive professionally, whether or not that person has ‘the right Transportation. stuff,’� Smucker said. “If I determine that a potential or current driv“We operate fairly new and well-maintained vehicles. Scott
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(Workman) has spent a considerable amount of money to purchase vehicles that are in excellent condition, and we work hard at this company to keep them that way,” Smucker said. “This includes immediately taking care of any issues related to vehicle maintenance. We are currently in the process of reworking our preventive maintenance program. This will help improve the life of our vehicles. Many of today’s vehicles also include monitoring systems that are accessible by our mechanics. This allows them to pay greater attention to what needs to be done when it comes to vehicle maintenance.”
corporate image to the public and our passengers, has been critical to the company’s overall success.” Further helping the company move forward is the availability of a modern and complete facility at The Villages. This includes a 12,000-square-foot office building, which is the work home to our approximately 20 office personnel. “Part of our facility includes a reservation office area that features 18 work stations. The section of the building that I work in houses offices for administration and logistics,” Workman said. “Our office staff includes those people involved with motorcoach operations, logistics, human resources, dispatch, safety, reservations and sales. These are all employees who are part “We do a lot of extra things to help our drivers, of our vibrant office setting.” such as require mandatory gratuities during trips.” One unique aspect to The Villages Transportation’s physical infrastructure is the company’s access to three distinctive — President Scott Workman bus depots located in different areas of The Villages property. They are known as the Lake Sumter Landing, Brownwood Although semi-retired himself, Smucker said he continues to and Spanish Springs stations. enjoy working at The Villages Transportation and sees a bright “Spanish Springs is the oldest depot here, featuring an Hispanic future for the company. theme. Meanwhile, like its name suggests, Lake Sumter Landing is “Scott has a goal in place to operate a top-notch passenger located near Lake Sumter, at The Villages. This is an area featuring service in all respects, and safety is at the top of his list. This restaurants and a large dock and water walkway. The station has a includes a continual commitment to provide all the necessary seaport feel, incorporating pastel colors and a beach town look,” resources. I appreciate that on his part. The support we receive Workman said. “The newest depot of the three is the Brownwood from upper management has been fantastic,” Smucker said. station. It incorporates a western theme.” “When issues arise, as they occasionally do, Scott is very deciHe added the three depots feature plenty of room for two to three sive about resolving problems. motorcoaches to service at the same time. And because they are “I have found, over the years, that the personality of manage- spread out, different travel groups, located throughout The ment filters down throughout the organization. Having Scott at Villages, are able to use the depot that best fits their specific needs the top, with his safety-minded attitude and presenting a good and locations.
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“For example, 14 miles separate the Spanish Springs and Brownwood depots. Travel groups and clubs often want to be picked up and dropped off at a specific depot. We can provide this type of service,” Workman added. “These depots have provided a huge boost to our business profile, and they lessen the stress placed on clients while they are organizing trips.”
OFF TO A GOOD START
F
or over 30 years, Scott Workman has been in the business of transporting people where they want to go — first with limousines, and now overseeing a company that transports passengers via bus and motorcoach. He sees no reason to stop now. “I look to be one of those people who is in this line of work for 40plus years; a person who is a real lifer, and someone who can help others through the experience that I have acquired,” Workman said. “I have an immense amount of pride in what we do at The Villages Transportation. As with any company, we don’t go without occasional complaints. As a hands-on owner, however, I stay very in tune to what is taking place on a daily basis. Even though my name is not on the side of our vehicles, the company’s actions should positively reflect who I am as a person and as an owner.” Workman said he has found the people transportation business to be a good career choice and would recommend it to others. “There are a lot of bus/motorcoach operators out there doing it the right way. It’s obviously a viable industry, one that has a big role to play when it comes to moving people within this country. It’s a very honorable profession,” he said, “and certainly can be a good career choice.”
As for the future of his own company, Workman remains as optimistic today as he was during the first day of operation for The Villages Transportation a little over three years ago. “Especially with the introduction of our new travel and tour division, I feel the company’s growth can be sustained and continue to move forward,” he said. “It helps that we have solid partnerships, such as with the manufacturers of our equipment as well as our staff members. It’s all part of a good vibe that can be felt throughout the company.” Workman knows that for this success to continue, company officials and employees must continue to deliver a good overall product. “If we do that, everything else will come to fruition. That is what we strive for — providing clean and quality equipment, intelligent and motivated drivers, enthusiastic sales people and safely taking customers to exciting destinations,” he said. It also helps to be located in an area full of people who love to travel and do new things. “There is so much going on in The Villages. It’s a unique area of the United States. As a company, we feed off our customers’ enthusiasm, willingness to travel and see different places,” Workman said. “I’m very encouraged about the future. It helps that The Villages continues to expand as a community. More residents are expected. I see demand growing for the types of travel experiences being provided by The Villages Transportation.” Contact: The Villages Transportation, 761 Hoopfer Way, The Villages, FL, 32159. Phone: 352-259-9398. Website: www.thevillagestravelandtour.com, www.thevillagestransportation.net.
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From One Limousine To Motorcoach Tour Company By Rick Mullen, Busline Magazine Associate Editor A Touch of Class staff members include, left to right, Gina Price, chauffeur & safety specialist; Nina Parson, director of sales & marketing; Judy Wiele, senior chauffeur; Michele Cupedro, VIP chauffeur; Joyce Pistone, CFO/owner; Frank Pistone, CEO/owner; Jackie Krise, VIP chauffeur; Michelle Delia, VIP tour chauffeur; Amanda Reardon, dispatch & reservations manager; and Kimberlee Bublik, leisure & tour manager.
“At that time, in our market, many bus drivers for other companies were just kind of point A to point B, back-ofthe-head operators, where our drivers were much more outgoing, friendly and helpful. I’m not saying all the bus companies were that way, but back then it wasn’t as competitive with pinpoint service as it is now.” ATOCLimo’s mission, values and vision statement says: “We believe that exceptional people are key to making a company successful. Commitment to our community, our customers and our employees has been our key to success for more than 30 years. “Our vision for the customer is to provide quality chauffeured ground transportation service that is cost effective and is provided in premier luxury vehicles. We remain committed to staying one step ahead of technology to better serve customers by using the latest advancements. This helps reduce the stress in booking and organizing chauffeured ground
ffering an eclectic lineup of vehicles and services today, A Touch of Class Limousine Service (ATOCLimo), of Valley City, OH, was founded in 1982 with just one limousine and the vision of future growth. “We started in 1982 with one limousine and just grew from there,” said ATOCLimo owner and CEO Frank Pistone, during a recent interview with Busline Magazine. “In 1990, we added party and shuttle buses. We bought our first motorcoach in 2000. We were doing mostly corporate work, shuttles and local transfers, but we just weren’t getting the quanity of business that we wanted.”
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As the company branched out into offering bus service, in addition to its traditional limousine business, Pistone hit on an idea that dramatically increased ATOCLimo’s growth. “Limousine drivers are trained a little different from traditional bus drivers,” Pistone said. “There is more of a ‘concierge’ attitude in operating a limousine service. We were able to transfer that attitude to our bus service, and it catapulted our business. Page 22
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transportation, and to improve the safety for our passengers. “We are constantly working behind the scenes — confirming and tracking every reservation to ensure customers get a worry-free ride every time. Our focus is, and will always be, on our customers, providing them with safety, convenience, exceptional quality, affordability and, of course, a smile.” “We are a pretty extensive company in that we offer sedans all the way to motorcoaches,” said Director of Sales and Marketing Nina Parson. “If a person or group is looking for a ground transportation company that has everything in one location, that is what we offer. Plus, we work with a lot of our affiliates nationwide and worldwide to help customers get their reservations to wherever they want to travel.” Pistone added that ATOCLimo offers customers “one-stop shopping” when it comes to fulfilling their transportation needs. “When it comes to our marketplace, there are not a lot of companies like ours,” Parson said. With its diverse fleet, ATOCLimo
Owner/CFO Joyce Pistone and Owner/CEO Frank Pistone
“We believe that exceptional people are key to making a company successful. Commitment to our community, our customers and our employees has been our key to success for more than 30 years.”
offers many varied services, including corporate travel; wedding limo packages; school and university student transportation; prom limousine packages; birthday limo packages; bachelor and bachelorette parties; and local excursions. The company also offers many types of tours, including trips to area businesses that specialize in selling and/or making chocolate products. In addition, tours of the area’s wineries and breweries are also offered. Other tour destinations include Amish country; covered bridges; outlet shopping sites; bar and pub crawls; concerts, theater, sporting and specialty events; sightseeing and city tours in Ohio; holiday tours; and out-of-town trips. There are also such services as convention and group shuttles; airport transportation; New York and Pennsylvania ski area charters; and casino charters. “The leisure market started blossoming in the early 1980s,” Pistone said. “We are the longest standing same-owner limousine company (excluding funeral livery) in business in northeast Ohio. Continuity is
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important. It takes a long time to get a staff together and on the same page. It takes years. We made mistakes, obviously, and learned from them, which has been one of the keys to our success.� Parson said much of the company’s success has to do with its stellar reputation of offering luxurious vehicles and a high level of customer service. “I think we definitely made our mark as people have gotten to know and trust our name. We are their one-stop shop,� Parson said. “We have established the reputation as a company that people can rely on, whether for transportation to a meeting, a wedding or a tour. From start to finish, we are going to be able to help clients with ground transportation. “In addition, clients receive hands-on customer service. I come from the hotel industry, so if I’m working with a group and they would like suggestions of where to stay, I can help. We all know northeast Ohio well enough that we can be both tour guides and customer service agents. “Last year, one of our drivers was a finalist for a Destination Cleveland Hospitality Star Award. We were also finalists for Corporate Event Rental Company of the Year.� Complementing her duties as the company’s director of sales and marketing, Parson also participates in events and training offered by Limo University, of Nashville, TN. “Limo University offers training courses on hiring drivers, social media marketing, affiliate networking — every aspect of our industry is covered,� Parson said. Limo University’s founder, Bill Faeth, recently conducted a 90-minute seminar on Facebook advertising, which Parson attended. “There were 200 people in the room. Out of the 200 in attendance, he (Faeth) chose her to demonstrate what Limo University could do for a company,� Pistone said. “(Parson) created a couple of ads on the spot and put them on our website. Within hours, we picked up four new customers.� Parson was also selected as one of 16 people out of the 300 companies that are involved with Limo University to attend a two-day “boot camp� in Nashville, concentrating on marketing and how the bus market has changed. In addition, the company recently joined the Women in Buses Council
(WIB), which recognizes and advances the role of women in the motorcoach industry through networking, education and mentoring programs.
A Fleet Of Luxury Vehicles
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hen Pistone was shopping for his company’s first motorcoach, it was ABC Companies’ customer service, as well as its coaches, that sealed the deal. “ABC came out and demoed a motorcoach,� Pistone said. Pistone praised the ABC salesman ATOCLimo worked with in the process of purchasing the motorcoach. “Sixteen years later, I can pick up the phone and call him,� Pistone said. “He has always taken my calls no matter what time of day or night. If we have a problem or an issue or whatever, he has always been there to help. That’s how we got into the motorcoach market, and we have done very well.� ATOCLimo currently has four ABC motorcoaches in its fleet. “ABC has alway offered great customer service,� Pistone said. “In addition, ABC has been excellent with parts. The warranty has also been good, which has made us very happy. Right now, we are very happy with what we have. I couldn’t speak more highly of ABC.� As shown on the company’s website, www.atoclimo.com, ATOCLimo’s fleet includes economy shuttle buses. Amenities on the shuttle buses include high back cloth seating, AM/FM CD stereo and air conditioning. “The economy shuttle buses are for the clients looking to save money while moving people from point A to point B,� Pistone said. “They are good shuttles to take people back and forth from a hotel to a wedding venue. We also use them for when a company wants to go from a hotel to a convention center and they only have 20 people to transport.� In addition to its stretch limousines, ATOCLimo features two types of automobiles in its fleet — VIP Lincoln MKT and Cadillac XTS sedans, which include luxury seating for four. Amenities on the sedans include AM/FM/CD stereo, ice and glass holders, rear climate control, writing desk and reading lamps, tinted windows, vanity mirrors and extra trunk space.
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The company’s SUV lineup includes VIP and Executive Escalades, with such amenities as AM/FM/CD stereo, ice and glass holders, rear climate control, writing desk and reading lamps, tinted windows, vanity mirrors and auxiliary input ports for mp3 hook-up. ATOCLimo’s newest luxury SUV is called the CEO. It is so new, it does not yet appear on the company’s website. However, it can be viewed at www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXnqqwQWwC8. The CEO SUV features a deluxe audio/visual package with four monitors; Bluetooth and auxiliary connections; DVD; and subscription radio service. For passenger comfort the CEO is outfitted with plush reclining and massaging heated leather captain chairs. It contains a large bar area with champagne and cocktail glasses, as well as an ice chest. Other features include specialty lighting, large rear luggage space, tinted windows, hardwood flooring and a privacy partition with an audio display. “We are the only company in our market that has anything like the CEO SUV,� Parson said. Pistone added: “The CEO is made for business travelers who want more of an intimate setting.� Other fleet offerings include the Limo Van with leather high-back reclining seating. Further amenities include a conference table, video player, LCD monitors, AM/FM/CD stereo surround, 12-volt and 110-volt power ports, two rows that face each other, tinted windows and vanity mirrors. The Executive Transporter Van features leather touch reclining seating and includes fold-down tables, power ports for laptops, lower step well/raised roof, video player and TV, easier entrance and exit, and tinted windows. Others vehicles include the VIP Limo Coach. These coaches include plush leather touch seating and are a good choice for long trips or shuttle service, according to ATOCLimo. Additional amenity options include beverage service; rear luggage compartment; complete audio/visual center, available with private restroom; mood lighting; Mp3/iPod compatibility; bar; and multiple ice chests.
The Mini Tour Bus is popular for celebrations and events. Amenities include high back “Premier� cloth reclining seats with armrests; four tables with four passenger booth seating; food and beverage station; complete audio/visual center with five monitors; private restroom; and luggage and overhead package storage. ATOCLimo’s Entertainer Coach is a good choice for out-of-town day and overnight trips, said the company. Amenities include custom perimeter seating; audio/visual center; two flat screens; custom pearl top bars with two large coolers; table/booth area; mood lighting and interior mood lights; clear LED rope light accents; light speaker DVD surround sound; laser light; rear cargo area; MP3/iPod compatibility; tinted tour windows; hostess option; air-ride suspension; and private restroom. ATOCLimo bills its Presidential Coach as the ultimate in class and luxury. Amenities include reclining padded leather seating with ample legroom; head rests, armrests and footrests; spacious interiors and roomy aisles; onboard PA system for trip and tour guide announcements; complimentary Wi-Fi; HD screen monitors; DVD players; overhead reading lights;multiple USB ports and outlets; onboard restrooms; dinette tables; beverage service station; all LED lighting; panoramic, full-view windows; advanced climate control; rooftop touring windows; overhead and under bus storage; upgraded luxury flooring; two-point seat belts; and large electric bi-fold door. The Ultimate Tour Bus, which is a Van Hool, includes European design, stable ride; reclining seats; foot and arm rests; beverage holders; tray tables; hot/cold beverage station; audio/visual with monitors and surround sound; video cameras for scenic views; and a lavatory. “Last year we bought three motorcoaches at once — all from ABC,� Pistone said. “We are keeping them busy. Motorcoaches open a lot of doors for us, helping us market our business as people are quite pleased with them. We bought two 56-passenger coaches. We also purchased a CX35, 38-passenger, 35-foot motorcoach, and that has gone over real
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blower, to blow out all the well with people who don’t dust and to get into the want a big coach.” cracks. We wax the floors Parson added, “The USB probably once or twice a port/outlet combo has realquarter. We have six people ly been important to all of detailing who wash everyour clients, especially with thing by hand.” schools and corporate cusAs the many amenities on tomers. One question that the company’s vehicles testihas come up a lot more fy, technology is a vital cog recently from my cusin ATOCLimo’s operation as tomers is, ‘Do you have a modern, up-to-date transseatbelts?’ That is someportation company. thing I get asked with every single call. We do “We’ve been computerized have seatbelts on some of since 1987,” Pistone said. “I our vehicles. One of the got a call the other day from a company that offers GPS, amenities that stand out with cameras and ELDs (electronour 38-passenger motoric logging devices) all in one coach is the leather seating unit. That is something we and the faux hardwood floor. Joyce Pistone and Frank Pistone founded the company in 1982 with one limousine. are going to look into. Every The entrances of the new bus over a certain class has to have an electronic logging device. You can’t motorcoaches have a sleek, curved design that people really like.” One of the staples for most motorcoach and limousine companies is the do paper logging anymore. We are going to switch over soon.” effort to keep their fleets clean and attractive. Both Pistone and Parson According to www.eldfacts.com/eld-mandate/, “In 2012, the United said this is not an easy task. States Congress enacted the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st “It is difficult, but very important,” Parson said. “For example, we Century bill, or, more commonly referred to as MAP-21. That bill, which must make sure all the individual cup holders on the back of the seats are also outlined the criteria for highway funding, included a provision clean, as well as the venting next to seats for air control. We make sure requiring the FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration) to our vehicles are spotless.” develop a rule mandating the use of ELDs. Pistone added: “We actually use a blower, similar to a heavy-duty leaf “In its simplest form, an electronic logging device — or ELD — is
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used to electronically record a driver’s Record of Duty Status (RODS), which replaces the paper logbook some drivers currently use to record their compliance with Hours of Service (HOS) requirements. “Fleets have until December 2017 to implement certified ELDs to record HOS.” “This mandate is probably the biggest change coming down the pike,” Pistone said. “We hope to have it in place by September. That will give us a couple of months to play with it before putting it into service.” Pistone said keeping up with electronics and audio/video equipment is difficult, as they change constantly. “We usually try to stick with one kind of radio. This way it is simpler for our drivers,” Pistone said. “We want radios that interface with a PA system, as this is a popular amenity. In addition, all our motorcoaches have airplane-style heating and AC installed overhead beneath the luggage rack.”
The ATOCLimo And Cleveland Sports Connection
A
TOCLimo’s home base of Valley City puts it in close proximity to Cleveland, a city that Pistone and Parson said has been enjoying a resurgence in recent years. Indeed, a story published by www.cleveland.com, in October 2016, quotes Forbes Magazine calling Cleveland “America’s hottest city.” The Forbes story also said, “This gritty, ‘underdog’ city is now home to six James Beard award-winning chef-inspired restaurants, a thriving bar, arts, and music scene, and biomedical and ‘smart’ manufacturing start-ups that are quickly luring America’s youngest and brightest away from Boston (MA), Austin (TX), and Silicon Valley.” “Cleveland’s new convention center has really been phenomenal in bringing in new business,” Parson said. “Our Cleveland visitor’s bureau,
Destination Cleveland, also does a wonderful job going out to different events, selling people on reasons to come to the city.” Indeed, to start the new year, Cleveland hosted the American Bus Association’s (ABA) 2017 Annual Meeting and Marketplace in January. According to the ABA, cities that host this convention typically see a 10 to 25 percent boost in tour traffic in the years following the event The city’s sports teams have also played a role in putting Cleveland in the spotlight. “The Greater Cleveland Sports Commission actively markets Cleveland as a location for big sporting events, and it has done a really good job,” Parson said. Pistone pointed out that Cleveland is in line to host both the Major League Baseball (MLB) All-Star Game and the National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Game between now and 2020. As reported by www.cbssports.com: “The 2019 MLB All-Star Game will be hosted by the Cleveland Indians in Progressive Field.” In addition, CBS said, 2019 will mark the 25th anniversary of Progressive Field. Furthermore, according to www.cleveland.com, the Cleveland Cavaliers have indicated the newly-renovated Quicken Loans Arena, commonly known as “The Q,” will be the site of an NBA All-Star game, perhaps as early as 2020. Pistone and his company are not strangers to handling the ground transportation needs of the area’s professional sport teams. “In 1997, Cleveland hosted both the MLB All-Star Game, and the NBA All-Star Game,” Pistone said. In addition, 1997 was the 50th anniversary of the NBA. To honor that milestone, the All-Star game hosted and honored the NBA’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Team, also known as the NBA’s Top 50. Continued On Page 30
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Finding Drivers Is Challenging
A Touch Of Class: Continued From Page 27
W
hen he was asked what might be “The NBA’s Top 50 were here in Cleveland ATOCLimo’s biggest challenge and it was our job to take care of them,” moving forward, without hesitation Pistone said. “We also took care of all the Pistone simply said, “Drivers.” players, the NBC staff (NBC was the TV net“I think there is a shortage of quality drivwork televising the game), the NBA staff, the ers,” Pistone said. “We are different in that we referees, as well as the old-timers. I was sta- are running a bus company inside a limousine tioned at the Embassy Suites where most of company. We operate by the hour. The problem the Top 50 were staying and I got to meet is limousine drivers make more money than the them all.” motorcoach operators. Later that summer, in July, Cleveland also “If we have a limo bus out on a Saturday for hosted the MLB All-Star Game. Again, $150 an hour, that driver will receive a 20 percent Pistone played a significant role in supplying gratuity, which means he or she is making $30 an transportation for that event. The MLB repre- hour. The motorcoach drivers are not making sentative told Pistone he needed motorcoach- nearly that much. They commonly get a 15 peres. In those days, ATOCLimo only had one cent gratuity, often for working 12 hours a day. coach, so Pistone had to be creative. He lined “Another problem I see, as an owner, is tryup motorcoaches from other companies, most- ing to compete with companies for business and ly out of Buffalo, NY, to get the job done. still give drivers more money. If we pay them “I handled the logistics for more than 100 an extra $7 or $8 an hour, we are already behind motorcoaches for four days,” Pistone said. “We the curve when we bid a job. had done such a great job with the NBA that the “When we first started, we were bidding bus NBA rep told the MLB rep, ‘You got to use jobs like we did limousine jobs — for so much these guys. Don’t use anybody else.’ We are an hour, plus this, plus that, plus a gratuity. very detailed oriented. We pay attention to When we popped a 20 percent gratuity in there, quality, and the operation went off without a we were way overpriced. We kind of adjusted hitch.” that and bit the bullet and now we are paying Indeed, ATOCLimo has carved out the rep- our drivers more to drive the motorcoaches, but utation for its expertise in handling large we are still a little bit behind.” movements of people, Pistone said. Pistone said the industry needs to evaluate how “We have also done jobs for the Cleveland drivers are being paid to attract quality people. Clinic,” Pistone said. “It is not uncommon for “If eight of 10 companies are paying the extra people to come from the Middle East to stay at money, the other two companies that aren’t are the clinic. When they come, they bring an going to start losing their drivers. This is the entourage. One time, we did a job that No. 1 challenge to the industry right now,” involved 80 vehicles. We handled a little more Pistone said. “There is no built-in gratuity for than 50 percent of the vehicles and another motorcoach drivers like there is in the limoucompany handled the rest. We operated 44 sine business, which is typically 20 percent. We vehicles for 11 days, 14 hours a day.” have a few customers who will pay a 15 percent When Busline Magazine spoke with Pistone gratuity for motorcoach drivers, but 15 percent and Parson recently, ATOCLimo was in the isn’t a lot. Some people just don’t tip that large, process of transporting the Toronto Raptors, such as seniors and young kids on school runs.” who were playing the Cavaliers in the NBA Pistone also pointed to a situation that he Eastern Conference Finals. thinks is unfair to the drivers of the larger “Today we have all our coaches out for three different conventions and we are also in the mist of the Eastern Conference Finals,” Parson said. “Our drivers started their day picking up the Raptors, and they will finish their day taking the Raptors — Frank Pistone, owner/CEO back to the airport.” The Cavaliers and the Raptors also met in the motorcoaches versus the drivers of the smaller 2016 Eastern Conference Semifinals, and it was limo vehicles. a referral stemming from ATOCLimo’s expert“I don’t know about other markets, but drivise in transporting the Raptors during the 2016 ers here who take two to four people to the airseries that led to the company handling this port, usually get a $5 or maybe a $10 tip for year’s semifinals, as well, Pistone said. pulling out the riders’ luggage,” Pistone said.
“A lot of the people who work here like the fact they are not just driving motorcoaches — they get a little diversity. One day a driver might be operating a motorcoach. On another day, that same person might be driving a smaller limo bus or a stretch limousine, etc.”
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â&#x20AC;&#x153;In contrast, the motorcoach operators handle the luggage for up to 56 people. They load and unload the coach and get nothing. Yet, the skycap who just puts luggage on a conveyer belt gets tipped. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think that is fair to the drivers who handle the luggage twice on a pickup and drop-off to the airport or a hotel.â&#x20AC;? When the company is considering hiring a driver prospect, several factors are critical in making the final decision, Pistone said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We want to know what the prospectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s availability is going to be like, and does he or she have the right personality for the job,â&#x20AC;? Pistone said. Familiarity with the area and being customer service oriented are two other important factors to be considered, Pistone said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A lot of the people who work here like the fact they are not just driving motorcoaches â&#x20AC;&#x201D; they get a little diversity,â&#x20AC;? Pistone said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;One day a driver might be operating a motorcoach. On another day, that same person might be driving a smaller limo bus or a stretch limousine, etc. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They like to mix it up a little bit. They are not always in a motorcoach. We just have to make sure they are all suiting our needs. That is the complicated part. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our big thing is we want customers to call in and say, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;I want to book a trip with you, can I get the driver I had the last time?â&#x20AC;&#x2122; When that happens, we know everything is going good. Also, if a driver comes back and reports a cus-
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Business is constantly changing. Basically, we are going to keep doing what we are doing. We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t worry too much about the competition. We feel we are our competition. We compete with ourselves and the numbers from the year before.â&#x20AC;? tomer gave a $50 or $100 tip, we know the client was happy. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When we hire drivers, we give them training on all the different types of vehicles they are going to be driving. We keep a record showing they checked out on this vehicle and that vehicle. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We really focus on the chauffeur attitude. We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t call them drivers, even if they are driving a motorcoach, we call them chauffeurs. We want them to keep that attitude that they are not just a truck driver, or a delivery driver, they are transporting passengers.â&#x20AC;? Currently, ATOCLimo has 65 employees, 50 of which are drivers, Pistone said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We just brought on some new people to help expand our organization,â&#x20AC;? Parson said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They are specialists in different aspects of the company.â&#x20AC;? One new employee is concentrating on growing the leisure market. Also, the company added additional nighttime dispatchers, â&#x20AC;&#x153;As the company grows, we need more people on staff in the middle of the night,â&#x20AC;? Parson said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Amazingly, some people call at two or three in the morning. In our market, we are the only company I know of that is open 24/7.
When a person calls during the night hours, he or she isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t going to talk to someone who is just taking a message. The person will speak with someone who is going to be able to offer the same level of customer service as a daytime agent, handling any questions or concerns the caller may have. We also brought on another dispatcher for the daytime shift.â&#x20AC;? In speaking of the future of ATOCLimo, Pistone said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Business is constantly changing. Basically, we are going to keep doing what we are doing. We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t worry too much about the competition. We feel we are our competition. We compete with ourselves and the numbers from the year before.â&#x20AC;? Parson added: â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have been in business for so long that people recognize our name and our rose logo. For clients, the rose on all of our vehicles says to them that they are going to get a quality vehicle and they are going to receive great customer service.â&#x20AC;? Contact: A Touch of Class Limousine, 5893 Center Road, Valley City, OH 44280. Phone: 330-225-5382. Email: limoinfo@atoclimo.com. Website: www.atoclimo.com.
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American Trans-Data, Corp. 3100 S. Harbor Blvd., Suite 140 Santa Ana, CA 92704 USA Phone: 714-751-3000 Website: www.americantransdata.com Products: Providing software solutions to the bus and tour industries since 1980. Turnkey solutions for charter bus companies to manage the reservation and billing process. ATD also provides airport and casino shuttle systems with desktop and mobile platforms. The company’s shuttle system offers on-bus ticket confirmation and redemption. 15 busHive Software 313 Ushers Rd. Ballston Lake, NY 12019 USA Phone: 518-877-2507 Email: sales@bushive.com Website: www.bushive.com Company Officers: Michael Hinckley, President; Brian Mann, Director of Sales Products: Transportation software for charter management, driver compliance and vehicle preventative maintenance. 17 DDS Wireless International 11920 Forge Pl. Richmond, BC V7A 4V9 CANADA Phone: 604-241-1441 Website: www.ddswireless.com Products: End-to-end, turnkey fleet management solutions for taxi, limousine, transit and other commercial fleets. Its packaged solutions provide a full range of fleet management software and hardware for real-time dispatching; vehicle location and tracking; routing and scheduling optimization; and mobile data communication, navigation and mobile payment processing. 17 Distinctive Systems Inc. 19531 Lost Creek Dr. Estero, FL 33967 USA Phone: 646-448-9981 Email: nasales@distinctive-systems.com Website: www.distinctive-systems.com/us Company Officers: Don Greenglass, President; Bob Hopwood, Vice President of Support Services; Eric Elliott, Vice President of Sales & Marketing Page 32
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Products: Supplier of software to the coach industry. Established for 30 years, over 1,500 operators rely on one or more of the company’s latest Microsoft SQL-based systems for the efficient management of their companies. Includes Coach Manager Charter and Contract Booking System, the Tour Booking System and the Vehicle Maintenance System. Distinctive Systems updates its applications with additional functionality, on an ongoing basis. 17 Enghouse Transportation 80 Tiverton Ct., Suite 800 Markham, ON L3R 0G4 CANADA Phone: 905-946-3200 Email: solutions@enghouse.com Website: www.enghousetransportation.com Products: With over 30 years experience, Enghouse offers a comprehensive suite of software solutions that serve the public and private transportation markets. Software solutions include: Sched21 - Fixed Route Scheduling; BusLine - Fixed Route IVR; HandyLine Paratransit IVR; TeleDriver - Workforce Management; CrewLine - Operator IVR; FareLine - Fare IVR; CoachWorks - Motorcoach Management; and TourManager - Tour Management. 16 GIRO Inc. 75 Port-Royal St. East, Suite 500 Montreal, QC H3L 3T1 CANADA Phone: 514-383-0404 Email: info@giro.ca Website: www.giro.ca Products: Software solutions for planning, scheduling and managing public transit and paratransit operations. Promotes client co-innovation, devoting 30 percent of resources to R&D and soliciting input from clients to take products in new directions. Employees offer expertise, commitment, collaboration and long-term vision. GIRO’s HASTUS suite provides bus, subway, streetcar, and passenger rail scheduling and operations, thanks to over 35 years of experience in public transit installations around the world. It includes: planning and analysis modules that provide network- and timetable-modeling functions, allowing multimodal service synchronization; scheduling modules that generate cost-efficient vehicle and crew schedules; operations modules to manage daily
May/June 2017
service changes as well as vehicle and operator assignments; and customer-information modules to provide detailed trip-planning and stop-level information to passengers. 16 Motorcoach Manager, Inc. See Ad On Page 35 3517 Marconi Ave., Suite 207 Sacramento, CA 95821 USA Phone: 916-972-1800 Email: info@motorcoachmanager.com Website: www.motorcoachmanager.com Company Officers: Shirley Campbell, President; Scott Hale, Erik Taylor and Kevin John, Board Members Products: Motorcoach Manager 2 is innovative, flexible fleet management software. Result of over 20 years of collaboration between the MM staff and hundreds of clients and prospects. Client ideas for features and reports are incorporated throughout to make managing charters and tours as easy as possible. A complete set of features, such as built-in email, exporting of data, utilization charts, availability charts, financial analysis tools, security, equipment and driver management, driver training records, payroll and mileage tracking, etc., are included. The software can be tailored to each operation. MM adds new reports for clients as needed and exports the data so it can be opened and manipulated in a spreadsheet. Motorcoach Manager 2 is intended to track all of the data needs of motorcoach and tour operations and eliminate the need for building spreadsheets outside of the application. Responsive, timely customer service is the priority. Complete, cost-effective system for everything a passenger transportation company needs to do. Motorcoach Manager 2 runs on the Azure Cloud. 17 Norse Systems, Inc. See Ad On Next Page 245 Sage Hollow Rd. Guilford, CT 06437 USA Toll Free: 800-769-8468 Email: norse@norsesys.com Website: www.norsesys.com Products: Provides a complete set of integrated products for managing bus transportation. Norse has been providing solutions for the bus industry for 30-plus years. The software product set is
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combined with private “cloud” based virtual servers and professional support to provide a complete solution for bus operators. The solutions are designed to run on existing computer infrastructure. Comes with low monthly fees, with no long term contract. Applications include: Charter/field trip sales and operations, dispatching, driver qualifications, human resources, employee time and pay, transit line runs, day trip/commuter/airport shuttle and tour systems, accident management, equipment maintenance, warrantee tracking and recovery, fuel control, fuel tax reporting, trip bidding, school bus routing with automated map interfaces, multi-site inventory control, purchasing, home to school operations, accounts receivable, general ledger, accounts payable, and more. Applications are provided with the “Screen Driver” user security, system administration, custom reporting, and application development and management tools. Demonstrations and sales presentations are available at no cost. 16 Paradigm Technology Consulting, LLC 22 S. Main St. Allentown, NJ 08501 USA Toll Free: 866-782-4636 Phone: 609-890-4150 Email: sales@ptcllc.com Website: www.ptcllc.com Products: A Microsoft Gold Certified Partner focusing on human resources and labor management for the transportation industry. Bringing solutions offered by Microsoft, Enghouse, Collective Data and eFleet as well as PTC’s own Transportation Suite. The Paradigm Transportation Suite (PTS) is a suite of payroll and labor management applications designed for operators with more complex payroll and workforce management needs including those involving union contracts. Paradigm also sells, implements and supports financial systems such as Microsoft Dynamics GP, customer relationship management systems such as Microsoft Dynamics CRM, vehicle maintenance systems from Collective Data, and Computer-Aided Wireless Dispatch and Fleet Management solutions from eFleet. 13 RBS - Relational Bus Systems, Inc. See Ad On Page 34 10 Lancaster St. - Box 215 Cherry Valley, NY 13320 USA Toll Free: 800-448-7001 Email: manager@rbs2000.com Website: www.rbs2000.com Products: RBS, Inc. designs, implements and supports Tour and Charter Management systems with more than 500 customers in North America. Products include: GoTour Management System, a browserbased system, manages tour reservations, itineraries, receivables and payables, and produces customer documents and management reports for group and retail tours. The RBS cloud-based
system is hosted and backed up in the cloud using AWS (Amazon Web Services). Now distributing GoTourV4, which includes “Type-toFind” searches and pdf reports. Also available is GoPay, RBS’s highly secure online credit card authorization feature; GoChart Charter Management System features customer and contract management, schedule and dispatch, and accounts receivable. Modules allow system customization to fit a company’s needs and size. Powerful, user definable security, requiring unique login and password, is available; Offsite Backup and Recovery provides daily offsite data backup and features limited online access to a customer’s data in the event of a disaster; and, Web Manager modules include simple, reliable, real time credit card authorization for GoChart and GoTour; online quote generation and notification; and web access to drivers’ orders for GoChart. Demos for GoTour and GoChart are available by appointment. 17 Schedule Masters, Inc. 200-5A Conestoga Dr. Brampton, ON L6Z 4N5 CANADA Phone: 905-495-5402 Website: www.themasterscheduler.com Products: “The Master Scheduler” is a fixedroute scheduling software tool that includes: scheduling, blocking, run-cutting, rostering, daily operations/dispatch, Web-based trip planning, customer complaint tracking, performance tracking, reporting and mapping. 07 Sys2K Dealership Software 528 Northlake Blvd., Ste. 1000 Altamonte Springs, FL 32701 USA Phone: 407-358-2000 Email: sales@sys2k.com
Website: www.sys2k.com Products: Sys2K’s Infinity software is designed for the bus and motorcoach industry for both dealers and manufacturers. Latest technologies to reduce costs and maximize sales revenue. Features include: fully-integrated Windowsbased software, a CRM with endless possibilities to manage and grow the customer base, comprehensive reporting and management dashboards to monitor the success of each department, mobile apps that take the power of the DMS on-the-go, and cloud hosting to alleviate the cost and hassle of maintaining a server. Interfaces with other Microsoft applications, while providing a quality, cost-effective solution. Dealers can realize significant savings by implementing real-time integration across all departments: Parts, Service, Finance, CRM, Accounting, Payroll and Rental.15 Trapeze Group 5800 Explorer Dr. Mississaugua ON L4W 5K9 CANADA Phone: 905-629-8727 Email: info@trapezegroup.com Website: www.trapezegroup.com Products: Transit Operations and Workforce Management, designed to simplify scheduling, frequent sign-ups, complex pay rules and solve other logistical headaches; Transit Enterprise Asset Management, which tracks equipment and infrastructure over time, extends their lives and keeps them safe; Automated Fare Collection, designed for optimal cash management, provides agencies with fare media and provides higher utility to existing investments; and Traveler Information delivers schedule and real-time information to transit and paratransit passengers. Transit scheduling and planning and paratransit scheduling and dispatch solutions provide flexibility for an agency, while Business Intelligence tools provide views of an agency’s data. 15
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RBS, Inc.: Designing, Implementing & Supporting Premium Software
ADVERTORIAL
RBS, Inc., is a major provider of Tour and Charter Management Software specifically designed for the motorcoach industry. For more than 20 years, RBS has been designing, implementing and supporting its premier products: GoChart and GoTour. The company serves more than 500 North American customers. GoTour, the company’s cloud based Tour Management Software, manages reservations, itineraries, payables, receivables, and produces management reports and customer documents for group and retail tours. Hosted in the cloud using AWS (Amazon Web Services), GoTour can be accessed using a broadband internet connection. The RBS professional staff actively monitors AWS services health, including continuous data backups, software updates, and network traffic analysis. RBS is now distributing GoTour v4, which includes “Type-to-Find” searches, PDF Reports and, GoPay, RBS’s highly secure online credit card authorization system. GoChart Charter Management System features customer and contract management, scheduling, dispatching, accounts receivable and numerous accounting/operations reports. Modules allow companies to customize the RBS system to fit their needs. The security module is now more powerful with stricter controls, and requires each employee to access RBS using a unique login and password. Userdefined permissions allow access to specific areas of the program depending on job types, such as administrator, salesperson, dispatcher and driver. GoChart’s Web Manager provides reliable credit card authorization, online quote generation and notification, driver access to schedules and document storage and retrieval. Web Manager modules include: Credit Card Processing — Integrated into the RBS GoChart application; Quote Request — Customers request quotes online by providing basic information, which is used to open a quote in GoChart. Email is forwarded to the customer and sales staff notifying receipt of online quote; Special Requests for GoChart Data Access via the Web — Provides web access to drivers’ schedules, allowing drivers to access schedules from home, office or anywhere with an Internet connection; Offsite Backup and Recovery software and services are designed with disaster recovery in mind. A backup client on your server connects remotely and backs up your critical RBS data daily. Only you and RBS have access to this data. Notification emails are sent each time the data is backed up. RBS ensures that backup data is properly available for restoration and maintains terminal services/remote desktop environment to which your data can be moved. You will have access for two users, for one month, while you re-establish your network infrastructure. GoText automatically provides scheduled text messages to drivers reminding them of upcoming assignments. Call RBS at 800-448-7001 or visit www.rbs2000.com to request an evaluation copy of GoChart, or, to schedule a demo of GoTour and start your 30 day trial. Page 34
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0517Busline.FINAL_Layout 1 5/19/17 1:18 PM Page 35
ADVERTORIAL
Motorcoach Manager: Looking Toward The Future
N
ot all motorcoach companies are alike. Their markets vary and their needs change over time. Consequently, they all require software applications that are flexible, extendable and customizable. Motorcoach Manager has served the motorcoach industry for 20 years, collecting a vast array of features and reports by building variations for its diverse client base. It prioritizes the unique needs of each company, and provides solutions by building new reports, adding features or changing screen designs. Motorcoach Manager 1 encompasses a deep knowledge, acquired over time, of the needs of operators. MM1 has provided a feature-rich model for Motorcoach Manager 2, which is a completely new fleet management application being released in 2017. The design incorporates all that has worked well in MM1, and takes full advantage of the best software tools available today. Like MM1, MM2 will provide a powerful blend of innovative features designed to make recordkeeping easier and more accurate. It will track all the changing information so operators can be ready to meet the needs of customers,
Charter Orders Dispatching Mileage and Fuel Financial Reporting
employees and government entities. The goal is to provide a complete set of features in an allin-one application. As laws and regulations change, charter and tour operators are increasingly finding that they must have electronic systems for handling all the logistical components of the service they provide. They are accountable to agencies that monitor transportation companies for the safety of the public. MM2 is built using state-of-theart technology that will adapt to future operating system changes, and easily interface with third party applications. NEW FEATURES • Integrated mapping calculates mileage and times automatically while the order is entered; • Dispatches are created automatically based on customer’s route and resource availability; • Screen layouts can be customized to fit the way each user works, even across multiple monitors; and, • A powerful new reporting system gives users the ability to easily customize reports to their needs and export them to a variety of popular formats including Excel, PDF, HTML and Text.
CHARTER MANAGER
NEW TECHNOLOGY • Cloud-based hosted service allows easy access anytime anywhere; • Workspaces can be configured based on user roles and work flow; and, • Ongoing updates provide the current version and features with minimal downtimes. NEW POSSIBILITIES • Manages the editing of multiple orders at the same time; • Maximizes utilization of fleet and driver resources with mapping and new scheduling tools; • Better control over coaches at multiple yards; and, • Future enhancements to include integration with mobile access from smartphones, GPS applications, bar codes, e-logs, etc. The Motorcoach Manager team is excited about the benefits and advantages this new application will offer clients, who have been collaborators and co-developers over the years. Motorcoach Manager is looking toward the future and preparing tools to adapt to changing needs. For additional information, call Motorcoach Manager at 800-780-6880 or visit www.motorcoachmanager.com or www.motorcoachmanager.net.
TOUR MANAGER
Tour Planning Retail Tours Sightseeing Tours Receptive Services
SHUTTLE MANAGER
Airport Shuttles Casino Shuttles
Working Together.
Work Orders Parts Inventory Labor Services Maintenance History
MAINTENANCE MANAGER
Modular Fleet and Tour Management Software • • • •
Tracks all aspects of your operation Simplifies creating charters or tours Multiple dispatch management tools Extensive financial reporting
• • • •
Tracks fuel, mileage, payroll, drivers, vehicles, etc. Prints or emails quotes, contracts, invoices, etc. Single or multi-user licensing. Modules may be purchased individually or combined.
Call or email today to schedule a FREE online live demonstration.
800.780.6880 or info@motorcoachmanager.com May/June 2017
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AxleTech International 1400 Rochester Rd. Troy, MI 48083 USA Phone: 248-658-7200 Website: www.axletech.com Products: Various brake-related products including drum brakes - cam; drum brakes wedge; hydraulic dry disc brakes; hydraulic wet disc brakes and park brakes. 14 Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC 901 Cleveland St. Elyria, OH 44035 USA Phone: 800-AIR-BRAKE, 440-329-9000 Email: info@bendix.com Website: www.bendix.com Products: Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems, a member of the Knorr-Bremse Group, develops and supplies active safety technologies, air brake charging, and control systems and components under the Bendix® brand name. Markets include medium- and heavy-duty trucks, tractors, trailers, buses and other commercial vehicles throughout North America. 14 Bremskerl North America, Inc. 1291 Humbracht Cir. Bartlett, IL 60103 USA Phone: 800-939-4047 Email: sales@bremskerl.com Website: www.bremskerl.com Products: German manufacturer of air disc brake pads for coach bus applications. All products are 100 percent non-asbestos, RoHS and REACH compliant and Leafmark Level “B” compliant for California and Washington copper content laws. Air disc brake pads are Page 36
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available for every bus make and model in North America. 16 Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, LLC 535 Marriott Dr., 8th Floor Nashville, TN 37214 USA Phone: 330-697-4497 Website: www.bridgestonefirestonemileagesales.com Products: Provides lease, sales and service of light truck, commercial and specially-designed mileage tires, retreads, wheels and tire service equipment. 15 Continental Commercial Vehicle Tires - The Americas 1830 MacMillan Park Dr. Fort Mill, SC 29707 USA Phone: 704-583-3900 Website: www.continentaltire.com Products: Tires for various markets including the bus and motorcoach industries. 14 Federal-Mogul Corporation 26555 Northwestern Hwy. Southfield, MI 48033 USA Phone: 248-354-7700 Website: www.federalmogul.com Products: Various brake-related products including fluids, hydraulics, lining, pads and shoes, rotors and drums. 14 The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. 200 Innovation Way Akron, OH 44316-0001 USA Phone: 330-796-2121 Website: www.goodyear.com
May/June 2017
Products: Goodyear is one of the world’s largest tire companies. It employs approximately 69,000 people and manufactures its products from 51 facilities in 22 countries around the world. It has two Innovation Centers, located in Akron, OH, and ColmarBerg, Luxembourg. 14 Haldex Brake Products Corp. 10930 N. Pomona Ave. Kansas City, MO 64153 USA Phone: 816-891-2470 Website: www.haldex.com Products: Haldex develops and manufactures brake systems for heavy trucks, trailers and buses. The product offering covers all primary components and subsystems included in complete air brake systems. The operations are conducted through two business units: Air Control and Foundation Brake. 14 Marathon Brake Systems See Ad On Next Page 125 Old Mill Rd. Cartersville, GA 30120 USA Phone: 800-223-5201 Email: scott.myers@marathonbrake.com Website: www.marathonbrake.com Products: Marathon Brake Systems has been serving the North American heavy-duty marketplace for more than 20 years. In that time, the company has developed a complete line of friction materials to satisfy applications ranging from general over-the-road freight to the most severe duty hauling to intercity and intracity transit and school bus fleets. These aftermarket and OE approved linings are manufactured in the company’s ISO-certified facilities.
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From the beginning, the company’s goal is to provide a better brake lining while offering dependable service and delivery. Brake linings are manufactured using state-of-the-art materials, processes and equipment to ensure reliable products are delivered to customers. 17 Meritor, Inc. 2135 W. Maple Rd. Troy, MI 48084-7121 USA Phone: 248-435-1519 Website: www.meritor.com Products: Meritor is a global supplier of drivetrain, mobility, braking and aftermarket solutions for commercial vehicle and industrial markets. Meritor supplies more than two million brake assemblies per year for trucks, trailers, buses and coaches. In North America, the Meritor WABCO joint venture supplies active safety systems such as pneumatic and hydraulic anti-lock braking systems. 14 MGM Brakes 8530 Cliff Cameron Dr. Charlotte, NC 28269 USA Phone: 704-547-7411 Email: mail@mgmbrakes.com Website: www.mgmbrakes.com Products: For over 50 years, MGM Brakes has been providing air brake actuators to the com-
mercial vehicle market, with the addition of MGM’s advanced Electonic Brake Monitoring Systems (e.STROKE) for drum and air disc brake applications. MGM Brakes is an American-owned company with products “Made in the U.S.A.” and a global reach. Two ISO-certified manufacturing facilities and technical research centers are located in the United States. The company develops new solutions to the transportation industry’s needs, from service chambers, to doublediaphragm and piston-diaphragm spring brakes for use with Wedge, S-Cam or Air Disc Foundation Systems, to the Electronic Brake Monitoring System. MGM products are available through a global sales and distribution network. 14 Michelin North America, Inc. P.O. Box 19001 Greenville, SC 29602-9001 USA Phone: 864-458-6968 Website: www.michelintruck.com Products: Tires for various markets including the bus and motorcoach industries. 14 Motor Coach Tire Sales, LLC See Ad On Page 13 1133 4th St. Columbus, GA 31901 USA
Phone: 678-463-4110 Email: bill@motorcoachtiresales.com Website: www.motorcoachtiresales.com Company Officer: Bill Kaiser, President Products: Sales of Toyo and Yokohama tires to the motorcoach industry. 17 Telma Retarder, Inc. 1245 Humbracht Cir., Ste. B Bartlett, IL 60103 USA Phone: 800-797-7714 Email: customerservice@telma.com Website: www.telmausa.com Products: Telma provides frictionless braking systems based on the physical principle of electromagnetic induction. Telma’s expertise in the field of induction braking systems has been built from over 60 years in the market. 14 Webb Wheel Products, Inc. 2310 Industrial Dr. SW Cullman, AL 35055 USA Phone: 800-633-3256 Website: www.webbwheel.com Products: Webb Wheel Products produces wheel-end equipment. This includes brake drums, hubs, rotors and spoke wheels. 14.
Transit Premium Air Disc Pads Get the Longest Pad & Rotor Life with Low Noise… Only from Marathon For more mo than 25 years, Marathon has been the transit industry’s leading friction manufacturer. in ndus Now w as more transit and coach fleets turn to on proven DiscStar o disc brakes, count co Transit Transit Premium Air Disc Pads to safely and quietly quie stop your buses while delivering the longest service life. deliver
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Motor Coach Industries
New Flyer
MCI® Commuter Coach Whether a public agency’s goal is to improve air quality, lower fuel costs or provide commuter express service, the MCI Commuter Coach is time and again proven to be one of the safest, most comfortable, and flexible transportation options available. With clean-diesel, hybrid and CNG options, the Buy America-compliant and Altoona-tested MCI has something for nearly everyone. The Commuter Coach, available in 40- and 45-foot versions, has the best MDBF (mean distance between failure) rate in its class. The high-floor coach offers nimble performance and safety at highway speeds, with a smooth, quiet ride appreciated by commuters throughout America. Options include a wheelchair-lift, three-point passenger seatbelts, cameras, 110-volt outlets, USB plugs, Wi-Fi and bike racks. The model is based on the MCI-D Series, 2015’s best-selling coach, designed to maximize ease of maintenance along with low total cost of operation. Data has shown the D model to be up to 10 times more reliable than the closest competitor.
Motor Coach Industries; 200 East Oakton St., Des Plaines, IL 60018; 847-285-2000; 800-428-7626; Fax: 847-285-2013 • Email: marketing@mcicoach.com; Website: www.mcicoach.com Model ...........................................................MCI® D4000/D4500 Commuter Coach Fuel Options...................................................................Clean-diesel, CNG or hybrid Length................................................................................................................45’ or 40’ Wheelbase....................................................................................318” (45’), 279” (40’) Exterior Height ..........................................................................................................137” Interior Height... ....................................................................................................78.25” Passenger Capacity 45’ ..........................................................................57 w/o lavatory, 55 w/lavatory 40’..........................................................................49 w/o lavatory, 47 w/lavatory Engine Options Clean Diesel .............................................................................Cummins ISL or ISX CNG ................................................................................................Cummins or ISX-G Hybrid.....................................................................................................Cummins ISL Transmission Options Clean Diesel....................................................Allison B500 or B500R (ISL only) CNG ..........................................................................................................Allison B500 Hybrid...........................................................................Allison EP 50 Hybrid Drive Fuel Tank Capacity Clean Diesel or Hybrid..........................................................................164 gallons CNG.............................................................114.6 Diesel Equivalent Gallons (DEG) Electrical System....................................................I/O Controls or Parker Vansco Cooling System .............................................Belt Driven or Electric Cooling Fans GVWR....................................................................50,000 lbs. (45’), 46,000 lbs. (40’)
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Xcelsior® Accommodating a wide variety of propulsion systems from CNG to all four types of electric — which includes diesel-electric hybrid, trolley-electric, hydrogen fuel cell-electric and battery-electric — New Flyer has built more than 8,000 Xcelsior® buses. This includes buses in 35’, 40’ and 60’ lengths. New Flyer’s objective is to deliver life-cycle savings and improve the experience for passengers, drivers and mechanics. The Xcelsior has innovative features and customer-focused enhancements including LED headlights with a six-year warranty, best-in-class 1:7 ramp ratio, best-in-class 14” step (10” kneeled), tinted skylights with roof hatches, the industry’s first standard automotive-style electronic instrument panel and corrosion-free fiberglass exterior panels designed to provide easy access to components. Xcelsior weighs 8 percent less than previous models, which in turn delivers improved fuel economy. Additional lifecycle savings can be realized with disc brakes and longer tire life. Combining these enhancements with New Flyer’s product reliability and comprehensive aftermarket parts and services, Xcelsior can give customers the best bus value and support for life.
New Flyer Industries; 711 Kernaghan Avenue, Winnipeg, MB, R2C 3T4; 204-224-1251; Website: www.newflyer.com Model ..............................................................................Xcelsior® XDE40 Length ...................................................41’ over bumpers/40’2” over body Width....................................................................................................102” Roof Height ..................................................130” over hybrid cooling fans Interior Height.........................79” over front and rear axle; 95” mid-coach Wheelbase......................................................................................283.75” Transmission...................................Allison hybrid drive; BAE HybriDrive® Engine Options........................................Cummins ISB 280 or ISL 280 Seats .............................................................................................Up to 40 Curb weight hybrid .......................................................................28,500 lb Floor .................Composite at rear interior step, ACQ Plywood remainder (dB Ply used on upper deck). Tarabus, Altro, RCA Electrical system..................................................................Parker Vansco Cooling System...........................................................Electric cooling fans Fuel Tank..........................Polyethylene fuel tanks: 100 US gallon (379 L) Stainless steel tanks available HVAC.........Thermo King RLF Series System (A/C and heat or heat only) Axles.........................................................MAN VOK 07 front disc brakes; MAN HY-1350 rear disc brakes, single reduction axle
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Nova Bus
Complete Coach Works
ZEPS Bus LFS HEV® (Hybrid Electric Vehicle) Based on the proven performance of the LFS platform, the LFS HEV® (Hybrid Electric Vehicle) upgrades its already advanced fuel-efficient engineering by adding a powerful, ultra-low emissions hybrid drive to cut fuel and maintenance costs. Given optimal operating conditions, the LFS HEV offers up to 30 percent reduction in fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions compared to conventional diesel-powered buses. Other benefits include a significant reduction in noise levels, particularly at the rear of the vehicle and outside. Nova Bus offers two different types of hybrid systems: parallel and series. In both parallel and series vehicles, braking energy normally lost as heat is recuperated through a generator and stored in the rooftop batteries. That’s why hybrid technologies are best suited for frequent stopand-go conditions. Also available, the high-capacity LFS Artic HEV is an attractive alternative for growing cities focused on sustainable development. Starts and stops are smooth and the ride is stable, even in snowy conditions; the end result is a more enjoyable passenger experience. Developing vehicles to help cities meet their sustainability objectives is part of Nova Bus’ vision to be the leader in green efficiency and Electro Mobility.
Nova Bus: 260 Banker Road, Plattsburgh, NY 12901 518-566-6682 • Fax: 518-957-2002 Email: novabus.sales@volvo.com Website: www.novabus.com Model .......................................................................................................LFS HEV Seating Capacity...................................................................................up to 41 Length...............................................................................................................40’ Width ...............................................................................................................102” Height..............................................................................................................132” Engine .....................................................................Cummins ISB 6.7 280 HP, Cummins ISL 8.9 330 HP Traction Drive.................................................Allison H 40 EP, BAE HDS200 Chassis .......................................................................Stainless Steel Integral Fuel ...............................................................................Diesel-electric Hybrid Air Conditioning................................................Thermo King Athenia, MCC Wheelchair Lift Option..............................................................Lift-U, Fedico Steering .............................................................................................TRW TAS85 Suspenion..........................................................................................................ZF
The ZEPS (Zero Emission Propulsion System) drive system technology, developed exclusively by Complete Coach Works (CCW), provides customers with a clean, cost-effective and viable alternative to fossil fuel. CCW can integrate ZEPS into any fleet, helping communities further support the environment for future generations. CCW remanufactures buses to reduce the cost and the environmental impact of bus manufacturing. The ZEPS bus relies on the recycle-reuse-reduce philosophy, and is the ultimate in sustainability. CCW takes a previously used transit bus powered by a fossil fuel engine, and remanufactures it to like-new condition, with an all-electric powered drivetrain system. The ZEPS powered remanufactured electric bus is the ultimate in eliminating environmental impact in the transit industry. For 30 years, CCW has led the transit industry in retrofits and rehabs, but by far the ZEPS line has made CCW most proud by reaching over 1 million miles driven throughout the United States. CCW has successfully retrofitted and deployed its ZEPS all-electric drive system in many operations around the nation, meeting the diverse needs of each operator. The ZEPS system has been utilized for buses, trolleys and other heavy-duty vehicles. Not only is CCW dedicated to crafting quality, it’s also dedicated to always producing projects on time. Complete Coach Works, 1863 Service Court Riverside, CA 92507 800-300-3751 Website: www.completecoach.com, www.ZEPS.com • Zero emission propulsion system • 100 mile driving range • Low maintenance • Clean & noise free • Liquid cool system • Light and densest battery pack • Advance latium ion battery • .7 cents mile electric = $1.05 mile diesel • All electric power drive train system • Improves bus life span • Avoid material waste May/June 2017
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CTAA EXPO June 11 - 15 In Detroit The Com munity Transportation Ass ociation of America (CTAA) EXPO 2017 is scheduled for June 11-15, at the Cobo Center in Detroit, MI. The event offers transportation professionals the opportunity to join colleagues from around the nation and across the full spectrum of transportation service providers in a setting dedicated to fresh ideas, innovative products and services, networking and learning. GENERAL SESSIONS General Sessions bring all attendees together to share the latest developments in community and public transportation policy, legislation and trends, along with presentations of CTAAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s annual Membership Awards. Tuesday, June 13, Noon â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Opening Luncheon Matthew Welbes, acting administrator of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) will update FTA activities and initiatives. Welbes directs the daily operations of the agency in support of public transportation services in
communities across the United States. CTAA will also present its Outstanding Rural and Urban System of the Year awards. Keynote Session Wednesday, June 14 at 10:45 a.m. Keynote panelists Shannon Bouton, CEO, McKinsey Center for Business and Environment and Mark de la Vergne, chief of mobility innovation, city of Detroit, will discuss technological advances, new business models, needed policy changes and funding possibilities as the industry enters a new era of mobility. CTAAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dr. Aaron Henry Distinguished Service Awardâ&#x20AC;? will also be presented. Thursday, June 15, 10:45 a.m. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; EXPO Policy Session: Transit Policy in Focus CTAA Executive Director Scott Bogren will lead a discussion on all of the upcoming policy issues from Washington, D.C. Trade Fair The Trade Fair will feature the latest in transit vehicles, technology, equipment, and services from more than 1,500 attendees and 100 exhibitors. Seven hours of dedicated trade show hours over three days, and a trade show floor with meals and receptions, await attendees.
Symposiums Each year the Community Transportation Association of America sponsors a series of symposiums that provide a chance for attendees to explore topics of interest in the community transportation field. These one- or two-day symposia each feature presentations from industry leaders, panels of practitioners and the opportunity to network with people from around the country. Workshops Workshop sessions on Wednesday, June 14, and Thursday, June 15, will feature sessions tailored to meet the specific needs of community and public transportation managers, officials and advocates. Idea Cafe These sessions will give EXPO attendees the opportunity to share questions, ideas, new insights, or group brainstorming on specific topics in highly interactive, casual discussions. Please submit ideas beforehand for discussion in one of the sessions to expo@ctaa.org. Roadeo The National Community Transit Roadeo is the only national venue to honor and cele-
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CTAA SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE Saturday, June 10 â&#x20AC;¢ National Community Transportation Roadeo registration; and, â&#x20AC;¢ Briefings for Roadeo contestants and judges.
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Sunday, June 11 â&#x20AC;¢ National Community Transportation Roadeo; â&#x20AC;¢ National Community Transportation Roadeo Awards Banquet; and â&#x20AC;¢ Transportation Camp for Mobility Managers. Monday, June 12 â&#x20AC;¢ Conference Intensive Training Sessions; â&#x20AC;¢ Symposium: Mobility Rising, day 1; â&#x20AC;¢ State and Tribal Delegates Meeting; and, â&#x20AC;¢ Educational tours. Tuesday, June 13 â&#x20AC;¢ Conference Intensive Training Sessions; â&#x20AC;¢ Symposium: Mobility Rising, day 2; â&#x20AC;¢ Community Transportation Conference luncheon; â&#x20AC;¢ EXPO 2017 Trade Show opening and reception; â&#x20AC;¢ Educational tours; and, â&#x20AC;¢ Evening: PechaKucha. Wednesday, June 14 â&#x20AC;¢ EXPO 2017 Trade Show continental breakfast; â&#x20AC;¢ Conference Intensive Training Sessions; â&#x20AC;¢ General session; â&#x20AC;¢ Community Transportation Trade Fair and luncheon; â&#x20AC;¢ Workshops; and, â&#x20AC;¢ Educational tours. Thursday, June 15 â&#x20AC;¢ Workshops; â&#x20AC;¢ General session/lunch; â&#x20AC;¢ Professional development sessions; â&#x20AC;¢ Idea cafes; and, â&#x20AC;¢ EXPOâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Big Night Out: Dinner and entertainment.
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brate the value of rural and community transit operators, the backbone of the Community Transportation industry. This event draws drivers from around the country to compete for top scores on a course that tests skills on every level of the drivers’ abilities. SPECIAL EVENTS Pecha Kucha — An informal Evening of Crowd-sourced Presentations (June 13) For attendees who wish to share an idea. Pecha Kucha format of a set number of slides with pre-set timing for each slide, with each presentation running no more than 7 minutes.
If you have a fun, unique topic to share in the Pecha Kucha format? Humorists are strongly invited to apply. Send Rich Sampson a note at sampson@ctaa.org with your idea. Big Night Out (June 15) Big Night Out at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, MI. EXPO TOURS Experience Detroit for Yourself A trio of day-long, off-site tours to experience Mobility Rising in action. Attendees can select a package of two tours on Monday, June 12 and Tuesday, June 13, or choose an a tour individually, a-la carte.
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If we don't have it, we can get it. Over 40 years of service to the motorcoach industry, all seat covers guaranteed for 4 years or 400,000 miles. Any questions about your seats or other needs, please call 425-432-9867 or visit us at www.willinghaminc.com.
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Innovation in Ann Arbor Monday, June 12, 8:30 a.m.-4p.m. Visit the MCity Autonomous Vehicle Test Facility at the University of Michigan then experience the Ann Arbor Area Tran sportation Authority (AAATA) network, including the Blake Transit Center and planned BRT and rail routes. Detroit Neighborhood Tour Tuesday, June 13: 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Encounter Detroit’s revival on a journey guided by the Detroit Experience Factory, including historic buildings, urban farming and community redevelopment districts. The Detroit Transit Tour Tuesday, June 13: 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Ride all Detroit's transit modes in one day. Highlights include the People Mover, QLine Streetcar, Rosa Parks Transit Center, Detroit DOT & SMART Fixed-Route Bus Lines. Networking Thursday at EXPO Wrapping up EXPO’s professional development content on the afternoon of Thursday, June 15 will be two opportunities to connect directly with peers and colleagues from across the community and public transportation industry, as well as engagement with CTAA’s board of directors, state delegates and staff. Connect Regionally During this luncheon session, EXPO attendees are invited to gather together with their colleagues within their geographic regions and states to receive updates from their CTAA Board of Directors representatives and state delegates. This will be followed by an open discussion session within each region — and at state-specific breakout tables, if needed — to share key challenges, emerging trends and proactive solutions. CTAA’s annual membership awards will be presented during this session. Connect Topically Continuing the Idea Cafe model from our most recent EXPOs, our Connect Topically session will allow attendees to share common ground and new ideas with their peers within key subsets of our industry. EXPO 2017 State DOT Roundtable Wednesday, June 14 2:00 p.m.-4 p.m. Officials from state departments of transportation will discuss current issues in the administration of transit programs. Session will feature reports from the Federal Transit Administration and a chance for open discussion. Convener: Charles Carr, Mississippi DOT and the CTAA board of directors. June 14, A Night at the Ballpark Join friends and colleagues for a night at the ballpark, as the Detroit Tigers take on the Arizona Diamondbacks in an interleague matchup. For details, see: https://groupmatics.events/event/CTE2017.
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Coach Atlantic Purchases 13 New MCI J4500s During the 2017 UMA Expo, Motor Coach Industries (MCI), a subsidiary of New Flyer Industries Inc., signed a $7.5 million order with Coach Atlantic Group for 13 MCI J4500 motorcoaches. “It’s a significant investment for a privately held company,” said Pat Ziska, MCI new coach sales vice president. “MCI is honored that Coach Atlantic Group has selected the MCI J4500 to serve their regional passengers and the global visitors who enjoy the unique beauty of Canada's Maritime Provinces.” Coach Atlantic, based on Prince Edward Island, Canada, is located in the Maritimes. More than 300 of Coach Atlantic’s employees manage, service and operate 200 vehicles with daily, weekly and seasonal bus services for charter, line-run, public school and municipal transit customers. “The company philosophy places emphasis on why we do what we do rather than what we do or how we deliver service,” said Adam Doiron, Coach Atlantic CEO. “Our people are focused on customer service and a memorable passenger experience. It’s the right deal and the right choice for us.” “Coach Atlantic's 2017 models are equipped with electronic stability, independent suspen-
OBITUARY STEVE ESSLINGER
Gathered from left are: Stephen Cassidy, of the Cassidy Group of Companies; Guy Charron, MCI regional sales vice president Canada; Pat Ziska, MCI new coach sales vice president; Marsha Doiron, Coach Atlantic vice president marketing and development; Patrick Scully, MCI executive vice president sales and marketing; Adam Doiron, Coach Atlantic CEO; Matthew Cassidy, Coach Atlantic vice president of finance; and Ian Smart, MCI president.
sion, plus new extra-legroom seating for 56passengers, 110-volt power outlets and USB ports,” Matthew Cassidy, Coach Atlantic vice president of finance said. Visit www.mcicoach.com and www.newflyer.com. NOTE: Stated dollar amounts are in Canadian currency.
May/June 2017
Steve Esslinger, 65, of Surprise, AZ, died April 17, 2017, after a long battle with cancer. Originally from Cincinnati, OH, Esslinger’s career in refrigeration included positions at Kroger and Walmart, before becoming a sales engineer at Sporlan. Later in his career, he worked for Zero Zone, and finally as the southwest regional sales manager for BITZER. “He was respected throughout the industry, and will be remembered for his refrigeration system trouble-shooting skills, and the positive impact he had on those who worked with him,” according to a company release. Visit www.bitzerus.com.
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ARBOC Releases Ford Spirit Of Independence
ARBOC recently released its first Ford Spirit of Independence (SOI), a 23-foot bus. “The Ford Spirit of Independence has a 96inch width and a flat floor design that allows stress-free maneuverability for up to 15 ambulatory and 5 wheelchair passengers,” said the company. “The ARBOC Spirit of Independence on the Ford transit utilizes the same ‘semi-monocoque’ framing that is used on our Promaster chassis, which successfully passed Altoona in the four-year 100,000 mile category,” said Barry Hines, vice president of engineering. “Use of this vehicle is ideal in the assisted living market, as non-emergency medical trans-
port, for religious organizations, or as a hotel shuttle. The large passenger windows and superior headroom ensure a comfortable, spacious ride for all occupants.” Hines added, “The design allows simple yet robust lightweight construction, maximizing capacity. This bus features two-by-two seating with the ability to package a wide range of seating and ADA-compliant arrangements including up to five wheelchair positions, I/O controls multiplexing, and a wide 35-inch clear opening entrance. It is now available for both private and FTA funded contracts.” Visit www.ARBOCsv.com.
Diamond’s paratransit solutions provide: Easy entry, offering lowest step heights The quietest ride in the industry (happy rider = happy driver) A body that will not rust or corrode Combined with the lowest ownership cost
See us at the 2017 CTAA Expo. Page 44
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ARBOC Specialty Vehicles has hired Ami Sailor as marketing manager. “Sailor has been a part of ARBOC Specialty Vehicles for 12 years. She has worked in various positions during her employment, with the majority of the time Ami Sailor spent as a purchasing agent,” said the company. In 2016, she began designing paint and graphics schematics for ARBOC in addition to her purchasing responsibilities. Through its four key product offerings, the Spirit of Mobility, Spirit of Freedom, Spirit of Independence and Spirit of Liberty, ARBOC offers low-floor paratransit products that serve a variety of industries and applications as well as meet and exceed 2014-2018 federal fuel economy standards. The company was founded in 2008. Sailor can be reached at 574-825-6477 or by email at asailor@ARBOCsv.com.
Antelope Valley Transit Honored For Annual Financial Report
The Diamond Difference
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New ARBOC Marketing Manager Is Ami Sailor
Learn more by visiting Diamond at the CTAA Expo.
The Antelope Valley Transit Authority (AVTA) was recently honored “as a model for transparency and concise communication” for its 2016 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA). This is the fourth consecutive (and fifth overall) time AVTA has been honored as the recipient of the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting. “The award, issued by the GFOA, is the highest form of achievement in government reporting and financial accounting. Reports are judged by a nonpartisan special review panel to ensure the program’s standards are met, so the honor is high praise from its peers,” said GFOA. “Our finance team has served as the backbone for upholding our goal to build the first net-zero fleet in the world,” said AVTA Chief Executive Officer Len Engel. “It is through their continued excellence that we can reach new heights in innovation and establish our legacy as a world leader in sustainability for public transportation.”
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Professional Charter Adds Temsas Professional Charter, located in San Francisco, CA, has been in serivice almost 10 years. In 2008, Omar Orozco, owner, started the business with one cutaway vehicle. The company now offers a variety of transportation services including local tours, sports and athletic teams, corporate events, and weddings. Orozco runs the company with his daughter, Celeste Orozco, and his son, Victor Orozco. At this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s UMA Expo, the company took delivery of two new Temsa coaches, its first 2017 TS 35E and its second, TS 45. Features they chose include: 110V outlets with USB ports, leather and fabric seats, audio/video and a woodgrain floor. The rest of Professional Charterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fleet is made up Shown left to right are Randy Angell, of 20 motorcoaches, cutsenior account executive at CH Bus aways and sprinters. Sales, Omar Orozco, owner of Orozco said a major facProfessional Charter, and his daughter, tor in the decision to purCeleste Orozco. chase was the opening of the new Temsa/CH Bus Salesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; full-service shop in Burlingame, CA. CH Bus Sales, LLC, is the exclusive distributor of Temsa motorcoaches in the United States and Canada. Visit www.chbussales.com.
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BUSLINE
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From RLI Transportation: Celebrating Its 20th Year Choose a solid partner with a long-term commitment to your industry as your motorcoach insurer. RLI Transportation, based in Atlanta, GA, is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. We are a division of RLI Insurance Company and are a full-service provider of insurance products and services for public auto, truck and commercial auto customers. Our founding (and current) principals are to provide outstanding claims and customer service, responsive and creative underwriting and unmatched financial security.
EXPERIENCE AND EXPERTISE Our extensive experience in public transportation insurance, combined with our ability to create innovative solutions, helps us meet the needs of our insureds. Our underwriters are experts at handling public transportation risks and designing financing alternatives to fit your budget requirements — including deductibles, self-insured retentions and retro-rated plans. In addition, we provide underwriting and claims expertise to help our customers control their insurance costs. To help manage claims, we provide easy access to loss data through our on-line loss runs. Why is it important to choose a financially sound company with a long-term commitment to your industry? More than 10 insurance companies have exited the motorcoach insurance market in the past 10 years; many of them having only remained for a couple of years. RLI is one of only three companies that have continuously operated in your market for more than 10 years. We remain committed to providing you with top-shelf service at a fair price, while acknowledging our responsibility to our customers and shareholders to maintain profitable operations. We want to be around another 20 years to serve you.
UNMATCHED FINANCIAL STRENGTH We are rated A+ (Excellent) by A.M. Best Company, the world’s oldest and most authoritative insurance rating and information source, which cited RLI’s ratings “reflect its superior capitalization, sustained longterm operating profitability and excellent business profile as one of the leading specialty property/casualty insurance organizations in the United States.”
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In addition, RLI has been named to the Ward’s 50 P&C Top Performers list for 26 consecutive years (1991-2016). Annually, the Ward Group (the leading provider of benchmarking and best practices studies for the insurance industry) analyzes the financial performance of nearly 3,000 property-casualty insurance companies domiciled in the United States and identifies the top performers. RLI is proud to be one of only three companies to be named to the list each of the 26 years the analysis has been undertaken.
CUSTOMER FOCUSED RLI was also recently rated as the top 10 carriers in a 2017 survey of independent agents conducted by National Underwriter Magazine and the National Association of Professional Insurance Agents, underscoring our commitment to outstanding service to our customers and agents. RLI Transportation’s history of financial stability, extraordinary claims handling and creative underwriting assure our customers and agents that we are dedicated to meeting their needs. If you have a risk that meets our criteria please feel free to contact us. We look forward to building a mutually rewarding partnership. Contact: RLI Transportation, Tim Hathy - Vice President, 2970 Clairmont Rd., Suite 1000, Atlanta, GA 30329. Phone: 888-754-4221 Websites: www.rlicorp.com/public-transportation, www.rlicorp.com.
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RLIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S CHARTER BUS INSURANCE HELPS KEEP YOU ON THE ROAD RLI Transportation offers comprehensive insurance solutions to protect charter bus operations from the unique business risks they face. Our experienced public auto team values building long-term relationships with our customers. When you partner with RLI, you can expect innovative solutions and outstanding service from a financially strong and stable carrier that understands your business. From our specialized insurance products to our focus on your success, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re different. And at RLI,
RLI Transportation insurance products are available through insurance agents. To learn more, visit
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From Prevost:
Electric Cooling Package For A Powertrain Up To 500Hp Prevost has introduced its electric cooling package for a powertrain of up to 500Hp. “The system takes into account the amount of cooling needed, where it is required, the power needed for the task and how this power will be generated,” said Prevost. Introduced at the 2017 UMA Expo, the system was designed entirely inhouse at Prevost. “It eliminates the belt-driven fan, thereby reducing the engine horsepower required to operate. The end result is up to 4 percent improvement in fuel economy, better reliability/less downtime, enhanced performance and potential decrease in maintenance costs.” Prevost’s electric fan drive development was made possible by an in-house integration of all systems including a new electrical architecture. The new fans offer a progressive speed that is adjusted on demand from the engine cooling system. Since they are not driven by the engine, more power is available at the wheels. “The drive includes eight fans total; six for the radiator and for the charge air cooler (CAC). Both the CAC and the radiator fans are split into two independent groups, driven by a different multiplex module for complete redundancy to avoid coach down situation
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related to fan issues. The vehicle can operate with only one of the two systems functioning.” The side-by-side configuration allows the surface of both the radiator and the CAC to receive fresh air. The press release stated, “Debris cannot accumulate between them, and the system logic was built with the following features to keep them clean and fully efficient at all time: “In winter conditions, fan rotation is reversed on a regular basis to push snow, ice, and sleet out of the radiator and CAC surface. In normal operation, air is pulled in the engine compartment. In summer conditions, fans are turned off from time to time so that any debris blocking air flow will drop off. For example, plastic bags can stick to the radiator door due to fan suction effect. “The side by side configuration design allows the CAC to be removed independently of the radiator; giving mechanics access to the engine compartment.” The new cooling package will be standard, along with Prevost’s intelligent battery charging system (PRIME) on X3-45s built in 2017 and beyond. Plans to also offer the system on the H3-45 are underway for 2018. Visit www.prevostcar.com.
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Chad Solano Named General Manager Of Davey Coach Starting in 2009, Chad Solano worked his way through the ranks at Davey Coach. He held positions including sales, titling and processing, parts and service and leasing and rentals. Prior to being named the company’s general manager, Solano was director of fixed operations. His business philosophy is, “work hard and smart.” Solano said, “We want to work when our competition is sleeping, a philosophy that has been a part of our company culture begun by founder Tom Davey.” A former naval shipman, Solano served his country from 1997 through 2001 on board the last nonCHARTER nuclear aircraft carrier to be decommissioned, the USS Constellation CV64. He also competed in wrestling for the U.S. Navy for two and one-half years. As a civilian, he worked in real estate. Davey Coach said this gave him the freedom to reach and teach wrestling to underprivileged kids. Solano ran programs at Beat the Streets and the Boys and Girls Club, where he holds numerous state championships from 2004 to 2014. Currently coaching for the WASHROOM WASTE DISPOSAL UNIT Chad Solano Colorado Wrestling Academy, Installs directly into your Solano’s wrestlers have continued to win championships eight of the last existing sewer system! nine years. Solano’s other hobbies include hunting and fishing. Visit www.daveycoach.com for more information. avatory dump hopper is assembled and ready Washroom to install in your existing sewer system. Its waste is cover plate is easily rolled back with the UMA Names Stacy Tetschner President/CEO remover tool. Each of your service lanes can easily be removed equipped with this time-saving unit, which has been the quickly, industry standard for over thirty years. All major credit The United Motorcoach Association has named Stacy Tetschner president easily and cards accepted. and CEO, effective June 5. safely Call 1-866-LAV-DUMP or email UMA’s Interim President/CEO Steven C. Klika will remain through the lavdump@yahoo.com for additional information. transition. Tetschner comes to UMA following 25 years at the National Speakers Association, where he served as CEO for the past 18 years. He is a certified association executive (CAE), as well as a fellow of the American Society of Association Executives (FASAE). According to UMA, “Leading the ArizonaCall toll free: 1-866-LAV-DUMP | Fax: 1-201-420-3322 based National Speakers Association and the www.lavdump.com NSA Foundation, Tetschner transformed an organization from a club-like organization to a national association with 3,500 members, a vibrant and growing social media presence and a foundation end Stacy Tetschner owment that has grown to more than $3.5 million.” He has also served as vice chairman and on the board of The American Society of Association Executives, and the Center For Association Leadership and COB, and as a director for the Convention Industry Council. He is a contributing author to two books, "Paid to Speak," and "Windows Into Heaven: Stories Celebrating Downs Syndrome." He is married to his wife, Michelle, and is the father of three sons. Visit www.uma.org.
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ABC Sales Empire Coach Eddie Serrano, vice president of Orlando, FL-based Empire Coach Lines said, “Modern motorcoaches are built to serve well for 20 years. Wherever it makes sense, we buy refurbished and pre-owned coaches less than 3 years old. That makes it reasonable to answer customers’ specific requirements and offer a new coach experience.”
“With both parents working in the industry, Serrano grew up with a passion for the bus business. Starting with a single used coach in 2005, Empire now operates 38 coaches and transit buses, providing local shuttle and convention services, in addition to nationwide charter service, for the Central Florida market,” said ABC. According to Serrano, “We buy one brand of used transit buses for customers who need shuttle service, and the motorcoach part of our fleet is all Van Hools pur-
chased from ABC Companies. It is a huge benefit to run a single brand. The mechanical systems, parts, and controls are similar on all their coaches, ranging from 41-seat 35-footers to the 81-passenger double decks. Driver and mechanical training is simplified. We can improve safety and performance while saving money.” In the past year, Empire has purchased two 56 passenger CX45s as well as a TD925, with 2 more double-decks on order. “Empire is a real family affair. Patricia Fontalvo is president, (and Eddie’s mom) and Edwin Vega, along with Eddie, have made a ton of ingenious decisions and think outside the box.”
Vandalia Bus Lines “We were excited about St. Louis hosting UMA’s Expo, and thought a coach showcasing the region’s attractions would be a great symbol of our commitment to serving the area,” said Dennis Streif, of Vandalia Bus Lines (www.vblinc.com). “It’s also about providing our customers with the most modern luxurious coaches available.” Based across the Mississippi River in Caseyville, IL, Vandalia Bus Lines is the
headquarters of a group of transportation operations in the St. Louis area owned by the Streifs. Second generation family members Dale, Dennis, Melissa, Roger and Lori are all involved in managing the business. Active in IMG and NTA, they are founding members of the Motorcoach Council. Vandalia operates 67 vehicles and all 3-axle buses in their fleet are Van Hools. In addition to the graphics featuring St Louis’ history and sights, the new Van Hool CX45, 56-passenger luxury coach features Van Hool’s rear passenger window, wood grain floor, 110-volt electric plugs, Wi-fi, and a 6-monitor entertainment system. The new coach also features 3-point seatbelts, backup cameras, antilock brakes, tire pressure monitoring, a fire suppression system, daytime running lights, curbside lighting, and adaptive static aiming lights. Visit www.abc-companies.com for more information.
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Safety Best Practices LLLC Defensive Driving Preventing Intersection Accidents Preventing Rear End Collisions Pedestrians & Bikes Lane Changing & Passing Lifts & Securement of Mobility Devices Professional Customer Service Final Exam & Certification
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W H E R E I N N OVAT I O N A N D T E C H N O LO GY
Join Industry Leaders Accelerating the Future of Public Transportation. APTA’s EXPO 2017, the world’s largest public transportation event, is headed to Atlanta, Georgia with all you need to succeed in today’s competitive market. Increase your technical and industry knowledge with free show floor education, meet 800+ global exhibitors, and network with 12,000+ peers to discover real, innovative solutions. Registration is free. APTA’s EXPO is where innovation and technology converge to accelerate public transportation and every aspect of your organization. IT’S ONLY ONCE EVERY THREE YEARS. REGISTER NOW FOR FREE.
Use the VIP code when registering to be eligible to win fabulous prizes! VIP CODE: BLP17
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By Profusion Industries: TM
TM
Koro-Trans Astra Flor Safety Flooring – Domestically Produced Flooring, Step Tread, And Nosing Components “Astra FlorTM Safety Flooring shares all the outstanding performance features of our transit flooring, plus it has enhanced slip resistance and a metal flake appearance. It is available in various widths to suit vehicle layouts. Astra Flor™ can be installed over wood, metal, or composite subfloors,” said the company. “It was designed to meet the aesthetic requirements of the shuttle, motorcoach, and transit bus industries while still providing the rib center aisle feature. Astra Flor™ is the only system able to deliver the smooth side, rib aisle type of flooring layout, is factory welded, cut to body specific length and ready to install upon arrival.”
During the CTAA 2017 Expo, visit the company at booth 530. “In addition to flooring options, step treads in matching designs are available with a non-metallic backing. They are easy to install and clean, have a high coefficient of friction, and are designed to last the life of the bus. “All of our material physical properties meet industry standards for fire, abrasion, and slip resistance, including FMVSS 302, OSHA, and ADA. All Koro-Trans™ products deliver a highquality performance and last the life of the vehicle in which they are installed,” said the company. Visit www.profusionindustries.com or call 800-938-2858 for more information.
Albuquerque Rapid Transit (ART) Partners With University Of New Mexico To Bring Upgrades The city of Albuquerque leadership, the Albuquerque Rapid Transit (ART) team and University of New Mexico’s Acting President Chaouki T. Abdallah scooped shovels full of soil on the final tree as the historic Tight Grove, at the University of New Mexico, reopened. A press release said that as part of the ART project, the northeast corner of University Boulevard and Central Avenue NE in Albuquerque was redesigned and will be home to ART’s University Station, anticipated to be one of the busiest stations, when Albuquerque’s bus rapid transit line opens later this year. Tight Grove is named after the University of New Mexico’s third president, William G. Tight. In 1903, Tight planted 30 evergreen trees (which are still there today) in the grove that bears his name. As part of its ongoing, longtime partnership with the University of New Mexico, the city was also given permission to widen its access for the ART project into university property. The redesign of the historic Grove is one of a number of joint projects between the city of Albuquerque and the university. For more information, visit www.brtabq.com.
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CCW Delivers Buses To The City Of Modesto, CA Complete Coach Works (CCW) has delivered two refurbished transit buses to Modesto, CA’s Area Express (MAX). The contract consists of the refurbishment of 14, 35-foot and 40-foot low floor transit buses. Delivery of the buses began in March.
THE DIAMOND FAMILY
This refurbishment process included the replacements of the buses’ roof escape hatch ventilators, driver confinements, seats, fender/rear bumpers, steering wheels as well as windows and doors. Each bus is equipped with two new ADA-compliant integrated wheelchair securement stations. The exterior and interior lights have been replaced with LED lights and advanced camera equipment. The cameras are installed in the front windshield, in addition to the interior/exterior windows of the transit buses. The exterior design is consistent with MAX’s existing fleet. Kevin O’Brien is general sales manager for CCW. CCW is a U.S. transit bus retrofit and rehabilitation company. MAX is the primary bus agency for Modesto, a northern California city with over 200,000 inhabitants. Contact Richard Sullivan at 800-287-7253 or Marketing@CompleteCoach.com for more information.
Serving The Industry Since 1947 Made in the U.S.A.
diamondmfg.com 800-343-1009 816-421-8363 See us at the 2017 CTAA Expo.
Company
Website
ABC Companies Access Commercial Capital Amaya-Astron APTA Expo ARBOC Specialty Vehicles Atlantic Detroit Diesel-Allison Bauer’s Intelligent Transportation Bitimec Wash-Bots Bitzer BusCon CBM NA Complete Coach Works Davey Coach Sales, Inc. Diamond Coach Diamond Manufacturing Dixie Electric Ltd. Euramtec EverBank Freightliner Hometown Trolley Hudson River Corporation INA Bus Sales (Irizar) Kelderman Air Suspension Systems Marathon Brake Systems
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www.abc-companies.com www.accesscapital.biz www.amaya-astron.com.mx www.aptaexpo.com www.ARBOCsv.com www.atlanticdda.com www.bauerscertifiedpreowned.com www.wash-bots.com www.bitzerus.com www.BusConExpo.com www.cbmna.com www.completecoach.com www.daveycoach.com www.DiamondCoach.com www.diamondmfg.com www.dixie-electric.com www.euramtec.com www.everbankcommercialfinance.com www.freightlinerchassis.com www.hometowntrolley.com www.lavdump.com www.inabussales.com www.kelderman.com www.MarathonBrake.com
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Company
Website
Micro Bird Commercial Midwest Bus Corporation Mile-X Motor Coach Industries (MCI) Motorcoach Manager Motorcoach Safety Training Company Motorcoach Tire Sales Norse Systems Prevost Car Profusion Industries Relational Bus Systems RLI Transportation Safety Step Service Insurance Specialty Vehicles Sutrak TEMSA Transign LLC TransitWorks Turtle Top United States Warranty Corporation Vanner Power Willingham Inc.
www.mbcbus.com www.midwestbus.com www.mile-x.com www.mcicoach.com www.motorcoachmanager.com www.mcstco.com www.motorcoachtiresales.com www.norsesys.com www.prevostcar.com www.ProFusionIndustries.com www.rbs2000.com www.rlitransportation.com www.safetystep.net www.serviceins.com www.specialty vehicles.com www.sutrakusa.com www.temsa.com www.transignllc.com www.Transit-Works.com www.turtletop.com www.uswceagle.com www.vanner.com www.willinghaminc.com
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TAKE YOUR Passenger EXPERIENCE FROM MEMORABLE TO UNFORGETTABLE. The striking exterior of the Prevost H3-45 sets the stage for high expectations. The luxurious cabin confirms an unexpected level of comfort. Passengers enjoy a stunning view, with added privacy that makes every moment more personal. More than just memorable, this is an experience your passengers will never forget.
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