Jul/Aug 2020 Busline Magazine

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:38 PM Page 1

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:30 PM Page 2

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:30 PM Page 3

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:30 PM Page 4

CONTENTS

M

A

G

A

Z

I

N

Washington State Transit Agency Considers Riders ‘Guests’

Link Transit...................................................8 When Demand Heats Up,

Dean Trailways Is Ready .............................20 BUSLINE VEHICLE SHOWCASE:

Small & Mid-Size Buses

30 RAPID RESPONSE .........................Page 6 INDUSTRY NEWS........................Page 65

NOVEMBER 2020 November 7-10 National Association For Pupil Transportation (NAPT) Annual Conference & Trade Show Grand Rapids, MI Info: 518-452-3611 November 15-17 America’s Bus & Coach Expo (formerly known as BusCon) Philadelphia, PA Info: 800-576-8788 November 15-18 Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA) Annual Conference & Transit Show Québec City, QC Info: 416-365-9800

November 15-19 Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA) Expo Louisville, KY Info: 800-891-0590

JANUARY 2021 January 28-30 Busworld North America Baltimore, MD Info: busworldnorthamerica.org January 29 - February 2 American Bus Association (ABA) Marketplace 2021 Baltimore, MD Info: 800-283-2877

MARCH 2021 March 3-7 United Motorcoach Association (UMA) Motorcoach Expo Orlando, FL Info: 800-424-8262

March 14-17 APTA TRANSform Conference & Expo Anaheim, CA Info: 202-496-4800

JULY 2021 July 17-21 National School Transportation Association Annual Meeting & Convention Milwaukee, WI Info: 703-684-3200

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 2020 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

BUSLINE

July/August 2020

• Micro Bird Commercial 56 • ARBOC Specialty Vehicles 58 • Driverge Vehicle Innovations® 60 • BYD 62 • ABC Companies 62 • Hometown Manufacturing 63 • CHTC 63 • TEMSA 64 • Motor Coach Industries 65

ON THE COVER: Link Transit services an urban core of about 70 square miles in the Wenatchee Valley in Washington state. Left to right are General Manager Richard DeRock, Operations Manager Howard Johnson, Chief of Staff Nick Covey, Maintenance and Technology Manager Ed Archer and Administrative Services Manager Lynn Bourton. See page 8.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Page 4

E

JULY/AUGUST 2020 Published by Rankin Publishing, Inc. www.buslinemag.com

EDITORIAL & CORPORATE OFFICES

Rankin Publishing Co., Inc.

Linda Rankin, Publisher 204 E. Main Street • P.O. Box 130 Arcola, IL 61910-0130, USA Email: rankinmag@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 Linda Rankin @ 800-598-8083 Fax: 217-268-4815 Email: rankinmag@consolidated.net

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:30 PM Page 5

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:30 PM Page 6

Company

Website

Page #

ABA/Busworld North America ABC Companies Altro America’s Bus & Coach Expo ARBOC Specialty Vehicles Better Life Technology Bird Bus Sales Bitimec Wash-Bots Bitzer BRC Group BYD CBM NA Chestnut Ridge Foam CHTC Bus Group Clean Seal Diamond Manufacturing Dixie Electric Ltd. Driverge® Vehicle Innovations Freedman Seating Hometown Trolley Hudson River Corporation

busworldnorthamerica.com abc-companies.com altro.com americasBusCoachExpo.com ARBOCsv.com BLTLLC.com 888-275-7425 x122 wash-bots.com bitzerus.com brcgroup.ca byd.com cbmcompany.com/en/ CRFOAM.com chtcbusgroup.com cleanseal.com diamondmfg.com delstar-hd.com driverge.com freedmanseating.com hometowntrolley.com lavdump.com

51 72 12 23 31 16 13 27 33 24 7 35 43 17 39 68 45 28 15 5 47

Company

Website

Page #

Irizar USA irizarusa.com J & J Chemical jjchem.com Kelderman Air Suspension Systems kelderman.com LiquidSpring LLC liquidspring.com Micro Bird Commercial mbcbus.com Midwest Bus Corporation midwestbus.com QMF Steel qmfsteel.com Rel-Tek rel-tek.com Reyco Granning reycogranning.com Safety Step safetystep.net Safety Vision safetyvision.com SanUVAire SanUVAire.com Service Insurance serviceins.com Sutrak sutrakusa.com TAPTCO (Transit And Paratransit Company) taptco.com Temsa temsa.com Thermo King thermoking.com Transign transignllc.com Transit Sales International TransitSales.com Vanner Power vanner.com

71 69 25 18 36 29 9 10 22 70 14 67 66 49 2, 3 21 11 19 41 6, 26

: the ability to do something or produce something without wasting materials, time, or energy: see IAP IITM

Introducing

Electric Beltless Alternator

Increased Accessory Power (IAP IITM) from Vanner. The next generation in hybrid electri cation that delivers all the necessary clean energy to power: - Electric Air Conditioning - Electric Air Compressors - Electric Power Steering IAP II integrates Vanner’s proven energy management technologies including: - Hybrid Beltless Alternator (HBA®/EBA®) - High Voltage Distribution Module (HVDM®) - Vanner’s 80-Series Equalizer with Model Based Battery Monitoring (MBBM®) - Water-cooled Vanner Exportable Power Inverter (VEPITM) The result is up to 30kWs of continuous export power.

Learn more about IAP II and its 100% Electri cation capabilities at www.vanner.com.

Energy Management Systems

Page 6

BUSLINE

July/August 2020

www.vanner com

@VannerHybrid

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:30 PM Page 7

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:30 PM Page 8

Serving People Who Can’t Drive Primary Goal

Washington State Transit Agency Considers

Riders

‘GUESTS’

By Rick Mullen, Busline Magazine Associate Editor To help keep its staff safe and healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic, Link Transit’s employees wear masks in public spaces.

Left to right are Chief of Staff Nick Covey, Maintenance and Technology Manager Ed Archer, Administrative Services Manager Lynn Bourton, Operations Manager Howard Johnson and General Manager Richard DeRock.

As a result of measures put in place by the state of Washington to battle flu outbreaks in 2005-2009, including H1N1, Link Transit, of Wenatchee, WA, was more prepared than many transit agencies when COVID-19 was declared a pandemic on March 11 by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Page 8

“We were able to get ahead of the game. Because of the state’s pandemic planning measures put in place for flu outbreaks in the mid-to-late 2000s, including H1N1 in 2009, we already had masks, sanitizers and prevention equipment when COVID-19 hit,” said Link General Manager Richard DeRock, during a recent interview with Busline Magazine. “We have maintained what we call ‘flu kits’ for our operators to protect them during an outbreak of a transmissible disease.”

Between the spring of 2009 and the spring of 2010, the H1N1 swine flu infected as many as 1.4 billion people across the globe and killed between 151,700 and 575,400 people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

As of June 21 this year, the state of Washington reported 28,680 cases of coronavirus, resulting in 1,270 deaths.

BUSLINE

July/August 2020

Wenatchee is the county seat of Chelan County, where, as of June 21, there were 285 reported cases, with six deaths.

East Wenatchee is located in neighboring Douglas County, where there were 193 cases of coronavirus and three deaths, as of June 21.

“We reduced service at the beginning of April because of some operator shortages, but we have brought 85 percent of it back,” DeRock said. “Ridership is still down by about 55 percent from where it was before the pandemic. Relative to the transit industry nationwide, our ridership numbers are higher than most, which speaks to the dependence of our core riders on public transportation.”

Wenatchee is known as the “Apple Capital of the World,” because of the many orchards and processing plants in the area.

The Wenatchee Valley also supplies other fruits, including

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:31 PM Page 9

TX, OK, FL, GA, KY, IN, NC, MD, RI, NY

SUPPLY | FAB | MANUFACTURING

Manufacturing Supply Fabrication

800-881-4071

busline@qmfsteel.com

www.qmfsteel.com

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:31 PM Page 10

cherries and pears, that are processed, packaged Link Transit has also emphasized social disand shipped nationwide. tancing to help keep operators and passengers “We transport a lot of lower-income service safe.

“Our routes are not quite as before because of workers to and from the processing facilities,” our efforts in social distancing,” DeRock said. “Our DeRock said. “Also, a high percentage of our board of directors decided to not cut service to any population is elderly. There are a number of senof the several communities in the region we serve. ior housing facilities where workers are cleanAs a result, we reduced frequencies in our urban ing, cooking, etc., and are very dependent on center, rather that reducing coverage. We have been our services. What we have lost since the restoring service where we had the most ridership.

COVID-19 shutdown has been ridership for “A significant amount of additional capacity was schools and governmental agencies.” added on the system’s busiest routes in an effort to As the scope of the coronavirus became evireduce the number of passengers on buses, to give dent, Link Transit officials knew they had to go room for social distancing. beyond the pandemic measures already in place.

“It is a strange new world where we now define In addition to supplying Link bus operators with a full bus, on our 40-footers, as 10 people. We purmasks, goggles and gowns when needed, the chased a lot of low-floor cutaways to operate on transit system is also installing shields to sepalower ridership routes, but they are difficult to use rate drivers from passengers on the bus.

“We are trying to create an environment now because of their capacities.”

As states and communities across the country where the operator does not have to drive are in various stages of “opening up” the economy, masked,” DeRock said. “They can just mask how seriously people are taking such measures as up when they go into the passenger area. FurMaintenance Supervisor Sergio Rodriguez wearing masks, staying home, practicing social thermore, the state has mandated that all emwipes down a BYD bus interior. Since distancing, avoiding crowds, etc., has political ployees need to be masked when they are in a 2009, Link Transit has used overtones. public area. germicidal sanitation on its vehicles.

“During the H1N1 pandemic, we added a Wenatchee is located in the central part of the sanitation element to our cleaning, and we never took it away. Since state about halfway between Seattle to the west, Spokane to the east, Ore2009, we have been using germicidal sanitation on our vehicles. At gon to the south and Canada to the north. The city lies on the western that time, we added mid-day sanitation to let people know we were edge of the Cascade Mountains, at the confluence of the Columbia and trying to keep them safe.”

Wenatchee rivers.

Hydrogen is the new fuel for fuel-cell powered buses and trucks. As you know, H2 is far more explosive than usual CNG/LNG/LPG fuels.

The gas detection systems you are now using in your garages and fueling areas may need to be upgraded to this new Group B approval rating when you switch to H2 fueled fleets.

Also, if you are now using optical sensor technology, be advised that NDIR sensors will not respond to H2 gas.

The good news: Rel-Tek has been granted a Class I, Div 1-2, Group B approval for its GasBoss/H2 combustible gas sensor.

This new sensor is Intrinsically Safe, which means it is easier to install and maintain than XP alternatives.

This H2 sensor also covers all alternative fuel gases, CNG/LNG/ LPG/H2.

GasBoss/H2 sensor is 5x5x5” (127x127x127mm), has pilot LED and a 4-20ma test jack.

Also, MagiKal, our unique, fully automatic calibration utility – that we have pioneered in and which is now a high-demand feature nationwide – works with this H2 sensor as well. MagiKal pays back the otherwise costly manual calibration labor and cal-gas supplies over the years ahead, often exceeding the initial system cost in 5-7 years. Our computer controls and documents the calibration timing and execution for each sensor.

Page 10

BUSLINE

July/August 2020

Call or email for additional information and references.

Rel-Tek Corporation 4185 Old William Penn Highway Monroeville, PA, 15146 USA Phone: 1-800-783-9228 Email: engineering@rel-tek.com Web: www.rel-tek.com

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:31 PM Page 11

BETTER DATA. BETTER DECISIONS.

Your buses’ HVAC has a story to tell.

Thermo King ConnectedSuite™ delivers a robust flow of HVAC information and presents it in a more actionable format than third-party telematics. ConnectedSuite lets you: Collect data on your assets in real time, and track historical fluctuations in behavior.

Receive real-time notifications of alarms and alerts.

Correct inefficiencies by improving critical uptime and asset utilization to reduce road calls and the cost of operation.

Get Thermo King ConnectedSuite and let data drive your bus HVAC decisions for better fleet efficiency.

Learn more by visiting ThermoKing.com/ConnectedBus.

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:31 PM Page 12

On the whole, Washington politically is considered a “blue” state, as the majority of people tend to vote for Democratic Party candidates. However, west of the Cascades is “red” state territory, as people tend to be more in the Republican Party camp. These political distinctions are significant when it comes to how much, or how little, coronavirus is taken seriously.

real mix of how people are reacting to the pandemic.

“Maybe 30 percent of the population is walking around in masks, but there is a large number of people who are not. Our health department is having a hard time making it ‘real’ for people. We were one of the first states that went into lockdown, and we are technically still at level one. However, many non-essential businesses that are supposed to be working from home have opened again.

“The state has been opening county by county and, of the 39 counties, there are six that have not been allowed to open, including our county.

We have not been allowed to open as our COVID-19 cases are higher than the average, because of outbreaks at some of the agriculture processing facilities.”

DeRock said people need to realize COVID-19 is a crisis and is to be taken very seriously.

“If we ever hope to get back to a rational place where people trust transit again, we need (Left) Dispatcher Mike Aspen works in the Link Transit dispatching office. to keep taking it seriously and do the right (Right) Guest Services Supervisor Deborah Paine tracks buses using Link Transit’s things,” DeRock said. “The reality is, we are MyStop app at the downtown Wenatchee Columbia Station. transporting people to and from agricultural facilities that are having outbreaks, so we need to assume there is a chance we “Washington is politically divided. The urban centers of western Washare getting people exposed. That is why we need to do the right things.” ington are where the COVID-19 outbreak initially hit,” DeRock said. “We Fortunately, none of Link’s employees have contracted the virus. have 7.5 million people in the state and 5.5 million live in the Seattle metro Some have suspected they were exposed, but there have been no posiarea, which is the big urban core.

“On the eastern side of the Cascade Mountains, we have maybe 1 tive tests recorded.

“I base that mainly on luck more than anything else,” DeRock said. “We million people. Washington is a ‘blue’ state, but on our side of the moundo our best to keep our employees and passengers safe and healthy, but, tains it is very ‘red.’ COVID-19 didn’t hit here significantly at first. until it affects them personally, many people are not seeing the seriousness “Now, coronavirus cases are rising among our agricultural workers, of the situation.” but it hasn’t spread to the general community in a big way, so there is a

Designed for possibilities.

Made for people.

Designed for possibilities.

Made for people.

You asked and 12 more reasons why we listened you should specify Altro safety flooring...

New products coming soon Coming soon

lightweight safety flooring for the transportation industry USA 800.382.0333

Page 12

BUSLINE

CANADA 800.565.4658

July/August 2020

transport@altro oors.com

altro.com/transport

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:31 PM Page 13

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:31 PM Page 14

L

GOING ELECTRIC ink Transit is one of the smallest urban systems in the state, but, at the same time, it is the largest rural transit agency. The urban core is about 70 square miles in the Wenatchee Valley, with a population of about 80,000 people, DeRock said.

“Wenatchee is both the economic and medical hub in this part of the state,” DeRock said. “People in the region come here to shop and receive medical care. We also service Wenatchee Valley Community College, carrying students back and forth between the outlying communities to the central core.”

In addition to the large fruit industry, tourism is a major economic driver in the region. About 22 miles northwest on the Wenatchee River is Leavenworth, WA, which is visited by several million tourists a year. The center of the town is modeled after a Bavarian village, and is a major attraction.

“We have a commuter service that runs up there,” De Rock said. “About 40 miles north of here is the Lake Chelan recreational area. Lake Chelan is also a major tourist destination, attracting several million visitors a year. It is the entry point to North Cascades National Park. Similar to Leavenworth, we run a commuter service there as well.”

Link Transit was averaging more than 1 million rides a year and was growing ridership before the pandemic hit.

“In January and February, we set records in ridership, which was up about 16 percent from where we had been the past year or so,” DeRock said. “We were implementing a fairly extensive service expansion. Our voters approved an increase in our local sales tax funding in August

Page 14

BUSLINE

July/August 2020

Link Transit uses Momentum Dynamic (MD) Wireless charging infrastructure to charge its electric BYD buses. Top left is a MD charging cabinet. Top right is a BYD electric bus on a MD charging pad. Bottom left is a hot start charging station.

Bottom right is a MD charging pad alignment accuracy gauge.

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:31 PM Page 15

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:31 PM Page 16

2019 to add Sunday service and extend evenings to make us a more comprehensive system.”

Another important economic factor that makes the region attractive is the low cost of electricity.

“There are three publicly-owned dams on the Columbia River in our service area. In addition, we have two locally-owned utilities. As a result, we have the lowest electricity rates in the United States,” DeRock said.

Chelan County is also home to world-class, ultra-fast fiber optic internet, according to www.chelanpud.org.

“Because of the cheap electricity and the fiber optic infrastructure for data transmissions, Wenatchee is one of the major data centers in the United States,” DeRock said.

Because of cheap electricity, Link Transit has purchased electric buses for its fleet.

“We have probably been running electric buses longer than just about anybody in the country. We started with battery-electric vehicles in 2010. We were one of the first recipients of what was then the TIGGER (Transit Investments for Greenhouse Gas and Energy Reduction) program,” DeRock said.

Why would a small rural transit system like Link jump into the electric technology arena?

“We don’t have natural gas lines in the area, because electricity is so cheap. It really wasn’t an option for us to use compressed natural gas, which would have been a more logical technology costwise for a system our size,” DeRock said. “As for running biodiesel fueled buses, it gets cold here, often down to 10 degrees below zero. Biodiesel turns to gel below 20 degrees, so we didn’t think that was a workable option. When the TIGGER grants became available, we said, ‘Let’s see if electric buses are the way to go.’”

In the beginning, Link purchased five electric battery buses from a company that is no longer in business.

“We discovered a bunch of limitations with the battery technology. Our

temperature extremes here are pretty significant. Batteries don’t like it below 30 degrees and they hate it above 90 degrees,” DeRock said.

The batteries in buses parked outdoors overnight in temperatures below 30 degrees lost enough energy that they did not start the next morning.

Also, in temperatures above 90 degrees, the batteries could not be charged as they would overheat, DeRock explained.

In 2015, Link received a second TIGGER grant to expand its electric bus program. At that time, the transit agency decided to purchase electric buses from BYD, which was new to the U.S. market. The bus manufacturer said if there were any temperature issues, it would resolve them. Link placed an order for five buses and took delivery of them in 2017.

“Because our route distances here are long enough, we included a wireless charging system in our purchase agreement. We were the first BYD wireless powered customer,” DeRock said. “We have Momentum Dynamic Wireless charging infrastructure and it has been amazingly trouble-free.”

There were still temperature issues with the new buses, so BYD redesigned the batteries, going to a liquid cool system, DeRock said.

“BYD agreed to take back the original five buses they sold us and replace them with the new generation vehicles with redesigned batteries,” DeRock said. “We agreed to buy five more of the new generation, which we have put into service during the past couple of months. They are amazing. The performance of the new buses has been far beyond expectations. BYD fully resolved the temperature-related issues.

“We also have a ‘hot start’ battery heating system that keeps the batteries warm in the winter. When the buses are turned on in the morning, the batteries are at least 50 degrees ambient, which means they haven’t lost any energy and they will be fine for the rest of the day.

“The cooling system in the buses keeps the temperature below 90 degrees, so we can charge whenever we want. The buses are working exactly as BYD promised.”

durable waterproof protection

• Unmatched Durability and Quality • Seamless, Wall-to-Wall Installation • Industry-leading Customization • 100% Waterproof • Easy to Install and Maintain • Manufactured in the USA

913.894.0403 WWW.BLTLLC.COM/BUS Page 16

BUSLINE

July/August 2020

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:31 PM Page 17

HT -SERIES 35

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:31 PM Page 18

The effective range of the new buses is 215 miles between charges. The experience, as they can hear passengers talking to one another,” DeRock earlier generation buses had a range of about 135 miles. said. “We get a lot of community accolades because the electric bus tech“With wireless charging, we can run the electric buses 24 hours a day nology is clean, reducing greenhouse emissions.” without any issues,” DeRock said. “Buses In total, Link has 10 new generation BYD charge at a pretty high kilowatt rate. The curelectric buses. rent version of our wireless charger charges While Link’s electric buses are on the cutat 200 kilowatts. The new ones that are being ting edge of today’s technology, there is an installed charge at 350 kilowatts, which ongoing debate in transportation circles about means we can take the bus from zero to full what will be the role of autonomous vehicles charge in an hour.” as that technology is being developed.

“I am a big fan of autonomous technoloThe way the wireless charging system gies in terms of safety protection, intrusion works is a bus parks over a charging pad that alarms, and other features used to improve is installed in the road. The driver lines his daily performance,” DeRock said. “I know door with a mark on the curb. There is a dethere are people who are very nervous vice on the dashboard that tells him/her the about autonomous buses in a transit envibus is aligned properly. Charging begins ronment, but I don’t think it is as big a risk when the driver kneels the bus.

Bus batteries are charged while passenas they think. On the other hand, I don’t gers are getting on and off at the Link transsee it as being close to becoming a viable fer center, which takes about three to five option as some people think. My rationale minutes. for that is two-fold. For one, I have not yet “In three to five minutes, we can add 12 found autonomous technology that works to 15 miles to the range of the bus. If that is in the snow.”

Bus drivers take a break before going back out on The challenge is designing a fully audone two or three times during a day, the efthe road from the Wenatchee Columbia Station.

Left to right are Darin Landers, Ramon Cox and Kat Smith. tonomous bus that can navigate through fective range of 215 miles can be extended changing road and weather conditions. For to 270 miles, which covers all the routes in example, during a heavy snowfall, fog or rain, self-driving sensors and our system,” DeRock said.

Another added feature of the new generation of BYD electric buses is cameras cannot visualize a street’s markers and lane dividers.

“Secondly, while I believe someday they are going to figure out how to how quietly they run.

“One of the comments drivers make is the electric buses are a totally different Continued On Page 54

MAKE YOUR BUS RIDE LIKE A LIMOUSINE

THE SMART SUSPENSION ADAPTS THE VEHICLE’S RESPONSE TO ROAD CONDITIONS IN MILLISECONDS LiquidSpring® offers bus passengers and drivers a comfortable experience with substantially reduced swaying and bone-jarring bumps.

“Our newly installed LiquidSpring system has surpassed all expectations and we are all delighted with such a smooth and comfortable ride. It is evident from the residents smiles and hearty conversation. They can now focus on having fun as they travel to their next destination!”

Heather Oldfield, Community Life Director, The Fountains at Sea Bluffs

Patented Technology and Design

liquidspring.com

Engineering Vehicle Suspensions Since 1998

Multiple Chassis Options ©2020 LiquidSpring, LLC

Page 18

BUSLINE

July/August 2020

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:31 PM Page 19

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:31 PM Page 20

H

By Harrell Kerkhoff, Busline Magazine Editor

ard times don’t last, but good companies can — if they place a strong emphasis on innovation, improvement and new technology. A healthy dose of entrepreneurship doesn’t hurt either.

Case in point is Dean Trailways, of Lansing, MI, which is heading into the future with enthusiasm despite the COVID19 pandemic; a crisis that has shut down much of the North American bus/motorcoach industry.

“It’s been a challenging time, but we have been trying to take those challenges and turn them into positives— any way possible,” Dean Trailways Vice President Patrick Dean said. “On March 9, we began to receive cancelations for travel that was scheduled in March, April, May and into June. By March 16, all schools in Michigan shut down, initially for three weeks, and then for the remainder of the school year. Therefore, between March 9 and March 16, we lost our entire spring booking season.

“Like many charter coach operators, spring is our busiest time of the year. It’s when we make the majority of our income, as it pertains to charter work. It was, and still is, a very challenging time.”

Dean Trailways is a family business.

Shown in the middle photo is Kellie Dean, along with sons Christopher Dean (left) and Patrick Dean.

“At Dean Trailways, we think of ourselves as entrepreneurs.”

Page 20

BUSLINE

July/August 2020

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:31 PM Page 21

COMFORT WITH AGILITY?

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED NOW COMFORT MEETS AGILITY IN THE NEW TEMSA TS30.

ORDER NOW TO EXPERIENCE THE DREAM COACH.

(833) 628 36 72 | temsa.com

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:31 PM Page 22

As of the middle of June, officials at Dean Trailways are seeing what Patrick Dean described as “little glimmers” of business coming back. There are some customers starting to schedule trips for the fall and into 2021, but he added, it’s going to be awhile before business resumes to the level the company was experiencing prior to the pandemic.

“Right now (in mid-June), I would estimate we have reached 50 percent of what we originally planned for regarding our company’s bookings for the fall of 2020,” Dean said. “There is still a lot up in the air. Different states have different reopening plans. Many unknowns remain when it comes to schools, sports events and business travel. More calls for business are coming in, but not nearly at the volume that we would consider normal.”

What is frustrating for many North American bus/motorcoach operators is that 2020 originally looked to be a very bullish year as far a travel demand was concerned.

“It appeared to us that the (bus/motorcoach) industry was in a strong position, with possible record levels of travel, prior to COVID-19. As a company, when the shutdown in business began, we took the philosophy that it was time to restart our entire business from ground zero,” Dean said. “It was time to leave no stone unturned, and figure out how we could make Dean Trailways a better company for when business returned to pre-COVID-19 levels. We asked ourselves: How can we become better for our customers? How can we become better for our employees? How can we become better as an organization?

“Those have been the questions we have focused on for the past 14 weeks, and will continue to do so over the next couple of months.”

Page 22

BUSLINE

July/August 2020

“As a company, when the shutdown in business began, we took the philosophy that it was time to restart our entire business from ground zero.

It was time to leave no stone unturned, and figure out how we could make Dean Trailways a better company.”

O

COMMUNICATION IS CRITICAL IN COVID-19 WORLD

ne major objective all bus/motorcoach operators are now having to address is making sure passengers feel as safe as possible, from the virus, once they decide it’s OK to get back on a company vehicle. It really is the case of “cleanliness is next to godliness.”

At Dean Trailways, the company has implemented an advanced cleaning process for the interiors of all vehicles, using approved chemicals that are certified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“We have also taken steps to screen drivers and other staff members, as they report to work, for any possible exposure to COVID-19,” Dean said. “We have a COVID-19 response coordinator appointed within our organization. That person monitors

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:31 PM Page 23

SH UT TL E

PU PI T

N

SP

RA ST

D

M RU

RA

EC SP

BU

O

SI N

RY

XU LU

RT AT I

O

N

L

L UL EF TH

M RC AB

CE 11 -2

16 3.1 9

G

F O

RO

H AC O

UN

TO

O

November 15-17, 2020 Pennsylvania Convention Center Philadelphia, PA - USA

AmericasBusCoachExpo.com #ABCExpo2020 SUPPORTED BY:

FORMERLY FLEET

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:31 PM Page 24

our compliance day-to-day, along with our best practices.”

To get the word out on how representatives at Dean Trailways are protecting passengers, the company has developed a video showing its cleaning process. Also included in the video are “best practice tips” in terms of social distancing, how to properly handle luggage and common touch points to be aware of while traveling via bus/motorcoach.

“A number of steps have been taken to ensure we are doing everything possible to suppress the spread of the illness,” Dean said. “We are also working hard to follow all protocols that certain passenger groups have in place, such as when transporting college sports teams.”

Along with implementing an advance cleaning process, Dean Trailways has added equipment inside vehicles to better protect drivers, and has installed upgraded air filtration systems.

Dean added that the learning curve to properly protect employees and passengers from the virus has been steep over the past several of months.

“There has been a lot of innovation and collaboration to find the best ways to keep people safe,” Dean said. “One challenge is that the ‘goalpost’ seems to keep moving. What we know today about the virus, in relation to our industry, may be different next week. Therefore, it’s important our plans are adjustable.”

Perhaps the biggest challenge Dean Trailways, and the entire bus/motorcoach industry, is facing right now is uncertainty.

“In business, we all like certainty and stability, but that is not possible right now. No company could have properly prepared for the impact COVID-19 has brought to our industry. There was no business practice that could have prevented this total shutdown,” Dean said. “The reality is, everyone is trying to suppress the spread of COVID-19. Steps have been taken. Now, we are all trying to rebuild our customer base, and find ways to make passengers feel comfortable when demand for travel improves.”

And that is a key point for future success — not only at Dean Trailways, but bus/motorcoach operators across North America. When demand does pick up, will operators be ready?

“We know demand can change quickly, and so being prepared when that demand heats up has never been more important,” Dean said. “Until that happens, it remains a challenging time, but again, we are trying to take advantage of every opportunity that comes out of the current situation.

That includes building up our business as entrepreneurs.

“At Dean Trailways, we think of ourselves as entrepreneurs.”

D

A FAMILY HISTORY OF SERVING MICHIGAN AND BEYOND

Page 24

BUSLINE

July/August 2020

ean Trailways’ sister company, Dean Transportation, formerly known as Special Transportation, was established in the early 1950s by Eric Christensen, who transported individuals affected by polio to Lansing area schools. In 1969,

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:31 PM Page 25

Special Transportation was incorporated by Lyle Stephens, a ter of the state. It was just too long a ride in a school bus. We were former Michigan State Police motor carrier lieutenant and a having to stop every couple of hours for restroom breaks. It was leader in passenger safety. decided to purchase a used motorcoach with a restroom. EventuIn 1986, Kellie Dean (father of Patrick Dean and current ally, one motorcoach became two, and then three and four. Today, president and CEO of Dean we have approximately 30 vehiTrailways/Dean Transportation), cles in Dean Trailways’ fleet. It includes full- and mid-size mojoined Stephens, leaving a positorcoaches, black cars and tion with the Lansing school sprinter vans.” district after 14 years. While Over the years, Dean Trailworking for the district, Kellie ways has expanded its service Dean was a special education reach to include luxury transteacher and later special eduportation for a wide variety of cation administrator, in charge customers, often involving K-12 of programs for the physically schools, colleges/universities, inor otherwise health and heardividual charter groups, tours, ing impaired. line runs, sports packages and In 1991, Special Transportablack car services. tion’s name was changed to Dean Located in the Great Lakes region, Dean Trailways takes “We work closely with individTransportation, Inc., and in 1995, passengers to many popular destinations. uals, tour companies, casinos, Stephens retired after 26 years in professional event organizers, professional sports teams, corpothe school transportation industry. Meanwhile, Dean Charters and rate event organizers and major colleges/universities in MichiTours, known today as Dean Trailways, was started in 1994 to gan,” Patrick Dean said. “We also service a lot of school districts, support Dean Transportation’s efforts in transporting students to providing trips to such places as Washington, D.C., Chicago and schools throughout Michigan.

Florida. Dean Trailways even operates a nighttime shuttle services “Our motorcoach company began out of a need to better transon Michigan State University’s campus, in nearby East Lansing.” port individuals with disabilities,” Patrick Dean said. “Prior to Dean Transportation’s school bus operation, meanwhile, serv1994, we were picking up children in northern Michigan and ices over 80 school districts and intermediate school districts transporting them on school buses to Lansing, located in the cen-

Let Kelderman’s superior Air Ride Suspension Systems transform a rough ride into tranquil travel. Kelderman offers a 2 stage air ride for shuttle buses, party buses, paratransits, church buses, RV’s and much more.

Check out our videos on YouTube at: keldermantv Contact: Rich Ludvigsen at 641-660-5432 or rich@kelderman.com July/August 2020

www.kelderman.com BUSLINE

Page 25

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:31 PM Page 26

throughout Michigan, transporting nearly 60,000 students daily.

Along with his father, Patrick Dean is joined at Dean Trailways by his brother, Christoper Dean, who holds the title of business intelligence and analytics coordinator at the company. All three Dean men bring with them specific areas of expertise.

“My dad is a teacher by trade. He taught special education in a public school before taking a leap of faith to get into the bus business. My brother is an engineer, and I have a background in business,” Patrick Dean said. “We often have three different approaches when it comes to running a company, but have worked extremely well together.”

Another key figure in the company’s administration is Brandon Knepp, who is general manager.

“Brandon joined our company two years ago. He was in our school business division for awhile, before moving into our motorcoach side and leading our operations,” Dean said. “Brandon has a background in passenger transportation and trucking, and has been able to help us with innovation, continual improvement and implementing new technology.”

A key objective at Dean Trailways is to be thought of as a “community resource,” rather than just “the local bus company.” It’s important to company representatives that they are able to help passengers, of all ages, find true value in both the transportation experience being provided as well as the desired destination.

“For example, Dean Trailways has transported kids from large metro areas so they could experience the shores of Lake Michigan.

We have also provided the only way many members of such or-

ganizations as the Boys & Girls Clubs of America could reach important destinations,” Dean said. “The focus on being a community resource has helped our organization grow over the years, while building key relationships with community members and customer bases.

“Success always comes back to relationships, often starting at the very beginning with new customers participating in our booking process.”

“Success always comes back to relationships, from the very beginning with new customers participating in our booking process.

It’s important to have friendly and knowledgeable sales people who can, not only communicate well through email, but properly follow up with phone calls as needed. That helps ensure a good experience with our company. It’s also important to look at different situations with customers and provide solutions as needed.

Examples would be the offering of bottled water for passengers just returning from an international flight, or communicating via text message or automated system beforehand to remind customers of an upcoming trip. That is all done in an effort to provide a higher-level of personal customer service.”

Another key to Dean Trailways’ success has been its location.

With an estimated population of 118,000 residents, Lansing is the state capital of Michigan, while neighboring East Lansing, with an estimated population of 48,000 citizens, is home to Michigan

electrifying THE WAY BUS AND COACH ACCESSORIES ARE POWERED

INDEPENDENCE is a compact system that provides the majority of the benefits of hybrid and battery-powered buses without the upfront costs and expensive hybrid battery replacement – all the while reducing operational and maintenance costs. If you’re ready to declare independence from conventionally driven accessories and transform your bottom line, call us at 1.800.227.6937.

4282 Reynolds Dr, Hilliard, OH 43026 • 800-AC POWER

For more information, visit vanner.com •

Page 26

BUSLINE

@VannerInc

July/August 2020

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:31 PM Page 27

A

State University. MSU is a public MODERN EQUIPMENT/ research university with an enrollVALUED EMPLOYEES ment of over 50,000 students.

MAKE A DIFFERENCE “Lansing is not only the state capital, and very near the largest mong the vehicles in Dean university in Michigan, but it’s Trailways’ fleet are nine also located in the center of the Van Hool CX45 and two state. We are capable of reaching CX35 motorcoaches. The commany popular destinations in the pany’s history with Van Hool, and state within a couple of hours,� its U.S. distributor ABC CompaDean said. “That includes travel to nies, has been a long and successful such large cities as Grand Rapids one, according to Dean. and Detroit.� “I have a very fond memory of Dean Trailways transports passengers to and from metro areas, Michigan, however, is not the traveling to ABC Companies’ locaas well as servicing university athletic teams. only place where Dean Trailways’ tion in Faribault, MN, with my dad equipment can be seen. The company transports passengers to and brother, picking up several Van Hool motorcoaches, and drivdestinations throughout the Midwest and East Coast, including ing them home,� Dean said. “As part of a family organization such major cities as Washington, D.C., New York, Boston, themselves, I think officials at ABC Companies understand what Philadelphia and Chicago. motorcoach operators are going through right now, and are able “We are constantly taking passengers to and from major to support us beyond the sale. They take a holistic approach to a relationship, and that is valued by operators like us. metro areas, as well as transporting college and university ath“As for our Van Hool motorcoaches, passengers enjoy the larger letic teams to all kinds of locations,� Dean said. “Our company monitors and creature-comforts found on those vehicles. That inalso transports the Lansing Lugnuts, a Class-A minor league cludes leather seats and Wi-Fi. Our drivers also love the Van baseball team. We have been that team’s transportation provider Hools. They operate very well.� for 25 years, although their season was canceled this year due to COVID-19.�

All vehicles within Dean Trailways’ fleet include electronic Dean added his company’s involvement with Trailways Transportaoutlets for personal devices and unlimited Wi-Fi, along with tion System has also helped the business, in a variety of ways.

DIRECTV.

#005)

".&3*$" 4 CVT XBTIJOH FRVJQNFOU

4PBQ CSVTI SJOTF B CVT JO NJO &MFDUSJD CBUUFSZ PS EJFTFM QPXFS *OEPPS PVUEPPS VTF

#005) 5#"

.JOJNJ[F XBUFS EFUFSHFOU VTF &BTJMZ PQFSBUFE CZ POF QFSTPO JOGP!XBTI CPUT DPN

"GGPSEBCMF QSJDJOH July/August 2020

BUSLINE

Page 27

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:31 PM Page 28

“In the past year, we have also installed forward-facing camera systems on our vehicles, providing added support for drivers,” Dean said. “And, we have advanced booking software in place. Dean Trailways is invested heavily in technology to make our overall operations safer and easier, ultimately providing a good passenger experience.

Dean Trailways has installed forward-facing camera systems to support its drivers.

“We have used customer and sales data, along with other operational information, to improve our overall company and become more cost efficient. That process helps Dean Trailways go after new business as it presents itself.”

Dean noted that many potential customers are learning about Dean Trailways through their smartphones and tablets. To better reach that

Ideas made to move

group, company representatives have updated the company’s messaging capabilities, making sure it relates well to online traffic.

“I feel our company’s clean and modern presentation online, paired with the strong brand name of Trailways, has helped many new people reach out to us,” Dean said. “We also focus hard on providing updated services for established customers such as schools, universities, non-profit organizations and corporations.

Over the years, Dean Trailways has been successful in building strong relationships within different niche markets.”

Making available quality and modern equipment and technology is great, but without dedicated and talented employees, no bus/motorcoach operation is going to last very long in this people-centric industry. That fact is not lost on company officials at Dean Trailways.

“Our employees are fantastic people, dedicated toward customer service and safety — every day,” Dean said. “When it comes to our drivers, they are experts in safely operating our vehicles, including high-end motorcoaches. A modern motorcoach is just as advanced as an airplane. The skill it takes to operate one of those vehicles is tremendous.

“On top of that, our drivers must excel at customer service. As a company, we serve as a conduit to passengers successfully reaching their desired destinations. That can be anything from a ball game, to a wedding, to a trip to Washington, D.C. It often involves exciting events that passengers have been looking forward to for a very long time. Having good drivers can lead to more positive experiences for passengers.”

A dedicated trainer is on staff to provide ongoing training for

innovation

WE’RE INVESTED IN SAFETY YOU EXPECT ENGINEERED SOLUTIONS. WE DELIVER.

The CurbSmart® A Versatile Metro Area Solution The CurbSmart® by Driverge Vehicle Innovations is designed to have the same versatility and functionality as a larger vehicle in metro areas while making maneuverability to pick up and drop off passengers easier.

Contact us today for a demonstration.

TALK TO US ABOUT YOUR IDEAS

855.337.9543 • driverge.com

Page 28

BUSLINE

July/August 2020

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:31 PM Page 29

the company’s drivers, as well as about the future,” Dean said. “I “We feel good about the future of to conduct random checks and currently see a glimmer of deour organization, due to the building ride-alongs as needed. mand for bus/motorcoach serv“We also have training trips to ices as we move forward. That blocks put in place. Dean Trailways certain locations to help new glimmer could be delayed for drivers become familiar with will be ready once demand comes back. several more months, but if there specific cities, before they transis one thing I know, the transI feel we are well positioned and port passengers,” Dean said. “A portation industry is resilient. excited about the future.” lot of our drivers had prior caThere are a lot of innovators inreers. They are retired and able volved in this line of business. to supplement their income by driving for Dean Trailways. We They will be ready to transport people at a moment’s notice.” have different driver categories for those who want to work fullHaving grown up in the bus business, Dean said it’s easy to fall or part-time. That flexibility has allowed us to, not only recruit, in love with this type of work. but retain our strong group of drivers.”

“Every day there are different challenges and opportunities.

There are also a lot of fabulous people who work hard in our inDESPITE CURRENT CHALLENGES, dustry, making sure their customers safely reach their destinations.

INDUSTRY IS STILL SPECIAL As transportation providers, we get to become a small part of something big, whether it’s a wedding or a Big 10 football chamhallenges have been plentiful for bus/motorcoach oppionship,” he said. “Another great thing about our industry is the erators located throughout North America since the benumber of family businesses involved. I know it means something ginning of COVID-19. As of late June, those to my family when we see our name on the side of our vehicles. challenges continue. No one knows for sure when travel will That translates into a shared responsibility of taking good care of resume to pre-COVID-19 levels. However, one thing is for people. The Dean family is also pleased to work alongside other certain, according to Dean, his company will be ready when great bus/motorcoach companies that do things the right way.” better days arrive.

“We feel good about the future of our organization, due to the Contact: Dean Trailways, 4812 Aurelius Rd., building blocks put in place. Dean Trailways will be ready once Lansing, MI 48910. Phone: 517-319-3326.

Website: deantrailways.com. demand comes back. I feel we are well positioned and excited

C

July/August 2020

BUSLINE

Page 29

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:31 PM Page 30

____5STAR SPECIALTY PROGRAM____

5Star 158 N. Harbor City Blvd.

Melbourne, FL 32935 USA 321-421-6777 Website: www.5starsp.com Products: For over 30 years, 5Star Specialty Programs has been a leading provider for Public Auto Transportation. The company’s Public Auto Underwriters bring a level of knowledge, expertise and professionalism garnered from years of experience in the public livery industry. 5Star is a client-driven organization that considers the needs of its clients to be paramount to maintaining its position in the marketplace. Its carrier partners are industry leaders that provide a comprehensive product in addition to superior claim service.

5Star has a longstanding market presence. Its program specializes in airport transportation; charter; sightseeing; transit and contract school buses; entertainer coaches and limousines, operating in most states. 5Star has dedicated itself to achieving the best possible result for its brokers and their insureds by relating to, and satisfying, their client needs while providing a high level of customer service excellence. Its associates strive through service, teamwork and integrity to achieve these results.

5Star’s loss control department has over 35 years of transportation experience. This experience allows the department to analyze the strengths and weaknesses within an insured’s organization, and provide resources to assist in readily identifying po-

Page 30

BUSLINE

tential hazards. Insurance is 5Star’s only business.

Its experienced associates and underwriters are committed to supporting the company’s business partners, and are continuously looking for ways to enhance and improve 5Star’s operations. 5Star’s goal is to be its customers’ public auto insurance market provider. 18 ABC COMPANIES

SEE AD ON PAGE 72 17469 W. Colonial Dr. Winter Garden, FL 34787 USA 800-222-2871, 407-656-7977 Email: abcinfo@abc-companies.com Website: www.abc-companies.com Company Officers: Dane Cornell, CEO; Roman Cornell, President/Chief Commercial Officer; Chuck Carns, Chief Financial Officer; Tom DeMatteo, Chief Legal Officer, General Counsel & Secretary; Jay Oakman, Senior Vice President Commercial Operations; Brenda Borwege, Senior Vice President for Midwest/Southwest Sales; Mike Laffan, Senior Vice President East Coast Sales; Brian Pinckney, Regional Vice President Southeast Region; Bryan O’Connell, Senior Vice President Western Sales; and, Thom Peebles, Vice President of Marketing Products: ABC Companies is a provider to the transportation industry with diverse product and service offerings that cover a full spectrum of operational needs, including new and pre-owned fullsize highway coach equipment, along with transit

July/August 2020

specialty vehicles. ABC supports customers with a comprehensive after-sale service network for service and repairs, collision services, extensive OEM and quality aftermarket parts needs for transit, motorcoach and heavy-duty equipment from 10 strategically placed locations throughout the U. S. and Canada. Additionally, private and municipal financing and leasing options are available through the company’s financial services group – one of the largest financial service providers in the industry. 20 AbiliTrax 26 Center St. Randolph, NY 14701 USA 716-484-7014 Website: www.abilitrax.com Products: AbiliTrax universal, flexible flooring systems, stationary and quick disconnect seating solutions (CAM Lock, CAM2, and StepNLock). Also available are state-of-the-art ShiftNStep dual access lift system and more. All products are FMVSS compliant and patents are pending. 18 Advantage Funding 1 Marcus Ave. Lake Success, NY 11042 USA 888-246-4091 Website: www.advantagefund.com Products: Specializing in ground transportation finance. 20

Alliance Bus Group 866-287-4768 Email: sales@alliancebusgroup.com Website: www.alliancebusgroup.com Products: Manufacturer of intercity and midsize buses. 20

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:31 PM Page 31

Allison Transmission One Allison Way Indianapolis, IN 46222-3271 USA 317-242-5000 Website: www.allisontransmission.com Products: Allison Transmission is a manufacturer of fully automatic transmissions for medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles as well as electric hybrid-propulsion systems for city buses. 18 Almott 765-621-5519 Website: www.almottusa.com Products: Alternators and electric motors that are designed for transit buses. 18

__ ALTRO __ SEE AD ON PAGE 12 12648 Clark St., Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670 USA 800-382-0333 Email: transport@altrofloors.com Website: www.altro.com Products: Altro is a leading manufacturer of slipresistant floors and has been in the forefront of innovation for 100 years. Being the inventors of safety floors, Altro’s transport floors have been satisfying the diverse needs of the transportation industry for decades in both bus and rail applications.

Put passenger safety first with Altro’s unique combination of aluminum oxide, silicon carbide and quartz aggregate.

All products are lightweight, easy to install and maintain, and have been developed specifically to meet the demands of moving vehicles. Altro floors are engineered for the latest international smoke, fire and toxicity regulations. Investing in an Altro product is an investment in a complete system – a full range of accessories, including adhesives, color coordinated weld rods and sealants, nosings, trims and moldings are available. Customers can also take advantage of Altro’s kit-cutting service to save time on installation and get their vehicles back into service quickly. Family owned and run since 1919, Altro is committed to providing customers with innovative products to serve their needs. 17

Amaya-Astron Seating Pirules 16E, Industrial Cuamatla, Cuautitlán Izcalli, 54730 MEXICO +52(55)5881-2007 Email: donovan@amaya-astron.com.mx Website: www.amaya-astron.com.mx

Company Officers: Donovan Albarran, Vice President Export Sales; Rose Arellano, Sales and Customer Service Products: Amaya-Astron Seating has been producing 3-point seat belted seats for over 20-plus years on all models of seats available to North American coach manufacturers. Amaya has introduced several new models in the past two years, developed to fulfill customers’ needs and expectations. Amaya-Astron Seating has its own engineering and research & development departments that have the experience, knowledge, and expertise to create new and innovative seats. Contact North American Sales Representatives: Bob Greene bgreene45@cox.net or Jeff Goldwasser interiors@jeffgoldwasser.com. 20

American Cooling Technology, Inc. (ACT) 715 Willow Springs Ln. York, PA 17406 USA 877-228-4247 Website: www.actusa.us.com Products: American Cooling Technology (ACT) designs, tests and manufactures a complete line of advanced bus air conditioning systems for all sizes and makes of buses, including both conventional and hybrid drive buses. Products include split type air conditioning systems as well as complete roof mount air conditioning systems for all buses. ACT also offers specification preparation assistance, product testing, replacement air conditioning parts for most air conditioning brands, and on-site product training classes. 17

July/August 2020

BUSLINE

Page 31

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:32 PM Page 32

American Public Transportation Association (APTA) 1300 I St., NW, Suite 1200 East Washington, DC 20005 USA 202-496-4800 Website: www.apta.com Products: APTA members are public organizations that are engaged in the areas of bus, paratransit, light rail, commuter rail, subways, waterborne passenger services, and high-speed rail. Members also include large and small companies that plan, design, construct, finance, supply, and operate bus and rail services worldwide. Government agencies, metropolitan planning organizations, state departments of transportation, academic institutions, and trade publications are also part of its membership. 16 _

__AMERICAN SEATING

___

801 Broadway Ave. NW Grand Rapids, MI 49504 USA 616-732-6600 ext. 6416 Email: info@amseco.com Website: www.americanseating.com Products: Since 1886, American Seating has set the standard for product design, durability and comfort. Its first transportation seat was introduced in 1931, and today the company remains committed to exceeding the expectations of customers as the leading provider of bus seats in North America. Its achievements serve as a platform for new and innovative products that are the benchmark of the industry. American Seating is a leader in all kinds of transportation seating, including city service, light rail, motorcoach and securement markets. Headquartered in Grand Rapids, MI, U.S.A., American Seating employs a U.S.-based, UAW (United Auto Workers) union workforce. 20 Ametek, Inc. 1100 Cassatt Rd. Berwyn, PA 19312 USA 610-647-2121 Email: info.corp@ametek.com Website: www.ametek.com Products: Global manufacturer of electronic instruments and electro-mechanical devices for the bus industry. 18

AMF Bruns America 1797 Georgetown Rd. Hudson, OH 44236 USA 877-506-3770, 234-284-2073 Email: contact@amfbrunsamerica.com Website: www.amfbrunsamerica.com Products: Wheelchair securement products and occupied restraint systems. 20 Anderson Insurance TIB-Transportation Insurance Brokers 799 Roosevelt Rd., Bldg. 6, Suite 220 Glen Ellyn, IL 60137 USA

Page 32

BUSLINE

630-348-3380 Website: www.tibinsurance.com Products: Insurance brokerage services for the bus industry. 16

AngelTrax 119 S. Woodburn Dr. Dothan, AL 36305 USA 800-673-1788 Email: sales@angeltrax.com Website: www.angeltrax.com Company Officers: Richie Howard, President and CEO; Scott Lisenby, Vice President; Katherine Howard, Vice President of Operations Products: AngelTrax designs, manufactures and provides high-definition in-vehicle video surveillance and fleet management solutions. 20 Apollo Video Technology 24000 35th Ave., SE Bothell, WA 98021 USA 888-288-8721 Website: www.apollovideotechnology.com Products: A manufacturer of mobile video surveillance and fleet management solutions for motorcoaches, transit buses and school buses. 18 _____ARBOC SPECIALTY VEHICLES_____

SEE AD ON PAGE 31 51165 Greenfield Pkwy.

Middlebury, IN 46540 USA 574-825-1720 Website: www.ARBOCsv.com Products: ARBOC Specialty Vehicles, a NFI Group company, is North America’s low-floor, body-on-chassis (cutaway) bus leader serving transit, paratransit, and shuttle applications. With more than 3,500 buses produced, ARBOC leads the low-floor cutaway bus market, providing unsurpassed passenger accessibility and comfort.

With the full ADA-compliant product line consisting of the Spirit of Independence, Spirit of Freedom, Spirit of Mobility, and Spirit of Equess, ARBOC offers a solution for any transportation need. 20 Atlantic Detroit Diesel-Allison 180 Route 17 South Lodi, NJ 07644 USA 201-489-5800 Website: www.atlanticdda.com Products: Engaged in the sale and servicing of diesel and alternative fuel engines, transmissions and related components, parts and accessories, for equipment serving various on- and off-highway markets. 18

Awash (Ecowash) Systems Corp.

19 Community Ave, Unit 2 Stoney Creek, ON L8E 2X9 CANADA 800-265-7405 Website: www.awashsystems.com Products: Awash Systems Corp. manufactures the Tower Wash system for buses, motorcoaches and

July/August 2020

all sizes of fleet vehicles. The company has services and parts for all of its machines since 1991. 16

Ays Dispatch, Inc. P.O. Box 18121 Chicago, IL 60618-0121 USA 773-279-0000 Email: info@aysdispatch.com Website: www.aysdispatch.com Products: Dispatch and reservation center service provider. 20 B.C.E. srl Via Valdellatorre 194, 10091 ALPIGNANO (TO) ITALY + 39 011.9664314 - 9664676 Email: sales@bcesrl.it Website: www.bcesrl.it Products: B.C.E. srl is an Italian company with over 40 years of experience in the production of electric and pneumatic door opening devices for buses. 19

BAE Systems 1098 Clark St. Endicott, NY 13760 USA 607-770-2083 Website: www.hybridrive.com Products: Electric bus, zero-emission and near zero-emission transportation solutions, including hybrid-electric options. Also available are electric accessories for diesel and CNG powertrains, as well as parallel-hybrid options for motorcoaches. 18

Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC 901 Cleveland St. Elyria, OH 44035 USA 440-329-9000, 1-800-AIR-BRAKE Products: North American leader in integrated commercial vehicle active safety, air management, and braking system technologies. 18 Bendix Spicer Foundation Brake LLC 901 Cleveland St., Elyria, OH 44035 USA 440-329-9709, 866-610-9709 Products: Develops and produces the full lineup of Bendix actuation solutions plus foundation drum and air disc brakes. 18

Bergen Auto Upholstery Co., Inc. 135 N. Michigan Ave. Kenilworth, NJ 07033 USA 201-457-9100 Website: www.bergenseat.com Products: Seat replacement and complete interior refurbishing, including seat covers, ceilings, sidewalls, lav area, under racks, dash, and entrance door. Bergen offers a complete cleaning service, seat cover shampooing, seat frame cleaning, cleaning of sidewalls and A/C ducts, and shampooing of any carpeted surface. Bergen road crew is available to install on location. 20 ______BETTER LIFE TECHNOLOGY______ SEE AD ON PAGE 16 9736 Legler St. Lenexa, KS 66219 USA 913-890-4619 Website: www.bltllc.com

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:32 PM Page 33

____BITIMEC INTERNATIONAL, INC.____

Products: G-Floor universal flooring is Better Life Technology’s signature line of high quality 100 percent polyvinyl flooring, purposefully designed for easy installation and maintenance and for long lasting beauty and protection. This transit flooring won’t scratch, crack, peel, tear, and prevents moisture damage, denting, puncturing, and ripping. 18 ___________BIRD BUS SALES___________

SEE AD ON PAGE 27 15 Putnam Ave., #290 Greenwich, CT 06830 USA 203-637-1900 Website: www.wash-bots.com Products: Bus washing for the 21st century. Stateof-the-art single-brush machines feature: all-stainless-steel frames; brush-only inclination; electric, battery or diesel power; double controls, to work in two directions; totally self-contained; low maintenance; and soap, wash and rinse a full-size coach in approximately 6-8 minutes. 18 ____________BITZER US, INC.____________

SEE AD ON PAGE 13 1 Warehouse Ln. Elmsford, NY 10523 USA 155 Terminal Dr. Plainview, NY 11803 USA 914-592-2872, 516-767-2700 Website: www.birdbussales.com Products: Bird Bus Sales was formed in 2010 to sell, service, and supply parts to, Blue Bird Buses. 20

SEE AD ON PAGE 33 4080 Enterprise Way Flowery Branch, GA 30024 USA 770-718-2900 Website: www.bitzerus.com Products: BITZER produces bus/coach air condi-

tioning compressors. BITZER’s product range covers all compressor technologies, from reciprocating to scroll and screw compressors. BITZER bus air conditioning compressors are designed specifically to excel within the harsh environment of today’s engine compartments. BITZER’s bus air conditioning compressors offer capacity to cool coaches, school buses, transit buses, including larger articulated and double-decker buses. 18 __________BRC GROUP, THE__________

SEE AD ON PAGE 24 6061 - 90 Avenue SE Calgary, AB T2C 4Z6 CANADA 403-243-7400 Email: info@brcgroup.ca Website: www.brcgroup.ca Products: Collision repair, refurbishment, fire restoration and mechanical services. Located in Calgary, AB, and Las Vegas, NV. 19 Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, LLC 535 Marriott Dr., 8th Floor Nashville, TN 37214 USA 330-697-4497

July/August 2020

BUSLINE

Page 33

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:32 PM Page 34

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

Budget Truck and Auto Body, Inc. 2027 W. Avalon Rd. Janesville, WI 53546 USA 608-756-0861 Website: www.budgettruckandauto.com Products: Budget Truck and Auto is an established one-stop shop, guaranteed to satisfy fleet repair needs. With over 40 years of experience, Budget Truck and Auto is a premiere full-service collision center in the Midwest. Recommended by leading insurance companies for quality work and customer service, Budget Truck and Auto offers collision, fabrication, frame straightening, vinyl graphics, and custom paint. Technicians are trained and certified by the industry’s leading manufacturers, including Prevost, Motor Coach Industries, Van Hool, Gillig, New Flyer, Temsa, and many more. Budget Truck and Auto partners with many leading associations including HD Repair Forum, IMG, UMA, and Trailways. In this industry, urgency is everything and Budget Truck and Auto goes above and beyond to service client’s needs.

Services include: custom paint, fabrication, fiberglass, lifts, vinyl graphics, collision repair, frame straightening, certified welding, boats, buses, motorcoaches, and free loaner cars. 19

Bus Advisors 14508 Smith St. Charlotte, NC 28273 USA 980-999-8484 Website: www.BUSadvisors.org Products: Bus Advisors can help customers with their DOT compliance needs — from driver files to on-site compliance review audit representation. The company provides consulting on federal & state DOT regulations, quarterly DOT audits with post-audit corrective action plans, compliance safety policies development, federal DOT drug and alcohol testing, background checks, previous employer safety performance history, electronic DQ files, and electronic vehicle files.

Bus Advisors can monitor a customer’s ELD and safety camera systems, reporting back to clients daily with any concerns. Also provided are safety & financial audits, cost savings, growth strategies, negotiations, product knowledge, DOT compliance, and improving your bottom line. Ready for results?

Call us today at 980-999-8484. 19 _____________BYD MOTORS_____________

SEE AD ON PAGE 7 1800 S. Figueroa St. Los Angeles, CA 90015 USA 800-BYD-AUTO (293-2886)

Page 34

BUSLINE

Email: info.na@byd.com Website: www.byd.com Products: BYD Company Ltd., is a leading hightech multinational company based in Shenzhen, China. Since its establishment in 1995, BYD has developed expertise in rechargeable batteries, becoming an advocate of sustainable development. It has expanded its renewable energy solutions globally with operations in over 50 countries and regions. After 24 years in development, BYD has created a Zero Emissions Energy Ecosystem – affordable solar power generation, reliable energy storage, cutting-edge electrified transportation and a state-of-the-art monorail. 19

Cable Car Classics, Inc. 3239 Rio Lindo Ave. Healdsburg, CA 95448 USA 707-433-6810 Email: sales@cablecarclassics.com Website: www.cablecarclassics.com Products: Cable Car Classics has been building motorized trolleys since 1993. 20

Camira’s transport fabrics are designed to coordinate with a wide range of other materials and trims to provide flexible options for combination seats using more than one material type.

Camira is represented by Wagner & Associates (Phone: 919-552-4466) and Transportation Products Sales and Service (Phone: 724-640-8826). 19

Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA) 55 York St., No. 1401 Toronto, ON M5J 1R7 CANADA 416-365-9800 Website: www.cutaactu.ca Products: CUTA is a member-based association that supports public transit as the core of integrated mobility across Canada. 16 ______________CBM NA______________

_______CAMIRA GROUP, INC.______

2476 Waldorf Ct. NW Grand Rapids, MI 49544 USA 616-288-0655 Email: contact@camirafabrics.com Website: www.camirafabrics.com Twitter: @camira Products: Global textile manufacturer Camira never underestimates the power of the journey. Understanding those minutes spent travelling from one place to the next can be the most peaceful, exciting, or anticipatory of a person’s day – and, through its fabrics, the company works to make sure they are as comfortable and safe as they can possibly be. Using decades of design and manufacturing experience, Camira makes forward-thinking textiles for motorcoach and rail interiors, ensuring style always has substance.

With an extensive option of stocked fabrics, the ability to supply ancillary fabrics, and weaving on dobby, jacquard and plush looms, Camira is a total textile interior solutions provider – offering its traditional plush wool moquettes, lighter weight pile fabrics with added design and texture, contemporary flat weave fabrics for seating, vinyls, leathers and a wide range of ancillary interior trim fabrics for other surfaces within motorcoaches. Producing 10 million yards of fabric a year, and supplying to more than 80 countries across the world, the company is a leader in the textile industry – and provides the background to thousands of people’s journeys every day.

Transportation fabric collections include Aura, Aura Twist, Fusion, Vigor, Vision, Vita, Wired and Rhino. Added fabric protection comes from Defender, Camira’s triple action, long-lasting fabric treatment which has in invisible protective shield making fabrics anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-stain. Camira has an in-house design team that can develop something more bespoke, adding personality and flair to any vehicle interior.

Whether a stocked range or custom-made,

July/August 2020

SEE AD ON PAGE 35 8477 Chemin Dalton Ville Mont Royal, QC H4T 1V5 CANADA 877-332-3163 Email: info.canada@cbmcompany.com, info.usa@cbmcompany.com Website: www.cbmcompany.com Products: Spare parts for motorcoaches, buses and trams, including engines. 18

Champion Bus Inc. 331 Graham Rd. Imlay City, MI 48444 USA 800-776-4943 Email: sales@championbus.com Website: www.championbus.com Products: Champion Bus, Inc. manufactures smalland medium-sized commercial buses. 20 Chassijet USA 19431 Business Center Dr., #17 Northridge, CA 91324 USA 818-349-3926 Website: www.chassijetusa.com Products: Automatic undercarriage chassis washer.

19 ____CHESTNUT RIDGE FOAM, INC.____

SEE AD ON PAGE 43 443 Warehouse Dr. Latrobe, PA 15650 USA 800-234-2734 Website: www.crfoam.com Products: SAFGUARD and SAFGUARD XL fireresistant seat cushioning per “Docket 90-A” FTA fire safety criteria. 20

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:32 PM Page 35

_______

CHTC BUS GROUP _____

__

SEE AD ON PAGE 17 15780 El Prado Rd. Chino, CA 91708 USA 800-216-6788 Email: sales@chtcusa.com Website: www.chtcbusgroup.com Products: Founded in 1998, CHTC Corp. has multiple worldwide operations, with the CHTC Bus Group being a major subsidiary. The company employs more than 50,000 people, and operates 22 subsidiaries in 20 countries.

The CHTC Bus Group has developed an integrated approach to bus design, research and development, while manufacturing luxury motorcoaches.

Manufacturing is done out of a state-ofthe-art 2 million-square-foot factory in Nanchung, in southeastern China. Great pride is taken with the company in designing and selling safe and reliable buses around the world. 20 _____ CLEAN SEAL, INC. __

Contact Clean Seal’s customer service department for more information. 18 CMI Enterprises 13145 NW 45th Ave. Miami, FL 33054 USA 800-426-4826 Website: www.cmi-enterprises.com Products: Bus/coach upholstery, fabric. 20 __ COMPLETE COACH WORKS SEE AD ON PAGE 41 1863 Service Ct. Riverside, CA 92507 USA 800-300-3751 Email: sales@completecoach.com Website: www.completecoach.com

__

Facebook: completecoachworks Twitter: CCWbus LinkedIn: complete-coach-works Products: Retrofits, rehabilitations, repowers, CNG conversions and re-tanking, electric bus conversions, body work, painting, major collision and fire repairs, brakes and suspension, interior repairs, lift ADA systems and HVAC systems. 20

Continued On Page 38

__

SEE AD ON PAGE 39 20900 West Ireland Rd., P.O. Box 2919 South Bend, IN 46680-2919 USA 800-366-3682, 574-299-1888 Website: www.CleanSeal.com Products: Since 1978, Clean Seal, Inc. has provided superior service to diverse industries. Its sales personnel and inhouse staff have many years of experience to help guide customers from the start of their projects to the application of the product selected. Strict adherence to quality assurance procedures and ISO 9001:2015 certification assures that customers will receive products that meet their requirements.

Clean Seal’s extensive product line includes stock extruded rubber seals, custom extruded rubber seals, grip seals, trim seals, trim moldings, automotive hoses, EHPA hose protection parts, extruded plastic parts, EMI shielding, and custom manufactured metal springs. In addition, it has a variety of secondary operations to make the application of any part easier. Such examples of this are: die cutting, cutting and notching, cut to length and splicing (hot and cold).

July/August 2020

BUSLINE

Page 35

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:32 PM Page 36

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:32 PM Page 37

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:32 PM Page 38

Suppliers Directory: Continued From Page 35

Continental Corporation 6755 Snowdrift Rd. Allentown, PA 18106 USA 610-289-0488 Email: salessupport-us@vdo.com Website: www.trucks.vdo-instruments.com Products: The Commercial Vehicles & Aftermarket business unit of Continental is a global supplier of systems and components to automobile, truck and bus manufacturers. Continental develops and produces products that make transportation safer, cleaner and more fuel-efficient. 16

Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA) 1341 G St., NW, 10th Floor Washington, DC 20005 USA 800-891-0590 Website: www.ctaa.org Products: National, nonprofit membership association advocating for mobility for all Americans. 16

Cooper Tire 701 Lima Ave. Findlay, OH 45840 USA 419-423-1321 Email: cooperinfo@coopertire.com Website: www.coopertrucktires.com Products: The WORK Series™ line, which has been developed specifically for buses––as well as regional-haul, pick-up and delivery applications––offers a wide tread footprint to maximize traction. The tire balances fuel efficiency and tread life with scrub-resistant properties, and offers a full-width, four-steel belt package to provide the casing integrity needed to handle multiple retreads. 18 _______ CREATE-A-CARD, INC. _______

155 E. Main St., Suite 270 Smithtown, NY 11787 USA 631-584-2273, 800-753-6867 Email: info@createacardinc.com Website: www.createacardinc.com Facebook: createacardinc Twitter: @createacard LinkedIn: Create-A-Card, Inc. Company Officers: Drew Messina, Arthur Messina Products: The leader in transportation marketing solutions since 1986. Create-A-Card, Inc. provides trending designs and printed materials, including logos, business cards, direct mail post cards, rack cards, brochures, trade show materials, signage, ads and much more. Create-A-Card, Inc. also provides a full line of promotional branded products with

Page 38

BUSLINE

your company logo and information. Offering over 70,000 different products for all events, trade shows, groups, and to fit every budget. 20

Creative Bus Sales 14740 Ramona Ave. Chino, CA 91710 USA 800-326-2877 Email: sales@creativebussales.com Website: www.creativebussales.com Products: Transit, paratransit, executive coach, wheelchair vans and buses, shuttle and tour buses, trolleys and limo buses. 17

Cummins Inc. Box 3005 Columbus, IN 47202-3005 USA 800-286-6467 Website: www.cumminsengines.com Products: Cummins designs, manufactures, sells and services diesel and alternative-fueled engines from 2.8 to 95 liters, diesel and alternative-fueled electrical generator sets from 2.5 to 3,500 kW, as well as related components and technology. 18

Curved Glass Distributors 72 Chapel St. Derby, CT 06418 USA 800-243-6546 Website: www.curvedglassdist.com Products: Coach, transit and school bus windshields, auto and light rail glass. Products include tempered, annealed and special order glass. 18 CzechMate Lumber Corp.

P.O. Box 3352 Mooresville, NC 28117 USA 704-660-9194 Products: Laminated flooring (plymetal, fire-retardant), interior plywood-core panel with Micarta/ Formica/WilsonArt laminate faces. 19

Davey Coach Sales 7182 Reynolds Dr. Sedalia, CO 80135 USA 800-873-1856 Email: info@daveycoach.com Website: www.daveycoach.com Products: For over 20 years, Davey Coach has worked to provide new and used buses for sale and service for customers and bus industries across the USA, whether a customer operates a single retirement shuttle or an entire bus fleet. Davey Coach offers national buses for sale, with a strong presence in Midwest U.S. bus sales. 18 De Leo Transportation Fabrics 53 Dwight Pl. Fairfield, NJ 07004 USA 973-439-6801 Email: iarslan@deleoco.com Website: www.deleotf.com Company Officers: Ismail Arslan, Vice President Business Development Products: De Leo Transportation Fabrics, a division of the Edward B. De Leo Company, Inc., was established in 1962, and continues to deliver services and products to the automotive, transportation and upholstered furniture manufacturing industries.

Working with its manufacturing partner Epengle

July/August 2020

Tekstil, DLT offers moquette velvets, flat woven fabrics and vinyls for bus, motorcoach and light rail to public and private transportation industries.

With 100-plus years combined, De Leo and Epengle have provided a variety of pile compositions including 85/15, 30/70 wool blend, 100 percent polyester, 100 percent acrylic and 100 percent polyester flat woven to meet the highest standards of the transportation industry. All qualities meet international FR requirements, as well as FMVSS302. Specialty and custom design work is available to fit customer needs, along with anti-bacterial, stain repellant and water proofing finishes. DLT offers short production lead times, lower MOQs, New Jersey-based customer service and on-time deliveries. Warehousing in South Carolina offers quick shipping and easy logistics. 20 Detroit Diesel Corp.

13400 W. Outer Dr. Detroit, MI 48239 USA Website: www.demanddetroit.com Products: Detroit is an original equipment manufacturer of engines, axles and transmissions specifically designed for integrated performance and efficiency. For maximum uptime and productivity, Detroit™ Connect Virtual TechnicianSM remote diagnostic service comes standard on all Detroit engines. 18 Diamond Coach 2300 West 4th St. Oswego, KS 67356 USA 800-442-4645 Website: www.diamondcoach.com Products: Diamond Coach bus models vary in design and size, accommodating 14 to 32 passengers, with lift and wheelchair options. 17 ____DIAMOND MANUFACTURING INC.___

SEE AD ON PAGE 68 2330 Burlington St. N. Kansas City, MO 64116 USA 800-343-1009, 816-421-8363 Email: todcull@aol.com Website: www.diamondmfg.com Company Officers: Todd and Pam Cull Products: Diamond Manufacturing offers a line of fare collection equipment to the transit industry. It supplies traditional, manual fare boxes, donation boxes and a fare box with a remote fare dump option.

Diamond’s traditional fare boxes are the round units (Models H, E-5, D), which are designed to accept coins, tokens and tickets; and, rectangular units (Models RV, SV, XV, NV), which are designed to accept dollar bills, coins, tokens, tickets, passes and similar fare media. Donation boxes come in three sizes to fit most applications. These units can be mounted in a variety of ways: on the modesty panel or stanchion pole in either a vertical or horizontal position. Models F-1 and F-24 remote dump fare boxes can be mounted away from the driver with a push

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:32 PM Page 39

button dump feature. These models can be paired with smart card readers. 20

Distinctive Systems, Inc. 19531 Lost Creek Dr. Estero, FL 33967 USA Phone: 646-448-9981 Email: nasales@distinctivesystems.com Website: www.distinctivesystems.com/us Products: Distinctive Systems is a leading supplier of software to the coach industry. Established for 30plus 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. The main systems at Distinctive Systems include its Coach Manager Charter and Contract Booking System, the Tour Booking System and the Vehicle Maintenance System. 19 __________DIXIE ELECTRIC LTD.________

SEE AD ON PAGE 45 517 Basaltic Rd. Concord, ON L4K 4W8 CANADA 905-879-0533 Website: www.dixie-electric.com Products: Dixie Electric provides DelStar product

line of brushless heavy-duty alternators designed for motorcoach bus, shuttle bus and transit bus.

The DelStar series is an integral charging system of a brushless design. The compact, heavy-duty construction provides increased service life expected to match the longer maintenance intervals of today’s engines, while providing a high performance. 15 DRIVERGE VEHICLE INNOVATIONS, LLC FORMERLY TRANSITWORKS

SEE AD ON PAGE 28 4199 Kinross Lakes Pkwy., Suite 300 Richfield, OH 44286 USA 855-337-9543 Website: www.Driverge.com Products: Driverge (formerly Transitworks) specializes in turning full-size and minivans into commercial wheelchair-accessible vehicles. The name change comes as the company conveys its expanding capabilities. Driverge has production sites in Ohio, Kansas and South Carolina, and supplies the corporate fleet, fleet management, government, hospitality, wheelchair transport and taxi markets. Driverge allows the company to continue to lead in current markets, while also launching into new markets. The company has worked with customers directly to develop and continue new innovation, meeting the needs of

customers and merging objectives with customers. 20

DriveWare 23016 Lake Forest Blvd., #A300 Laguna Hills, CA 92653 USA 949-309-5150 Email: dw@driveware.com Website: www.driveware.com Products: DriveWare software is designed for motorcoach management, fleet maintenance, school bus routing and more. Since 1993, DriveWare has helped companies run their transportation operations more efficiently. A complete cloud-based system can be accessed from wherever there is an internet connection. 19

DuraBrake Co. 2311 Calle Del Mundo Santa Clara, CA 95054 USA Phone: 408-748-0400 Email: info@durabrake.com Website: www.durabrake.com Products: DuraBrake™ is a manufacturer of medium and heavy-duty brake drums, rotors and hubs for the aftermarket and OEM. The company has over 2,000 part numbers for transit buses, motorcoaches and other vehicles. 18 E. Schoepf GmbH & Co KG Rathausstrasse 18-24 Stammbach 95236 GERMANY +49 9256/800 Email: info@e-schoepf.de

July/August 2020

BUSLINE

Page 39

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:32 PM Page 40

Website: www.e-schoepf.de Products: The medium-sized family business E. SCHOEPF GmbH & Co., KG has been in existence for more than 160 years. Today, it produces high-quality technical fabrics. As a system supplier, it produces certified seat covers, side panels as well as ceiling panels and curtains for worldwide, well-known brands of the automotive industry, for urban traffic operation (buses and trains) and for seat manufacturers. 19

Eberhard Manufacturing Company 21944 Drake Rd. Strongsville, OH 44149 USA 800-334-6706 Website: www.eberhard.com Products: Eberhard Manufacturing Company, a division of The Eastern Company, manufactures industrial, vehicular, and specialty hardware and access systems, with a quality system based on its ISO9001 certification. Offering a complete line of products such as: electric and manual door controls, compression latches, key cylinders, quarter turns, access handles, hinges, custom rods, yokes, door holdbacks, steps, gas springs, latching systems, folding t-handles and paddle latches—all available in a variety of finishes for applications such as entrance and rear doors, baggage, battery, and compartment doors. 18 Eberspaecher Climate Control Systems 6099A Vipond Dr. Mississauga, ON L5T 2B2 CANADA 800-387-4800 Email: info-na@eberspaecher.com Website: www.eberspaecher-na.com Products: Fuel operated heaters and Sutrak air conditioning systems. Eberspaecher provides customers a “best in class product support” package, including in-field service representatives, on-site and webbased training, call center for technical support and a number of service dealers in North America. 15

ElDorado 1655 Wall St. Salina, KS 67401 USA 800-850-1287 Website: www.enconline.com Products: ElDorado manufactures light- and medium-duty commercial buses for public transit, paratransit, airport, parking, hotel/resort, group tour, assisted living, church and university transportation markets. 16

Engineered Machined Products, Inc. 2701 North 30th St. Escanaba, MI 49829 USA 906-789-7497 Website: www.emp-corp.com Products: Mini-hybrid engine cooling system; thermal management systems; brushless DC electric fan; brushless DC electric oil pumps; brushless DC electric water pumps; 450 amp and 535 amp power alternators. 20 EnerDel 8740 Hague Rd., Bldg. 7 Indianapolis, IN 46256 USA 317-703-1800 Email: info@enerdel.com

Page 40

BUSLINE

Website: www.enerdel.com Products: Since being founded in 2004, EnerDel’s engineers have worked to perfect the prismatic cell design and modular stacking architecture, offering customers a wide range of services to support the complete life of their battery products. Headquartered in Indianapolis, IN, with manufacturing in Korea and Indianapolis. First in the U.S. to mount a commercial-scale production of large-format, lithium-ion battery packs.

EnerDel’s Vigor+ battery packs are designed to meet challenging power and energy requirements of modern hybrid and electric transportation applications. Vigor+ packs offer versatility across diverse industries including automotive, heavy-duty bus and truck, industrial equipment, trolley buses, trams, and agricultural machines offering long life, outstanding warranty and a product that meets Buy America requirements. Able to deliver lithium-ion battery solutions to foster customer success. 20

Enseicom, Inc. 225 Norman Montreal, QC H8R 1A3 CANADA 514-486-2626 Email: info@enseicom.com Website: www.enseicom.com Products: Founded in 1982, Enseicom manufactures street furniture, billboards, advertising structures and signage in North America. Staffed with a full in-house graphic and technical design team overseen by civil and structural engineers, Enseicom constantly designs and develops products with superior quality, durability and serviceability, all the while maintaining state-of-the-art designs.

It manufactures a wide array of products which include: bus shelters, rapid transit shelters, parking booths, benches, newspaper boxes, waste containers, bike racks, billboards, street level advertising columns, interior signage, and outdoor signage. With over 100,000 square feet of combined manufacturing and storage facilities, Enseicom is equipped to handle projects of any size across North America and the Caribbean. 18

Euramtec Corporation 29650 Grand River Ave. Farmington Hills, MI 48336 USA 248-473-8660 Email: contact@euramtec.com Website: www.euramtec.com Products: For over 30 years, Euramtec has provided European-styled accessories for transit buses and coaches. At the cutting edge of technology, it’s prepared to meet all interior accessory needs. Accessories include air diffusers, interior lighting, seating accessories, stop request systems and more. 16

Fogmaker North America 150 Gordon Dr. Exton, PA 19341 USA 866-312-6820 Website: www.usscgroup.com/fogmaker-fire-suppression/ Products: Provides superior protection to conventional fire suppression systems. It is environmentally friendly and utilizes water mist technology (no Hazmat). It is safe and non-toxic. The system provides a longer duration discharge than dry powder systems and requires no electrical power

July/August 2020

for protection. The system is designed to rapidly reduce the heat from a fire in seconds. Network of dealers and distributors in the U.S. and Canada. 18

Forest River Bus Website: www.forestriverinc.com Products: A wide variety of bus options for the transportation marketplace. 18 _______FREEDMAN SEATING________

SEE AD ON PAGE 15 4545 W. Augusta Blvd.

Chicago, IL 60651 USA 773-524-2440 Email: info@freedmanseating.com Website: www.freedmanseating.com Products: For over 125 years, Freedman Seating has been engineering and manufacturing seats and seating-related products for many different applications.

Its product lines include bus, rail, marine, delivery truck, specialty and commercial vehicle seating.

Consistent growth and expansion has earned Freedman Seating recognition as a leading manufacturer of transportation seating solutions. Manufacturing seats for buses, Freedman Seating supplies the major OEMs, over 250 bus distributors, the federal government, and many states and municipalities.

The family of Freedman Seating bus seats includes products for small and mid-sized coaches, paratransit vans and buses, public transit buses, and private bus operators. 19

Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation 552 Hyatt St. Gaffney, SC 29341 USA 864-487-1700 Website: www.freightlinerchassis.com Products: By working directly with OEM partners, FCCC crafts purpose-engineered commercial buses with performance and reliability in mind. 16

Gerflor 595 Supreme Dr. Bensenville, IL 60106 USA 877-437-3567 Website: www.gerflortransport.com Products: Tarabus by Gerflor is a world leading non-slip transit flooring, dedicated to bus and coach applications. At Busworld 2017, Gerflor launched its new Tarabus Design, a line of digitally-printed flooring. This world first in personalized transport flooring gives customers the possibility to design their own flooring. With this new technology, Gerflor will provide totally bespoke designs, adding value to its customers brand, while making the vehicles more attractive.

The Tarabus Design range offers an infinite number of possibilities for designers looking for a new approach to the interior design of buses, or searching for ways to enhance the passenger experience. The new product is available with all the well-known services developed to improve the manufacturers’ working environment. Services include the self-adhesive solution, where the

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:32 PM Page 41

flooring is delivered with an acrylic adhesive and protective layer on the back of the flooring, as well as, pre-cut and pre-welded kits. 18

Gillig LLC 451 Discovery Dr. Livermore, CA 94551 USA 510-264-5000 Website: www.gillig.com Products: A wide variety of buses, including Gillig’s 40-foot battery electric bus model. 18

Glaval Bus, Div. of Forest River, Inc. 2412 Century Dr. Goshen, IN 46528 USA 800-348-7440 Website: www.glavalbus.com Products: Offering safety, quality and after-market service. Glaval has been a longtime participant in providing paratransit and senior friendly vehicles. 20 Goshen Coach 25161 Leer Dr. Elkhart, IN 46514 USA 574-970-6300 Website: www.goshencoach.com Products: Goshen Coach is a manufacturer of small to mid-sized shuttle buses. 16

GRI Pumps 180 Hines Ave. Bellville, OH 44813 USA 419-886-3001 Email: grisales@gripumps.com Website: www.gripumps.com Facebook: gripumps Twitter: @GRI_Pumps LinkedIn: GRI Pumps Products: GRI offers flexible and robust fluid pumps to critical OEM transportation applications with its line of Brushless DC Magnetic Drive Circulation Pumps - the Integrity Series. By manufacturing the Integrity Series’ variable speed motors, as well as many of the components in-house, GRI has the flexibility to precisely configure a pump to meet an OEM’s specific flow and pressure requirements. Customized motors, combined with the many port configurations and OEM options, provide a tailor-made fluid pump solution to transportation OEMs. GRI’s pumps have been time-tested in many transportation applications, including the circulation of glycol-water in hydronic heating and cooling, truck, recreational vehicles (RV), public transit, industrial equipment, marine, fuel cell, and flow battery applications. 19

Email: businfo@hendrickson-intl.com Website: www.hendrickson-intl.com Products: Hendrickson is a leading manufacturer and supplier of premium bus chassis components to global bus markets. Its legacy embodies over 100 years as the leading innovator and manufacturer of suspension systems and components for the global transportation industry. Utilizing world-class design, testing and validation capabilities, Hendrickson provides robust solutions that feature the ride quality, vehicle handling and stability required for bus applications around the world. Products include: air suspensions, steer axles, steel leaf springs, bumpers, brakes and wheel-ends. 19 ____HOMETOWN MANUFACTURING____

SEE AD ON PAGE 5 P.O. Box 185 Crandon, WI 54520 USA 715-301-0149 Email: hi@hometown-mfg.com Website: www.hometown-mfg.com Company Officers: Kristina Pence-Dunow,

CEO/ President; Joey Dunow, Chief Engineer; Dustin Pence, COO; and Jessica Pence, Marketing Director Products: Hometown Trolley Carriage, Hometown Trolley Villager, Hometown Trolley Mainstreet, Hometown Trolley Streetcar, Hometown Coach View, Hometown Coach Urban, and Hometown Coach Urban Green.

A family-owned and operated, DBE-certified manufacturing business, with a focus on preserving the integrity of craftsmanship and quality built transit vehicles. 100 percent Americanmade, and hand-crafted using the best and finest materials along with the latest technology. The Pence-Dunow family continues to innovate while manufacturing vehicles with the same design principles, work ethics and commitment to quality, established by the founding generation of Pences. Hometown’s vehicles are built to customer’s exact specifications, and are fit to accommodate all levels of transportation, ranging from private tours to major city transit.

Hometown invests time in research and development to craft high-quality, reliable alternative fuel technologies for all of its vehicles, and offer full electric and CNG options. Models are available in low-floor or straight-rail, front or rear engine. All models are Altoona-tested through the FTA program, and certified for Federal Funded Procurement. Hometown is dedicated to preserving the environment and keeping manufacturing in America, offering products that increase efficiency, decrease footprint and support the American economy. 20

Hanover Displays Inc. 1601 Tonne Rd. Elk Grove, IL 60007 USA 773-334-9934 Website: www.hanoverdisplays.com Products: Destination signs, voice announcement, infotainment systems. 19 Hendrickson Bus 800 S. Frontage Rd. Woodridge, IL 60517 USA 630-910-2800

July/August 2020

BUSLINE

Page 41

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:32 PM Page 42

_____HUDSON RIVER CORPORATION___ SEE AD ON PAGE 47 551 Observer Hwy., #15N Hoboken, NJ 07030 USA 201-420-3311 Email: lavdump@yahoo.com Website: www.lavdump.com Products: Lavatory dump hopper for contractor installation at customer garage to facilitate emptying the bus restroom holding tank. See detail drawings at company website. 17

Idrive 249 N. Turnpike Rd. Santa Barbara, CA 93111 USA 805-308-6094 Email: sales@idriveglobal.com Website: www.idriveglobal.com Products: Idrive is a leading provider of video event recorders, GPS tracking and artificial intelligence-based services. Idrive’s X2 fleet camera is a professional video event recorder designed to coach drivers and reduce accidents by over 50 percent. The X2 offers a variety of low-cost services to help gain better visibility into a fleet: live look-in, live tracking, distracted and drowsy driving detection, facial recognition and cellular download. 19 Infanti Bus & Coach Upholstery 1153 W. Elizabeth Ave. Linden, NJ 07036 USA 877-874-8593 Email: mycoach@infantibusandcoachupholstery.com Website: www.infantibusandcoachupholstery.com Products: Bus and motorcoach upholstery products and services. 17

Intapol Uniforms 100 Amity St. Jersey City, NJ 07304 USA 201-432-5555 Website: www.intapol.com Products: Bus driver uniforms in stock or custom designed and made. 19

InterMotive Vehicle Controls 12840 Earhart Ave. Auburn, CA 95602 USA 530-823-1048 Website: www.intermotive.net Products: Idle mitigation, safety and performance solutions for buses including: (1) FLEXSPEAK: Send messages loud and clear with this automated voice annunciator system for configurable driver, passenger and external announcements; (2) PRE-TRIP MODULE: Make bus inspections a quicker, one-person job with an automatic rotating cycle of all exterior lights; (3) IDLELOCK: Door-to-door service has never been so secure. Now a driver can exit the vehicle with the key while the bus idles with the transmission locked in park. 19

Page 42

BUSLINE

_______________IRIZAR_______________

SEE AD ON PAGE 71 100 Cassia Way Henderson, NV 89014 USA 702-431-2090 Zumarraga bidea, 8 20216 Ormaiztegi, Gipuzkoa SPAIN (+34) 943 80 91 00 Email: info@irizarusa.com, irizar@irizar.com Website: www.irizar.com/usa, www.irizar.com Products: Motorcoach manufacturer. 18

ISR Corporation 1502 Joh Ave., Suite #170 Baltimore, MD 21227 USA 410-536-9989 x302 Email: sales@isrfleettrack.com Website: www.isrfleettrack.com Products: ISRFleetTrack® Transit Fleet Management System: real-time route and location tracking, hard braking and local speeding alerts, with options for ELD, passenger counting and more. 18 __J&J BUS SANITATION PRODUCTS__

SEE AD ON PAGE 69 P.O. Box 614 Crawford, GA 30630 USA 800-345-3303 Email: info@jjchem.com Website: www.jjchem.com Products: Sanitation equipment and supplies. 17

John A. Dash & Associates 121 N. Eagle Rd. Havertown, PA 19083 USA 610-446-4700 Products: Collective bargaining negotiation and arbitration services to the transit industry since 1968. 19 _KELDERMAN AIR RIDE SUSPENSIONS_

SEE AD ON PAGE 25 2686 Hwy. 92 E. Oskaloosa, IA 52577 USA 660-641-5432 Website: www.kelderman.com

July/August 2020

Products: Air ride suspensions for bus, limo, and RV applications. 19

Kiel NA, LLC 2009 Middlebury St. Elkhart, IN 46516 USA 574-293-3600 Email: office@kielna.com Website: www.kielna.com Products: Part of the international Kiel Group, a manufacturer of transit passenger seats for commercial vehicles and public transportation, including seating solutions for buses and motorcoaches. Operates globally with production plants in the USA, Germany (world headquarters), Poland, France, the Netherlands, and Turkey. 17

Kirk’s Automotive, Inc. 9330 Roselawn Detroit, MI 48204 USA 313-933-7030 Website: www.KirksAuto.com Products: Complete line of remanufactured air conditioning motors and circulation pumps. Products include alternators, starters, pumps, hydraulics, air conditioning motors and steering gears. 20

Lancer Insurance Company 370 West Park Ave., P.O. Box 9004 Long Beach, NY 11561 USA 516-431-4441 Email: soshea@lancerinsurance.com Website: www.lancerinsurance.com Company Officers: David P. Delaney, Jr., CEO; Matthew T. Jenkins, President; Timothy D. Delaney, Executive Senior Vice President; and Timothy H. Delaney, Senior Vice President Products: Since 1985, Lancer Insurance Company has provided commercial automobile, physical damage and general liability coverages to bus and motorcoach companies in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. All Lancer policyholders, regardless of fleet size, receive an array of traditional and electronic products and services to supplement their driver training, loss prevention and accident mitigation efforts. 20 Lantal Textiles, Inc. 1300 Langenthal Dr. Rural Hall, NC 27045 USA 336-969-9551 Website: www.lantaltextiles.com Products: Lantal designs, produces and distributes seat upholstery fabrics to motorcoach, transit and paratransit companies. Made in North Carolina, all of its products meet the Buy America directive.

Lantal offers custom seat upholstery. 16 Lazzerini Corporation 1011 Herman St. Elkhart, IN 46516 USA 574-206-4769 Email: info@lazzerini.us Website: www.lazzerini.us Products: Lazzerini Corporation is a US-based subsidiary of Italian seating company, Lazzerini S.r.l. Founded in 1967, Lazzerini S.r.l. designs and manufactures innovative and lightweight

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:32 PM Page 43

passenger seats for global mass transit markets with localized operations in the United Kingdom, Europe, Hong Kong, New Zealand, and Canada.

In 2015, Lazzerini Corporation was established in Elkhart, IN, and is already manufacturing and supplying Buy America compliant seats.

Lazzerini is known and respected for its ability and know how in the intelligent use of the latest technology materials, to create standard flexible seating platforms, combined with fully modular construction. This allows for easy customization, installation, maintenance, and efficient vehicle packaging that optimizes passenger “living space” and vehicle seating capacity. 19 ________LIQUIDSPRING LLC________

SEE AD ON PAGE 18 4899 East 400 South Lafayette, IN 47905 USA 765-474-7816 Email: sales@liquidspring.com Website: www.liquidspring.com Products: Provides a suspension for the transit industry. CLASS® (Compressible Liquid Adaptive Suspension System) – a rear suspension for Ford, RAM, GM, International, and Freightliner chassis – is designed to improve ride and handling for transit vehicles, while providing increased operator and passenger comfort and safety. 18

__LUMINATOR TECHNOLOGY GROUP__

900 Klein Rd. Plano, TX 75074 USA 972-424-6511 Email: luminatorpr@rhstrategic.com Website: www.luminator.com/en/ Company Officers: Kirk Goins, CEO; Franz Foth, Managing Director EMEA; Werner Malcherek, CTO; Roderick Jones, President; Ed Millet, Director of Product Management; Dan Kelleher, Vice President of Business Development; and Matthew Siwek, Director of Business Development Products: Luminator introduces the new RoadRunner™ AHD On-board Video Security System. Utilizing analog HD technology, the system delivers 1080p video resolution and advanced network performance for downloading video and support for live video streaming. The system provides a balance of high-quality and long-term storage by ensuring high-definition video is available for critical incidents, while maintaining a long onboard recording duration. The system is fully compatible with existing RoadRunner MRH and 4K systems and includes RoadRunner Secure Management (RsM) Software, which offers seamless administration, remote viewing, and playback of all RoadRunner Recorders.

The system is also fully compatible with mSET Software, allowing for fleet-wide management of mixed fleets. Managing secure video evidence, mSET enables automatic and on-demand video downloads. Live video can also be reviewed simultaneously by multiple users, to address real-time incidents onboard fleets. The software also provides enhanced tools and information to help transit agencies optimize system health, coordinate fleetwide operations and monitor risky driving behaviors of operators. The RoadRunner AHD On-board Video Security system combines reliability, functionality and versatility. 20 Marathon Brake Systems 125 Old Mill Rd. Cartersville, GA 30120 800-223-5201 Website: www.marathonbrake.com Products: Marathon’s OE-approved KVT brake linings and DiscStar Transit Premium air disc pads are proven performers for transit and coach lines across the country. KVT and DiscStar are quiet, long life materials that are friendly to drums and rotors.

KVT Transit Brake Linings - OE Transit Approved KVT is specifically formulated to handle the high heat of multiple stopping of a city bus and the heavy-duty demands of a motorcoach. KVT is an organic, non-asbestos brake lining that combines dependable stopping power and quiet operation with a long lining life. KVT is rated for 28,660 lb. axle loads.

July/August 2020

BUSLINE

Page 43

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:32 PM Page 44

DiscStar Transit Premium Air Disc Pads Marathon now offers a high performance air disc pad, DiscStar Transit Premium (DSTP). Designed specifically for air disc brakes, Marathon's DiscStar disc pads were created to handle the extreme conditions of transit bus and coach applications. Formulated using Marathon's service ceramic expertise, DiscStar disc pads provide dependable stopping power, a long pad and rotor life, and noise reduction. 17

March Networks The Pinnacle Bldg., 500-3455 Peachtree Rd., NE Atlanta, GA 30326 USA 800-563-5564 Email: sales@marchnetworks.com Website: www.marchnetworks.com Products: Transit hybrid video recorders; mobile IP video cameras; video management software with wireless video downloading and CAD/AVL integration. 17 MGM Brakes 6200 Harris Technology Blvd.

Charlotte, NC 28269 USA 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 commercial vehicle market, with the addition of MGM’s advanced Electronic Brake Monitoring Systems (e.STROKE) for drum and air disc brake applications. 14 ______MICRO BIRD COMMERCIAL ____

SEE AD ON PAGES 36 & 37 3000 Girardin St. Drummondville, QC J2E 0A1 CANADA 855-628-6287 Email: commercial@microbird.com Website: www.mbcbus.com Products: Micro Bird Commercial designs and manufactures a complete line of buses for up to 28 passengers. All Micro Bird Commercial buses, which offer durability and comfort, are also available with special needs options. A North American dealer network allows the company to offer parts and service support. 20

Midway Specialty Vehicles, LLC 2940 Dexter Dr. Elkhart, IN 46514 USA 574-264-2530 Website: www.mymidway.com Products: Designed the Pinnacle Bus to accommodate all passengers. The Pinnacle Bus is designed to transport riders economically and in an environmentally-friendly manner. Offers passengers comfort, security, and panoramic views at a reasonable cost. Engineered to accommodate up to 17 passengers and able to comfortably transport physical-challenged riders, the bus has extra wide entry doors and a steel case construction.

Structurally sound (Altoona tested) with a Mer-

Page 44

BUSLINE

cedes diesel engine and an average 20 mpg. Offers seating and luggage rack options. Other models and OEM chassis are available. 20 ____MIDWEST BUS CORPORATION_____

SEE AD ON PAGE 29 1940 W. Stewart St. Owosso, MI 48867 USA 989-723-5241 Website: www.midwestbus.com Products: Remanufacturer of transit buses, sale of aftermarket parts, sales and leasing of transit buses, and sale of Byk-Rak bike racks.

Field service and repower projects are also available. 16

MJM Innovations 6300 Blair Hill Ave., Suite 301 Baltimore, MD 21209 USA 866-664-1277 Email: info@mjminnovations.com Website: www.mjminnovations.com Products: MJM Innovations improves transportation programs using web-based software, mobile apps, card solutions, trip management and management services. 19 Mobile Climate Control 17103 State Rd. 4 East Goshen, IN 46528 USA 905-482-2750 Website: www.mcc-hvac.com Products: Specializes in custom engineered HVAC systems. Its climate control systems can be found worldwide in all types of commercial vehicles, from buses and off road machines to utility and defense vehicles. Supplies custom designed solutions, from single system components to complete climate systems. An engineering staff with many years of experience, creates and supplies optimal solutions for the best climate comfort. 19

MobilityTRANS 42000 Koppernick, Ste. A-3, Canton, MI 48187 USA 800-496-4280 Email: info@mobilitytrans.com Website: www.mobilitytrans.com Products: Commercial passenger and paratransit vehicle convertor. The company builds and supplies paratransit, hotel/airport shuttle, executive transport and prisoner transport vans and small buses. 17

Mohawk Lifts P. O. Box 110 Amsterdam, NY 12010 USA 518-842-1431 Email: marketing@mohawklifts.com Website: www.mohawklifts.com Products: Mohawk Lifts manufactures all types of vehicle service lifts for transit buses, motor-

July/August 2020

coaches, school buses and paratransit vehicles. Mohawk Lifts are made to last with its warranty as standard for all lift models. Mohawk makes 100 percent of the lifts in the USA and meets the FTA Buy America clause. Mohawk is a 38-year member of the Automotive Lift Institute with an overwhelming majority of all lifts and all lift options and accessories being third party certified to meet the current ANSI safety standards for vehicle lifts. 20

Monochem (Worldwide Monochem) 512-267-5190 Website: www.monochem.net Products: Chemicals for cleaning bus interiors, odor control, toilets; upholstery cleaning; and sanitation equipment and supplies. 14 _____MOTOR COACH INDUSTRIES_____

200 E. Oakton St. Des Plaines, IL 60018 USA 866-MCI-COACH Email: marketing@mcicoach.com Website: www.mcicoach.com Products: Motor Coach Industries (MCI) is a U.S. subsidiary of NFI Group Inc., (NFI), one of the world’s largest independent global bus manufacturers. MCI is a leading North American public and private market motor coach producer. MCI designs and builds the high-quality, fuel-efficient, low-cost-of-ownership MCI J-Series, which includes the best-selling 45-foot J4500 and the allnew 35-foot J3500 models, along with the MCI D-Series coaches. The workhorse D-Series now includes the breakthrough MCI D45 CRT LE Commuter Coach, featuring a patented low-entry vestibule with seating for unprecedented passenger accessibility, especially for those using mobility devices, and offers lower dwell times to match lower floor transit buses.

The all-electric J4500e CHARGE coach is planned for production in 2020, and MCI will also apply its battery-electric platform to the D45 CRTe LE CHARGE Commuter Coach, followed by the electric MCI J3500, giving operators the most comprehensive choices in purpose-built, allelectric coaches.

With more than 30,000 MCI coaches on the road, MCI also provides 24/7 roadside assistance; a service team that includes a technical call center and Technical Solutions Managers (TSMs) in the field throughout North America; parts availability through NFI Parts; and maintenance and repair at MCI Service Centers located in key markets. The MCI Academy, meanwhile, holding the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) accreditation, offers online courses through its Learning Management System (LMS), as well as technical training and system qualification certificate and diploma programs tailored to the specific needs of the motorcoach industry. 19

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:32 PM Page 45

Motor Coach Tire Sales, LLC 1133 4th St. Columbus, GA 31901 USA 678-463-4110 Website: www.motorcoachtiresales.com Products: Sales of Toyo and Yokohama tires to the motorcoach industry. 17

Motorcoach Manager, Inc. 3517 Marconi Ave., Suite 207 Sacramento, CA 95821 USA 916-972-1800 Email: info@motorcoachmanager.com Website: www.motorcoachmanager.com Products: Motorcoach Manager and Tour Optimizer—Motorcoach Manager is a flexible fleet management software system now available on the cloud. It provides a complete, cost-effective system for managing all the logistics of motorcoach and tour operations. It tracks dispatches for charter orders, scheduled line runs and school bus routes from the initial request for service to the final accounting reports. There is a comprehensive driver and employee compliance tracking module included. The cloud-based version features embedded mapping with mileage and time data generated automatically. It is appropriate for any size of company providing passenger transportation.

The software is the result of 25 years of collaboration between the Motorcoach Manager staff and hundreds of clients and prospects. A complete set of features, such as built-in email, utilization and availability charts, financial analysis tools, security, equipment and driver management, driver training records, payroll and mileage tracking, etc., are included. Responsive, timely customer service is our priority.

Tour Optimizer is a separate product which manages and tracks group and retail tours for companies that do not own motorcoaches. It includes an itinerary building tool and a reservation system for selling by the seat. There is an extensive reporting system which saves tour management time. 19

Headquarters/Winnipeg Facility 711 Kernaghan Ave. Winnipeg, MB R2C 3T4 CANADA 204-224-1251 Website: www.newflyer.com Products: North American transit bus and motorcoach manufacturer and parts distributor. 17 Norse Systems, Inc. 245 Sage Hollow Rd. Guilford, CT 06437 USA 800-769-8468 Email: norse@norsesys.com Website: www.norsesys.com Products: Provides a complete set of integrated products for managing bus transportation. Its comprehensive software product set is combined with private “cloud” based virtual servers and professional support to provide a complete solution for bus operators. The solutions from Norse are designed to run on the existing computer infrastructure. 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. Ap-

plications are provided with the “Screen Driver,” The Enterprise IT environment for developers and users. The system includes user security, system administration, custom reporting, and application development and management tools. Demonstrations and sales presentations are available at no cost. 17

Nova Bus 260 Banker Rd. Plattsburgh, NY 12901 USA 518-566-6682 Email: novabus.sales@volvo.com Website: www.novabus.com Products: Designs public transit buses that meet different needs. Its value-added offer includes an extensive list of standard features engineered to provide the best in terms of safety, accessibility and life cycle cost. Nova Bus’ entire line of vehicles is based on a single proven platform that requires minimal maintenance and far exceeds APTA’s White Book crashworthiness requirements. 15 Onspot Automatic Tire Chains 1075 Rodgers Park Dr. North Vernon, IN 47265 USA 800-766-7768 Email: onspot@onspot.com Website: www.onspot.com Products: Onspot Automatic Tire Chains are permanently mounted to the vehicles’ rear suspension and allows the operator to engage and disengage the chains at the flip of the dashboard

Motorcoach Safety Training Co. 5611 Hudson Dr., Suite 100 A Hudson, OH 44236 USA 855-963-3900 Website: www.mcstco.com Products: Motorcoach driver training programs.

18

NAFI 1155 Cleveland Ave. Wyomissing, PA 19610 USA 610-781-7033 Email: nafipa@aol.com Products: Representatives for Altro safety floor coverings in the northeast portion of the U.S. 19

National Interstate Insurance Company 3250 Interstate Dr. Richfield, OH 44286 USA 800-929-1500 Email: public.transportation@natl.com Website: www.natl.com Products: A provider of insurance and risk transfer solutions to the passenger transportation industry. 18 New Flyer Industries Inc.

July/August 2020

BUSLINE

Page 45

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:32 PM Page 46

switch, without stopping to enhance traction and reduce braking distance on snow and ice in forward or reverse. The system is available as a factory installed option from over 200 OEM vehicle builders, or for retrofit of existing vehicles from over 1,400 dealers throughout North America. The product can be adapted to vehicles from 1/2 ton to Class 8 tractor trailers. 19 __ON YOUR MARK TRANSPORTATION__

P.O. Box 292851 Nashville, TN 37229-2851 USA 615-669-0107 Email: info@onyourmarktransportation.com Website: www.onyourmarktransportation.com Products: A consulting service to the ground transportation industry, bringing resources to all areas of ground transportation, including limousine, school bus, transit and motorcoach. Services include, but are not limited to: event transportation planning and logistics; marketing, including websites, social media, trade show representation and sales training; surveys, including employee, ridership or customer surveys; human resources, including recruiting, hiring, training and company specific policy handbooks and procedures; grant writing; 5311(f) programs; DOT and DOD safety system audits; research; and school bus planning and implementation. 20 OurBus 79 Madison Ave. New York, NY 10016 USA 844-800-6828 Email: pr@ourbus.com Website: www.ourbus.com Products: A charter bus service in New York, NY. Mission is to offer an affordable option that gives people time back to enjoy life outside the commute. A technology platform that provides a better public transportation alternative for commuters traveling to and from suburban areas and cities. 18

P.A. Post Agency, LLC One International Blvd., Suite 405 Mahwah, NJ 07495 USA 201-252-3010 Website: www.papost.com Products: Transportation insurance. 16

PennTex Industries, Inc. 202 Plaza Dr. Manchester, PA 17345 USA 717-266-8762 Email: sales@penntexusa.com Website: www.penntexusa.com Products: Manufacturers of high efficiency alternators and mobile electronic devices. 19

Page 46

BUSLINE

Petro Stopping Centers I-39 & Hwy. 38, Exit #99 900 Petro Dr. Rochelle, IL 61068 USA 815-562-3716 Email: petro59@rochelle.net Website: www.ta-petro.com Products: Full service travel plaza offering regular diesel, biodiesel, regular gas, E85 and E15. RV services include dump station, water, propane, pullthrough parking and separate fueling island.

Amenities include two restaurants, two stores, clinic, game arcade, showers, coin laundry, ATM, fax and copy service, UPS, FedEx and U.S. mail dropboxes.

Open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Buses welcome, please call ahead if eating (815-562-5840). 19 Pleiger Plastics Co. 498 Crile Rd. Washington, PA 15301 USA 724-228-2244 Email: ron@pleiger.com Website: www.pleiger.com Products: Molder of polyurethane bumpers for suspension applications, preventing metal to metal contact. 20

Power Brake LLC 6515 N 50th St. Tampa, FL 33610 USA 813-623-1333 Website: www.powerbrake1.com Products: Power Brake LLC, located in Tampa, FL, has over 50 years of combined experience in the brake industry, and has been in business for over 11 years. It is a knowledgeable and trusted leader in brake system innovation. Company officials have discovered a new and innovative technology that extends brake component life and reduces operating costs. The new process, labeled Diamond Technology, will extend the life of brakes. The goal at Power Brake is to provide a money-saving fleet maintenance solution that increases the life expectancy of brakes, while providing superior performance and safety enhancements for vehicles. Power Brake offers a 100,000 mile warranty on trucks and buses, and a 36,000 mile warranty on fire engines against failure due to wear, distortion, or cracking. 19

Prevost 35 Gagnon Blvd.

Sainte-Claire, Quebec G0R 2V0 CANADA 418-883-3391 Email: prevostcar@volvo.com Website: www.prevostcar.com Products: North American manufacturer of passenger coaches as well as conversion coaches for high-end motorhomes and specialty conversions.

The Prevost H-Series provides tall, high-deck coaches with panoramic views and under-floor storage capacity of 460 cubic feet. The Prevost X-Series offers lowest overall height for the premium coach market, while maintaining a floorto-ceiling height of 80 inches and a wheelbase of 334.5 inches. The Volvo 9700 offers quality, performance, economy, comfort and safety. The powertrain takes advantage of the coordination between the Volvo D13 engine and I-Shift transmission. This integration results in better per-

July/August 2020

formance and engine management, fuel savings and easier service scheduling. 19

Prevost Parts Email: prevostparts@volvo.com Website: www.prevostcar.com Online Parts Ordering: www.prevostcar.com/content/online-parts-ordering Prevost U.S. Parts Customer Service 2250 Point Blvd., Suite 410 Elgin, Illinois 60123. USA Eastern Region: 877-279-1224 Central Region: 877-279-1245 Western Region: 877-279-1219 Prevost Canada Parts Customer Service 2955-A Avenue Watt Quebec City, Quebec G1X 3W1. CANADA 800-463-8876 Products: Prevost offers 24/7 emergency parts ordering and shipping, and 24/7 online parts ordering with a special discount. Prevost parts warehouses use RF barcode technology for quick shipment of parts, and offers same-day shipping of stock parts anywhere in the United States and Canada for orders received before 2 p.m. (shipping location local time). Prevost’s computerized parts catalog provides immediate access to all coach assemblies, sub-assemblies and components. Prevost Parts provides replacement parts for all makes and models of coaches and transit buses, and is the exclusive distributor of Prevost, Volvo Bus and Nova Bus certified parts and components. The Prevost Parts and Service Network consists of 16 Prevost Parts and Service Centers, strategically located throughout the United States and Canada, 55-plus mobile service vans, and more than 150 Prevost-trained and certified service providers. The service network is the industry’s exclusive provider of certified service for Prevost vehicles, Volvo engines and Volvo I-Shift transmissions. 19 ______________PROAIR, LLC____________

715 Willow Springs Lane York, PA 17406 USA 717-767-2775 Email: dave@proairllc.com Website: www.proairllc.com Company Officers: Mark Smith, President; David Oberdorff, Vice President Products: ProAir designs and manufactures a complete line of advanced bus air conditioning systems for all sizes and makes of buses including conventional, alternate fuel, hybrid and electric drive buses. Products include split-type air conditioning systems as well as complete roof mount air conditioning systems for all buses. In addition, ProAir offers air conditioning installation services, specification preparation assistance, product testing, replacement air conditioning service parts for most brands, product training and on-site customer support. 20

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:32 PM Page 47

ProFusion Industries 822 Kumho Dr. Fairlawn, OH 44333 USA 330-668-7694 Website: www.profusionindustries.com Products: U.S. manufacturer of heavy-duty flooring and entry step components. Supplier to original equipment manufacturers. Offers full line of rubber-type marbled rib and smooth flooring products, and slip resistant European-type flooring products for shuttle and transit products. Flooring is available as a prewelded assembly for a complete bus floor, in all rib, all smooth, or with a rib center aisle. Standard width rolls are also available for pieced installation. Also offers entry treads, nosings, and standee lines, including replacement parts for all shuttle and transit brands. Proprietary processes provide for short lead times. 17

Protective Insurance Company 111 Congressional Blvd., Suite 500 Carmel, IN 46032 USA 800-644-5501 Website: www.protectiveinsurance.com Products: A+ rated by A.M. Best, specializes in providing insurance for the transportation industry. Licensed in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and all Canadian provinces to provide comprehensive insurance programs (including, but not limited to, auto liability and workers’ compensation options) for motorcoach operations and limousine services. 16 Proterra 1815 Rollins Rd., Burlingame, CA 94010 USA 864-438-0000 Website: www.proterra.com Products: Catalyst® battery-electric transit buses. 18

Q’Straint 4031 NE 12th Ter. Oakland Park, FL 33334 USA 800-987-9987 Email: marketing@qstraint.com Website: www.qstraint.com Products: QUANTUM automatic wheelchair securement and Q’POD integrated 3-point wheelchair securement. 19 ___________QMF STEEL, INC.__________ (QMF Supply Fab Manufacturing)

SEE AD ON PAGE 9 3846 Interstate 30 East Campbell, TX 75422 USA 903-455-3618, 800-881-4071 Email: busline@qmfsteel.com Website: qmfsteel.com Products: QMF Steel, Inc., is a DBE/WBE certified business in operation since 1994. Buy America material supplier, manufacturer and fab-

ricator for transportation clients across the U.S. ISO and AISC quality certified, QMF’s equipment can machine parts; cut materials with bundle cutting saws, angle cutting saw, waterjet and plasma, sheet and tube laser; bend with a press brake, precision brake and profile bender; roll sheet; drill using a beam line; blast off mill scale; and weld using certified welders and robot welders. Parts can be used in the assembly of the vehicle systems or in the safety rails, stairs and ramps needed on ADA compliant vehicles. 20

RBS - Relational Bus Systems, Inc. 10 Lancaster St. - Box 215 Cherry Valley, NY 13320 USA 607-264-9300, 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 browser-based 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). RBS is now distributing GoTourV4.10, which includes BOPI (Blocked Out Passenger Inventory); integrated, highly secure, online credit card authorization (GoPay) is available;

Dump CLEAN...

CHARTER

Dump

LEGAL!

WASHROOM WASTE DISPOSAL UNIT Installs directly into your existing sewer system!

L

avatory dump hopper is assembled and ready to install in your existing sewer system. Its cover plate is easily rolled back with the remover tool. Each of your service lanes can easily be equipped with this time-saving unit, which has been the industry standard for over thirty years. All major credit cards accepted.

Call 1-866-LAV-DUMP or email lavdump@yahoo.com for additional information.

Washroom waste is removed quickly, easily and safely

HUDSON RIVER CORPORATION Call toll free: 1-866-LAV-DUMP | Fax: 1-201-420-3322

www.lavdump.com July/August 2020

BUSLINE

Page 47

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:32 PM Page 48

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. 19 REI 6534 L St. Omaha, NE 68117. USA 800-228-9275 Email: info@radioeng.com Website: www.radioeng.com Products: Entertainment and monitoring systems for motorcoaches and transit buses. 18 _______REL-TEK CORPORATION_____

SEE AD ON PAGE 10 4185-4189 Old William Penn Hwy. Monroeville, PA 15146 USA 412-373-6700 Website: www.rel-tek.com Products: Gas monitoring and control systems, including PC-based data logging and telemetry software, and a full complement of field I/O hardware. 20

Renegade Parts Washers and Detergents 2320 Zinga Dr. Reedsburg, WI 53959 USA 800-774-7900 Email: smeyer@renegadepartswashers.com Website: www.renegadepartswashers.com Products: Automatic and manual aqueous parts washers and solvent-free detergents. 20

Resorts Casino Hotel 1133 Boardwalk Atlantic City, NJ 08401 USA 800-772-9000 Website: www.resortsac.com Products: Casino, hotel and restaurants, including the Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville entertainment complex. 17 REV GROUP Website: www.revgroup.com Products: REV bus brands include Collins and ENC. 20 __________REYCO GRANNING__________ SEE AD ON PAGE 22 1205 Industrial Park Dr. Mt. Vernon, MO 65712 USA 800-753-0050, 417-466-2178 Website: www.reycogranning.com

Page 48

BUSLINE

Products: Designs and manufactures air, steel spring and auxiliary suspensions used by bus, truck and specialty vehicle OEMs. A suspension manufacturer with close to 90 years of proven product quality, durability and reliability. The company is located in the heart of the Midwest, with some of America’s best and hardest working employees who continue to help Reyco Granning build on its rich history of manufacturing excellence. 19

RLI Transportation 9025 N. Lindbergh Dr. Peoria, IL 61615 USA 800-331-4929 Website: www.rlicorp.com Products: Insurance for the bus and motorcoach industries. 17

Rotary Lift 2700 Lanier Dr. Madison, IN 47250 USA 800-640-5438 Email: userlink@rotarylift.com Website: www.rotarylift.com Products: Rotary Lift offers the industry’s broadest line of heavy-duty vehicle lifts. The lineup includes mobile column, modular inground, scissor, parallelogram, two-post and four-post lifts. 19 RouteMatch Software 1230 Peachtree St., NE, Ste. 2800 Atlanta, GA 30309 USA 404-876-5160 Email: sales@routematch.com Website: www.routematch.com Products: Software systems for schedule and route optimization, reporting and compliance. 20 ______RRL INSURANCE AGENCY_____

with $10 billion plus in sales. RRL works with well-regarded companies that are very competitive in the marketplace. RRL is responsive to clients’ needs and offers a comprehensive insurance program which makes it a partner in reducing accidents and premiums. The RRL goal is to provide clients with cost effective insurance and risk management solutions, combining competitive rates with superior service and to exceed expectations.

All RRL clients have a personal account representative to handle their standard requests, such as certificates, vehicle changes, filings, etc. Clients have total access to RRL’s management team, who can provide assistance for risk management needs 24/7. RRL is here for its clients on the go, with access to clients’ insurance and requested documents instantly online or from a smartphone or tablet. With solid insurance industry relationships, dealing with market representatives who understand the issues at hand, keeps RRL ahead of the curve. RRL works to place its customers’ operations with a strong market that will be a partner with each customer, at a cost-effective rate. There is a reason why RRL customers do not leave once they are with the company. With top-notch service and knowledge, the rest just falls into place. Give RRL a call. It is available to become a loyal partner in securing all insurance needs. 19 ___________SAFETY STEP LLC__________

SEE AD ON PAGE 70 5304 Valleypark Dr. Roanoke, VA 24019 USA 540-362-9636 Website: www.safetystep.net Products: Safety Step’s line of lightweight, all aluminum steps are designed to handle constant usage by passengers. All Safety Steps feature antitip and anti-slip designs. Rubber leg tips help secure passengers on all surfaces and during any weather conditions. With various platform sizes, heights and powder coat finishes, Safety Step has the step to improve every passenger travel experience. 19 __________SAFETY VISION___________

4450 W. Eau Gallie Blvd., Suite 115 Melbourne, FL 32934 USA 800-407-4077 Website: www.rrl-ins.com Products: RRL Insurance, located in Florida and Ohio, specializes in commercial insurance and Risk Management Services. Its professional team has built a solid reputation with years of in-depth knowledge in the transportation industry, and is constantly enhancing contacts with insurance companies and insureds. In 2014, RRL became partners with Acrisure. RRL has 300-plus agency partners located in most states,

July/August 2020

SEE AD ON PAGE 14 6100 W. Sam Houston Pkwy. N. Houston, TX 77041 USA 800-880-8855 Email: masstransitsales@safetyvision.com Website: www.safetyvision.com/mass-transit Company Officer: Lucius McCelvey, Transit Sales Manager Products: Manage daily operations with ease.

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:32 PM Page 49

Save time and money by efficiently locating video with user-friendly wireless downloading, video redaction, and HD zooming capabilities. With newly available technology users can access and share video with local authorities when needed, and live look-in at any time to monitor onboard activity. Safety Vision’s suite of mobile video solutions offer high quality equipment and lasting performance, at the best value for any transit environment. 20

Samsara 444 De Haro St. San Francisco, CA 94107 USA 415-985-2400 Email: info@samsara.com Website: www.samsara.com Products: Samsara’s cloud-connected cameras provide complete 360º video visibility. Such coverage allows bus/motorcoach companies to better investigate and resolve incidents, enhance passenger and driver safety, and protect a fleet against false claims. 19

Sanicoach 938 E. Swan Creek Rd., #241 Fort Washington, MD 20744 USA 301-257-6714 Email: sanicoachdc@gmail.com Products: 24-hour mobile bus dumping services in the Washington, D.C. area. 18

__________SANUVAIRE, LLC__________

SEE AD ON PAGE 67 6435 W. Quaker St. Orchard Park, NY 14127 USA 888-611-6660 Email: sales@sanuvaire.com Website: www.sanuvaire.com Products: Offers custom designed patented and licensed “Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation UVGIâ€? technology for air purification, air filtration and surface sterilization products, specifically for public transport and transit vehicles. Premier products are the Surface-Safe™ and Breathe-Safe™ Systems, which implement complete UVGI coil surface sterilization, in-duct air purification and air filtration technology into vehicle HVAC components and passenger cabins. Provides ultimate protection against harmful and infectious bacteria and viruses in transit ridership, while reducing vehiclerelated maintenance and fuel costs. The UVGI systems disrupt the harmful microorganisms’ DNA, in turn, killing and preventing them from reproducing. Other products include S-MT™ 1.0 Mobile Tower, used for surface sterilization of vehicle interiors and transit facilities, and the S-WAND™ for

easy, quick hand-held disinfection of surface spills and spoils. SanUVAire carries a full line of smart, indoor air quality monitoring devices and UVC sensors and meters for measuring the effectiveness of the installed UVGI systems. Its line of Transit Safety Solutions includes the Flashing S.T.O.P.™ LED sign to promote defensive driving and accident prevention, as well as Curb Avoidance™ to prevent curb, tire and wheel damage and the associated insurance and financial costs. 20 _SARDO BUS & COACH UPHOLSTERY_

503 S. Main Ave. Minneola, FL 34715 USA 512 W. Rosecrans Ave. Gardena, CA 90248 USA 800-654-3824 Email: sandy@sardobus.com Website: www.sardobus.com Products: Sardo Bus & Coach Upholstery’s quality craftsmanship and unique customer service has made it an industry leader in motorcoach and transit refurbishment. Sardo’s original Professional Mobile Road crew is a trendsetter, providing experience onsite installation service at a customer’s facility. This minimizes downtime and provides

RELIABILITY ITY EFFICIENCY Discover electricity

Air Conditioning Electric

NC PERFORMANCE

hermetic electric scroll compressor/s Ę“ a.c. motors Ę“ self-contained refrigerant loops Ę“ generator or hybrid bus power

:<;9(2 *VYWVYH[PVU , [O (]L *VTTLYJL *P[` *6 4HPU ^^^ Z\[YHR\ZH JVT PUMV'Z\[YHR\ZH JVT JV

July/August 2020

BUSLINE

Page 49

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:32 PM Page 50

personal attention to every detail. Sardo guarantees its workmanship for as long as a customer owns its coach. Sardo offers a wide variety of innovative styles, color combinations and patterns utilizing the finest quality materials for interior refurbishment. It also manufactures custom fit seat covers for mail-out service, with seat cover liners for easy installation.

For flooring needs, Sardo can install a brand new complete floor, or just replace the entrance area steps for the ultimate first impression. Sardo provides seating options for transit authorities all over the United States and Canada. With Lou Sardo’s patented quick release insert design, transit authorities are finding superior replacement options at a fraction of the cost. Lou Sardo has developed a number of innovative products for the transit, rail and bus industries, each providing time and money saving benefits. Sardo takes pride in delivering the best quality refurbishment while also offering a great selection of seating options at an affordable price.

Visit the company’s website, like its Facebook page, and join Sardo on LinkedIn to learn more about the company’s products and services.

19 Saucon Technologies 2455 Baglyos Circle Bethlehem, PA 18020 USA 484-241-2514 Website: www.saucontds.com Products: GPS tracking, reporting options and dispatch tools for various types of transportation providers. 16 Scalabros S.r.l.

Via Caduti di Sabbiuno 83/C -Loc. Bazzano Valsamoggia, BO 40053 ITALY +39 051 832587 Email: info@scalabros.it Website: www.scalabros.it Products: Bus components including manual and motorized sunshades, escape roof hatches and floorservice hatches.

20 SERVICE INSURANCE _______AGENCY, LLC_______

SEE AD ON PAGE 66 6850 Catawba Ln. Richmond, VA 23226 USA 800-444-0205 Website: www.serviceins.com Products: Service Insurance Agency, Inc., has been providing insurance and related products to the passenger transportation industry since 1952. Its professional staff is trained to provide the highest quality customer service and offers solutions for the unique insurance needs of its passenger transportation customers. An independent company, Service Insurance writes insurance for motorcoaches, limousines, vanpools, city transit buses, airport shuttles and school buses.

20

Page 50

BUSLINE

SETRA/DAIMLER COACHES ______NORTH AMERICA (DCNA)______

4900 E. Loop 820 South Fort Worth, TX 76119 USA 800-206-9728 Website: www.setrausa.com Products: The Setra brand coaches Top Class S 417 TC and Comfort Class S 407 CC are supported by Daimler Coaches North America (DCNA) and parent company, Daimler AG. For more than 35 years in North America, Setra has sleek European styling, combined with next generation technology, premium amenities, and industry leading safety. Daimler AG has more than 125 years of passion and engineering prowess. Daimler has been a pioneer in the automotive, trucking, and motorcoach industries. In fact, Daimler has top quality brands like Setra, Freightliner, MercedesBenz, Thomas Built Buses, Detroit Diesel, and Western Star in its lineup and utilizes best practices to make all those vehicles the best in their industry.

Known for high-grade components and engineering, Setra coaches are built on the same production system as Daimler’s automotive group and the high standards set by Mercedes-Benz. There, reliability is built into every component and onboard features demanded by operators. The result is passenger comfort and operational excellence. Supporting drivers and passengers when it comes to comfort and function, Setra luxury coaches deliver great handling and a smooth ride. With the ergonomic design found in the cockpit and driver workstation, Setra ensures all controls are within reach, that key information is always available, and that driver comfort is a top priority.

The Setra products also have the highest level of support necessary to keep a fleet of coaches in service, including parts distribution, and 24/7 oncall industry experts. Whether it’s the build, the décor, the inclusions, or the meticulous detail behind the scenes, when it comes to Setra, we’ve thought of it all. Which means, all operators have to think about is their passengers and continuous ROI. 20 SHRIVER TRANSPORTATION ______INSURANCE AGENCY, LLC______

1 Oakbrook Terrace, #209 Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181 USA 630-833-0480 Website: www.shriverinsurance.com

Products: Shriver Transportation Insurance Agency has specialized in public transportation since 1963.

Company representatives listen to what their customers want in order to tailor a policy to meet each of these customer needs. Shriver works with customers from coast to coast on any size account. 20

July/August 2020

SLEC, Inc. 23 Fontana Ln., Suite 109 Baltimore, MD 21237 USA 443-730-1023 Website: www.slec.com Products: The 18Type mobile column lift, manufactured in Baltimore by SLEC, Inc., is rated at 18,000 lbs. (each column), and is ideal for transit buses and motorcoaches. A SLEC® lift is one man portable, and consequently can be used in multiple work bays and outside. SLEC® lifts feature an electromechanical, self-locking design, based on an Acme threaded screw and a bronze load nut for the ultimate in safety as it is inherently self-locking. The lifts stop immediately when power is removed and cannot move again unless power is re-applied. An easy-to-use interactive touch-screen pad enables the operator to select the operational mode (all lifts, pairs or single) and communicates to the operator the height of each column, error codes and much more.

The recently launched “ultimate pack” marries the benefit of getting the cable off the floor while keeping the robust reliability of a cable-connected lift. The connecting cable extends between each column on a retractable roller system and loops around the top of each column. SLEC® lifts are independently tested and certified to the standards of the Automotive Lift Institute ANSI/ALI ALCTV-2011. All of this is backed by nationwide after-sales and service support. 19

SmartTray International, LLC 15100 N. 78th Way, Floor 2 Scottsdale, AZ 85260 USA Email: railandbus@thesmarttray.com Website: www.thesmarttray.com Products: Tray table solutions including patented personal electronic device management features for buses and motorcoaches. 18

Specialty Vehicles (SVI, Inc.) 440 Mark Leany Dr. Henderson, NV 89011 USA 800-SVI-TRAM Website: www.specialtyvehicles.com Products: New and used trolleys, trams, electric shuttles, and other types of people movers. 19

Starcraft Bus 2367 Century Dr., Goshen, IN 46528 USA 800-348-7440 Website: www.starcraftbus.com Products: Starcraft Bus is a North American shuttle bus manufacturer. Markets include hotels, churches, retirement centers, tour operators, and all aspects of public and private transportation. 15

Stertil-Koni 200 Log Canoe Circle Stevensville, MD 21666 USA 800-336-6637, 410-643-9001 Email: lifts@stertil-koni.com Website: www.stertil-koni.com/bus-lifts, www.stertil-koni.com/truck-lifts Products: Stertil-Koni provides heavy-duty vehicle lifts – bus lifts and truck lifts – featuring top performance, durability and safety. 19

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:32 PM Page 51

Stewart & Stevenson Power Products Atlantic Division 180 Route 17 South Lodi, NJ 07644 USA 201-489-5800 Website: www.atlanticdda.com Products: Detroit Diesel engine and Allison automatic transmission distributor; MercedesBenz diesel engines; Freightliner Custom Chassis; Mobile Climate Control; Thomas Built Buses, Parts and service dealer; complete diagnostic and repair services; Allisonhybrid electric propulsion and related components; filters; batteries; diesel emission and retrofit solutions. 18

Teknoware 120 Wampus Ln. Milford, CT 06460 USA 203-878-8567 Website:www.teknoware.com/en/vehicle-lighting Products: Lighting design for public transport vehicles. Teknoware provides lights and lighting systems for new vehicles as well as for refurbishment and LED upgrading projects. It offers lighting solutions that are integrated with the other decor of the vehicle and provides sufficient and pleasant lighting. 17

SEE AD ON PAGE 49 6897 E. 49th Ave. Commerce City, CO 80022 USA 303-287-2700 Website: www.sutrakusa.com Products: ISO 9001 certified. Heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems for light rail vehicles and people movers and buses including school buses.

19

SEE AD ON PAGE 21 404 Zell Dr. Orlando, FL 32824 USA 833-628-3672 Website: www.temsa.com Products: Temsa is one of the world’s leading motorcoach and bus manufacturers. Founded in 1968, and operating from a 510,000-squaremeter manufacturing facility in Adana, Turkey since 1987, Temsa produces over 10,000 motorcoaches, buses and light trucks per year. 20

______TEMSA NORTH AMERICA______

_______SUTRAK CORPORATION_______

__________THERMO KING___________ SEE AD ON PAGE 11 314 W. 90th St. Minneapolis, MN 55420 USA 888-887-2202 Email: karol.engstromnarum@irco.com Website: www.thermoking.com Products: Thermo King, a HVAC supplier to the North American transit market, has been providing HVAC solutions for buses since 1956. It offers the latest in efficient electric technologies and tools to improve operational efficiencies.

The company’s ConnectedSuite™ telematics tool gives users the ability to communicate directly with the HVAC expert, to get real-time alerts to mitigate unscheduled road calls and improve operational efficiencies including fuel usage and energy consumption, and eliminate manual tracking processes. 20 TIAA Bank 501 Riverside Ave. Jacksonville, FL 32202 USA 203-984-5710 Website: www.tiaabank.com/commercial Products: Transportation financing services.

19

July/August 2020

BUSLINE

Page 51

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:32 PM Page 52

TIB - TRANSPORTATION ________INSURANCE BROKERS________

425 W. Broadway, Suite 300 Glendale, CA 91204 USA 800-248-2877 Website: www.tibinsurance.com Products: A brokerage firm dedicated to the transportation industry, offering auto and general liability, physical damage, workers’ compensation and bonds. Specializing in, and committed to the transportation industry. Offices from Los Angeles to New York. Focusing only on the transportation marketplace. 18

Tolar Manufacturing Co. 258 Mariah Cir. Carona, CA 92879 USA 800-339-6165 Email: info@tolarmfg.com Website: www.tolarmfg.com Products: Since 1991, Tolar Manufacturing has been producing transit shelters, kiosks, benches and trash receptacles. 19

TLS Total Automotive Lifting Solutions Inc. 2300 Speers Rd. Oakville, Ontario L6L 2X8 CANADA 877-799-5438 Email: sales@tlslifts.com Website: www.tlslifts.com Products: TLS Inc., is a member of the Automotive Lift Institute, and participates in the certification of its products, with models ranging in capacities from 2,000 to 100,000 lbs. 19 _____TRANS/AIR MANUFACTURING____

480 E. Locust St. Dallastown, PA 17313 USA 717-246-2627 Website: www.transairmfg.com Products: Trans/Air Manufacturing is an ISO 9001-registered firm, manufacturing a full line of climate control systems for the school, commercial, and electric/hybrid vehicle markets. Units, parts, service, training, warranty, and new or aftermarket installations are available through factory-owned operations or a network of distributors throughout North America. 20 ________TRANSIGN LLC_________

SEE AD ON PAGE 19 281 Collier Rd. Auburn Hills, MI 48326 USA

Page 52

BUSLINE

248-623-6400, 855-535-7446 Email: sales@transignllc.com Website: www.transignllc.com Products: Transign® is a market leader in passenger information systems and vital transit solutions. For the past six decades, Transign® has provided the transit industry with durable, innovative and high-quality passenger information systems that has changed how the transit industry delivers advanced services to riders.

Transign® products have been widely adopted in North America, helping to boost public transportation services across the continent. It offers transit agencies an affordable solution to increase ridership, improve service and communication, and run more efficiently to optimize revenue. The products help greatly in modernizing the way people travel and access information while they reach their destinations conveniently. Transign® assists transit operators in offering their passengers with the best-in-class services.

Transign® continues its industry-leading innovation with the company’s newest smart bus solution, the LED Destinator EnCompass™.

This hands-free fleet management solution combines GPS-based message progression with Transign’s existing high-quality LED Destinator™ signs, route boxes, backup cameras, complete stop request systems, interior LED displays, automated voice announcements, automatic passenger counting, smart phone mobile apps, real time bus tracking, and location-based advertising opportunities. Transign® is a U.S. manufacturer of roller curtain signs and meets ongoing demands, which provides superior graphic solutions to enhance branding.

Transign® has been a leading provider of LED destination signs, run number boxes, roller curtain signs and passenger information systems since 1959. Transign® currently serves hundreds of agencies and private shuttle operators alike, in both the United States and Canada and prides itself on being one of the most highly recommended and endorsed transit sign providers in the industry today. 18 TRANSIT & PARATRANSIT COMPANY ____________(TAPTCO)____________

SEE AD ON PAGES 2 & 3 5611 Hudson Dr., Suite 100 Hudson, OH 44236 USA 855-963-3900 Website: www.taptco.com Products: Training programs for transit and paratransit bus drivers. 20

Transit Bus Technical Advisors 1577 Havenwood Dr. Oceanside, CA 92056 USA 607-240-8067 Products: Assistance to transit authorities and manufacturers regarding diesel, CNG, hybridelectric, fuel cell and EV buses. 18

July/August 2020

__TRANSIT SALES INTERNATIONAL__

SEE AD ON PAGE 41 1863 Service Ct. Riverside, CA 92507 USA 800-287-7253 Email: buyer@transitsales.com Website: www.transitsales.com Products: Quality preowned transit buses, bus sales and leasing, short to long-term leases, variety of different models, alternative fuel selections. 19 TransitFlor 1833 E. Market St., Akron, OH 44305 USA 800-321-2340 Email: info@transitflor.com Website: www.transitflor.com Products: TransitFlor® premium-grade rubber flooring, stair treads and entrance plates are designed for such vehicles as school, metro and touring buses. 18

Translite Enterprises - Bus Glass Distributors 107 Trumbull St., K Bldg.

Elizabeth, NJ 07206 USA 800-934-3450 Email: info@transliteent.com Website: www.translitebusglass.com Products: Windshields and side glass for coach, school bus and transit. 17 Transportation Information Systems 5435 Cahuenga Blvd., Ste. D. North Hollywood, CA 91601 USA 818-563-2839 Email: info@tisfleet.com Website: www.ifleeteld.tisfleet.com Products: iFleetELD software and hardware items that allow for full compliance with federal electronic device (ELD) requirements, as well as provide additional benefits to drivers and fleet managers. 18

TripSpark Technologies 6480 Rockside Woods Blvd. S. - Suite 215 Independence, OH 44131 USA 877-448-7273 Website: www.tripspark.com Products: A people transportation technology company focused on helping mid-sized public transit agencies and private operators achieve their operational goals. The company provides integrated software and hardware solutions for fixed-route, paratransit, non-emergency medical transportation, ride sharing and K-12 school customers. TripSpark is an operating division of Trapeze Group, a transit software provider in operation since 1990. 20 TRP BUS PARTS 750 Houser Way North Renton, WA 98057 USA 206-898-5543

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:32 PM Page 53

Email: Lee.Yarborough@paccar.com Website: trpparts.com Products: TRP parts for buses are distributed exclusively by PACCAR Parts, a division of PACCAR Inc., and are available globally through authorized TRP stores as well as DAF, Kenworth and Peterbilt dealerships. TRP parts are manufactured for quality, reliability and value – and all products are backed by a nationwide warranty and supported by a worldwide distribution network. Regardless of the age, make or application of a bus, customers can rely on TRP for a full line of replacement parts.

TRP is the all-makes leader for quality bus parts that are “Trusted, Reliable and Proven.” For more information, visit TRPParts.com. 20

Turbo Images 1225 107 E. Rue Saint Georges, QC G5Y 8C3 CANADA 888-219-8872 Email: info@turbo-images.com Website: www.turbo-images.com Products: Fleet design and graphics. The company provides creative design services, leading edge digital printing, bus wraps, onsite installation across North America, installation at the factory prior to delivery, removal services, and an after-sales online parts reordering system. 18

Turtle Top Inc. 67819 State Road 15 New Paris, IN 46553 USA 800-296-2105 Website: www.turtletop.com Products: Since 1962, Turtle Top has been providing high quality, customer driven vehicle solutions from 8 to 50 passengers. Over 50 years of history and experience anchor the company’s core values of integrity, faith, quality and service. Owning a Turtle Top means choosing a legacy, born from creativity and sustained by an unmatched pursuit for perfection that spans five generations. 19 United Motorcoach Association (UMA) 113 S. West St., 4th floor Alexandria, VA 22314 USA 800-424-8262 Email: info@uma.org Website: www.uma.org Products: UMA is an association of motorcoach owners and industry suppliers. 16 UNITED SAFETY & ____SURVIVABILITY CORPORATION____

101 Gordon Dr. Exton, PA 19341 USA 610-265-3610 Email: rmelleady@usscgroup.com Website: www.unitedsafetycorporation.com

Company Officers: Ray Melleady, Executive Vice President of Seating & Technology Products: United Safety and Survivability Corporation, formerly known as USSC Group, is committed to delivering the most innovative and reliable safety and survivability solutions that customers can trust to protect life and property. As a global leader in the design and engineering of world-class safety, survivability and technology solutions across a variety of industries and categories, the company’s portfolio of products includes passenger and operator seating for commercial buses, fire trucks, ambulances, military vehicles, motor coaches, rail cars and locomotives. It also designs and builds specialty soldier survivability systems for military vehicles and revolutionary fire suppression systems used in school buses, public transit, heavy machinery and more.

In an effort to help address the changing global landscape, United Safety has pivoted to provide PPE safety systems to doctors, nurses, and frontline responders. Its unique active air purification technology, with UV-PHI protection, is specially designed to remove bacteria, microbes, and germs from the air circulating in transit buses, school buses, and other interior spaces. Installed in the HVAC duct work, or within a standalone device, the PHI cell uses a UV light targeted on a hydrated metallic catalyst to produce airborne hydro-peroxides. Hydro-peroxides are continually produced by the PHI Cell without any operator inputs or additional chemicals, and circulated throughout the HVAC system, into every corner of the conditioned space to kill germs like bacteria and virus. For more information on United Safety’s sterile bus solutions, contact the company’s sales reps online. 20 ____________VAN HOOL N.V.____________

SEE AD ON PAGE 72 Bernard Van Hoolstraat 58 2500 Koningshooikt (Lier) BELGIUM 00-32-3-420-21-94 Email: sales.bc.usa@vanhool.be Website: www.vanhool.be Products: Van Hool is an independent Belgian manufacturer of buses, coaches and utility vehicles.

19 _____________VANNER, INC.____________

SEE AD ON PAGES 6 & 26 4282 Reynolds Dr. Hilliard, OH 43026 USA 800-ACP-OWER (800-227-6937) Website: www.vanner.com Products: Hybrid Beltless Alternators™ (HBA) are high efficiency DC to DC converters for Allison H40/50EP Hybrids. Eliminates alternators and associated components. Enough capacity to

power variable speed electric radiator fans while running cool and efficiently. Also, VANN-BUS Electrical Systems transmit accurate information about the 12/24v vehicle batteries with analysis and monitoring 24/7 with state of health, over and under voltage, battery imbalance and temperature, J1939 communication with MUX and telemetry systems. Enables state-of-charge management lengthening battery life. Also can work in a closedloop manner with the Hybrid Beltless Alternator™.

Vanner also offers battery equalizers for MBBM battery monitoring. StartSentry Ultracapacitors also provide short bursts of energy and eliminate jumpstarting, reduce operational cost and downtime, reduce damaging drain on 12/24v vehicle batteries, and will start a vehicle with a dead battery. Vanner inverters and AC Power systems can power 110v AC outlets at passengers’ seats in buses and coaches. Battery chargers provide high performance 3-stage battery charging for 24v DC battery banks for buses and coaches. 11

Vapor Bus International A WABTEC Company 1010 Johnson Dr. Buffalo Grove, IL 60089 USA 847-777-6400 Email: vaporbusinfo@wabtec.com Website: www.vapordoors.com Products: Door equipment supplier to the North American bus industry, offering products for transit and commuter buses, intercity and motorcoaches, shuttle and commercial vehicles. Offers complete automatic door systems as well as individual components such as actuator devices, door controls, door panels, seals, and door accessories. Rugged, high performance actuators available in electric or pneumatic configurations.

Door control options range from simple electromechanical devices to high-capability, microprocessor-based systems. 15 Vehicle Inspection Systems, Inc. (VIS) 6317 McCoy Rd., Suite 110 Orlando, FL 32822 USA 407-206-3615 Email: info@vischeck.net Website: www.vischeck.net Products: The manufacturer and distributor of the VIS-Polish, VIS-Shine, and Squirrel wheel safety device. VIS has been serving the heavy-duty vehicle, truck, and bus industry since 1994. 16

Voith Turbo 25 Winship Rd. York, PA 17406 USA 717-767-3200 Website: www.voith.com/diwa6 Products: Voith’s DIWA.6 automatic transmission is lowering fuel consumption, while bringing optimum performance through state-of-the-art technology. 20

Voltabox Of Texas, Inc. 1500 Volta Dr. Cedar Park, TX 78641 USA 512-814-3700 Website: www.voltabox.com Products: Designs, develops and manufactures high-performance lithium-ion battery systems. 18

July/August 2020

BUSLINE

Page 53

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:32 PM Page 54

Volvo Group North America 7900 National Service Rd. Greensboro, NC 27409 USA 336-393-2000 Website: www.volvogroup.com Products: A global manufacturer of buses, trucks, construction equipment and drive systems. 16

WEH Technologies Inc. 24903 Laguna Edge Dr. Katy, TX 77494 USA 832-331-0021 Website: www.weh.us Products: WEH offers an extensive range of CNG refueling products. For dispensers, this includes nozzles, breakaways, hoses and filters. For vehicles, this includes receptacles and check valves. 16 Welch Industries 650 Red Oak Rd. Stockbridge, GA 30281 USA 770-474-1150

Link Transit: Continued From Page 18

Website: www.welchindustries.com Products: Air conditioning compressors, condenser coils, hoses, valves, switches, etc. 19 Wheeler Bros., Inc. 384 Drum Ave. Somerset, PA 15501 USA 800-842-7285 Email: info@wheelerfleet.com Website: www.wheelerfleet.com Products: Brake components, body/lighting, filters, starters, alternators, mirrors, belts/tensioners, wiper components, exhaust, batteries, fluids/ chemicals. 20 XALT Energy LLC 2700 S. Saginaw Rd. Midland, MI 48640 USA 989-486-8501 Email: powerup@xaltenergy.com Website: www.xaltenergy.com Products: Innovater in energy storage technologies, offering solutions from long life cycle cells to complete DNV GL type approved packs, bat-

I

make an autonomous vehicle operate safely in the weather, I’m not convinced the public is going to be willing to ride a vehicle that doesn’t have a transit employee on board,” DeRock said.

LISTENING TO THE RIDING PUBLIC n August 2019, Wenatchee voters approved an increase in local sales taxes to help fund operating service seven days a week. Despite some cutbacks because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Link is going forward with the public’s request.

“Starting in early July, we added Sunday service for the first time ever,” DeRock said. “We are only doing about a third of the expansion that we originally proposed. The hit on sales tax revenue, because of the economic slowdown, has been significant. Until we understand how bad that will be, and how long that will go on, we are not going to do the full expansion we had planned.

“I told our board of directors, operating seven days a week is the most important thing on the list of services citizens desired when voting for the increase. We owe it to voters to act now.”

Part of the reason citizens were enthused about voting for Sunday service was because employees in the area’s fruit processing facilities, and in tourist communities, work seven days a week.

“Service workers and employers were telling us it was difficult for them, because we couldn’t get them to their jobs one day a week. So, we are trying Sunday service to see how it plays out,” DeRock said.

When the economy bounces back, Link plans to move forward with the rest of the service expansions it originally planned.

To further show its respect for, and the desire to serve its ridership, Link has traditionally thought of riders as “guests,” rather than “customers.” To this end, Link’s first management team spent a week at Disney University to gain insight on how to make the experience of riding the bus exceed patrons’ expectations.

“When I came to Link 18 years ago, I didn’t believe the operating data I was given,” DeRock said. “I was seeing reports of passenger compliments that were equal to, or more than, complaints received over many months.

“I thought, ‘Well, that is not normal in transit,’ but as I continued digging through the data, I realized it was, indeed, true. I would constantly run into Page 54

BUSLINE

July/August 2020

tery management systems and racking. XALT released a telematics system in 2019, the XALT Battery Viewer (XBV). Freudenberg Sealing Technologies (FST) became a majority interest in XALT Energy in 2019. 19

Zenith Motors 204 Vine St. Wilder, KY 41076 USA 800-630-9833 Email: sales@zenith-motors.com Website: www.zenith-motors.com Products: Electric-powered van manufacturer. 18

ZF Openmatics 777 Hickory Hill Dr. Vernon Hills, IL 60061 USA 847-478-6840 Website: www.zf.com Products: Telematics, vehicle diagnostics, infotainment and entertainment systems, as well as axle and transmission systems for the bus and motorcoach industries. 18

people who complimented our operators on their courtesy, and how they bent over backwards to get people where they needed to go. That had not been the reputation of public transit in most places.

“It really goes back to the underlying message that our riders are guests. Treating people that way makes a huge difference.”

From the beginning, Link officials realized to get employees to buy in to providing a high level of service, they must be treated with respect. The transit agency created an environment where employees could flourish.

“That company culture has continued, and is really important to the quality of service that we deliver,” DeRock said. “It wasn’t my idea, but it has made a huge difference in this organization, and I fully endorse it.

I sit down with every new hire and we spend an hour going over our employee expectations program. I talk about our corporate culture, what we expect of our employees and the standards we live by. I think it pays huge rewards, both in performance and in community acceptance and support.”

Currently, Link has about 155 employees. More people have been added to the staff recently, gearing up for the planned expansion of services, DeRock said.

“We have a lot of long-term employees. Link has been in operation for 29 years, and we still have three of our first five hires,” DeRock said. “We looked at the safety records of our people who have been here more than five years. Two-thirds of them have never had a reportable incident or accident. It is an extraordinary record.

“It has been great to see the transition as some of the older employees have retired, and we have had younger employees come into the workforce. It is a different vibe than in the past. The community’s demographics have shifted and our employee base now reflects much more the demographic of the community.

“During the past 30 years, the city has evolved to being about 30 percent Hispanic, and our current workforce might be a little more than 30 percent Hispanic. That is an interesting and very positive blending of cultures.”

D

MEETING EXPECTATIONS CHALLENGING eRock said perhaps the transit system’s biggest challenge is meeting the expectations of the riding public, especially in the area of adding more technology.

“For example, people really want us to put an electronic fare system in place,” DeRock said. “So far, we haven’t found find a way to make that

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:32 PM Page 55

economical. The technology would cost so much more than the fares we would collect. We are debating having a fare-free system.

“We used to be a fare-free system 20 years ago. While it was great for ridership, it created other challenges with vandalism and community ownership.”

Another challenge that is not unique to Link is transportation agencies across the country are dealing with people with mental illnesses congregating at their facilities.

“Our transit center tends to be a clustering spot for mentally ill people and that continues to be a challenge,” DeRock said. “You have to find a way to accommodate and support people who are troubled, while making the environment feel safe and comfortable for riders.

Balancing on that line is difficult.”

L

QUALITY OF FIXED-ROUTES KEY TO SAVING PARATRANSIT BUCKS ink’s paratransit operation, LinkPlus, is a traditional, door-to-door Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-certified service. Before coming to Link, DeRock was the executive director of Access Services, the paratransit agency for Los Angeles County, CA. “I was on the advisory committee that wrote the ADA regulations with the FTA (Federal Transit Administration). Having worked in LA, I became convinced the biggest challenge to managing paratransit has to do with the quality of fixed-routes,” DeRock said. “People don’t typically choose paratransit because it is better, they choose it because fixed-routes don’t meet their needs. If you realize what it is about your fixed-route system that doesn’t work, and you address those issues, you should be able to get people to use fixed-routes, without force.

“I made a real concerted effort to try that here, and it was amazingly successful. When I arrived in Wenatchee in 2002, our paratransit rides were between 550 and 600 trips a day. Prior to COVID-19, we were at about 190 paratransit trips a day, as former paratransit riders moved to fixed-routes on a voluntary basis.”

To motivate people to consider using fixed-routes rather than paratransit, Link made riding fixed-routes free for people with disabilities. The transit agency also purchased low-floor buses, created flex routes and made bus stop improvements to make accessibility better, DeRock said.

“In addition, we worked with the community to install curb cuts,” DeRock said. “We also conducted a lot of travel training to help people understand fixed-routes would actually work for the vast majority of people.”

A curb cut is a wedge cut in an elevated curb to allow smooth passage between the sidewalk and the street.

“Moving several hundred people a day to fixed-routes saved us millions of dollars in operating costs, which we were able to reinvest in the system and make it much better overall. We gave people choices and showed them they had better options.”

I

RIDERSHIP MAKING A COMEBACK n 1999, Washington state passed an initiative that eliminated about one-half of all public transportation funding, which was a devastating blow to transit agencies.

“At that time, Link lost 45 percent of its revenue and cut 45 percent of its service,” DeRock said.

“When I came in 2002, our ridership had fallen from about 1.5 million rides a year to about 300,000. Looking at what we had in funding, I set a goal to get us back to 1 million rides a year, which we have done.”

Leading up to the 2019 sales tax vote, people asked what would be the measure of success if the initiative passed?

“I said success would be raising ridership to 1.5 million a year at a minimum. My ‘stretch’ goal is to get to 2 million rides a year. I think that is a reasonable goal for a community this size, but, in our history, we have

never been above 1.5 million, so 2 million is a stretch,” DeRock said. “Before COVID-19, I thought getting to 2 million rides would be possible in the next five years. A board member asked, ‘What do you think is a more realistic time frame now?’ I said maybe in seven years. It kind of depends how fast we get out of this economic trough. I don’t think any of us are going to know until we will get some clue whether this is a ‘V-shape’ or ‘U-shape’ recession.

In a V-shape recession, the economy suffers a sharp but brief period of economic decline with a clearly defined trough, followed by a strong recovery. A U-shape recession is longer than a V-shape recession, and has a less clearly defined trough. GDP may shrink for several quarters, and only slowly return to growth.

P

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION IN CRISIS ublic transportation is in an “existential crisis,” DeRock said, because of how the COVID-19 pandemic has caused agencies to reduce and/or adjust services.

“With social distancing, transit agencies would have to triple or quadruple service to maintain ridership. Most agencies do not have the money to put enough service out there to deal with the pandemic. So, that is a disaster,” DeRock said. “I think it is going to be a really hard fight, for the foreseeable future, to message things appropriately so people will come back. We have to show riders it is safe.”

DeRock said evidence has shown a well-run public transportation system makes a community stronger and healthier.

“Public transit fits into conversations about social equity and economic security. As an industry, we need to recognize that low-income people are, in many cases, our main ridership, and it is not a bad thing to serve them well,” DeRock said. “Public transportation has an important role to play in helping to overcome the challenges facing our communities.

“One of the statistics I like to quote is 34 percent of the population in Washington state doesn’t have a drivers license. We live in communities that were designed around the car, which means motorized transportation is restrictive. It is public transit’s job to provide that equalization for the part of the population that can’t drive. The fact that it can also serve other needs, such as the environment and traffic congestion, is a positive. However, we need to always remember the primary purpose is for people who can’t drive.”

P

A REWARDING CAREER ublic transportation can be a rewarding career for people who want to make a positive difference in their communities, DeRock said.

“I’ve been in the public transportation arena for 39 years, and it has been an extraordinary experience,” DeRock said. “The economic growth transit can create by serving the part of the population that doesn’t have other ways to get around can be significant.

“Public transportation’s return on investment is better than a lot of other government spending. If we do our jobs right, and invest the money we have effectively, we can make really positive changes in our communities. We are one of the key infrastructures that can bring really good results.

“The transit world looks very different now from when I started, but, at its core, we are still moving people to and from work, school, etc. We are still an economic ladder for giving people opportunities to get an education and good jobs, and that can be very rewarding.”

Contact: Link Transit, 2700 Euclid Ave., Wenatchee, WA 98801.

Phone: 509-664-7600.

Email: guestservices@linktransit.com.

Website: www.linktransit.com.

July/August 2020

BUSLINE

Page 55

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:32 PM Page 56

Micro Bird Commercial

Micro Bird Commercial

CT-Series

CTS-Series

Offered in gas or diesel, recent tests demonstrate an impressive day-to-day fuel economy of up to 38 percent compared to other shuttle bus chassis. The transit chassis also offers an encased capless fuel filter and an improved engine compartment layout, in both 2.0 diesel and 3.5 gas litre engines, that are proven worldwide.

In addition to many of the Micro Bird body benefits such as the reinforced structure and the superior insulation, the CT-Series wide center aisle creates more room for passengers enhancing the comfort. The design offers optimised driver ergonomics, and the overall look of this vehicle is comtemporary and stylish.

Micro Bird Commercial designs and manufactures a complete line of commercial buses built with superior durability. The CTS-Series delivers exceptional safety and stability, making this bus an excellent choice for special needs applications.

This bus is ready to be equipped with a variety of options to suit the needs of any passenger, disabled or not. The CTS-Series (CT-Series) offers more visibility and a more comfortable driverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s area, with easy access to controls. The double-leaf wheelchair doors offer protection on both sides of the lift, thus adding to passenger safety, while offering superior weather seal and door strength.

Micro Bird Commercial 3000 Girardin Street Drummondville, Quebec J2E 0A1 855-628-MBUS (6287) Fax: (819) 475-9633 Email: commercial@microbird.com www.mbcbus.com Sales Contact Person: James Mansell

Micro Bird Commercial 3000 Girardin Street Drummondville, Quebec J2E 0A1 855-628-MBUS (6287) Fax: (819) 475-9633 Email: commercial@microbird.com www.mbcbus.com Sales Contact Person: James Mansell

Model.....................................................................................................CT-Series Seating Capacity............................................................Up to 17 passengers Length ............................................................................................................273â&#x20AC;?

Width ................................................................................................................86â&#x20AC;?

Height .............................................................................................................106â&#x20AC;?

Engine..................................................3.5L Gas | 3.5L EcoBoost |2.0 Diesel Transmission.....................................................10 speed AOD w/Selectshift Chassis ..................................................................................Ford Transit T350 Air Conditioning........................................................................Up to 55K BTU Steering.........................................................................................Tilt-Standard Suspension......................................................................................Leaf Spring Wheelbase......................................................................................................156â&#x20AC;?

Model ..................................................................................................CTS-Series Seating Capacity ............................................................Up to 11 passengers Length ............................................................................................................273â&#x20AC;?

Width ................................................................................................................86â&#x20AC;?

Height .............................................................................................................106â&#x20AC;?

Engine..................................................3.5L Gas | 3.5L EcoBoost |2.0 Diesel Transmission.....................................................10 speed AOD w/Selectshift Chassis ..................................................................................Ford Transit T350 Air Conditioning........................................................................Up to 55K BTU Wheelchair lift.....................................................................................Standard Steering.........................................................................................Tilt-Standard Suspension......................................................................................Leaf Spring Wheelbase......................................................................................................156â&#x20AC;?

Page 56

BUSLINE

July/August 2020

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:32 PM Page 57

Micro Bird Commercial

Micro Bird Commercial

D-Series

DS-Series

The D-Series is a dual-rear wheel bus, made of six longitudinal structural beams, combined with one-piece galvanized steel roof bows that enhance safety and rollover protection. This mid-size bus can be built to accommodate various types of configurations, seating up to 28 passengers (Ford chassis).

Micro Bird buses are purpose built for tours, assisted living, public transit, shuttle markets and many more. Several options such as luxury seats, extra wide rearview window, flat screen TV, and panoramic windows, are offered to enhance a riderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s experience. Alternative fuel propane and electric systems are also available.

The DS-Series, a dual rear wheel special needs vehicle, delivers superior safety and a smoother ride because of the blocks that absorb the road vibration. Micro Birdâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s recessed wheelchair tracks, Slide Nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Click or floor pocket anchorages, offer safe and secure transportation for special needs passengers.

The double-leaf wheelchair doors offer protection on both sides of the lift, thus adding to passenger safety, while offering superior weather seal and door strength.

Micro Bird Commercial 3000 Girardin Street Drummondville, Quebec J2E 0A1 855-628-MBUS (6287) Fax: (819) 475-9633 Email: commercial@microbird.com www.mbcbus.com Sales Contact Person: James Mansell

Model.......................................................................................................D-Series Seating Capacity...........................................................Up to 28 passengers Length..................................................................................From 257â&#x20AC;? to 346â&#x20AC;?

Width.................................................................................................................96â&#x20AC;?

Height..................................................................................................111â&#x20AC;? or 113â&#x20AC;?

Engine ...................Ford: 7.3L gas Economy or Premium or GM 6.0L gas Transmission......................Ford: 6-Speed AOD or GM: 8 or 6 Speed AOD Chassis.............................................Ford E350 & E450 or GM 3500 & 4500 Air Conditioning........................................................................Up to 82K BTU Steering.........................................................................................Tilt-Standard Suspension....................................................Leaf Spring - Mor/Ryde or Air Wheelbase ............................................................................From 138â&#x20AC;? to 216â&#x20AC;?

Micro Bird Commercial 3000 Girardin Street Drummondville, Quebec J2E 0A1 855-628-MBUS (6287) Fax: (819) 475-9633 Email: commercial@microbird.com www.mbcbus.com Sales Contact Person: James Mansell

Model ....................................................................................................DS-Series Seating Capacity...........................................................Up to 22 passengers Length...................................................................................From 283â&#x20AC;? to 315â&#x20AC;?

Width.................................................................................................................96â&#x20AC;?

Height ..............................................................................................................118â&#x20AC;?

Engine ...................Ford: 7.3L gas Economy or Premium or GM 6.0L gas Transmission......................Ford: 6-Speed AOD or GM: 8 or 6 Speed AOD Chassis.............................................Ford E350 & E450 or GM 3500 & 4500 Air Conditioning........................................................................Up to 82K BTU Wheelchair Lift....................................................................................Standard Steering.........................................................................................Tilt-Standard Suspension....................................................Leaf Spring - Mor/Ryde or Air Wheelbase ............................................................................From 158â&#x20AC;? to 216â&#x20AC;?

July/August 2020

BUSLINE

Page 57

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:32 PM Page 58

ARBOC Specialty Vehicles

ARBOC Specialty Vehicles

Spirit Of Freedom

Spirit Of Mobility

The Spirit of Freedom, built on the GM4500 cutaway chassis, utilizes General Motorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; standard suspension to create a low-floor, ADA-compliant bus capable of a 1:5 ramp angle; all with an exceptionally low price point.

Utilizing the GM suspension drives down maintenance costs over the life cycle, making it comparable to any standard floor cutaway.

The spacious 39-inch entranceway and low step height make this an ideal bus for airport and hotel shuttles, as well as transit agencies. Passengers of all mobility capabilities, including those using walkers, can experience what equal access for everyone truly means.

Now available on the Ford E450 chassis.

The ARBOC Spirit of Mobility is built on a conventional GM cutaway with all passengers entering through the same 39-inch wide door opening. The interior offers theatre seating for better viewing for all riders.

The Spirit of Mobility low-floor bus offers a full air-ride suspension with a beneficial kneeling feature, allowing for an entrance of less than 5-inches from the curb without deploying the ramp.

The Spirit of Mobility provides a single, non-discriminatory angled and accessible entranceway. Riders of all abilities no longer need to contend with steps in the most accessible cutaway bus in the industry. Every passenger, including wheelchair riders and those in power scooters, can experience what true equal access means.

Now available on the Ford E450 chassis.

ARBOC Specialty Vehicles 51165 Greenfield Pkwy., Middlebury, IN 46540 574-825-1720 Website: www.ARBOCsv.com

Model .....................................................................................Spirit of Freedom Seating Capacity..................................................................................Up to 22 Length................................................................................................24â&#x20AC;&#x2122;, 27â&#x20AC;&#x2122;, 29â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Width ...........................................................................96â&#x20AC;? (GM) or 100â&#x20AC;? (Ford) Height ..............................................................................................................115â&#x20AC;?

Engine ...........................................................6.0L Gas (GM) / 7.3L Gas (Ford) Type of Fuel ....................................................................................................Gas Chassis...............................................................................GM4500, Ford E450 Wheelchair Lift Option.................................................................Braun ramp Suspension ...............................................................OEM spring suspension or optional Liquid Spring or MOR/Ryde Page 58

BUSLINE

July/August 2020

ARBOC Specialty Vehicles 51165 Greenfield Pkwy., Middlebury, IN 46540 574-825-1720 Website: www.ARBOCsv.com

Model.......................................................................................Spirit of Mobility Seating Capacity..................................................................................Up to 22 Length................................................................................................23â&#x20AC;&#x2122;, 26â&#x20AC;&#x2122;, 28â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Width ...........................................................................96â&#x20AC;? (GM) or 100â&#x20AC;? (Ford) Height ..............................................................................................................110â&#x20AC;?

Engine ...........................................................6.0L Gas (GM) / 7.3L Gas (Ford) Type of Fuel ....................................................................................................Gas Chassis...............................................................................GM4500, Ford E450 Wheelchair Lift Option.................................................................Braun ramp Suspension..............................................................4-corner air suspension

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:32 PM Page 59

ARBOC Specialty Vehicles

ARBOC Specialty Vehicles

Spirit Of Equess

Spirit Of Independence Ford

ARBOCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Spirit of Equess, a low-floor transit bus built on an ARBOC Specialty Vehicles, LLC, purpose-built chassis, can accommodate up to 33 seated passengers or 6 wheelchair passengers. This bus is fully accessible with a fully flat floor and no steps throughout the bus.

ARBOCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s advanced technology exceeds ADA guidelines with a 1:8 ramp slope and 39-inch door opening for passengers in need of extra assistance and wheelchair accessibility. This 10-year bus utilizes heavy-duty ZF axles, which allow plenty of GVW for extra standees.

ARBOC Specialty Vehicles 51165 Greenfield Pkwy., Middlebury, IN 46540 574-825-1720 Website: www.ARBOCsv.com

Model ........................................................................................Spirit of Equess Seating Capacity.........................Up to 33 ambulatory or 6 wheelchairs Length................................................................................................27â&#x20AC;&#x2122;, 29â&#x20AC;&#x2122;, 34â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Width...............................................................................................................100â&#x20AC;?

Height .............................................................................................................102â&#x20AC;?

Engine ....................................................Cummins ISB 6.7L Diesel/6.7G CNG Type of Fuel ......................................................................................Diesel/CNG Chassis...................................................................ARBOC Specialty Vehicles Wheelchair Lift Option.................................................................Braun ramp Suspension ................................4-corner air suspension with 6 air bags

Built on the fuel-efficient Ford transit chassis, the Spirit of Independence offers a low cost of ownership while maintaining the safety and dependability that is expected from ARBOC. The 96-inch wide body allows for easy maneuverability inside the vehicle. It also features dual rear wheels with rear wheel drive.

With a GVWR of 11,000 pounds, and an available passenger capacity of up to 14 ambulatory or 5 wheelchairs, the Ford Spirit of Independence is ideal for transit agencies that are looking for smaller low-floor buses.

Backed by the reliable Ford dealer network, the Ford Spirit of Independence touts convenience and ease of serviceability.

ARBOC Specialty Vehicles 51165 Greenfield Pkwy., Middlebury, IN 46540 574-825-1720 Website: www.ARBOCsv.com

Model ..............................................................Spirit of Independence - Ford Seating Capacity..........................Up to 14 ambulatory or 5 wheelchairs Length..........................................................................................................23â&#x20AC;&#x2122; 9â&#x20AC;?

Width.................................................................................................................96â&#x20AC;?

Height .............................................................................................................104â&#x20AC;?

Engine ..................................................................................3.5L EcoBoost Gas Type of Fuel..................................................................................Gas or Diesel Chassis.................................................................Ford Transit T350 Cutaway Wheelchair Lift Option.................................................................Braun ramp Suspension ...............OEM spring suspension or optional Sumo Spring July/August 2020

BUSLINE

Page 59

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:32 PM Page 60

Driverge Vehicle InnovationsÂŽ

Driverge Vehicle InnovationsÂŽ

Ford Transit Small Bus With Wheelchair Lift Options

Ford Transit CurbSmartÂŽ Microtransit Community Access

The Ford Transit Small Bus from Driverge Vehicle Innovations provides traditional bus door walk-in entry, which saves money on upfit and fuel economy over traditional cutaways.

Benefits include: Built on the Ford Transit 350 with 144-inch long wheelbase and extended body; 3.7L V6 engine with 275HP; 38-inch wide doorway with built-in steps that are perfect for shuttle or transporter use; 84-inch high door opening that offers maximum clearance and more room for entry and exit; bus door features remote for quick and easy operation from the driver seat, or outside the vehicle to allow driver to better assist passengers entering and exiting the vehicle; seats up to 15 passengers, including driver; rear lift available for wheelchair transport; can hold up to four wheelchairs; and, exclusive SmartFloor flexible flooring system that allows moving and removing of seats to bring dozens of seating and wheelchair layout options.

Drivergeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s patent pending Ford Transit CurbSmart is designed to transport passengers with ease thanks to an added rear-entry doorway.

Perfect for public transport and microtransit service, this van was designed with metro-area drivers in mind to make picking up and dropping off passengers as simple as possible. A heavy-duty lift for wheelchair passengers offers a safe accessibility, while a 27-inch wide and 80-inch tall walk-in door provides generous height for all size passengers.

The CurbSmart comes equipped with slip resistant, durable flooring, overhead standing rails for additional passengers and an optional roofmounted secondary AC system.

CurbSmartÂŽ is a registered trademark of Driverge Vehicle Innovations, LLC.

Driverge Vehicle Innovations 4199 Kinross Lakes Parkway Richfield, OH 44286 855-337-9543 Email: biz@driverge.com www.driverge.com

Model............................................................................Ford Transit Small Bus Seating Capacity .......................................15 passengers including driver Length............................................................................................................264â&#x20AC;?

Width.....................................................81.5â&#x20AC;? (97.4â&#x20AC;? including side mirrors) Height .............................................................................................................108â&#x20AC;?

Engine..............................................................................................Ford 3.7L V6 Type of Fuel ....................................................................................................Gas Chassis ........................................................................Ford Transit 350 EL HR Air Conditioning ....................................................................................Factory Wheelchair Lift Option ..............................................................................Rear Page 60

BUSLINE

July/August 2020

Driverge Vehicle Innovations 4199 Kinross Lakes Parkway Richfield, OH 44286 855-337-9543 Email: biz@driverge.com www.driverge.com

Model..........................................................................Ford Transit CurbSmart Seating Capacity........................6 ambulatory + 2 WC (including driver) Length............................................................................................................264â&#x20AC;?

Width.....................................................81.5â&#x20AC;? (97.4â&#x20AC;? including side mirrors) Height .............................................................................................................108â&#x20AC;?

Engine..............................................................................................Ford 3.7L V6 Type of Fuel ....................................................................................................Gas Chassis ........................................................................Ford Transit 350 EL HR Air Conditioning ....................................................................................Factory Wheelchair Lift Option...............................................................................Side

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:32 PM Page 61

Driverge Vehicle InnovationsÂŽ

Driverge Vehicle InnovationsÂŽ

Ford Transit NEMT

Mercedes-Benz SmartlinerÂŽ

Driverge vans are the most popular wheelchair lift upfits in the industry for non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT). In fact, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been Ford Motor Companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s number one mobility upfitter of paratransit vans for 16 years running. We meet the needs of medical transportation businesses, nursing homes, community centers and many other businesses that serve wheelchair riders and ambulatory passengers.

All of our senior care transporters and paratransit vehicles are ADA compliant, and are built with comfort and safety in mind. Driverge installs both rear and side entry wheelchair lifts on the Ford Transit, with lift capacities up to 1000 pounds. Driverge paratransit vehicles come with professional grade, non-skid commercial flooring and are available with the SmartFloorâ&#x201E;˘ flexible flooring system.

Drivergeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mercedes-Benz Smartliner, built on the Sprinter van, is the ideal solution for businesses that move peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;without the expensive upgrades that riders donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need.

The Smartliner package features seating for up to 15 passengers in a center-aisle configuration, class-leading leg room, a luggage section in the rear and all of the quality that can be expected in a Mercedes-Benz vehicle. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the perfect van for hotels, resorts, tour operators, limo companies, and corporate fleets that desire the Mercedes-Benz brand with smartly appointed amenitiesâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;at a price thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s competitive with other executive-style vans.

SmartlinerÂŽ is a registered trademark of Driverge Vehicle Innovation, LLC.

Driverge Vehicle Innovations 4199 Kinross Lakes Parkway Richfield, OH 44286 855-337-9543 Email: biz@driverge.com www.driverge.com

Model ....................................................................................Ford Transit NEMT Seating Capacity.......................................................................................Mixed Engine..............................................................................................Ford 3.7L V6 Type of Fuel ....................................................................................................Gas Chassis ....................................................Ford Transit 150, 250, 350, 350 EL Air Conditioning ....................................................................................Factory Wheelchair Lift Option ...............................................................Rear or Side

Driverge Vehicle Innovations 4199 Kinross Lakes Parkway Richfield, OH 44286 855-337-9543 Email: biz@driverge.com www.driverge.com

Model....................................................................Mercedes-Benz Smartliner Seating Capacity..........................................................Up to 15 (with driver) Length............................................................................................................290â&#x20AC;?

Width.......................................................85â&#x20AC;? (92.3â&#x20AC;? including side mirrors) Height .............................................................................................................108â&#x20AC;?

Engine......................................................................................3.0 L, 188 Hp V-6 Type of Fuel................................................................................................Diesel Chassis ...................................................................................................3500 HR Air Conditioning................................Factory with optional 2nd rear unit Wheelchair Lift Option ..............................................................................Rear July/August 2020

BUSLINE

Page 61

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:32 PM Page 62

BYD

ABC Companies

Van Hool CX35 Motorcoach 30â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Battery-Electric Bus (K7M ER) Designed for transit applications, the K7M ER offers a range of up to 185 miles in a 102-inch wide body. Transit systems demand high quality and extreme reliability, and the Americanbuilt K7M ER delivers.

Also available in a 96-inch wide body version with a range up to 150 miles. This version is popular as a shuttle at universities, airports and corporate campuses.

BYD 1800 S Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA 90015 Phone: 800-BYD-AUTO Email: info.na@byd.com â&#x20AC;˘ Website: www.byd.com

Model.........................................................................................................K7M ER Seating Capacity..............................................................................Up to 20+1 Overall Length .............................................................................................29.9â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Overall Width..............................................................................................101.6â&#x20AC;?

Overall Height...............................................................................................134â&#x20AC;?

Wheelbase ..................................................................................................175.8â&#x20AC;?

Turning Radius.................................................................................................31â&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;˘ 100% battery electric with zero emissions â&#x20AC;˘ Proven lower total cost of ownership than diesel or CNG â&#x20AC;˘ New leasing options significantly reduce up-front costs â&#x20AC;˘ Up to 185 miles on a single charge â&#x20AC;˘ Full depot charging in 3.5-4 hours â&#x20AC;˘ 12-year full replacement warranty on BYDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s safe, non-toxic batteries â&#x20AC;˘ On-route inductive charging available Page 62

BUSLINE

July/August 2020

With many exclusive features unique to the small-coach segment, the Van Hool CX35 offers a truly user-friendly design. Featuring front-to-rear flat passenger floor design, the coachâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 102-inch exterior width and full-size coach height offer a roomy and spacious cabin design, with no step-up throughout.

The integrated A/C system translates to more luggage space below, plus a curved passenger entry is both aesthetically pleasing and offers the same uniform step height as the CX45 for passenger boarding. The CX35 also features a mid-ship wheelchair lift. Van Hool also offers this in an optional rear passenger door option.

The CX series is available in 35- and 45-foot models, and brings Van Hoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s quality design and engineering, plus rugged reliability and the perfect flexibility, to a fleet. With parts interchangeability, fleet maintenance is a lot easier. The 35- and 45foot models share a nearly identical design. Their high level of parts and components interchangeability drive some high-value benefits to operators. A dramatic reduction in spare parts investment is an obvious advantage, but for operators who already run the Van Hool CX45 in their fleets, the need for driver and mechanic training is greatly mitigated.

ABC Companies; 17469 West Colonial Drive Winter Garden, FL 34787 USA; 407-656-7977 E-mail: abcinfo@abc-companies.com Website: www.abc-companies.com Model ...........................................................................................Van Hool CX35 Seating Capacity .........................38 Passengers with 3-point seat belts Length ...............................................................................................................35â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Width ...............................................................................................................102â&#x20AC;?

Height ............................................................................................................11â&#x20AC;&#x2122; 6â&#x20AC;?

Engine ........................................................................Cummins ISL 9 (345HP) Transmission.................................................................................Allison B500 Chassis .......................................................................................Stainless Steel Air Conditioning ....................................................Integrated HVAC System Wheelchair Lift Option ..............................................................Braun NL-501 Steering................................................................ZF Variable Ratio Steering Suspension.................................................Independent Front Suspension

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:32 PM Page 63

CHTC

Hometown Manufacturing

HT-35

Hometown Coach View The Hometown Coach View is more than just another transit bus. The View boasts many customized features, including an impressive GVRW and wheelbase range.

The View is also green. Customers can choose from LPG and CNG packages for longer range capabilities and lower emissions; or they can select a full electric propulsion system that provides a range of 120 to 140 miles and a short recharging time of four to five hours, producing zero emissions.

Other key features include panoramic-view windows, seating up to 42 passengers and heavy-duty construction.

The View is designed to provide exceptional shuttle, tour and paratransit performance. Developed to optimize floorplan customization, the View is synonymous with user-friendliness and ease of application.

Hometown Manufacturing 750 Industrial Parkway, Crandon, WI 54520 Phone: 715-478-5090 â&#x20AC;˘ Fax: 715-478-5095 Email: Kristina@hometowntrolley.com Website: www.hometown-mfg.com

Model..............................................................................................................View Length........................................................................................................32â&#x20AC;&#x2122;/36â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Seating ..................................................30-34 passenger/36-42 passenger GVWR ..........................................................................................................24,000 Body Width......................................................................................................99â&#x20AC;?

Body Height................................................................................................123.5â&#x20AC;?

Int. Height....................................................................................................80.5â&#x20AC;?

Wheelbase...........................................................................................228â&#x20AC;?/242â&#x20AC;?

Engine .....................................................Diesel, gas, LPG, CNG, full electric Transmission............................Allison PTS 2200 / Ford auto 5-speed OD

The HT-35 mid-size luxury coach, from CHTC, has many of the same features as the full-size HT-45, but in a smaller and more fuel-efficient package.

It features comfortable seating for up to 40 passengers. High capacity SPHEROS air conditioning and auxiliary heating ensures comfort in all types of weather. Other passenger-friendly features include LED reading lamps, flip-down 17-inch screens, bus-wide DVD players with auxiliary inputs, individual headphone jacks, Wi-Fi, USB charging connections, window blinds, retractable front tray tables, overhead storage bins, optional carpeted aisles with LED guide lighting, and restroom. The HT-35 can optionally be fitted with an ADA-compatible door and wheelchair assist package. The luggage compartment features 212 cubic feet of space, and accessible via electric pantograph bin doors.

When it comes to safety, the HT-35 construction process starts with highquality Liberty OneSteel SupaGalÂŽ galvanized steel framing, built in a continuous U-hoop around the passenger compartment. Additional safety equipment includes Knorr-Bremse all-wheel disc brakes, ABS, ESP, independent front and fullfloating ZF rear air-suspension, and front and rear anti-sway bars.

Power comes from a rear-mounted inline-6 CUMMINS L9 turbo-diesel engine, putting out 350 hp, mated to an Allison WTEC B500R 6-speed close-ratio automatic transmission, for efficient acceleration.

CHTC BUS GROUP / CHTC (USA) Inc. 15780 El Prado Road, Chino, CA 91708 Website: www.chtcbusgroup.com â&#x20AC;˘ Phone: 949-220-6088

Model ............................................................................................................HT-35 Length ...............................................................................................................35â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Width ..............................................................................................................8â&#x20AC;&#x2122; 6â&#x20AC;?

Height ............................................................................................................11â&#x20AC;&#x2122; 5â&#x20AC;?

Fuel Capacity ..........................................................................................155 gal.

Engine..............................................Cummins L9 350HP, 6 cylinder, diesel Max Output ........................................345hp @ 1900 rpm, 1561Nm-1400Nm Transmission...............................Allison B500R automatic with retarder Chassis........................................Monocoque chassis, rear mount engine Axles...................Front: independent suspension, Back: ZF full floating Suspension .......................................ZF Air suspension 2+4+2 air bellows Brakes.............................................All wheel disc Knorr-Bremse with ABS Tires................................Alcoa aluminum wheels with Durabright finish Wheels ...............................................................Michelin Coin tubeless tires Steering .....................................................................................ZF model 8098 Alternator ...........................................................................................28v 150ah Batteries........................................................................................12v 200ah X2 GVWR...................................................................................................37,800 lbs.

Max Speed ...............................................................................................79 mph July/August 2020

BUSLINE

Page 63

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:32 PM Page 64

TEMSA

TEMSA

The New TEMSA TS30

TEMSA TS35

The new TEMSA TS30 is a true and only mid-size integral chassis coach that provides the same level of comfort and amenities as a fullsize coach. This coach created a new segment in the U.S. market, introduced in 2012, while the new generation was launched in September 2019.

Redesigned front and rear mask, with a new 6-piece bumper, provides maximum serviceability, tool free access to main service components and much more. With the excellent partnership of Cummins engine, and the new Eaton Procision Transmission, the new TS30 delivers smooth shifting and comfortable driving. Those features are combined with superb European quality and craftsmanship to ensure a high-quality driving experience.

Despite its compact dimensions, the New TS30 has a robust, integral stainless steel design for extra durability and safety. The luxury design integrates an improved HVAC system common with TEMSA TS45, increased luggage capacity and restroom space, enlarged driver area, reduced step height and many other features to provide a unique travel experience.

The New TS30 is appropriate for smaller groups and operates as a larger coach. It is fuel-efficient, kind to the environment, and economically reasonable.

The world-class TEMSA TS35 coach is a fully integral designed midsize coach that provides the same level of comfort and amenities as a full-size coach. This mid-size coach offers a luxurious and spacious interior for passengers and driver.

The TS35 has gone through some impressive enhancements introduced in early 2016. Still, with the Cummins/Allison driveline, the TS35 provides excellent power and optimum serviceability. This coach is constructed from stainless steel for extra durability and safety. It is vigorously tested to ensure the highest standards to provide a dependable, high-quality driving experience.

The enhancements include an entryway with new styling, an expanded driverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cockpit, increased parts commonality with the TS30 and TS45, twin alternator application on the engine, rear engine door for easier maintenance, better accessibility, and as key safety features ABS (Anti-Lock Braking System), ASR (Anti-Slip Regulation), and ESP (Electronic Stability Program) included as standard.

TEMSA NORTH AMERICA 404 Zell Dr., Orlando, FL 32824 Phone: 833-628-3672 Website: www.temsa.com

Model ...............................................................................................TEMSA TS30 Length..............................................................................................................31.1â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Width .............................................................................................................94.8â&#x20AC;?

Height (including air conditioner) ....................................................132.07â&#x20AC;?

Wheelbase .....................................................................................................185â&#x20AC;?

Maximum Seating Capacity ..........................34 + 1 with restroom, 36 + 1 Engine......................................................................................Cummins B 6.7 L Maximum Power.......................................................................250HP (187kW) Maximum Torque........................................................660 lb-ft @ 1,600 rpm Transmission...........................................................................Eaton Procision Fuel Tank Capacity .........................................................................80 U.S. Gal. Page 64

BUSLINE

July/August 2020

TEMSA NORTH AMERICA 404 Zell Dr., Orlando, FL 32824 Phone: 833-628-3672 Website: www.temsa.com

Model................................................................................................TEMSA TS35 Length ...............................................................................................................35â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Width...............................................................................................................100â&#x20AC;?

Height (including air conditioner) ......................................................138.6â&#x20AC;?

Wheelbase ...................................................................................................218.1â&#x20AC;?

Maximum Seating Capacity.......................................40 + 1 with restroom Engine ............................................................Cummins L9 350 HPâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;EPA 2017 Maximum Power .....................................................................................350 HP Maximum Torque.......................................................1,150 lb-ft @ 1,400 rpm Transmission..............................................Allison B500 (Retarder Option) Fuel Tank Capacity .........................................................................154 U.S. Gal

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:32 PM Page 65

Motor Coach Industries

MCIÂŽ J3500 The 35-foot MCI J3500 welcomes passengers onboard with all the styling hallmarks of the bestselling J4500, and features industry-leading legroom with a maximum 44 passenger capacity, a modern driver cockpit, along with the patented spiral entryway.

Updated options include dramatic color interior LED lighting, a rear window, Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and a 360-degree camera. The two-axle model also has the J4500 front and drive axle (no tag), and best-in-class payload capacity with the largest under floor baggage space, featuring two baggage bays and common doors.

Plus, the J3500 handles city streets and tight maneuvers with a turning diameter of under 33 feet, and comes with MCIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 30-month unlimited mileage warranty and the Super 60 five-year extended coverage on select parts and components.

Motor Coach Industries; 200 East Oakton St., Des Plaines, IL 60018; 847-285-2000; 800-428-7626; Email: marketing@mcicoach.com; Website: www.mcicoach.com

Model...........................................................................................................J3500 Passenger Capacity..........................With lav 40- standard; 44- optional Overall Length ................................................................................................35â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Overall Height .........................................................................................140.75â&#x20AC;?

GVWR ..................................................................................................42,000 lbs.

Interior Ceiling Height ...........................................................................78.25â&#x20AC;?

Wheelbase .................................................................................................228.8â&#x20AC;?

Turning radius..........................................................................................32â&#x20AC;&#x2122; 10â&#x20AC;?

Fuel Tank Capacity ................................................................................164 gal.

Engine.............................................................2017 EPA Cummins L9, 350hp, 1,350 lb-ft torque w/engine brake Transmission ..............................Gen V Allison B500, 6-speed automatic with prognostics capability Brakes ....................................................BendixÂŽ ADB22Xâ&#x201E;˘ Air Disc Brakes

BYD Institutes Safety Protocols

BYD (Build Your Dreams), manufacturer of zero-emission vehicles and a major employer in Los Angeles County, CA, announced it has implemented stringent safety protocols and begun a phased reopening of its Lancaster Coach and Bus manufacturing plant. As it reopens, BYD will continue to follow guidelines for safe operations set by California, Los Angeles County, and the City of Lancaster, while ramping up production of all-electric transit buses and motor coaches that meet Buy America standards. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The health and safety of our employees and our community is our top priority,â&#x20AC;? said Stella Li, BYD North America president. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The systems we have implemented here will serve to protect our workers and the citizens of our entire community.â&#x20AC;?

As it reopens, BYD is focused on the safety of its workforce, many of whom are members of the Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation (SMART) Union, Local 105. The companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s human resources team has adopted an innovative multi-point safety protocol, which includes: Social Distancing: including markings at all crowd gathering places to facilities social distancing.

Screening and Monitoring: including non-contact body temperature scanning before anyone can enter the plant.

Disinfection and Sanitation: including regular sanitation of all common areas and touch-prone areas as well as promoting the use of sanitizers.

Prevention and Awareness: including providing and requiring the use of personal protection equipment such as masks and gloves for all employees, and promoting safety awareness through training, posters, and memos.

Promoting Safety Practices At Home For Workers, such as sanitizing personal vehicles, avoiding gatherings and frequent/ vigorous hand washing.

BYD has divided its production workforce into shifts, has limited capacity in break areas, and has social distancing markings in gathering spots, including at entry points into the factory.

Following state, county, and City of Lancaster safety guidelines, BYD limited operations at the manufacturing plant in midMarch. Only employees deemed essential, such as those providing service and care to transit agency customers, worked during this period. Although its manufacturing operation was paused, BYD continued to serve Lancaster, Los Angeles County, and its customers through its donation of personal protection equipment to fight the spread of COVID-19.

BYD has donated over $1 million worth of PPE items including masks and sanitizers. Visit byd.com.

APTA EXPO Is Rescheduled

Due to ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) developments, the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) has announced its TRANSform Conference & EXPO, originally set for October 2020, has been rescheduled to March 14-17, 2021.

The event will still be held in Anaheim, CA. The revised APTA EXPO days and hours are as follows: n Monday, March 15, 2021â&#x20AC;&#x201D;10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; n Tuesday, March 16, 2021 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; 9 a.m.â&#x20AC;&#x201C;4:30 p.m.; n Wednesday, March 17, 2021 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; 9 a.m.â&#x20AC;&#x201C;3 p.m.

Visit www.aptaexpo.com/apta2020.

July/August 2020

BUSLINE

Page 65

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:32 PM Page 66

QMF Steel: Manufacturing Supply Fabrication (State-Of-The-Art Equipment)

By Sherrill Lester, president of QMF Steel, Inc.

FAMILY VALUES My dad had a Ford Ranchero. I loved that thing. It was brown with an orange stripe. He painted his bass boat to match. Can you imagine that thing going down the road? He didn’t take me fishing, which now I regret. But, he did take me to his machine shop a lot.

I would take the parts off the mill, file off the sharp edges and count and package so that he could deliver to the customer.

I would always enjoy watching him program the milling machine. He would type away for hours, and I’d watch the tape come rolling out where he put in the codes that made the various precise cuts he would need. This program would tell the machine how to make the parts used to keep the M&M Mars factory running in Waco, TX. All of my experiences with my dad gave me my first taste of being a small business owner, which was realized in 1994.

MOVING TRADITIONAL FAB INTO THE FUTURE The days of having 100 pieces of equipment and 300 people to run them are in the past. Today’s manufacturing and fabrication plants use engineering and technology to minimize the operator’s time spent with the equipment.

Page 66

BUSLINE

July/August 2020

Today’s CNC equipment allows us to have 100 percent accuracy, speed and flexibility. No longer is your schedule tied to craftsman (like my dad) who would be limited to their own personal capacity.

Once the raw material is checked by the Quality department and loaded into the equipment, the program gets pulled up by order and the operator hits “START.” While that job is running, he can QC the parts that just came off, and label and prepare for the next operation or shipping.

Known as CNC, or computer numeric control, this process reduces the risk of operator-programming error (like my dad keying in 300 lines of code and having to go back and make a correction after he ran the first part). In addition to speeding up the total run time, CNC programming reduces waste. With nesting software, you can bundle many jobs, getting the best use out of the sheet/plate/bar, and ultimately reducing the cost to the customer.

So many of the materials that are needed to manufacture and fabricate parts can be made and will comply with Buy America requirements. There are steel mills and aluminum extruders within hours of our facility. And, it helps to be just hours away from the Port of Houston (TX), where many stainless products are imported by specialty distributors. We have actually taken it a step further and use American welding wire and buy American-made equipment when we can.

From precision parts off the machining centers, laser, 5-axis waterjet, precision brake and profile bender to robot welded and certified welded fabrications, QMF can provide the parts needed to keep America moving!

My dad would really enjoy seeing what we have created at QMF, to keep the American Made tradition going.

So, in the words of my dad, “If you don’t ask, you don’t get.”

The next time you need a manufactured part or fabricated structure, think about calling QMF. Our number is 800-881-4071. We are happy to pay for the call!

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:32 PM Page 67

4 Simple Steps To Show Your Customers You’re Open For Business

By Amy Nixon, Media Consultant For On Your Mark Transportation

As businesses begin to reopen across the country, one thing seems clear in this time of uncertainty: Life as we know it will be different after the COVID-19 pandemic.

But uncertainty can often lead to fear, which is why, now — more than ever — it is important to reach out to your customers to put their minds at ease. How can you do that? One easy way is to utilize marketing and social media to get your message out to your community.

(Left) An updated website is one way of getting information to your customers. Consider regular blog posts Consulting firm On Your Mark to share important information as well, suggests On Your Mark Transportation.

Transportation’s President and CEO (Right) Another way is to create a short video, as seen here by On Your Mark Transportation.

Mark Szyperski says he often has clients argue that when times are tough, there isn’t a budget for marketing. But neglecting that part ing your business. Now is the time to reach out to your customers — and your community — and show them we are all in this together. of your business can often lead to more trouble, he explains.

“Now is the time to reach out to your customers and let them On Your Mark Transportation LLC is a consulting firm to the know who you are, what you do, and what you are doing to get ground passenger transportation industry. With experience through these times,” he said. in transit, school bus, luxury transportation and motorcoaches, And while business owners may worry about the cost of a large marketing campaign, Szyperski said good marketing doesn’t have OYMT can bring a full range of extra services to an organization.

Contact OnYourMarkTransportation.com or 615-669-0107. to mean spending a fortune.

Images provided by On Your Mark Transportation Here are some simple ways to reach out to your customers: n Be an expert in your community: Consider sending press releases to your community newspapers or transportation publications to share your expertise and your business. Part of being an COVID-19 KILLER expert in your community means lending a hand where you can.

The Ultimate Protection Against Infectious DISEASES!!

Randy Cupp, vice president of Blue Lakes Charters and Tours, TM TM in Michigan, said they recently saw an opportunity to help their Breathe-Safe & Surface-Safe community, while simultaneously increase their reach.

UVGI SYSTEMS KILL GERMS When two connected dams in Michigan breached, many people

BY DESTROYING were left in dire need, so the company partnered with several local THEIR businesses on a ‘Fill the Bus’ campaign. In total, they raised more PREVENTING than $15,000 in monetary donations and countless items to help the them from flooding victims.

REPRODUCING n Make new connections: Join your chamber of commerce to expand your reach. Just outside of Nashville, TN, Gallatin Chamber Blue is the New Green !

Our systems clean without of Commerce CEO Kim Baker said she understands many busichemicals, save energy, and nesses are struggling. contribute to a healthier “The times we are experiencing have caused many to cut costs in-Vehicle environment. in different areas; however, your chamber membership is something Now that’s green! you should invest even more in if finances allow,” she said. “Your Patented local chamber is always a great place to start when getting connected in a community; or, in today’s times, reconnected and reCoils with opened.”

Mold Coils with UV n Utilize free marketing: If you don’t have a blog on your webCLEAN COILS site, consider starting one. Post on social media as often as possible.

And send regular newsletters to your customers and contacts with Our Systems inhibit mold growth important information and updates. in the AC system which saves n Enlist help: If all of these marketing ideas seem overwhelmFuel & Maintenance Costs. ing, consider hiring a consultant like On Your Mark Transportation to help you.

Learn More at: www.SanUVAire.com Sales@SanUVAire.com 888.611.6660 Don’t let the stress of the current situation prevent you from grow-

DNA

July/August 2020

BUSLINE

Page 67

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:32 PM Page 68

USSC Group Announces Rebranding, Changes Name To United Safety

Joe Mirabile, president and CEO of United Safety, announced that the company-wide rebranding has been completed.

“Our vision is to build the next generation of safety and survivability technologies, and we believe this new brand represents that vision. We are very excited to share our new technologies with our customers,” Mirabile said.

“Formerly known as USSC Group, we have made the decision to transition the name of the organization to United Safety & Survivability Corporation (United Safety). Our dedication to customers and our focus on customer service, innovative products and commitment to quality is unwavering. While we have made the decision to restructure the organization in a way that we feel better aligns to our goal of building the next generation of safety and survivability technologies, our passion for innovation remains the same. The decision to change our name comes at a time when we are reaffirming our commitment to safety more than ever.”

United Safety partnered with The Brownstein Group, a Philadelphia-based branding agency, to complete the transition efforts.

Marc Brownstein, CEO of The Brownstein Group said, “We partnered with United Safety (USSC) to help them evolve from a national brand to a global one, without changing the corporate initials.

The company is now properly positioned, on multiple communication channels, for the modern world, post COVID, and is ready to

THE DIAMOND FAMILY

Serving The Industry Since 1947 Made in the U.S.A.

Page 68

diamondmfg.com 800-343-1009 816-421-8363 BUSLINE

July/August 2020

further carve out its unique niche in the global safety marketplace and continue its torrid growth.”

The brand launch, inclusive of a new company logo, website, and social media presence, was part of the strategy to better align the company through new divisions. The company’s revamped website offers an in-depth look at the new divisional structure and aims to highlight the growing need for safety and survivability products, including a new line of PPE materials, in an effort to adapt to evolving customer needs.

Mirabile said, “This rebranding marks an exciting change and a strategic pivot for the future. Our commitment to customers and the community we serve will not change, and we look forward to building on our history of innovation and quality.”

“As a global leader in the design and engineering of world-class safety, survivability and technology solutions across a variety of industries and categories, our portfolio of products includes seating for commercial buses, fire trucks, ambulances, military vehicles, motor coaches, rail cars and locomotives. We also design and build specialty soldier survivability systems for military vehicles and our revolutionary fire suppression systems are used in school buses, public transit, heavy machinery and more. We provide PPE safety systems to doctors, nurses, and front-line responders.”

For more information, visit unitedsafetycorporation.com.

Sun Tran Starts Service Of First Electric Bus

Sun Tran (Tucson, AZ) recently introduced its first electric bus into service.

The electric bus is powered only by battery and produces zero-emissions.

This is the first electric bus to be deployed in Sun Tran’s fleet, and is leased for the next year. Sun Tran has purchased, and expects to receive, five additional electric buses later this year, paid for with funding from the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) Low-No Emission Grant program.

Mayor Regina Romero has been a proponent of electrifying the city of Tucson vehicles. “Electric buses help improve our community’s air quality, and avoid associated healthcare expenses,” said Romero. “I encourage our community to try out our new electric bus. This is one step to making our community more climate-resilient, including electrifying our city’s vehicles and transit fleet.”

Since 2006, 100 percent of Sun Tran’s fleet is powered by clean fuel technology. Sun Tran’s fleet runs on biodiesel, compressed natural gas (CNG) and hybrid-electric power sources.

“Sun Tran is invested in creating an innovative and smart transportation system,” said Steve Spade, Sun Tran general manager. “Our passengers can be confident they are contributing to a more sustainable community and cleaner air.”

The electric bus is being used on various routes to test its performance in the Sun Tran system, and in the desert climate.

Tucson Electric Power (TEP) upgraded Sun Tran’s electrical system, and installed a new bus charging system at no cost to Sun Tran. The 40-foot electric bus has a battery capacity of 444 kWh and features a low-floor design.

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:32 PM Page 69

Freedman Seating Introduces Passenger Protective Equipment

•Grab Rail Covers – Easy to clean, reFreedman Seating, with essential manufacturing in Chicago, IL, and place or add in the field, these covers are Rochester, IN, announced a new line of made from CMI Dimensions Nanocide safety products intended to help curb the vinyl with embedded silver, a natural anspread of germs on public and commertimicrobial. cial transportation vehicles.

•Social Distance Seat Bands – Com“There is nothing more important to municate social distancing restrictions us than to protect the safety and wellbewith a durable seat band, wrapped ing of our employees, business partners around any seat designated Do Not Sit. and America’s transportation infrastruc“Adding PPE to a bus is a significant ture. Every decision we make and action step forward in improving safety and we take keeps those principles in mind,” trust within public transportation at a said Dan Cohen, president of Freedman time when attracting and retaining ridSeating, “Our team is proud to develop ership is extremely tough,” said Cohen.

Passenger Guards mounted on and manufacture PPE to help keep “This new line of PPE products repFreedman Feather Weight Mid-High Seats America moving, responding, and deresents another major benchmark in livering hope.”

Freedman's 125-year history as an innoFreedman’s Passenger Protective Equipment, or PPE, includes vator of seating and safety solutions to the commercial market.” three products to start: Freedman Seating is a seat manufacturer in Chicago, IL; design•Passenger Guards – Made from a clear, soft yet durable vinyl ing, engineering, and manufacturing seat related products for many that is easy to replace, easy to clean, UV and mildew resistant. It different markets, including small bus, mid-size coach, heavy-duty is mounted at the top of a passenger seat, behind the passenger’s transit, rail, marine, delivery truck, and paratransit. Freedman Seathead, providing protection from sneezes, coughs, droplets and ing is a ISO 9001 registered company with an on-site A2LA Acother airborne person-to-person threats and germs. These guards credited Mechanical Testing Lab. can be easily added in the field to 3PT mid-high, Feather Weight mid-high, GO-ES and most Freedman Foldaway seats.

For more information, visit www.freedmanseating.com.

From Setra

To Our Valued Customers:

The entire industry is going through a tough time, but we are committed to staying on your side and building our future now to come out of the crisis even stronger.

Owning a SETRA coach with an integrated Daimler engine already gives you access to a broad network of 700+ Detroit Diesel authorized service locations across the entire U.S. We want to take this a step further: DCNA is now cooperating with selected and strategically placed Detroit Diesel distributor service locations to provide full coach service for all motorcoach customers. These new support centers will complement the already established DCNA service facility in Fort Worth, TX, and will provide full bus servicing, complete parts solutions, warranty campaigns, and much more. True one stop shopping under one roof, just as you expect from Daimler.

In the next few months, we will be ramping up seven of these additional coach service locations in areas of major fleet concentration across America. These service locations will receive extensive training to ensure a service experience as smooth as the ride in your Setra coaches.

We value your partnership, and we want to keep you in the loop of our continued growth in the market – we are in this together. As we progress, we will make sure you are aware of the next steps and the timing, and will be available to answer any questions you may have.

Visit www.SetraUSA.com.

July/August 2020

BUSLINE

Page 69

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:32 PM Page 70

ABC’s CLEANS™ Offers Products/Services To Thoroughly Disinfect Coaches, Optimize Air Quality, Maintain Hygiene Stations & Driver/Passenger Shielding

There is help for bus/motorcoach operators who are looking at ways to keep passengers safer, during the COVID-19 pandemic, as business picks up. With its CLEANS™ (Contact Limitation & Eradication of Airborne Noxious Systems) program, ABC Companies offers fleet owners a variety of products and services designed to thoroughly disinfect coaches and optimize cabin air quality.

Driver and passenger shielding, as well as personal hygiene stations, are also offered for vehicles through the program.

Most CLEANS products can be retrofitted on existing equipment (most major brands) or specified on new Van Hool motorcoach orders.

CLEANS offers the following product and service categories: Interior Sanitization/Disinfection • Electrostatic fogging, with solutions also used in commercial airlines, providing up to a 99.994 percent reduction in contaminants; • Fogging service conducted by ABC Companies on-site, or at a customer location; and, • Disinfectant electrostatic fogger units that will be available for sale later through ABC Companies.

Page 70

BUSLINE

July/August 2020

HVAC Purification Systems • MERV 15-rated cabin filters, capable of capturing particles between 1 and 5 micrometers and smaller; • UV light HVAC disinfection system, which eliminates 90 percent of microbial contaminants after 10 minutes of exposure, and 99 percent after 1 hour; and, • Factory-installed HEPA filtration system, which can capture 99.9 percent of particles (bacteria, fungi and larger viruses or virus clumps).

Passenger And Driver Contact Partitions And Personal Hygiene Stations • Driver partitions, ranging from full enclosures to temporary clear protective barriers; • Passenger protection shields, including permanently mounted clear partitions and removable temporary shields; and, • Hand sanitizer stations, which can be mounted at multiple locations.

ABC Companies Vice President of Marketing Thom Peebles said the CLEANS program has been well received by all types of operators. He attributed several reasons for its success.

“We (at ABC Companies) did our homework during the early stages of this program. I think people appreciate our due diligence,” Peebles said. “Another reason for its success is that CLEANS has been packaged to be scalable. Most operators are focusing on three questions: How do we get our coaches properly cleaned? How do we keep the air flow clean? How do we interact with customers to let them know what steps have been taken (in the wake of COVID19), so they will feel more comfortable using our services?

“Overall, we (at ABC Companies) have been very happy with the interest that CLEANS has generated.”

ABC Companies Engineering Manager Brian Nelson added that many challenges had to be overcome during the development process of CLEANS. “There were several guideline changes and new discoveries from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and WHO (World Health Organization) that we stayed on top of, requiring constant education,” Nelson said. “Overcoming the learning curve while developing this program, was like drinking from a fire hose.

Our objective, however, stayed the same. It was to provide solutions that would not only reap benefits for operators during this pandemic, but also add value over the entire life of the vehicle.”

According to Peebles, bus/motorcoach operations of all sizes have benefited from CLEANS, as more companies start welcoming customers back to their various transportation services.

“All operators we have talked with seem to be engaged, at some level, in making sure their vehicles are ready. Most are trying to be super-prepared. The CLEANS program can help. It offers many options,” Peebles said. “Some of the technologies (being used in CLEANS) were already available, such as UV light and air filtration. It was just a matter of taking those products, and packaging them in such a way as to help more operators get back on the road.”

Visit www.abc-companies.com/cleans for more information.

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:32 PM Page 71

Connecting you to a brighter future Irizar USA 100 Cassia Way, Henderson NV, 89014 702 431 0707 www.irizarusa.com

July/August 2020

BUSLINE

Page 71

0720busline.FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 7/2/20 3:32 PM Page 72