National Bus Trader The Magazine of Bus Equipment for the United States and Canada Volume XLV, No. 1

National Bus

Ryan

Andy

Ryan

Ethan

N a t i o n a l B u s T r a d e r

The Magazine of Bus Equipment for the United States and Canada

Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Buses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

These buses carried very unique and special graphics to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II, the longest reigning monarch in the United Kingdom.

The Inflation Reduction Act: EV & Infrastructure Funding, Credits and Incentives (by Matthew W . Daus, Esq.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

Matthew Daus covers how the new inflation Reduction Act impacts the transportation industry including tax credit, clean vehicles, manufacturing incentives and other programs

Looking For a One Seat Ride (by Larry Plachno) . . . . . . . . .26

This is part two of a two part series looking at and offering suggestions on helping our transit operator friends Here we concentrate on the one seat ride sought after by many passengers.

Historical Bus Fest 2022 (by Dave Millhouser) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

A review of activities at Bus Fest 2022 held in Trenton, New Jersey and organized by the Friends of the New Jersey Transportation Heritage Center

The Big Picture (by Dave Millhouser) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

Dave suggests that administrators and regulators would do a better job if they had more industry experience and got “The Big Picture” on how the industry works

STAFF

Equipment News

MCI Celebrates Deliver y of Its 10,000th J4500 Coach

To u r s h a s a d i v e r s e fl e e t o f 2 3 0 re v e n u e producing vehicles, including mini buses, school buses, more than 100 45 foot MCI J4500 vehicles and six 35 foot MCI J3500 coaches that operate from nine locations in M i s s i s s i p p i , A l a b a m a , A r k a n s a s a n d Tennessee

announced recently the delivery of 10 2023 m o d

a

M C I J 4 5 0

C

Tours, one of the nation’s leading operators in the Southeast, marking Cline Tours’ 300th motorcoach and MCI’s 10,000th J4500 built on its production line in Winnipeg, Manitoba

MCI tailors Cline Tours’ J Series coaches t o t h e c o m p a n y s p e c i fi c a t i o n s F o r i t s newest luxur y J4500 coaches, Cline Tours selected the optional 360 degree cameras for a bird’s eye view around the coach; the RGB variable lighting package, offering pro grammable, interior color options; and the optional next generation Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) by Bendix Wing man Fusion, providing collision mitigation, lane depar ture and traffic sign recognition

Cline Tours has been an MCI customer since 1996, when owner John McCommon acquired the Ridgeland, Mississippi based tour and char ter operator and purchased its first new MCI coach in 2004 Today, Cline

“We are ver y pleased to celebrate pro duction of our 10,000th J4500, a big mile s t o n e , a n d t o d o s o w i t h c u s t o m e r C l i n e Tours,” said Brent Maitland, vice president, Private Sector Sales and Marketing “Cline Tours’ consistent selection of MCI’s J Series speaks to the quality of the model, the rela tionship between our companies and MCI’s responsiveness in providing reliable par ts service and support We appreciate the con fidence Cline Tours has in MCI and we are committed to continuing our great relation ship as Cline Tours continues to grow ”

C l i n e To u r s c h o o s e s t h e J S e r i e s b e c a u s e o f t h e m o d e l s ’ re l i a b l e a n d fl e e t unifor mity between its locations, according t o J o h n M c C o m m o n , p r e s i d e n t o f C l i n e Tours

“If you see one Cline Tours’ coach, you’ve seen them all,” McCommon said “So many of our moves require multiple coaches It’s

MCI recently completed the delivery of 10 2023 J4500 coaches to Cline Tours This marks the 10,000th J4500 coach built on the MCI assembly line in Winnipeg, Manitoba as well as the 300th motorcoach for Cline The coaches have several options including 360 degree cameras, the RGB lighting package and Advanced Driver Assistance Originally launched in 2001, the J4500 model has been the most popular coach on the market since 2004

i m p o r t a n t t o o u r c u s t o m e r s T h e y l i k e t h e same look ”

Providing a young fleet with the newest safety features is another mainstay of Cline Tours’ success Before COVID 19, the com pany had a five year fleet renewal replace ment policy and it plans to get back to that as fast as it can, McCommon said The new clean diesel J4500 coaches are replacing the 2015 and 2016 models

Having launched the MCI J4500 in 2001, t h e m o d e l h a s b e e n t h e i n d u s t r y ’s b e s t selling model since 2004 Since then, the J 4 5 0 0 h a s u n d e r g o n e s e v e r a l re d e s i g n s , including a recent interior update that pro vides a more spacious cabin and industr y leading legroom MCI also introduced a 35 foot version of the J Series featuring all the styling and performance benefits of the 45 foot J4500 In 2019, Cline Tours was among t h e fi r s t o p e r a t o r s t o a d d s i x M C I J 3 5 0 0 coaches to its fleet

“ W i t h re g a rd s t o M C I , t h e y a re a t o t a l l y f i r s t c l a s s o p e r a t i o n , ” M c C o m m o n s a i d “ W e d o n ’ t h a v e m a n y i s s u e s w i t h o u r J c o a c h e s a n d i f w e d o , M C I j u m p s i n t o f i x things They suppor ted us through COVID, a n d w e ’ v e h a d a l o t o f o t h e r f a c t o r s h e l p ing us to be in a substantially much better p l a c e t o d a y ”

To celebrate the production and delivery m i l e s t o n e s , M C I s h o w c a s e d i t s 1 0 , 0 0 0 t h J4500 coach at the International Motorcoach Coach Group (IMG) Strategic Annual Meet i n g o n A u g u s t 9 1 2 , 2 0 2 2 , i n A r l i n g t o n , Texas The meeting brought together IMG’s tour and charter operator members through out Nor th America, including Cline Tours, for business, educational and networking sessions IMG members are an elite group o f 5 4 l e a d i n g o p e r a t o r s t h

g h o

N o

h A m e r i c a t h a t a d h e r e t o s t r i c t s a f e t y a n d operational standards to ensure the highest levels of service per for mance

MCI is North America’s public and private market motorcoach leader Products include the luxur

J Series (an industr y best seller

D Series and the brand new zero emission luxury and commuter coaches: the battery

maintenance, repair, 24 hour roadside assis tance, parts and technician training through the industry’s only Automotive Service Excel lence (ASE) accredited and award winning MCI Academy

Equipment News

Leveraging 450 years of combined expe rience, NFI is leading the electrification of mass mobility around the world With zero emission buses and coaches, infrastructure a n d t e c h n o l o g y, N F I m e e t s t o d a y ’s u r b a n demands for scalable smar t mobility solu tions Together, NFI is enabling more livable c i t i e s t h ro u g h c o n n e c t e d , c l e a n a n d s u s tainable transpor tation

With 7,500 team members in nine coun tries, NFI is a leading global bus manufac turer of mass mobility solutions under the b r a n d s N e w F l y e r ® ( h e a v y d u t y t r a n s i t buses), MCI® (motorcoaches), Alexander D e n n i s L i m i t e d ( s i n g l e a n d d o u b l e d e c k b u s e s ) , P l a x t o n m o t o rc o a c h e s , A R B O C ® ( l o w fl o o r c u t a w a y a n d m e d i u m d u t y buses) and NFI Parts™ NFI currently offers the widest range of sustainable drive sys t e m s a v a i l a b l e , i n c l u d i n g z e r o e m i s s i o n electric (trolley, batter y and fuel cell), nat ural gas, electric hybrid and clean diesel I n t o t a l N F I s u p p o r t s i t s i n s t a l l e d b a s e o f m o r e t h a n 1 0 5 , 0 0 0 b u s e s a n d c o a c h e s around the world

Megabus.com and Fullington Trailways Par tner to Expand Bus Ser vice Throughout Pennsylvania

M e g a b u s c o m , o n e o f t h e l a r g e s t b u s c o m p a n i e s i n N o r t h A m e r i c a , h a s announced a new par tnership with Fulling t o n Tr a i l w a y s , a fi r s t c l a s s t r a n s p o r t a t i o n provider in the central Pennsylvania region

This par tnership will allow for expanded service options which will connect Philadel p h i a w i t h 1 1 c i t i e s , H a r r i s b u r g w i t h n i n e cities, New York City with 14 cities, Pittsburgh w i t h 2 2 c i t i e s a n d S t a t e C o l l e g e w i t h 1 8 cities

“We’re excited to have the oppor tunity to embark on this partnership to expand ser vice throughout Pennsylvania,” said Colin E m b e r s o n , V P C o m m e r c i a l f o r megabus com “As the demand for travel continues to grow, these new routes will offer many convenient new options for our cus t o m e r s a n d w i l l b e a g re a t a d d i t i o n t o o u r existing network ”

“As we celebrate our 114th year of being in business, Fullington Trailways is delighted to be able to par tner with megabus com,” said Jonathan Berzas, president and CEO for The Fullington Auto Bus Company “We continue to provide affordable, reliable and convenient service in Pennsylvania and the Mid Atlantic region This par tnership offers our customers another avenue to purchase their bus tickets ”

Schedules are now available, and tickets c a n b e p u r c h a s e d f o r t r a v e l a t us megabus com/

Megabus offers city to city express bus service across Nor th America with fares as low as $1 The safety of the customers is a top priority while also offering convenient, c o s t e f f e c t i v e s e r v i c e I n a n e f f o r t t o i n c re a s e t r a n s p a re n c y a n d p ro v i d e c u s tomers with peace of mind, Megabus has re c e n t l y i n t ro d u c e d re a l t i m e t r a c k i n g o n t h e i r b u s e s C u s t o m e r s c a n n o w m o n i t o r their buses with live depar ture and arrival times Another key commitment is providing eco friendly travel and reducing the carbon f o o t p r i n t w h e n e v e r p o s s i b l e T h e i r b u s e s emit the least carbon dioxide per mile when compared to other vehicles and are seven times more energy and fuel efficient than single occupancy automobiles Megabus b u s e s a r e t h r e e t i m e s m o r e e f fi c i e n t i n reducing carbon dioxide output when com pared to commuter rail and six times more efficient than transit buses

Fullington is a family owned and oper ated transportation company that has been proudly serving the community since 1908 Fullington offers public line run service and private transportation aboard deluxe motor coaches, transit buses, limousines, vans, t ro l l e y s a n d s c h o o l b u s e s L e a r n m o re a t www fullingtontours com

NFI Unveils Next Generation

Hydrogen Fuel Cell-Electric Bus

NFI Group Inc (NFI), a leading indepen d e n t b u s a n d c o a c h m a n u f a c t u re r a n d a leader in electric mass mobility solutions, o n S e p t e m b e r 8 a n n o u n c e d t h a t i t s s u b sidiar y New Flyer of America Inc and New Flyer Industries Canada ULC (together New F l y e r ) u n v e i l e d i t s n e x t g e n e r a t i o n , z e ro

emission hydrogen fuel cell electric Xcelsior CHARGE FC™ heavy duty transit bus

T h e E x c e l s i o r C H A R G E F C u s e s environmentally friendly hydrogen and fuel cell technology to create electricity and to c h a r g e b a t t e r i e s f o r z e r o e m i s s i o n e x t e n d e d r a n g e , s a v i n g 8 5 1 7 5 t o n s o f greenhouse gas per year from tailpipe emis sions compared to a traditional diesel bus With a range of more than 370 miles, the bus can be refueled in 6 20 minutes depending on the model and operating conditions and r e q u i r e s n o o v e r n i g h t p l u g i n e l e c t r i c a l recharging The only tailpipe output is clean water vapor

Built on proven Xcelsior® platfor m with more than 16,000 buses delivered to date, N e w F l y e r ’s b a t t e r y e l e c t r i c a n d f u e l c e l l electric models have surpassed more than 15 million electric vehicle (EV) service miles Drawing upon more than 20 years of expe rience producing fuel cell electric buses for Nor th American operators, New Flyer has a p p l i e d t h e b e s t o f z e ro e m i s s i o n d e s i g n a n d i n n o v a t i v e f u e l c e l l t e c h n o l o g i e s t o develop its most advanced hydrogen fuel cell electric bus yet

New Flyer’s Xcelsior CHARGE FC incor porates four distinct technology advance ments to deliver a robust, long range, high performance hydrogen fuel cell electric bus, including a lighter, simpler and more efficient h e a v y d u t y f u e l c e l l p o w e r m o d u l e t h a t i s e a s e r t o s e r v i c e ; re c y c l a b l e , h i g h p o w e r batteries delivering a longer range of more than 370 miles of highway driving without refueling; a redesigned waterproof (IP 67

Megabus and Fullington Trailways recently entered into a partnership with Fullington expanding service in the central Pennsylvania region Included are routes connecting to Philadelphia, Harrisburg, New York City, Pittsburgh and State College Fullington is a family owned business that was originally founded in 1908

and IP 69 rated) battery enclosure providing improved serviceability; and a high grade, electric drive traction system with up to 90 percent energy recover y

“The Xcelsior CHARGE FC includes the l a t e s t t e c h n o l o g y i n n o v a t i o n s T h e n e w streamlined design is easier to service and maintain, delivers longer range at highway speeds, improves energy recover y and is s m a r t c i t y c a p a b l e , m a k i n g i t t h e m o s t advanced hydrogen fuel cell electric bus available on the market,” said Chris Stod d a r t , p re s i d e n t , N o r t h A m e r i c a n B u s a n d Coach, NFI “With the Xcelsior CHARGE FC now added to NFI’s market leading EV and AV vehicle lineup, NFI is undeniably leading a new mobility era, delivering unmatched per for mance and sustainability benefits to transit operators ”

The new FCmove™ HD+ fuel cell power module from Ballard Power Systems intro duces a more compact and robust design w i t h l i f e c y c l e c o s t r e d u c t i o n s a c h i e v e d through lower maintenance requirements, higher reliability and fewer par ts The inte grated design houses all subcomponents in a single enclosure; it is smaller, lighter and uses 50 percent fewer parts, making it easier to service and maintain It offers more than 97 percent fuel cell power availability while i n s e r v i c e , a n d a w i d e r o p e r a t i n g r a n g e across a variety of climates

New Flyer manufactures its energy stor age system enclosures in its bus produc tion facilities The battery packaging, devel

o p e d b y N e w F l y e r, u t i l i z e s a w a t e r p ro o f enclosure design that is lighter and easier to maintain, decreasing the number of parts b y 9 0 p e r c e n t I t s s t r e a m l i n e d d e s i g n enables technicians to simply “plug in” or “unplug” individual batter y packs, signifi cantly reducing bus downtime and allowing easy replacement

High power, rapid charge batteries utilize an active liquid cooling system to maintain c o n s i s t e n t t e m p e r a t u r e s a n d r e s p o n d quickly to increases in power demand and environmental loads The batteries are more e f fi c i e n t i n d e m a n d i n g a p p l i c a t i o n s , o ff e r 40 percent more energy and deliver 44 per cent more range at highway speeds without compromising quality The batteries are also a p p r o p r i a t e f o r L i C y c l e ’s c l o s e d l o o p , lithium ion batter y recycling program that facilitates full circle sustainable mobility and material recapture through recover y of crit ical materials from lithium ion batteries and reintroducing them into the supply chain

F i n a l l y, t h e S i e m e n s E L FA ™ 3 t r a c t i o n s y s t e m d e l i v e r s u p t o 9 0 p e rc e n t e n e r g y recovery through regenerative braking and w e i g h s 6 9 p e r c e n t l e s s t h a n E L FA ™ 2 , delivering a more efficient design through c o m p a c t i n v e r t e r s a n d e m b e d d e d d r i v e controllers

“ M o re a n d m o re c i t i e s a re m a k i n g t h e commitment to 100 percent zero emission fleets and Xcelsior CHARGE FC provides a n i d e a l c o m p l e m e n t t o b a t t e r y e l e c t r i c b u s e s f o r a g e n c i e s w a n t i n g t o i n t e g r a t e

t h e r e l i a b l e l o n g r a n g e p e r f o r m a n c e o f h y d r o g e n f u e l c e l l e l e c t r i c b u s e s , ” s a i d J e n n i f e r M c N e i l l , v i c e p re s i d e n t o f P u b l i c Sector Sales and Marketing, New Flyer and M C I “ T h e X c e l s i o r C H A R G E F C a l s o advances our effor t to continue driving the a d o p t i o n o f z e ro e m i s s i o n m o b i l i t y w i t h a safe, scalable and streamlined approach t o t h e z e r o e m i s s i o n m a n u f a c t u r i n g process In turn, we simplify training for our production teams and those of transit agen cies across North America to continue sup por ting reskilling, upskilling and workforce d e v e l o p m e n t t o e n s u re s u c c e s s f u l z e ro emission deployments ”

The Xcelsior CHARGE FC is available in 40 and 60 foot lengths, and both models m e e t t h e F e d e r a l Tr a n s i t A d m i n i s t r a t i o n M o d e l B u s Te s t i n g P r o g r a m a t A l t o o n a , Pennsylvania New Flyer remains the only Nor th American manufacturer to offer both 40 and 60 foot fuel cell electric models that qualify for federal funding

To p ro v i d e w o r k f o rc e d e v e l o p m e n t o n X c e l s i o r C H A R G E F C t e c h n o l o g i e s , N e w Flyer will host a no cost vir tual training ses s i o n o n N o v e m b e r 1 0 , 2 0 2 2 , t h ro u g h t h e Vehicle Innovation Center (VIC) To register for the VIC session or to lear n more about the Xcelsior CHARGE FC fuel cell electric bus, visit newflyer com/FC

NFI is a leader in zero emission mobility, with electric vehicles operating (or on order) in more than 110 cities in six countries NFI offers the widest range of zero emission bat t e r y a n d f u e l c e l l e l e c t r i c b u s e s a n d coaches, and its vehicles have completed more than 70 million EV service miles

To d a y, N F I s u p p o r t s g r o w i n g N o r t h A m e r i c a n c i t i e s w i t h s c a l a b l e , c l e a n a n d s u s t a i n a b l e m o b i l i t y s o l u t i o n s t h ro u g h a f o u r p i l l a r a p p ro a c h t h a t i n c l u d e s b u s e s a n d c o a c h e s , t e c h n o l o g y, i n f r a s t r u c t u re a n d w o r k f o r c e d e v e l o p m e n t N F I a l s o o p e r a t e s t h e V I C , t h e fi r s t a n d o n l y i n n o vation lab of its kind dedicated to advanc i n g b u s a n d c o a c h t e c h n o l o g y a n d p r o v i d i n g w o r k f o r c e d e v e l o p m e n t S i n c e o p e n i n g i n l a t e 2 0 1 7 , t h e V I C h a s h o s t e d more than 300 interactive events, welcom ing

Motor Coach Industries (MCI) has recently partnered with FlixBus, North Amer

between Washington, D C and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, one of the most heavy traffic corridors in the U

New Flyer recently unveiled its Next Generation Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric bus, the Xcelsior CHARGE FC™ This model uses hydrogen for power and converts it to electricity in a fuel cell to power the bus with the only emissions being clean water vapor The bus has a range of more than 370 miles and can be refuelled in six to 20 minutes

This pilot project aims to demonstrate the effectiveness of ZEB transpor tation as an environmentally friendly solution to reduce GHG emissions, while also providing pas sengers with the chance to experience the future of emission free intercity travel

$1.6 Billion in Bipar tisan Infrastructure Law Funding to Nearly Double the Number of Clean Transit Buses

The U S Department of Transportation’s F

announced $1 66 billion in grants to transit agencies, territories and states across the country to invest in 150 bus fleets and facil ities Funded by the President’s Bipaprtisan Infrastructure Law, more than 1,100 of those vehicles will use zero emmisions technology, which reduces air pollution and helps meet the President’s goal of net zero emissions by 2050 This year’s funding alone will nearly d

buses on America’s roadways For the first time, five percent of low and no emission bus funding will be used to train transit work e

clean bus technology

“With today’s awards, we’re helping com munities across America in cities, suburbs and rural areas alike purchase more than

Equipment News

Secretar y Pete Buttgieg “Funded through President Biden’s Bipar tisan Infrastructure Law, this announcement means more good jobs for people across the country, clean air

in our communities and more affordable and reliable options to help people get to where they need to go

T

FTA’s Buses and Bus Facilities and Low and

MCI recently partnered with FlixBus on an electric bus pilot program An MCI zero emission J4500 CHARGE coach ran between Washington, D C and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from August 11 to 19 in passenger service The project demonstrated zero emission bus operations and gave passengers an opportunity to experience emission free intercity travel

Equipment News

No Emission Vehicle programs are FTA’s first competitive grant selections under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law The programs suppor t the Biden Harris Administration’s commitment to expand our nation’s trans portation infrastructure, create and maintain good paying jobs and fight climate change

“When a transit door opens, whether it is a bus, train or ferry, it is a great equalizer for ever yone in our nation,” said FTA Adminis trator Nuria Fernandez “With this tremendous amount of funding, the President’s Bipartisan I n

a s

c

u re L a w g i v e s m o re A m e r i c a n s access to the opportunities that transit cre a t e s , m o r e o f t e n , i n m o r e p l a c e s T h e s e investments also help us meet our goals of cutting transpor tation emissions, creating good paying American manufacturing jobs and helping America’s transit workers prepare for new vehicle technology ”

FTA’s Low or No Emission (Low No) Grant Program makes funding available to help transit agencies buy or lease U S built low or no emission vehicles, including related equipment or facilities The Bipartisan Infra structure Law provides $5 5 billion over five years for the Low No Program more than six times greater than the previous five years of funding For Fiscal Year 2022, approxi mately $1 17 billion was available for grants under this program

FTA’s Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities Program supports transit agencies in buying and rehabilitating buses and vans and build ing bus maintenance facilities The Bipar ti san Infrastructure Law provides nearly $2 billion over five years for the program For Fiscal Year 2022, approximately $550 million for grants was available under this program

Examples of projects selected to recevie Fiscal Year 2022 funding include:

• The New York Metropolitan Transporta tion Authority (MTA) will receive $116 milion to buy approximately 230 batter y electric buses to replace older diesel buses, elec trifying nearly four percent of its 5,800 bus fleet and launching a comprehensive work force training and development program The project will improve the safety and reli ability of transit service and improve air qual ity for residents and visitors to New York City

• The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) will receive $ 1 0 4 1 m i l l i o n t o b u y a p p r o x i m a t e l y 1 6 0 battery electric buses to replace older com pressed natural gas buses as well as charging equipment The project will improve safety, air quality and reliability for residents and vis itors to the Los Angeles metropolitan area

• T h e M e m p h i s A re a Tr a n s i t A u t h o r i t y (MATA) will receive $54 million to build an o p e r a t i o n s a n d m a i n t e n a n c e f a c i l i t y T h e facility, which will be located in Memphis, will accommodate more than 300 vehicles

The Federal Transit Administration recently announced $1.66 million in grants to transit agencies, ter ritories and states to invest in bus fleets and facilities More than 1,100 of those vehicles will use zero emission technology This year ’s funding will nearly double the number of no emission transit buses on America’s roadways

and improve safety and ensure a good state of repair for the bus fleet

• T h e C o l o r a d o D e p a r t m e n t o f Tr a n s portation will receive $34 7 milllion on behalf of Summit Stage, a rural transit agency that provides bus service in Summit, Park and Lake counties in northeast Colorado, to build a bus depot for electrical charging and stor a g e I t w i l l re p l a c e S u m m i t S t a g e ’s a g i n g facility and prepare for a 100 percent electric fleet in the future

I n r e s p o n s e t o t h e N o t i c e o f F u n d i n g Opportunity, FTA received 530 eligible pro ject proposals totaling approximately $7 72 billion in requests

Nova Bus To Supply Up to 35 Ar ticulated Buses to Honolulu

N o v a B u s , a m e m b e r o f t h e V o l v o Group and a leading Nor th American tran s i t b u s m a n u f a c t u r e r, h a s a n n o u n c e d i t h a s b e e n a w a rd e d a c o n t r a c t f o r u p t o 3 5 N o v a B u s A r t i c s , t h e 6 0 f o o t c l e a n a i r d i e s e l b u s m o d e l o f N o v a B u s , b y t h e c i t y and county of Honolulu, Hawaii The buses will be delivered over a three year period

With this order, Nova Bus will be adding u p t o 3 5 a r

transit system includes more than 107 bus

Nova Bus recently announced receipt of an order from the city and county of Honolulu for up to 35 buses They are the 60 foot articulated clean diesel model and will delivered over a three year period The transit system operates more than 107 bus lines serving more than 600,000 passengers weekly

Join the group travel show that works! Heartland Travel Showcase 2023 will be held in the Cincy Region, (Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky) March 10-12. With destinations and sellable group ideas in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Ontario, Heartland Travel Showcase is unmatched. Discover innovative tour experiences, learn new sales tactics, and meet with excited, unique suppliers focused on helping you get business.

Newport Aquarium, Newport, Kentucky –

Photo by Newport Aquarium

Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal, Cincinnati, Ohio – Photo by Robert Webber

The Beast Roller Coaster at Kings Island, Mason, Ohio – Photo by Kings Island

National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, Cincinnati, Ohio – Photo by Mark BealerNorthern Kentucky Skyline with Roebling Suspension Bridge – Photo by Liz Dufour

Ark Encounter, Williamstown, Kentucky – Photo by Ark Encounter

Equipment News

The TECO Line Streetcar Celebrates a Million Rides in Fiscal Year 2022

The TECO Line Streetcar celebrated one million riders in Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) on August 31 by surprising a lucky rider with a p r i z e p a c k f e a t u r i n g a $ 1 0 0 g i f t c a r d donated by Columbia Restaurant

The lucky rider, Arpan, rides the Streetcar five days a week to medical school and was on his way to USF Health Morsani College of Medicine when staff surprised him as the millionth rider

“ I a p p re c i a t e i t I t a k e i t ( t h e s t re e t c a r ) every day to med school and it’s very useful,” said Arpan

The TECO Line Streetcar has seen quite a resurgence in FY22, breaking the previous annual ridership record of 850,788 trips in FY19 and setting all time monthly ridership records

‘We are elated to celebrate a milestone of million rides this year,” said Michael Eng lish, president, Tampa Historic Streetcar “It i

t o u t o f a p a n d e m i c w h i c h a t o n e p o i n t s a w t h e S t re e t c a r o n l y operating essential service ”

The TECO Line Streetcar will be celebrat ing 20 years of service in October 2022

Nova Bus Completes the Altoona Test for Its Long-Range Batter yElectric Bus, the LFSe+

Nova Bus, a member of the Volvo Group and a leading Nor th American transit bus manufacturer, has announced that its long r a n g e , 1 0 0 p e rc e n t b a t t e r y e l e c t r i c b u s , the LFSe+, has successfully completed the Bus Testing Program of the Federal Transit A d m i n i s t r a t i o n ( F TA ) o p e r a t e d b y t h e Altoona Bus Testing Center in Pennsylva nia This rigorous evaluation aims to cer tify the safety and efficiency of buses through a s e r i e s o f t e s t s w h o s e re s u l t s a re o b j e c tively analyzed

I n a d d i t i o n t o a t t e s t i n g t h e re l i a b i l i t y o f the LFSe+, the FTA certification allows future t r a n s i t b u s b u y e r s t o a c c e s s v a r i o u s U S f e d e r a l s u b s i d y p ro g r a m s a n d t o c o m p l y with contractual criteria of certain Canadian customers The successful completion of t h e s e t e s t s t h e re f o re a l l o w s N o v a B u s t o p o s i t i o n i t s e l f s t r a t e g i c a l l y o n t h e N o r t h American market

The LFSe+ buses intended for the Cana d i a n m a r k e t a re a s s e m b l e d a t t h e S a i n t E u s t a c h e p l a n t i n Q u e b e c a n d t h o s e i n t e n d e d f o r t h e A m e r i c a n m a r k e t a t t h e Plattsburgh plant in New York State

p r o v i d e r e l i a b l e , e n e r g y e f f i c i e n t a n d s a f e b u s e s t o p u b l i c t r a n s i t u s e r s i n t h e re g i o n ”

The popular TECO Line Streetcar in Tampa recently celebrated reaching one million riders in fiscal year 2022 Arpan, the one millionth rider and a medical school student, was given a prize pack that included a restaurant gift card Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2022, the line operates between the Convention Center and Ybor City, passing several attractions along the way

The new Nova Bus LFSe+ electric bus recently completed testing at the FTA Altoona testing center. Testing opens the door for U S federal subsidy programs to purchase the buses Nova Bus is a member of the Volvo Group and completes buses for the U S market at their plant in Plattsburg, New York

T h a n k s t o i t s g r e a t a u t o n o m y, i t s l o w maintenance costs, as well as the elimination o f a n y e m i s s i o n o f p o l l u t a n t s a n d g re e n h o u s e g a s e s , t h e L F S e + i s a fi r s t c h o i c e solution for the transition to sustainable pub lic transpor t

“Achieving Altoona cer tification for our LFSe+ fills us with pride It is one of the high est marks of recognition of quality and dura b i l i t y t h a t o u r v e h i c l e s c a n re c e i v e , ” s a i d Mar tin Larose, president of Nova Bus

Nova Bus, member of the Volvo Group, is a leading provider of sustainable trans portation solutions in North America Its port f o l i o i n c l u d e s e l e c t r i c , h y b r i d , C N G a n d clean diesel buses, high capacity vehicles, a s w e l l a s i n t e g r a t e d i n t e l l i g e n t t r a n s p o r t s y s t e m s N o v a B u s a c c o m p a n i e s t r a n s i t authorities and bus fleet operators in their transition to electromobility with its flagship LFSe+ long range electric bus, combining the proven Nova Bus structure with the latest i n n o v a t i o n s i n e l e c t r i c d r i v e N o v a B u s i s committed to helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions and positively contributing to a greener economy For more information regarding Nova Bus products and services, visit www nvoabus com

Equipment News

IMG Launches New Quote Functionality

After an extensive search, the Inter na tional Motorcoach Group (IMG), North Amer ica’s premier motorcoach network, selected T h e B u s N e t w o r k ( T B N ) t o m o d e r n i z e i t s Web site quoting tools

T B N , c re a t o r s o f t h e i n d u s t r y l e a d i n g

S a l e s D r i v e r t o o l , h a s h e l p e d I M G l a u n c h new functionality on its Web site This tool a l l o w s c u s t o m e r s t o p l a n t h e i r c h a r t e r s quickly and easily with state of the art visual trip planning Requests are then sent to IMG operators who serve the area the trip will be traveling

Bronwyn Wilson, president of IMG, had this to say about the project, “We are excited to be the first network to make these pow er ful tools available to our customers We have seen that customers are shifting their online shopping expectations This change is a huge leap forward in delivering a more familiar and effective experience when they book charters with IMG operators This initial launch is the first stage of an ongoing project

The new tool developed by TBN allows customers to plan their trips online using a familiar Google Maps powered inter face

During the process, they can also choose t h e t y p e o f v e h i c l e t h e y w a n t t o b o o k a n d any additional items or services they may need during the trip

T B N ’s C R O C h r i s t i a n R i d d e l l , s a i d t h i s w h e n a s k e d a b o u t t h e p r o j e c t , “ W e a r e thrilled that IMG made this move Customers all over Nor th America are switching to the T N B t o o l s , a n d h a v i n g a n e t w o r k s u c h a s I M G m a k e t h a t j u m p i s a t e s t a m e n t t o t h e power of these next generation solutions

We h a v e d e l i v e re d o v e r 6 0 , 0 0 0 q u o t e s t o operators, and customer feedback is con sistent These tools make it easier and faster for them to get exactly what they want, and it feels comfortable, easy to use and familiar

We a re e x c i t e d t h a t p e o p l e s h o p p i n g f o r IMG certified member companies can now access these same benefits ”

I M G ’s W e b s i t e h a s l o n g b e e n a r e s o u r c e f o r c u s t o m e r s i n t e r e s t e d i n choosing operators who embrace the net w o r k ’s c o m m i t m e n t t o c u s t o m e r s e r v i c e a n d s a f e t y a n d w a n t a n a t i o n w i d e n e t w o r k ’s re l i a b i l i t y A s a n i n v i t a t i o n o n l y n e t w o r k , c u s t o m e r s c a n c o n f i d e n t l y d e a l directly with operators who own and oper ate vehicles and eliminate the risk of deal i n g w i t h f l y b y n i g h t b ro k e r s T h e s e n e w tools make access to these benefits more a c c e s s i b l e t h a n e v e r b e f o re

Customers can see this new tool on the IMG Web site at quote imgcoach com

Stars From the World of Spor ts Love the New Mercedes-Benz Tourrider

T h e A m e r i c a n T h r a s h e r B ro t h e r s Tr a i l w a y s b u s c o m p a n y a t t r a c t e d a t t e n t i o n a t t h e W o r l d G a m e s 2 0 2 2 i n B i r m i n g h a m , Alabama, with a Mercedes Benz Tourrider Premium The motorcoach, painted metallic b l a c k , w a s u s e d e x c l u s i v e l y t o t r a n s

selected top athletes to the various compe tition sites around Bir mingham

O

a

proud of this high profile order: “There was no better time for us to showcase the excep t i o n a

To

motorcoach than this superlative event All athletes immediately felt at home on board The vehicle is equipped with 56 travel seats and completely provides all the things you’d e

strong impression on all those involved

Specially designed for the Nor th Amer

motorcoaches with chrome plated center

t o e n h a n c e c u s t o m e r a n d I M G o p e r a t o r online experience ”

The Bus Network (TBN) recently completed a modernization of the International Motorcoach Group (IMG) Web site quoting tools. Customers can plan their charters quickly while online and have their request forwarded to IMG operators in the area Customers can also select the type of vehicle they want and book additional items or service during the trip

Equipment

Canada in ter ms of design, comfor t, tech nology and individuality

Thrasher Brothers Trailways is a 50 year old family owned company that specializes in chartered transportation exclusive touring coaches while also serving routes extending through the entire countr y

A l y c e D a v i d s o n , o w n e r a n d secretar y/treasurer of Thrasher Trailways, stated, “The drivers and athletes were highly impressed with the coach’s comfort and ride T h e t i m e o n t h e c o a c h a l l o w e d d r i v e r s t o share a bit of the souther n hospitality and char m with the athletes ”

A t o t a l o f 3 , 6 0 0 a t h l e t e s f r o m a l l o v e r t h e w o r l d t o o k p a r t a t t h e Wo r l d G a m e s , which took place in the U S for the second time since 1981 One hundred ten nations f o u g h t f o r m e d a l s i n 3 8 n o n O l y m p i c s p o r t s , i n c l u d i n g p o w e r l i f t i n g , b i l l i a r d s a n d t u g o f w a r NFI Receives a New Contract for 10 EVs and Infrastructure from Califor nia’s SamTrans

N F I a n n o u n c e d a n e w c o n t r a c t f r o m S a n M a t e o C o u n t y Tr a n s i t ( S a m Tr a n s ) f o r 10 next generation, zero emission Xcelsior C h a r g e N G ™ 4 0 f o o t t r a n s i t b u s e s , 2 0 A B B 1 5 0 k W h p l u g i n c h a r g e r s , p r o j e c t c o o rd i n a t i o n a n d c o m m i s s i o n i n g b y N F I I n f r a s t r u c t u re S o l u t i o n s ™ t o s u p p o r t t h e z e r o e m i s s i o n b u s ( Z E B ) d e p l o y m e n t i n S a n M a t e o C o u n t y

T h e n e w E V s w i l l d e l i v e r c l e a n a i r b e n e fi t s w i t h i m m e d i a t e g r e e n h o u s e g a s r e d u c t i o n i n S a n M a t e o C o u n t y w h i l e a d v a n c i n g t h e f u l fi l l m e n t o f t h e C a l i f o r n i a A i r R e s o u r c e s B o a r d ’s I n n o v a t i v e C l e a n Tr a n s i t re g u l a t i o n , re q u i r i n g a g e n c i e s t o t r a n s i t i o n b u s fl e e t s t o 1 0 0 p e rc e n t z e ro e m i s s i o n b y 2 0 4 0

SamTrans is one of 11 Califor nia agen c i e s t o r e l y o n N F I ’s a d v a n c e d b a t t e r y e l e c t r i c b u s a n d i n f r a s t r u c t u re s o l u t i o n s t o e n a b l e t h e t r a n s i t i o n t o z e ro e m i s s i o n a t

i n t h e i r b u s i n e s s e s b y p u r c h a s i n g n e w coaches, relying on our Futuras for their cost effectiveness and high level of passenger comfort It goes without saying that VDL Bus & Coach Espa a S L will strengthen its activ ities in the field of sales of new vehicles, parts and service Spain is one of the most important g r o w t h m a r k e t s f o r V D L B u s & C o a c h i n Europe We therefore look forward to a long term cooperation with The Bus Ontime ”

W i t h t h e i n c re a s e i n f re e d o m t o t r a v e l , e s p e c i a l l y f o r t h e t o u r i s m s e c t o r, t h e re i s l i g h t a t t h e e n d o f t h e t u n n e l a g a i n “ T h e coach market in Europe is showing signs of recover y,” indicates Pieter Gerdingh, busi ness manager coach of VDL Bus & Coach “We have recently increased the production o f c o a c h e s , w h i c h h a s e n a b l e d u s t o

respond well to the needs and demands of the European market ”

T h e V D L F u t u r a r a n g e h a s m o re t h a n proved itself in ter ms of reliability and cost e ff e c t i v e n e s s I n p a r t i c u l a r, t h e c o m p e t i t i v e k i l o m e t e r p r i c e d u e t o t h e l o w w e i g h t a n d f u e l c o n s u m p t i o n c o m b i n e d w i t h t h e h i g h p a s s e n g e r c a p a c i t y a d d s v a l u e t o i n c re a s e p ro f i t a b i l i t y, e s p e c i a l l y a t a t i m e when the price of fuel is skyrocketing The economical Euro 6 driveline has a minimal i m p a c t o n t h e e n v i r o n m e n t I n t h e V D L F u t u r a s c o m f o r t , s a f e t y, t e c h n o l o g y a n d d e s i g n a re p e r f e c t l y m a t c h e d

T h e F u t u r a s f o r T h e B u s O n t i m e h a v e a p o w e r f u l D A F M X 1 1 e n g i n e w i t h 4 5 0 h p ( s e v e n u n i t s )

Thrasher Brothers Trailways attracted attention at the World Games 2022 in Birmingham, Alabama, by operating a Mercedes Benz Tourrider premium coach Painted metallic black, the coach was used to transport athletes to competition sites around Birmingham Built in Turkey, the coach seats 56 passengers

They

trans por t, school, tourism and events VDL Bus & Coach and The Bus Ontime are working together for the first time

“Despite some difficult years, the coach industry will always be of great importance to Spain and the tourism sector in par ticular,” said Hector Rodriguez, managing director

V D L B u s & C o a c h E s p a a S L “ W e a r e delighted that our customers continue to invest

Equipment News

ket The new commercial network consists o f r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s s p r e a d t h r o u g h o u t S p a i n , n o t o n l y o n t h e m a i n l a n d , b u t a l s o o n t h e i s l a n d s T h e y a re a c t i v e i n t h e s a l e of the full range of VDL vehicles, par ts and service Rodriguez stated, “They are sup p o r t e d b y t h e V D L B u s & C o a c h o r g a n i zation in Madrid in offering the quality and re l i a b i l i t y V D L i s k n o w n f o r T h a n k s t o t h e cooperation with our par tners, we are able to be closer to our customer in all aspects o f o u r b u s i n e s s ”

A t t h e e n d o f J a n u a r y 2 0 2 2 , V D L B u s & C o a c h E s p a a S L r e v e a l e d a n o t h e r ambition to meet a specific demand in the S p a n i s h m a r k e t : t h e i n t ro d u c t i o n o f a n e w i n n o v a t i v e r e n t a l c o n c e p t , R e n t a l b u s I t o ff e r s t h e p e r f e c t s o l u t i o n f o r p a s s e n g e r t r a n s p o r t c o m p a n i e s V D L B u s & C o a c h i s c o l l a b o r a t i n g o n t h i s c o n c e p t w i t h O n re n t , a c o m p a n y w i t h v a s t e x p e r i e n c e i n t h e r e n t a l b u s i n e s s , f r o m p a s s e n g e r cars to lorries Rentalbus has its own sales team and operates out of its headquar ters i n M a d r i d

Alexander Dennis Adds In-House Integrated Electric Buses

A l e x a n d e r D e n n i s ( A l e x a n d e r D e n n i s L i m i t e d , A D L ) , a s u b s i d i a r y o f N F I G ro u p Inc (NFI), one of the world’s leading inde p e n d e n t g l o b a l b u s m a n u f a c t u r e r s , announced on August 24 that it is expanding its zero emission bus portfolio with the addi t i o n o f n e w e l e c t r i c b u s p r o d u c t s f u l l y designed and integrated in house using its own expertise Available for customer deliv er y from late 2023, a new small bus and a new electric double decker will complement the highly successful products of the BYD ADL par tnership, which will continue to be sold and suppor ted

Buses for the United Kingdom and Ire land will be fully built in Britain Details and technical specifications will be released over the coming months

Inter nationally, the new platfor m will be tailored to the requirements of cities, trans port authorities and bus companies in each territory, in line with Alexander Dennis’s phi losophy of providing the optimal solution for e v e r y m a r k e t d e m a n d T h e r e c e n t l y announced order for Enviro500EV electric double deckers in Hong Kong will be par t o f t h i s n e w g e n e r a t i o n o f z e r o e m i s s i o n buses

The hugely successful batter y electric B Y D A D L E n v i r o 2 0 0 E V a n d B Y D A D L Enviro400EV products built in par tnership with BYD will continue to be offered in the UK, Ireland and New Zealand, giving oper a

A

a n d a re e q u i p p e d a s s t a n d a rd w i t h P re dictive Power train Control (PPC), the intel ligent cruise control which anticipates the t o p o g r a p h i c a l s i t u a t i o n W i t h t h e h e l p o f G P S d a t a , P P C c o n t i n u o u s l y c a l c u l a t e s t h e c o u r s e o f t h e r o a d , s o t h a t t h e r i g h t g e a r i s s e l e c t e d a t a n y m o m e n t I n t h i s

w a y, t h e h i g h e s t l e v e l o f d r i v i n g c o m f o r t i s a c h i e v e d w h i l e f u e l c o n s u m p t i o n re m a i n s l o w

B y e n t e r i n g i n t o s t r a t e g i c a l l i a n c e s ,

V D L B u s & C o a c h E s p a a S L i n t e n d s t o strengthen its position in the Spanish mar

hydrogen bus, the Enviro400FCEV, will also

Alexander Dennis announced on August 24 that it would expand its zero emission product line with electric buses fully designed and engineered in house In the past, Alexander Dennis had outsourced this equipment These new models will be available for delivery starting in late 2023 and will include a new small bus as well as an electric double decker

VDL, a leading European bus builder, recently delivered 10 of its popular Futura coach models to The Bus Ontime in Spain The buses are equipped with DAF MX 11 engines; three units with 410 horsepower and seven with 450 horsepower with all equipped with Predictive Power Control, the intelligent cruise control Support is provided by the VDL facility in Madrid

c o n t i n u e t o f o r m a n i m p o r t a n t p a r t o f t h e c o m p a n y ’s z e ro e m i s s i o n b u s r a n g e a n d will be delivered to launch customer Liver pool City Region later this year Already fully designed and integrated by Alexander Den nis, it shares technology and key driveline components with the upcoming new battery electric models

“Alexander Dennis continues to lead the transition to zero emission mobility and this unparalleled investment in the latest zero emission technology gives operators, trans port authorities and councils the freedom to choose from an even wider range of buses,” says President and Managing Director Paul D a v i e s “ W e h a v e a l w a y s b e e n h i g h l y respected for our product innovation, and throughout this difficult period for our indus try we have continued to challenge our engi neering team to evolve our range The result will be a brand new fully in house designed, integrated electric double deck and small bus product giving our customers access to the latest zero emission vehicle technol o g y f ro m a s i n g l e , t r u s t e d s o u rc e I n v e s t ments can be made safe in the knowledge that ever ything will continue to receive the first class after market suppor t that we are renowned for ”

New Generation VDL Citea for the First Time on Display

B e r l i n w i l l b e t h e s e t t i n g f o r t h e o f fi c i a l p r e s e n t a t i o n o f t h e n e w g e n e r a t i o n V D L Citea This world premiere will take place during the international exhibition InnoTrans, from September 20 23 in the capital of Ger many VDL Bus & Coach will demonstrate its new city bus, an LF 122, which is entirely based on an all electric driveline

Equipment News

The introduction of the new generation of Citeas is VDL Bus & Coach’s answer to the challenges of tomorrow’s public trans por t Whereas in recent years “Aiming for Zero” was the ambition, zero emissions is n o w t h e n o r m f o r t h e l i v e a b l e c i t y T h i s requires new technologies and a different way of thinking VDL’s new Citea bus con cept offers solutions without compromise

Alex de Jong, business manager public transpor t, stated, “With the new generation V D L C i t e a , V D L o ff e r s a p u b l i c t r a n s p o r t product range in which there is no reason not to use a zero emission public transpor t bus The necessary conditions such as pas s e n g e r c a p a c i t y, r a n g e a n d t o t a l c o s t o f operation are all met in accordance to mar ket demand, zero compromise ”

V D L B u s & C o a c h w i l l b e s h o w i n g t h e VDL Citea LF 122 for the first time in Berlin during InnoTrans, the world’s largest trans por t technology exhibition Not only is the r a n g e o f t h e n e w V D L C i t e a s i g n i fi c a n t l y improved, one of the most important starting points in the development of the new gen eration Citea was to increase the number of passengers and their comfor t

De Jong stated, “During InnoTrans visi tors can experience the new generation VDL Citea for themselves We will be present on the outdoor area, where we will present the new generation VDL Citea on the so called b u s d i s p l a y I n a d d i t i o n , w e w i l l o r g a n i z e knowledge sessions in and around the bus and all the necessary information about the new generation VDL Citea will be available for our guests ”

The core activities of VDL Bus & Coach consist of the development, manufacturing,

s a l e s a n d a f t e r s a l e s o f a w i d e r a n g e o f b u s e s a n d c o a c h e s , t h e c o n v e r s i o n o r e x t e n s i o n o f m i n i a n d m i d i b u s e s a n d t h e purchase and sales of used buses VDL Bus & Coach consists of multiple bus companies that operate cooperatively in the global mar ket Manufacturing takes place in Wester n Europe VDL Bus & Coach places high value on quality, safety, durability, the environment, low fuel consumption, comfort and low main tenance costs In the transition to zero emis s i o n t r a n s p o r t , V D L B u s & C o a c h o f f e r s tur nkey solutions and is not only a bus sup plier, but also a system supplier

S a l e s o f V D L B u s & C o a c h p r o d u c t s t a k e p l a c e t h ro u g h a w o r l d w i d e n e t w o r k c o n s i s t i n g o f c o r p o r a t e o w n e d s a l e s offices, impor ters and agents in more than 3 0 c o u n t r i e s F o r a f t e r s a l e s a n d m a i n t e nance, the client can count on rapid, has sle free assistance from VDL Bus & Coach employees in any of the many service loca t i o n s A n e x t e n s i v e d i s t r i b u t i o n n e t w o r k ensures that spare par ts and accessories are delivered to the requested destination a s q u i c k l y a s p o s s i b l e V D L B u s & C o a c h i s o n e o f t h e l a r g e s t b u s a n d c o a c h p ro d u c e r s i n E u ro p e

Marcopolo Expor ts First G8 Coaches to Ar gentina

After conquering Brazil, with sales in all markets where the manufacturer operates, the Generation 8 of Marcopolo coaches is already present in some of the main coun tries of South America and has now arrived in the Argentinian market Andesmar S A , i n t h e p ro v i n c e o f M e n d o z a , a c q u i re d 1 1 u n i t s o f t h e P a r a d i s o G 8 1 8 0 0 d o u b l e decker model, which will be used in tourist o p e r a t i o n s a n d o n i n t e r s t a t e l i n e s i n t h a t c o u n t r y

VDL showed their new generation Citea transit bus at the InnoTrans in Berlin from September 20 23 The newest addi tion to the popular Citea line is the LF 122 model Improvements include a n i n c r e a s e d n u m b e r o f p a s s e n g e r s a n d i n c r e a s e d p a s s e n g e r comfort

Equipment News

The G8 models are already being put into operation in different countries in South Amer ica and now in Argentina as well, one of our biggest markets in the region,” says André Armaganijan, director of international buses, commercial operations and foreign market

With a total length of 14 meters (46 feet) and a Scania K 440B 6x2 chassis, the Par a d i s o G 8 1 8 0 0 D D h a s a c a p a c i t y f o r 5 8 passengers, 46 on the upper deck, in half sleeper seats, and 12 on the lower deck in s l e e p e r s e a t s , a l l w i t h U S B s o c k e t s , retractable seatbelts and cup holders The vehicles are equipped with Valeo CC430 P3 air conditioning and entertainment systems, w i t h a D V D p l a y e r a n d s i x m o n i t o r s , D P M ( m o b i l e s e a t d e v i c e ) f o r f u l l a c c e s s i b i l i t y, reverse camera, cur tains, electronic desti nation sign, luggage area and overhead lug gage rack

Andesmar S A has been a Marcopolo c u s t o m e r s i n c e 1 9 9 8 T h e c o m p a n y w a s c r e a t e d i n 1 9 6 7 , s h o r t l y a f t e r G u i d o B a d a l o n i , f o u n d e r o f t h e g ro u p , a c q u i re d the Expreso Camp Los Andes (ECLA) com pany, providing services between Mendoza and La Consulta (120 kilometers) ECLA laid the foundations for the creation of Andesmar A u t o t r a n s p o r t , w h i c h i n i t i a l l y m a d e t r i p s between Mendoza and Bahia Blanca, in the province of Buenos Aires

Statement of Ownership, Management and Circulation

Title of Publication: National Bus Trader Publication No 0194 939X Date of Filing: 9/13/22 Issue Frequency: Monthly No of Issues Published Annually: 12 Annual Subscription Price: $30 U S , $30 Canada & International Complete Mailing Address of Known Office of Publication and Headquarters or General Business Office of Publisher: 9698 W Judson Road, Polo, Illinois 61064

Contact Person: Larr y J Plachno Telephone: (815) 946 2341

Full Name and Complete Mailing Address of Publisher, Editor and Managing Editor: Larry J Plachno, National Bus Trader, Inc , 9698 W Judson Road, Polo, Illinois 61064 Owner: National Bus Trader, Inc , Larry J Plachno, 9698 W Judson Road, Polo, Illinois 61064

Known Bondholders, Mortgagees, and Other Security Holders Owning or Holding 1 Percent or More of Total Amount of Bonds, Mortgages, or Other Securities: None. Tax Status: Has not changed during the preceding 12 months

Extent and Nature of Circulation: Total No Copies: Average No

Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months: 0; Actual Number

Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date: 0 Paid and/or Requested Circulation: 1) Paid/ Requested Outside County: Average: 0; Actual: 0 2) Paid/Requested In County: Average: 0;

Actual: 0 3) Paid distribution outside the mails: Average: 0; Actual 0. 4) Paid distribution by other classes of mail: Average: 0; Actual

0 Total paid distribution: Average: 0; Actual 0 Free or nominal rate distribution: 1) Outside County: Average: 0; Actual: 0 2) In county: Average: 0; Actual 0 3) Mailed at other classes through the USPS: Average: 0; Actual: 0) Outside the mail: Average: 0; Actual: 0 Total free or nominal rate distribution: Average 0; Actual:

0 Total distribution: Average: 0; Actual:0 Copies not distributed: Average: 0; Actual: 0 Total: Average: 0; Actual: 0 Percent Paid: Average: N/A; Actual: N/A. Paid Electronic Copies: Average: 5,891; Actual: 6,312 Total Paid Print Copies + Paid Electronic Copies: Average: 5,891; Actual: 6,312 Total Print Distribution + Paid Elec tronic Copies: Average: 5,891; Actual: 6,312 Percent Paid (Both Print + Electronic): Average: 100%; Actual: 100%

In 1972, Autotranspor te Andesmar con tinued to grow and expand throughout the Argentinian territory, in addition to expanding its business to Chile Today, in the hands of the third generation of the Badaloni family, t h e c o m p a n y o f f e r s t h e l o n g e s t r o u t e i n Argentina and transports more than 1 8 mil lion passenger per year, covering about 45 million kilometers

The Paradiso 1800 double decker is the Generation 8 model most acquired by trans port operators for its safety, comfort and effi ciency characteristics, with the highest stan dards in the Brazilian market, especially for the more than 140 new attributes for drivers, passengers and operators introduced in the road segment The model has an unprece d e n t e d d e s i g n , w i t h M a rc o p o l o D N A a n d an aerodynamic coefficient of only 0 379, which ensures lower fuel consumption and reduction in greenhouse gas emissions

Founded 72 years ago in Faxias do Sul ( R S ) , M a rc o p o l o i s t h e l e a d i n g b u s b o d y manufacturer in Brazil and ranks among the largest manufacturers in the world The com pany continuously invests in improvement, technology, design and expansion, produc ing solutions that contribute to the develop ment of collective passenger transportation With factories on five continents, the vehicles p r o d u c e d b y t h e c o m p a n y d r i v e o n t h e roads of more than 100 countries q

“The receptivity of our international cus tomers is yet another example of the high level of technology and innovation that the Gener ation 8 has introduced for transport operators

to Argentina Andesmar S A in the province

model that will be used for transporting

is located in Brazil and has

Bus Equipment People

Motor Coach Industries

M o t o r C o a c h I n d u s t r i e s ( M C I ) , a s u b s i d i a r y o f N F I G ro u p I n c ( N F I ) a n d N o r t h America’s motorcoach l e a d e r b a c k e d b y r e l i a b l e i n fi e l d t e c h n i c a l e x p e r tise, 24/7 roadside a s s i s t a n c e a n d p a r t s s u p p o r t , r e c e n t l y a n n o u n c e d t h a t To m Wa g n e r h a s j o i n e d t h e c o m p a n y Wagner w i l l be working along side Patricia Ziska, v i c e p r e s i d e n t o f p r i v a t e s e c t o r s a l e s , w h o w i l l retire at the end of t h e y e a r a f t e r m o r e t h a n a f o u r d e c a d e career with MCI

Upon Ziska’s retirement, Wagner will lead MCI’s team of regional sales vice presidents in the U S and Canada The team sells new MCI models and pre owned coaches to pri vate sector operators

H a v i n g j o i n e d t h e M C I ’s p u b l i c s e c t o r sales team in 2005, Wagner has built a 15 year career at MCI, rising to a vice president position before leaving in 2020 and joining another original equipment manufacturer

Z i s k a , w h o h a s h e l d m a n y l e a d e r s h i p ro l e s w i t h i n M C I a n d i s w i d e l y re s p e c t e d t h r o u g h o u t t h e i n d u s t r y, w i l l w o r k w i t h Wa g n e r a n d t h e M C I s a l e s t e a m p r i o r t o h e r retirement Among t h e m i l e s t o n e a c h i e v e m e n t s i n h e r c a r e e r i s t h e l a u n c h o f m a n y new products and services, including the MCI J4500, the industry’s ongoing best selling coach model

“We value the talents Tom brings to his position and all that Pat has accomplished i n h e r e x t r a o rd i n a r y c a re e r a t M C I , ” s a i d Brent Maitland, vice president, private sector sales and marketing “Tom has a depth of experience managing complex contracts He knows our product lines and manufac

turing processes and has proven himself to b e a s t r o n g s a l e s l e a d e r To m h e l p e d t o shape our reliability and relationship driven business philosophies and is both trusted a n d re s p e c t e d i n d u s t r y w i d e H e h a s t h e skills to lead our sales team and continue Pat’s legacy ”

While at MCI, Wagner contributed to the success of MCI’s D Series Commuter Coach with public transit agencies, including New J e r s e y Tr a n s i t , a n d w a s i n v o l v e d i n t h e launch of the compressed natural gas and hybrid electric power train He also helped to introduce the next generation, low entr y D45 CRT LE and its zero emission, battery electric version Wagner holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing and economics from Nor ther n Illinois University

Ziska j o i n e d M C I i n 1 9 7 6 a n d b e c a m e the company’s first female vice president in 1996 Her career achievements also include the launch of MCI’s earliest green marketing e n v i r o n m e n t a l c a m p a i g n s f o r m o t o r c o a c h e s S h e h a s b e e n a n i n s t r u m e n t a l member of industr y associations including IMG, Trailways, UMA and ABA She was an i n fl u e n t i a l s u p p o r t e r o f A B A’s W o m e n i n B u s e s a n d h e l p e d b u i l d t h e M o t o rc o a c h Marketing Council

“MCI has provided me with an astound ing career, and I value the friendships I’ve made along the way,” Ziska said “Our lead ership team will be strengthened by Tom’s c o n t r i b u t i o n s , a n d I l o o k f o r w a rd t o m a n y more MCI milestones ahead of us ”

Masats

Masats has announced the appointment o f I g n a c i o E l b u r g o a s t h e n e w C E O o f Masats

Elburgo is a person with a great profes sional career and with training as an indus trial engineer from the University of Navarra, and a master’s degree in Business Admin istration MBA and international postgraduate d e g re e f ro m N e w Yo r k U n i v e r s i t y H e h a s w o r k e d i n i m p o r t a n t c o m p a n i e s s u c h a s F a g o r, F i c o s a a n d Z o b e l e , a n d i n re c e n t y e a r s h e h a s b e e n g e n e r a l m a n a g e r o f major projects at Fluidra

Elburgo’s experience in large companies and inter national projects will give Masats a boost to carry out its strategic growth plan, which is planned for the coming years

The company is ver y grateful to Solé for these years of intense work, where in addi

tion to winning impor tant clients in the bus sector, he has led the company into the rail way and railway infrastructure sector

“The Board would like to thank Solé for his great personal and professional effort to lead Masats to become a reference in the inter national market ”

W i t h t h e n e w s t a g e t h a t b e g i n s , t h e o b j e c t i v e w i l l b e t o i n c re a s e t h e c o m p e t i tiveness of the com p a n y, t h e i m p u l s e t o i n n o v a t i o n a n d the digitalization of p r o d u c t s a n d processes All this w i t h o u t l o s i n g t h e e s s e n c e o f t h e company, which is based on the value o f p e o p l e , c u s tomer service and i n n o v a t i o n , w i t h products that facil itate the mobility of people, and all this w i t h a n e c e s s a r y focus on sustainability

Masats is a benchmark in accessibility s y s t e m s f o r p u b l i c t r a n s p o r t , i n c l u d i n g access doors and ramps or lifts for people w i t h re d u c e d m o b i l i t y f o r b o t h b u s e s a n d t r a i n s I t i s a l s o a c t i v e i n t h e i n f r a s t r u c t u re s e c t o r, i m p r o v i n g p a s s e n g e r s a f e t y a n d m o b i l i t y w i t h p l a t f o r m s y s t e m s , s u c h a s P S D p l a t f o r m s c r e e n d o o r s F r o m i t s p l a n t i n S S a l v a d o r d e G u a r d i o l a (Barcelona), where more than 300 people w o r k , a n d w i t h a p ro d u c t i o n s u b s i d i a r y i n K e n n e s a w ( U S ) , i t e x p o r t s t o m o re t h a n 4 5 c o u n t r i e s q

Tom Wagner

Ignacio Elburgo

Paticia Ziska

Bi l l b o a rd b u s e s a n d s p e c i a l g r a p h i c s have been around for decades They b e c a m e m o r e p o p u l a r i n t h e 1 9 8 0 s w h e n s t a i n l e s s s t e e l w a s r e p l a c e d b y p a i n t e d b u s s i d e s , e f f e c t i v e l y c r e a t i n g a r o l l i n g b i l l b o a r d . O v e r t h e y e a r s s p e c i a l e x t e r i o r g r a p h i c s h a v e e n c o u r a g e d t o u r i s m , a n n o u n c e d s p e c i a l e v e n t s , c o m memorated anniversaries and delivered a message to those nearby When the indus t r y m o v e d f r o m p a i n t t o f i l m , i t o p e n e d t h e d o o r f o r p e r s o n a l i z e d a n d a t t r a c t i v e exterior graphics There are two buses run n i n g i n t h e s o u t h o f E n g l a n d t h a t m a y b e a m o n g t h e m o s t u n u s u a l a n d u n i q u e i n t h i s c a t e g o r y T h e i r d i s t i n c t i v e a n d n o t e w o r t h y e x t e r i o r s c o m m e m o r a t e t h e p l a t i n u m j u b i l e e o f Q u e e n E l i z a b e t h I I O n e h a s t o a s k : W h e n i s t h e l a s t t i m e y o u s a w a b u s e x t e r i o r c o m m e m o r a t i n g t h e 7 0 t h a n n i v e r s a r y o f a re i g n i n g m o n a rc h ?

E l i z a b e t h w a s b o r n i n 1 9 2 6 , t h e o l d e s t daughter of Prince Albert Frederick Authur G e o r g e . I n 1 9 3 6 , h e r f a t h e r b e c a m e K i n g George VI During the war, Elizabeth joined

the women’s services, became a second lieu t e n a n t a n d d r o v e a n d r e p a i r e d m i l i t a r y trucks. She and her husband, Philip Mount batten the duke of Edinburgh, were in Kenya on February 6, 1952 when her father the king died. This made her Queen Elizabeth II. The formal coronation took place on June 2, 1953 w h e r e s h e s a i d t h e c o r o n a t i o n o a t h t h a t b o u n d h e r t o t h e s e r v i c e o f t h e p e o p l e o f Great Britain and the British Commonwealth Following the ceremony, millions of specta

tors stood in the rain to cheer the Queen and Duke on their five mile procession

As Great Britain celebrates the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, bus operator Stagecoach South has unveiled two platinum jubilee themed buses to mark this unprecedented anniversary Both are double deck Enviro 400 buses from Alexander Dennis. The buses were officially launched in the week of the 70th anniversary of the Queen’s accession to the throne, which took place on February 6, 1952 The platinum jubilee buses will be seen across the year, on services throughout Hampshire, Surrey and West Sussex

Managing Director of Stagecoach South E d

fore,

the Queen’s Platinum

One of the more interesting and unusual examples of specialized graphics on the side of buses can be found on two Alexander Dennis Enviro 400 double deck buses operating for Stagecoach South in southern England. The special graphics commemorate the Platinum anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II This is a very unique event since records indicate that no prior British monarch served for 70 years

Photos cour tesy of Stagecoac h South

Steve Thorpe, marketing officer for Stage coach South, said “This is such an historic moment, as it is the first time that any British monarch has attained 70 years on the throne We hope that our customers and residents across the area will enjoy traveling on, and s e e i n g ,

h

b

throughout the year.”

The jubilee themed buses will initially e

shire and Worthing depot in West Sussex, before commencing a tour of the other six depots throughout the South region during 2022

C a r l a S t o c k t o n J o n e s , U K m a n a g

g director for Stagecoach, said: "We're proud to be playing our part in the celebrations of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee that are taking place across the nation and the wider Com monwealth. The Jubilee is a celebration of the Queen's decades of service to the country a n d i t i s b r i n g i n g c o m m u n i t i e s a c ro s s t h e UK together That's why it's fitting that our operatng companies up and down the coun try are marking the historic milestone with a s p e c i a l l i

n b

y

right across the UK.

"Since the Queen took the throne in the 1950s, we ' ve seen a huge step forward in the q

new technology to make journeys easier for our customers and new greener vehicles to h

ahead there is a bright and strong future for the bus, helping economic recovery follow ing the pandemic, levelling up our commu nities and delivering net zero I'm confident

travel with buses being even more relevant and important in 2050 as they were in 1950

Editor’s Note: Sadly, Queen Elizabeth II passed away at Balmoral Castle on September 8 at the age of 96 after having served for 70 years as the reigning monarch of the UK These Jubilee buses may never be repeated

This photo shows one of the two Platinum Jubilee Buses operating in Barnsley. Plans are to move the two special buses between eight depots throughout the South region during 2022 so as many people as possible get to see them. The unique paint scheme, and particularly the purple color on these two special buses, can be contrasted with the standard livery of the following bus.

This photo provides a better view of the special lettering and graphics on the side of the buses

A large version of the Platinum Jubilee logo appears on the street side of the bus, which is the right side because they have right hand drive These two buses obviously contrast with the rest of the fleet in both color and graphics.

The legislation, named the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA or the Act),

a scaled back version of the Demo crat’s Build Back Better (BBB) plan The Act will raise $739 billion in revenue and invest $369 billion in energy security and climate c

The IRA supports a mix of transportation s

s

taxis, for hire vehicles, and buses There are numerous financial incentives to encourage the purchase of electric and hydrogen fuel cell powered vehicles and the deployment

of charging stations and related infrastruc ture The Act also provides grants to expand c l e a n e n e rg y v e h i c l e s a n d i n f r a s t r u c t u re Whether these incentives will be enough to drive the U S forward to meet Biden’s goal o f 5 0 p e rc e n t o f e l e c t r i c v e h i c l e ( E V ) s a l e shares in the U.S. by 2030 remains to be seen. For now, the transportation industry should explore these new and expanded tax credits and incentives to see what is available for their businesses

An explanation of some of the transporta tion related provisions of the IRA is below If anyone has questions about grants, fund ing, guidance and how they might be able to apply for or otherwise benefit from the u n p re c e d e n t e d s p e n d i n g o n g re e n t r a n s portation initiatives, reach out to Windels M a r x Tr a n s p o r t a t i o n P r a c t i c e G r o u p a t h t t p s : / / w w w w i n d e l s m a r x c o m / p r a c tices/transportation for advice and counsel a t m d a u s @ w i n d e l s m a r x . c o m o r ( 2 1 2 ) 237 1106

by Matthew W Daus , Esq

EV Tax Credits

Clean Vehicle Credit (Sec 13401)

T h e I R A e x t e n d s t h e $ 7 , 5 0 0 c o n s u m e r income tax credit for the purchase of new electric vehicles, with a $3,750 tax credit if it meets a “critical materials” requirement and another $3,750 if it meets a “battery compo nent” requirement. The credit will be avail able at the point of sale The Act renews the credit starting in January 2023, and carries it through until the end of 2032. Under the new credit, the former 200,000 vehicle cap i

access to unlimited credits as long as they fulfill the other requirements of the Act

T h

changes to the existing tax credit for electric vehicles in section 30D of the Internal Rev enue Code These changes will phase in over time Effective immediately after the Act’s enactment (after August 16, 2022), the tax credit is only available for qualifying electric

The new Inflation Reduction Act includes a substantial section on zero emission and electric vehicle incentives and tax credit In addition to trucks, the provisions of the act include electric automobiles, school buses and passenger buses. It also goes beyond that to talk about charging stations and related equipment.

Preliminary guidance from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) addresses two impor tant issues regarding the North American a s s e m b l y re q u i re m e n t a n d v e h i c l e s p u r chased in 2022:1 First, those who entered into a written binding contract to purchase a new qualifying electric vehicle before August 16, 2022, but did not take possession of the vehi c l e u n t i l o n o r a f t e r A u g u s t 1 6 , 2 0 2 2 , m a y claim the EV credit based on the rules that were in effect before August 16, 2022 (includ ing those involving the manufacturing caps on vehicles sold) Second, for those who pur c h a s e a n d t a k e p o s s e s s i o n o f a q u a l i f y i n g electric vehicle after August 16, 2022, and before January 1, 2023, the final assembly of t h e v e h i c l e h a d t o b e c o m p l e t e d i n N o r t h America, otherwise, the same rules in effect before the enactment of the IRA apply

The U S Department of Energy has a list o f M o d e l Ye a r 2 0 2 2 a n d e a r l y M o d e l Ye a r 2023 electric vehicles that may meet the final a s s e m b l y r e q u i r e m e n t , a v a i l a b l e a t h t t p s : / / a f d c . e n e rg y. g o v / l a w s / i n fl a t i o n reduction act There are dozens of vehicles

Expectedly, tax credits for electric and clean automobiles are included in the act However, it does make several significant changes to the existing tax credits in the Internal Revenue Code. In addition to current purchases, there are also credits for previously owned clean vehicles The act also covers hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and electric charging stations JOE NOMIAS

o n t h i s l i s t , i n c l u d i n g t h e F o r d M u s t a n g MACH E, Nissan Leaf and Tesla Model 3, all of which the New York City Taxi and Lim ousine Commission (TLC) has approved for use as a taxi. The TLC approved Tesla Model 3 as a taxicab vehicle model already, and the other vehicles are part of the current pilot program to support the use of battery elec t r i c v e h i c l e s u n t i l t h e T L C p r o p o s e s a n d enacts vehicle specifications for EVs. Also on the list is the Chevrolet Bolt EV, which is

The new act amends the earlier Clean Air Act to allocate grants and rebates to businesses and government agencies to fund replacement heavy duty vehicles with zero emission vehicles. Programs should start by December 14, 2022 Shown here is a New Flyer Xcelsior CHARGE NG electric bus NEW FLYER.

a vehicle model used for rideshare How ever, because some models are built in mul tiple locations, there may be vehicles on the l i s t t h a t d o n o t m e e t t h e fi n a l a s s e m b l y requirement in all circumstances. The eligi b ilit y for a specific vehicle should b e con firmed by entering its vehicle identification number, or VIN, into the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s VIN Decoder t o o l , a v a i l a b l e a t h t t p s : / / v p i c . n h t s a . dot gov/decoder/

C o n s u m e r s t h a t p u rc h a s e a q u a l i f y i n g EV can continue to claim the electric vehicle tax credit on their annual tax filing Starting i n 2 0 2 4 , t h e I R A e s t a b l i s h e s a m e c h a n i s m t h a t w i l l a l l o w c a r b u y e r s t o t r a n s f e r t h e credit to dealers at the point of sale so that it can directly reduce the purchase price

Credit for Previously Owned Clean Vehicles (Sec 13402)

T h e I R A i n c l u d e s a n e w t a x c re d i t f o r i n d i v i d u a l s w o r t h t h e l e s s e r o f $ 4 , 0 0 0 o r 3 0 p e rc e n t o f t h e s a l e p r i c e o f p re o w n e d e l e c t r i c v e h i c l e s L i k e t h e c r e d i t f o r n e w vehicles, there is an income limit: the credit w o u l d b e a v a i l a b l e f o r h o u s e h o l d i n c o m e o f $ 1 5 0 , 0 0 0 f o r j o i n t re t u r n s , $ 11 2 , 5 0 0 f o r a h e a d o f h o u s e h o l d a n d $ 7 5 , 0 0 0 f o r a l l o t h e r s . To q u a l i f y a s a p re v i o u s l y o w n e d clean vehicle, the model year of the vehicle m u s t b e a t l e a s t t w o y e a r s e a r l i e r t h a n t h e c a l e n d a r y e a r i n q u e s t i o n U n l i k e t h e t a x c re d i t f o r n e w v e h i c l e s , t h e t a x c re d i t f o r p r e v i o u s l y o w n e d c l e a n v e h i c l e s i s n o t c o n t i n g e n t o n r e g i o n a l a s s e m b l y o r sourcing requirements This credit applies t o v e h i c l e s a c q u i r e d a f t e r D e c e m b e r 3 1 , 2 0 2 2

Qualified Commercial Clean Vehicles (Sec. 13403)

The IRA provides a new business tax credit of up to 15 percent of the cost of certain com mercial clean vehicles, increased to 30 percent for vehicles not powered by a gasoline or a diesel internal combustion engine or the incre mental cost of the vehicle (the amount the pur chase price of the commercial clean vehicle exceeds that of a vehicle comparable in size and use powered solely by a gasoline or diesel internal combustion engine) The qualified commercial clean vehicle credit is capped at $7,500 for vehicles with a gross vehicle weight r a t i n g o f f e w e r t h a n 1 4 , 0 0 0 p o u n d s a n d $40,000 for all other vehicles The Treasury Department and IRS will release more infor mation and guidance on the commercial clean tax credit including, hopefully, what consti tutes a “commercial vehicle” for the purposes of this tax credit

To qualify, the vehicle must be treated as a motor vehicle and manufactured primarily for use on public streets, roads and highways, or qualify as “mobile machinery” (e.g., vehicles that are designed to perform the function of transporting a load over public highways) In addition, the vehicle must either (1) be pro pelled to a significant extent by an electric motor that draws electricity from a battery with a minimum capacity of 15 kWh (reduced to 7 kWh if the vehicle’s gross vehicle weight ing is less than 14,000 pounds) and capable of being recharged from an external source of electricity, or (2) satisfy certain requirements for “qualified fuel cell motor vehicles” under existing section 30B of the Internal Revenue Code. There are no income limits on the eligi bility of the taxpayer purchasing the vehicle

for the qualified commercial clean vehicle

c re d i t A l s o , t h e re i s n o N o r t h A m e r i c a n

Assembly requirement. This credit applies to vehicles acquired after December 31, 2022

Clean Heavy Duty Vehicles (Sec. 60101)

T h e I R A a m e n d s t h e C l e a n A i r A c t o f 1963 (P L 88 206) and allocates $1 billion in grants and rebates to businesses, states, tribes and municipalities to fund the replace ment of Class 6 and Class 7 heavy duty vehi c l e s w i t h z e r o e m i s s i o n v e h i c l e s T h i s i n c l u d e s s c h o o l a n d t r a n s i t b u s e s a n d garbage trucks This money can be used to replace trucks and equipment with models that emit zero exhaust emissions, defined as any air pollutant or greenhouse gas The pro gram must begin no later than December 14, 2 0 2 2 , a n d m o n e y w i l l r e m a i n a v a i l a b l e through September 30, 2031

EV Manufacturing Incentives

Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing (Sec 50142)

The IRA appropriates $3 billion for the Sec retary of Energy to make direct loans for the cost of establishing or expanding U S manu facturing facilities that produce advanced technology vehicles or components with low or zero GHG emissions. The money is allo cated for fiscal year 2022 and will remain avail able through September 30, 2028

Domestic Manufacturing Conversion Grants (Sec. 50143)

The IRA appropriates $2 billion for grants for domestic production of hybrid, plug in elec tric hybrid, plug in electric drive and hydro

gen fuel cell electric vehicles The money is allocated for fiscal year 2022 and will remain available through September 30, 2031. Recip ients must contribute 50 percent of the cost of the project carried out using the grant.

EV Infrastructure Incentives Credits & Funding

Alternative Fuel Refueling Property Credit (Sec. 13404)

The IRA extends through 2032 a currently expired tax credit for alternative fuel refu eling property, such as electric charging sta tions or hydrogen fuel cell recharging sta tions. The maximum tax credit would be 30 p e

n t

$ 1 0 0 , 0 0 0 p e r i t e m o f p ro p e r t y ( i n c re a s e d from $30,000 under existing law). To qualify for the maximum 30 percent credit, a busi ness that installs an EV charger will need to e n s u r e t h a t l a b o r e r s a n d m e c h a n i c s employed in the construction of the facilities meet new prevailing wage and apprentice s h i p re q u i re m e n t s T h e c re d i t f o r p ro j e c t s t h a t d o n o t m e e t t h e s e r e q u i r e m e n t s i s reduced to six percent. For home EV charg ing station installations, the tax credit is 30 percent of the costs of hardware and instal lation for qualified property, like EV charg ers This credit applies to properties placed in service after December 31, 2022.

Grants to Reduce Air Pollution at Ports (Sec. 60102)

T h e I R A f u r t h e r a m e n d s t h e C l e a n A i r Act and allocates $3 billion to the Environ mental Protection Agency (EPA) to reduce air pollution and emissions at ports via the i n s t a l l a t i o n o f z e ro e m i s s i o n s e q u i p m e n t

Electric school buses are also included in the act. Actually, school buses are a good use for electric power because of their limited miles of use and time to be charged overnight or between runs. Shown here is a Thomas electric Jouley school bus. THOMAS BUILT BUSES

and technology The EPA must establish a competitive grant and rebate program The money could go toward planning and per mitting in connection with the purchase or installation of zero emission port equipment or technology and the development of qual ified climate action plans Eligible applicants include port authorities, state, regional, local and tribal governments, or private entities that either apply in partnership with the pre v

that own, operate, or use the facilities, cargo handling equipment, transportation equip ment or related technology

Neighborhood Access and Equity Grant Program (Sec 60501)

or underserved communities Of the $3 bil l i o n , $ 1 11 b i l l i o n i s f o r s i m i l a r g r a n t s i n communities that are economically disad v a n t a g e d , h a v e e n t e re d o r w i l l e n t e r i n t o a community benefit agreement with com m u n i t y re p re s e n t a t i v e s , o r h a v e d e m o n s t r a t e d a p l a n f o r e m p l o y i n g l o c a l a n d impacted residents. Grant recipients must c o n t r i b u t e 2 0 p e rc e n t o f t h e t o t a l p ro j e c t cost, with an exception that the federal cost of a project in an underserved community m a y b e u p t o 1 0 0 p e r c e n t T h e m o n e y i s a l l o c a t e d f o r fi s c a l y e a r 2 0 2 2 a n d w i l l remain available until September 30, 2026

What’s Next?

Others changes to the EV credit will go i n t o e f f e c t o v e r t h e c o m i n g m o n t h s a n d years. Manufacturers like Chevrolet, GMC, a n d Te s l a t h a t h a v e a l r e a d y r e a c h e d t h e 200,000 EV credits cap will not qualify until January 1, 2023 At that time, tax credits for pre owned clean vehicles (section 25E of the IRS Code) and for commercial clean vehicles (section 45W of the IRS Code) will be avail able, too The U S Department of the Trea sury and the IRS will release more informa t i o n o n a l l t h e c l e a n v e h i c l e c re d i t s i n t h e coming months

T h e B i d e n A d m i

block grants. This money is allocated to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) f o r a c o m p e t i t i v e g r a n t p r o g r a m t o improve walkability, safety and affordable transportation access via construction pro jects and to mitigate or remediate negative e n v i ro n m e n t a l i m p a c t s i n d i s a d v a n t a g e d

https://www irs gov/credits

The IRA contains significant appropria tions for EVs and related infrastructure that will be available in fiscal year 2022, which begins October 1, 2022 The only change to the EV credit that already took effect when the President signed the law on August 16, 2 0 2 2 , i s t h e N o r t h A m e r i c a n a s s e m b l y requirement However, manufacturers will n e e d t o o v e rc o m e h u rd l e s f o r v e h i c l e s t o qualify for the credit, and it may take years before many consumers will see the EV tax credit available to them because of manu facturing and supply chain constraints

electric drive vehicle

https:// www coxautoinc com/market insights/ev sales hit new

This is really a Part II of our effort to pro v i d e i d e a s t o h e l p t r a n s i t o p e r a t o r s

O u r f i r s t a r t i c l e , “ I s Tr a n s i t i n Tro u ble?” in the September issue of NATIONAL BUS TRADER, covered some of the history of transit and how the private automobile has b e e n i t s b i g g e s t c o m p e t i t o r N o w w e w i l l take a close look at the one seat ride and how it might help transit operators

One of the oft mentioned reasons for peo ple not riding public transportation is that the buses do not go where the people want to go To resolve this, some transit operators have been working on First Mile and Last Mile options and alternatives to help move passengers from their origin point to the bus

o r t r a i n a n d f ro m t h e b u s o r t r a i n t o t h e i r destination point. However we find that his torically, passengers would prefer a one seat ride It is not only the most popular alterna tive for local trips, but it also seems to be the m o s t s u c c e s s f u l a n d s o m e t i m e s t h e m o s t profitable alternative for bus operators.

Cost and Convenience

W h y d o p e o p l e c h o o s e o n e f o r m o f t r a n s p o r t a t i o n o v e r a n o t h e r ? T h e r e a r e a c t u a l l y s o m e r a t h e r c o m p l e x a n s w e r s t o t h i s , b u t f o r o u r p u r p o s e s w e c a n l o o k a t c o s t a n d c o n v e n i e n c e C o s t w o u l d s e e m ingly favor public transportation over pri vate alternatives However, it appears that t h o s e m a k i n g t h i s t r a n s i t d e c i s i o n o v e r w h e l m i n g l y a r e l i k e l y t o p l a c e m o r e emphasis on convenience than cost I have s e e n n u m e ro u s s t u d i e s s h o w i n g t h a t p a s sengers are unhappy about changing from o n e m o d e o f t r a n s p o r t a t i o n t o a n o t h e r A l m o s t i n v a r i a b l y, t r a n s f e r s c u t d o w n o n r i d e r s h i p H i s t o r i c a l l y, t h e s t a t i s t i c s s h o w that the form of transportation with a one seat ride or at least fewer transfers will win.

Records suggest that in 1902, something like 80 percent of local transit was provided b y s t r e e t c a r s M u c h o f t h e r e m a i n d e r included walking, bicycles and even horses. However, 20 years later in 1922, more than 90 percent of transit trips had gravitated to the private automobile. While the automo bile cost more to operate than riding street cars, it offered a one seat ride from home to work. Autos went to places where the street cars and later buses did not

T h i s s i t u a t i o n o n l y g o t w o r s e o v e r t h e y e a r s a s t h e p a t t e r n o f l o c a l t r i p s b e c a m e less and less similar. In earlier years, many r a i l r o a d s , r a p i d t r a n s i t l i n e s , b u s a n d s t r e e t c a r l i n e s s e r v e d t h e c e n t r a l c i t y a s w e l l a s s o m e m a j o r t r a f f i c c o r r i d o r s . A s families, stores, companies and businesses b e g a n m o v i n g t o t h e s u b u r b s , w e l o s t t h o s e d e f i n e d c o r r i d o r s Tr a n s i t t r i p s n o l o n g e r f o l l o w e d m a j o r p a t t e r n s a n d became very diversified. It became nearly i m p o s s i b l e f o r f i x e d r o u t e b u s e s t o d e a l with this As a result, we saw more people depending on their private automobile for t h e i r l o c a l t r a n s p o r t a t i o n n e e d s

Looking for a One-Seat Ride

by Larr y Plachno

While cost seems to favor public transportation over other modes, most passengers place a higher value on convenience. As a result, much of public transit has had to deal with American’s love of their automobiles and their preference for a one seat ride This same trend to door to door service has been obvious in other areas including freight, retail sales and package delivery MCI

A n i n t e re s t i n g s i d e n o t e t o t h i s i s t h a t there were attempts to find ways to provide more effective suburban transit Chicago has a railroad line through much of its suburbs that was originally built as a belt line to move freight around the city instead of through it However, attempts to develop a system of s h u t t l e b u s e s s e r v i n g r a i l ro a d s t a t i o n s o n t his line proved t o b e somewhat unwork able. Travel times would be high because of the transfers required and the time it would take to complete the average trip using a bus, the train and another bus.

Buses and a One-Seat Ride

T h i s b r i n g s u s b a c k t o t h e c o n c e p t o f a one seat ride The overwhelming majority

of people have decided to use their private a u t o m o b i l e f o r t h e i r t r a n s i t t r i p s . S o m e researchers have suggested that a measur able number have left public transit in favor of taxis, Uber, Lyft and other TNCs. There are statistics showing that 15 percent of local t r a ff i c i n N e w Yo r k C i t y h a s g o n e i n t h i s direction. One has to note that in addition to providing a one seat ride, these alterna tives also come to the passenger rather than e x p e c t i n g t h e p a s s e n g e r t o c o m e t o t h e buses

W h i l e m a n y p e o p l e m i g h t t h i n k t h a t buses cannot provide a one seat ride, that is not the case. Unlike streetcars, buses do not need to follow tracks and can go where they

are needed The actual facts are that more b u s e s p ro v i d e a o n e s e a t r i d e , o r a t l e a s t come close, than you might think. In addi tion (surprise!) the buses that provide a one seat ride or come close tend to be among the most profitable

For the most part, school buses provide a one seat ride from home to school In most cases it is the schools that pay for the service While the actual routes and stops may vary slightly from year to year, basic service con tinues relatively unchanged Although the n u m b e r s a re s m a l l e r, t h e re a re n u m e ro u s industrial routes operated by major corpo r a t i o n s o r g o v e r n m e n t a g e n c i e s . M o s t involve transporting employees to remote f a c i l i t i e s o r w o r k s i t e s T h e s e c a n i n c l u d e mining operations and some rather rugged roads It is interesting that MCI provides an optional heavy duty package on its coaches for operations like this

T h e r e a r e l a r g e r e m p l o y e r s w h o r u n buses for their staff Neoplan at Lamar, Col orado provided buses from nearby commu nities. The schedule was inbound to the fac t o r y i n t h e m o r n i n g a n d t h e n b a c k h o m e after quitting time The buses were driven by employees who worked at the factory I know of several larger employers, including amusement parks, that provide bus service for their staff A major expansion on this has taken place in Silicon Valley in recent years S o m e o f t h e l a r g e r e m p l o y e r s , m a n y i n v o l v e d w i t h t h e I n t e r n e t , o p e r a t e employee shuttles to and from work It helps in finding and retaining staff

There are also some interesting variations to this theme For example, some of the com

muter coaches going into New York City will serve the Wall Street area for those employed there At one time there were also two bus operations that catered to the Jewish people w h o w o r k e d i n a s p e c i f i c a r e a i n t h e B i g

Apple

One quest ion t hat I have b een ask ed is whether it is possible to operate a one seat ride bus service without the involvement of t h e e m p l o y e r s o r f o r m u l t i p l e e m p l o y e r s

When you actually look at the numbers, a surprising amount of bus operations provide a one-seat ride or come close. Virtually all of school bus operations provide a one seat ride from home to school or come reasonably close This photo shows a Thomas Saf T Liner arriving to pick up a group of children on their way to school. THOMAS BUILT BUSES.

The answer is yes, and I have done just that A t o n e p o i n t I w a s i n v o l v e d w i t h h e l p i n g establish and run commuter buses to train stations in some Chicago suburbs In discus sions with commuters, I learned that many were dissatisfied with the need to change f r o m b u s t o t r a i n a n d t h e n b a c k t o a b u s again to reach their place of employment They indicated that the mode changes were b o t h i n c o n v e n i e n t a n d t i m e c o n s u m i n g . Many said that they would give up the train ride in exchange for a one seat ride

A s a re s u l t , w e s t a r t e d a s e r v i c e c a l l e d Executive Commuter Coach and sold seats on a monthly basis We picked up passen gers at suburban corners and transported them to downtown Chicago as well as up M i c h i g a n Av e n u e T h e r e w a s a l i m i t e d opportunity to switch to an earlier or later bus. While they gave up the train ride, they g o t r e c l i n i n g s e a t s , r e a d i n g l i g h t s a n d a restroom Today they would also get Wi Fi T h e s e r v i c e w a s s u c c e s s f u l . W h i l e t h e coaches had to battle traffic on the express way, the time difference compared with the train and two buses was less than expected b e c a u s e n o t i m e w a s l o s t t r a n s f e r r i n g between modes.

Looking Beyond Transit

It is interesting if not downright sobering to realize that this movement to a one seat ride and door to door service is not limited t o t h e t r a n s i t i n d u s t r y I t h a s a p p e a re d i n many other places in our society including o t h e r t r a n s p o r t a t i o n , f re i g h t o p e r a t i o n s , entertainment and even retail sales

T h i s s a m e t re n d w a s o b v i o u s i n o t h e r forms of transportation at the same time that

National Bus Trader

October,

There are several bus operations that provide transportation to specialized or remote industrial sites for workers. MCI even offers a special package on their coaches for operators providing this service over unpaved and dusty roads It has recently become increasingly popular with major employers in the Silicon Valley area MCI

it appeared in buses Railroads and the early interurban lines carried most of the traffic between cities in 1902. As time went on they had the same problem as transit because pas sengers began moving to the private auto mobile. This only got worse for the railroads as better roads and then the interstate high ways were built Remaining interstate pas senger service is now vested in Amtrak and requires a subsidy too

Moving away from passengers, we can note that virtually the same thing happened to the freight industry in this same era. In 1902, essentially all freight was carried by the railroads or the early interurban lines Smaller items like express and less than car load lots (LCL) were transported in express and baggage cars. I might add that some rail roads and interurban lines offered pick up a n d d e l i v e r y s e r v i c e ; w h i c h w o u l d b e t h e f re i g h t e q u i v a l e n t t o w h a t t o d a y i s c a l l e d “First Mile, Last Mile” in the transit business By 1922, the shorter express freight move ments were increasingly being taken over by trucks because they offered door to door service the equivalent of a one seat ride in transit As time went on, and as roads and trucks improved, trucks took over more and more of this freight business just like private autos and Uber taking over transit trips

It is interesting that eventually the rail roads reclaimed some of this business back w i t h t r u c k t r a i l e r s c a r r i e d o n r a i l c a r s (TOFC) This combination took advantage of the best attributes of each mode by using trucks for the pick up and delivery but the railroad for the longer haul in between This works well because the freight does not com plain about the extra time required to move the trailers on and off the train It would be

interesting to see if someone could come up w i t h a s i m i l a r p r o g r a m f o r c o m m u t e r s However, putting buses on railroad flat cars could be awkward and would probably take m o re t i m e t h a n w h a t w o u l d b e s a v e d b y using the train.

Could the concept of railroad piggyback service be applied to private automobiles? Ye s , t h i s d o e s w o r k T h e b e s t e x a m p l e I know of is the EuroTunnel rail connection between England and France under the Eng lish Channel Automobiles are driven into special railroad cars for the journey and pas sengers stay with their autos Other trains

carry trucks, but their drivers ride in a rail ro a d p a s s e n g e r c a r T h i s w o r k s w e l l w i t h automobiles because competition is a slower ferry boat It may not be as practical in com muter applications because of the additional time required to drive on and off the train.

In the 1950s and 1960s, Greyhound and other bus companies did a booming business in package express As with everything else, the biggest problem was pickup and delivery service; the traditional “First Mile, Last Mile” concern Eventually, a new company called UPS got started and took over much of this business by offering door to door service

One of the best examples for transporting passengers along with their autos can be seen on the EuroTunnel operation between England and France Special railroad cars are used that allow the automobiles to be driven inside the train and then off again on the other side of the English Channel. This photo shows automobiles being driven down the ramp leading to a train that is filling up prior to departure ©AD MESKENS/WIKI MEDIA

You can see this same trend in entertain ment At one time people went to shows and theaters or movie houses for entertainment. T

VHS tapes and then DVDs to watch movies a

N

p

e

d e o store is no longer necessary because you can download movies right to your home.

You can also see this same thing in retail sales. In 1902 it was difficult for rural resi d e

n

a

s t

re s Hence, the stores provided mail order cata logs so people could order what they wanted a n d h a v e i t d e l i v e r e d To d a y, t h i s h a s expanded to being able to order on the Inter net and have things delivered to your door People are increasingly expecting things to come to them.

Transit Thoughts and Questions

All of this brings up numerous thoughts and questions that might provide some ideas for transit operations in the future.

• I t i s o b v i o u s t h a t a n o v e r w h e l m i n g number of passengers would prefer to have the transportation come to them instead of having them go to the transportation

• Most passengers would prefer a one seat ride over changing modes during their journey

• A r e o u r r e g u l a r r o u t e b u s e s g o i n g where the passengers want to go?

• A r e o u r r e g u l a r r o u t e b u s e s g o i n g where the passengers not riding want to go?

• Instead of planning routes on a com puter, it might be worth while to ask the pas sengers where they want to go.

• Wo u l d s m a l l e r b u s e s

make more sense in providing more person a

subsidized car or van pools make sense and provide service more attractive to riders?

•

were big vehicles following a fixed route Is that what people want today?

While on the EuroTunnel train, drivers and passengers ride along with their cars inside the rail cars so they can roll off easily at the other end

are minimal but the duration of the trip is not much different than commuting

the line.

would be interesting

someone could figure out how to apply this concept to commuters

This movement to door to door service has gone well beyond transit and can be seen in freight, retail sales and package delivery. Package express, once primarily carried by railroads and buses, has mainly shifted to other carriers because they provide both pick up and delivery Pick up and delivery in freight and packages is the equivalent of “First Mile, Last Mile” concerns in transit. UPS

Historical Bus Fest 2022

T h e H i s t o r i c a l B u s F e s t d r e w m o r e t h a n 4 3 0 e n t h u s i a s t s , b u s i n d u s t r y v e t e r a n s a n d r e t i r e e s t o t h e S t a r r To u r s f a c i l i t y i n Tr e n t o n , N e w J e r s e y o n S e p t e m b e r 1 7 T h i s a n n u a l e v e n t , produced by the Friends of The New Jersey Transportation Heritage Cen ter, is a showcase for restored transit a n d h i g h w a y c o a c h e s .

I n a d d i t i o n t o d o z e n s o f b u s e s , ranging in age from a mid 1950s GM PD4104 to a brand new 45 foot Irizar d e m o n s t r a t o r, o n e o f t h e m o s t p o p u l a r f e a t u r e s o f t h e g a t h e r i n g i s a m a r k e t p l a c e f o r h i s t o r i c b u s i n d u s t

C

home is an interesting story He has brought the coach to several gatherings over the past few years Like many conversions, it takes a lot of time to get things right when a you work a regular job too It is fun, and instructive, to watch Johnson’s progress from event to event.

and the Southeast Jeff

it

the

Perhaps the rarest coach pre

merly operated by Trans Bridge Lines out of Bethlehem, Penn sylvania, in “Platinum Service,” it is one of only 25 built. Living in retirement at the Museum of

The now annual Bus Fest event is sponsored by the Friends of the New Jersey Transportation Heritage Center. They drive several of their historical buses to the event and put them on display Here is a row of buses containing several of the New Jersey historical buses Below: One of the more interesting buses on display was this MCI G4100 There were only a limited number of these built before Greyhound elected to order the 45 foot length This one had been operated by Trans Bridge Lines in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Article and photos courtesy of Dave Millhouser

Bus Transportation in Hershey, Pennsylva n i a , t h i s w a s a w e l c o m e o p p o r t u n i t y t o stretch its legs

There are several historic bus gatherings during the course of each summer, literally s p re a d a l l o v e r t h e U S E a c h h a s i t s o w n unique tone (a subtle hint that if you love

bus history, you might want to hit as many of them as possible).

B u s F e s t ’ s s p e c i a l f l a v o r i s i t s a b i l i t y t o draw lots of people who are, or were, serv i n g i n t h e b u s i n d u s t r y a v e r y k n o w l e d g e a b l e c ro w d Wa n d e r i n g t h ro u g h t h e y a r d , y o u c o u l d l e a r n a l o t a n d h e a r a l l

s o r t s o f f a s c i n a t i n g ( a n d s o m e t i m e s t ru e ) s t o r i e s .

For more information on the Friends of T h e N e w J e r s e y Tr a n s p o

In addition to the historical New Jersey buses, at least 20 other individuals and companies drove to the event with their own buses. They ranged from a brand new Irizar demo coach to a 45 foot Eagle converted to a motor home. Bus people came from several different

to attend the event.

A major part of the Bus Fest is a marketplace held inside the garage Vendors offered a wide range of bus items including trade magazines, posters,

and

There were also numerous models available of antique and modern buses.

The Big Picture

by Dave Millhouser

OBERHOLSTER VENITA

Duanewas a large and powerful man b u t n o t t o o f a s t T h a t w a s g o o d , b e c a u s e h e w a s c h a s i n g m e a ro u n d the garage yelling something about my “fry ing the engine” of a bus I had “repaired ”

H e h a d a s k e d m e t o s w a p t h e c o m p re s sor on a 4104, and I figured I had done a fine j o b n o e x t r a p a r t s l y i n g a r o u n d , a n d i t s e e m e d t o b e p u m p i n g a i r a s t h e e n g i n e revved There WAS this pool of green liquid under t he b us. It never occurred t o me t hat the compressor was water cooled, and I had d r a i n e d a s u b s t a n t i a l p a r t o f t h e c o o l a n t t o i n s t a l l t h e n e w u n i t a n d w a s n o w o v e r h e a t i n g t h e e n g i n e

D u a n e w a s a f i n e m a n a n e x c e l l e n t , i f e x c i t a b l e , m e c h a n i c a l m e n t o r, b u t I h a d missed the big picture, and did not under s t a n d h o w a l l t h e c o m p o n e n t s w o r k e d together Experience is a great teacher, over t h e y e a r s I n e v e r r e p e a t e d t h a t m i s t a k e saving energy for newer and bigger blunders

The announcement that the administra t o r o f t h e F e d e r a l M o t o r C a r r i e r S a f e t y A d m i n i s t r a t i o n w a s s t e p p i n g d o w n o ff e r s a n o p p o r t u n i t y. T h e a d m i n i s t r a t i o n c o u l d a p p o i n t a r e p l a c e m e n t w i t h a c t u a l t r a n s portation operating experience Admittedly t h e m o t o r c o a c h p i e c e i s d w a r f e d b y t h e trucking industry so there is little hope of a “bus person” in that slot, but someone who has a had transportation operating experi ence would be a plus FMCSA's first admin istrator was a retired trucking executive, but since then law enforcement and politically connected association executives have dom inated the position.

Those skills are useful and relevant, but is not time for someone who has had to juggle all the balls

News articles tout the departing admin i s t r a t o r ’ s s u c c e s s f u l e f f o r t s t o e l i m i n a t e u n s a f e c a r r i e r s a n d h e r p r o m u l g a t i o n o f n e w r e g u l a t i o n s t h a t m a k e c o m m e r c i a l

t r a n s p o r t a t i o n s a f e r. G e n e r a l l y s p e a k i n g , t h e c o m p a n i e s t h a t F M C S A c l o s e d d o w n were unsafe, but the current regulatory blitz h a s a l s o t a k e n a s e r i o u s t o l l o n c o m p e t e n t , w e l l i n t e n d e d c a r r i e r s

I t i s u n c e r t a i n w h e t h e r n e w re g u l a t i o n s w i l l s u b s t a n t i a l l y i m p ro v e s a f e t y i n i n d u s tries that have enviable (if not quite perfect) re c o rd s

O v e r t h e y e a r s t h e F e d e r a l Av i a t i o n A d m i n i s t r a t i o n h a s b e e n c r i t i c i z e d w h e n t h e y f a i l e d t o s t r i k e t h e c o r r e c t b a l a n c e between safety and promoting the aviation i n d u s t r y T h e y m a y n o t a l w a y s g e t i t r i g h t , b u t a t l e a s t t h e y r e c o g n i z e t h a t t h e r e i s a b a l a n c e A t t h e e n d o f t h e d a y, i f y o u w a n t t o b e c o m p l e t e l y s a f e , a g o r a p h o b i c s h a v e i t r i g h t . I n re c e n t y e a r s a d e p a r t i n g a d m i n istrator made the points that we should put safety first, profits second, and that her job w a s n o t t o b e t t e r t h e i n d u s t r y, o n l y t o i m p ro v e s a f e t y

There are numerous examples of individuals who have come up through the ranks at bus companies and other businesses while learning many, if not most, of the skills and gaining the experience required in the operation They often make good managers because they understand how things work and get “The Big Picture.” Unfortunately, many administrators and regulators have little experience or knowledge of the industries they supervise.

A re g u l a t o r w i t h o p e r a t i n g e x p e r i e n c e m i g h t h a v e a b e t t e r u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f t h e big picture how all that fits together. It is e a s y t o t a k e s h o t s a t f a c e t s o f a b u s i n e s s when you do not have responsibility for the outcome Profits pay for safety Successful companies (and their insurers) have a major stake in preventing accidents. Rules should be written and enforced by people who see the big picture and understand the practi calities of operating safely in the real world.

T h e f o l k s d o i n g e n f o r c e m e n t a r e w e l l intentioned “investigators,” determined to f i n d s o m e t h i n g w r o n g T h e y a l w a y s d o , because you are functioning in the real world with human beings doing the work

Years ago Bus and Motorcoach News ran a story about John Hill who entered the pri vate sector after a career in government and 2 1⁄2 y e a r s a s F M C S A ' s a d m i n i s t r a t o r I n e s s e n c e , h e s a i d t h a t h e w i s h e d h e h a d known then what he learned from operating a b u s i n e s s I n a n i n t e r v i e w w i t h t h e I n d i anapolis Star, Hill said, “I would like to have better understood the effect of laws and reg ulations on society that I now have experi enced as a small business owner ”

I t w o u l d h a v e b e e n n i c e i f h e h a d t h a t experience first.

A 100 percent safe industry looks great o n a re g u l a t o r s re s u m e , b u t a t w h a t c o s t ? Bad companies have been driven out, but good companies have been forced to either shrink in order to pay for compliance (that may have minimal impact on real safety), or t o r a i s e p r i c e s . F e w n e w c o m p a n i e s ( w i t h the innovation and energy they bring) are entering the business That may seem good to established carriers, but long term con sequences could be ugly

The solution is reasonable rules, applied w i t h c o m m o n s e n s e , b y p e o p l e w h o h a v e real world experience A great place to start would have been a new administrator who has “walked the walk ”

When my niece Jenny was 12 years old, I let her drive my 45 foot demo coach around the parking lot (closely supervised) To the best of my knowledge Jenny has more actual o p e r a t i n g e x p e r i e n c e t h a n a n y F M C S A administrator since 2002. She just graduated college and is available for the job just in case anyone in the administration actually reads this. q

I n o u r c a s e t h i s d i s c o u r a g e s t h e p u b l i c f r o m r i d i n g c o a c h e s f o r c i n g m a n y i n t o a u t omob i l e s w h e re t h e i r a cci de n t s do n ot mar the bureaucratic record

Many regulators and administrators in Washington do not understand how business works. They may also not have experience in the industry they are working with. The result can sometimes be less than desirable WENHAN CHANG

Sur vival and Pr osperityby

Congestion Pricing and Congestion Thinking

Those like myself with nearly a half cen tury’s experience in the public transportation industry have a luxury of knowing about a lot of stuff One example is my context for New York City’s imminent implementation of a congestion pricing program. In its cur rent, half baked form, this program threat ens to introduce yet another barrier to motor coach operations

partisan. Tilting the board in one direction or another was heresy

A s p a r t o f t h e n P r e s i d e n t J o h n s o n ’ s

M o d e l C i t i e s P ro g r a m ( 1 9 6 4 ) , w i t h i n t h e Department of Housing and Urban Devel opment (HUD), Johnson created the Urban M a s s Tr a n s p o r t a t i o n A d m i n i s t r a t i o n (UMTA). Most importantly, UMTA paid for 80 percent of the cost of a transit agency’s or municipality’s buses When the U S Depart m e n t o f Tr a n s p o r t a t i o n ( U S D O T ) w a s formed in 1967, UMTA was almost imme d i a t e l y t r a n s f e r re d f ro m H U D t o U S D O T

senseless air travel) Early applications of Dial A Ride (initially a 1969 “experiment” to use vans as feeder services to a commuter r a i l l i n e b e t w e e n S o u t h N e w J e r s e y a n d P h i l a d e l p h i a ) R i d e s h a r i n g H O V l a n e s

This installment concludes with my rec ommendations for reversing this travesty of injustice and small thinking These are my personal opinions in this case, aggressive and perhaps overboard opinions not the policies or recommendations of NATIONAL BUS TRADER Unique among transportation i

, N AT I O N A L B U S TRADER provides a platform for those like myself to explore and present of all sorts of ideas, often unconventional, often critical, often innovative including lessons from other modes

Origin of Species

In 1977, in my second “day gig” after I obtained my Masters Degree in Urban and R e g i o n a l P l a n n i n g , I b e c a m e t h e p r o j e c t director of a transportation group within a Washington, D C based public interest think tank named Public Technology, Inc (PTI) With purported guidance from representa tives of the U S Conference of Mayors and the Urban Consortium for Technology Ini tiatives, we were funded by various federal agencies to conduct projects to address these communities’ most critical problems Once a year, these groups came together to pro duce a “top 10 list ” Within the transporta tion group (funded mostly by UMTA [now the FTA]), our central focus was fixed route t r a n s i t I n 1 9 7 7 , o u r t o p p r i o r i t y w a s t h e decline in efficiency, or “productivity” (as it was then referred to). Like almost everything those days, our projects were completely bi

U M TA t h e n b e g a n p r o v i d i n g o p e r a t i n g assistance to these agencies and municipal ities (requiring both city and state “match ing” funds) When I joined PTI 10 years later, these funds were covering only 50 percent of transit’s operating costs Sixty two percent of every $1 of UMTA funds translated imme diately into wage increases (Depending on one’s political sensibilities, this was not nec essarily a bad thing, since this helped swell our middle class and narrow the income gap b e t w e e n w h i t e a n d b l u e c o l l a r w o r k e r s ) Nevertheless, transit agencies were begin ning to panic

As PTI’s transportation group’s number one priority, this concern led us to develop a n d c o n d u c t t h e N a t i o n a l C o n f e re n c e o n Transit Performance, held in Norfolk, Vir ginia, in September, 1977 I designed the con f e re n c e , w ro t e t h e p ro p o s a l f o r f u n d i n g i t and had the luck and privilege of organizing and running it (since my far more qualified boss was pregnant at the time) I also wrote the Conference Proceedings

A t t h e C o n f e r e n c e , 2 0 0 h a n d p i c k e d experts from a spectrum of disciplines tran sit officials, academicians, economists, union r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s , p l a n n e r s , e t c f r o m throughout the country spent two days (at 10 tables of 20 people each) exploring count less solutions Every “table’s” conclusions were summarized and presented to the full conference on its third day. Many ideas were terrific Almost none were implemented

Specious and Squandered

Long before robots, corruption and pol itics began destroying the public transporta tion industry (already affected by the “urban sprawl” which almost killed it before Pres ident Johnson’s rescue), the industry, in the 1970s, was swollen with great ideas: Park and ride lots The “500 mile” rule (limiting

Alternative work schedules A profusion of ferry boats (often carrying automobiles as well as other passengers). On and on. The major enemy was traffic The solution was b u s e s T h e f a c t t h a t o n e f u l l b u s re p l a c e d roughly 40 cars was the rationale, and our mantra. Any thought of hampering transit’s growth and success was blasphemy

Following the 49,500 mile, 99 5 percent c o m p l e t i o n o f P r e s i d e n t E i s e n h o w e r ’ s Defense Highway Act of 1954 a critical g o a l o f n a t i o n a l , s t r a t e g i c i m p o r t a n c e reducing traffic was considered a necessity Along the way, someone in Singapore stum bled upon a unique strategy that was suc cessfully implemented, and which enjoyed tremendous popularity and political sup p o r t : C o n g e s t i o n P r i c i n g . To i t s c r e d i t , USDOT offered $1 million to any major U S city willing to initiate what was then known as a “demonstration project ” This offer held the promise of a turning point to fend off the collapse of the public transportation indus t r y N o t a s i n g l e c i t y s t e p p e d f o r w a r d t o accept the offer

The reality was that, at this point in our history, technical solutions were further tak i n g a b a c k s e a t t o p o l i t i c s N o A m e r i c a n elected official was willing to jeopardize his or her electability in “The Car Country” for some scheme that would naturally alienate motorists The public interest and national goals be damned. Not to denigrate a decade of magnificent progress (1964 through 1973) i n w h a t w a s t h e n , a n d s t i l l i s , t h e p l a n e t ’ s most powerful country, in 1977, we were still reeling from our loss of the Korean War and the Vietnam War (not what the Koreans and Vietnamese called them) While we were not a b o u t t o p ro m o t e “ n o s t i n k i n g m o t o r i s t crushing innovation,” no discussion of con gestion pricing included the idiotic notion of applying its fees to buses Anyone who

Ned Einstein

Sur

dared suggest such a thing would have been laughed out of the room

Dreamers and Disregarded Derrieres

Needless to say, traffic became worse and worse in urban areas despite the “urban sprawl” that lured tens of millions out of the “inner cities ” For a considerable number of reasons I discussed in many previous install ments of NATIONAL BUS TRADER, transit rid ership was still high in the early 2000s Yet traffic levels were becoming insufferable

The clues were hardly surprising Seven or eight years ago, an issue of a publication b y N e w Yo

and Pr osperity

Too Late or Too Trivial

R e c e n t l y ( s e e h t t p s : / / w w w nytimes com/2022/09/09/nyregion/con gestion pricing manhattan html ), the New Yo r k C i t y M e t r o p o l i t a n Tr a n s p o r t a t i o n

motorcoach takes up less space than three small cars glued together front bumper to rear bumper

As an ugly footnote, transit ridership had fallen, nationally, by roughly 10 percent a year during the two years before COVID 19 struck At the present time, New York City enjoys the highest percentage of operating c o s t s c o v e re d b y f a re s i n t h e c o u n t r y 3 5 percent (This figure is 13 percent in dense San Francisco and nine percent in Los Ange les County.)

k C

t

’ s D o w n t o w n A l l i a n c e noted that while there were 2,500 residential units below Wall Street (mostly in Battery Park), another 5,000 were under construc tion My six story Fulton Street apartment and office at the time (six blocks above Wall Street) was soon replaced by a 30 story office building Talks about building a third tunnel (between the Holland and Lincoln tunnels) went nowhere, while the New York/New J

Tr

p

C

PAT H station (transporting mostly stock market and other employees residing in New Jersey to and from the city’s “Financial District”)

M a n h a t t a n b e c a m e t a l l e r a n d t a l l e r, a n d m o r e a n d m o r e o v e r c r o w d e d T h e v a s t majority of New Yorkers hated this trade off, but it made no difference All that mat t e re d w a s m o n e y a n d p ro fi t Tr a f fi c w a s a politically accepted bi product about which no voters could do anything.

H o p e f o r “ s m a l l f a v o r s ” o c c a s i o n a l l y e m e rg e d L a t e i n h i s s e c o n d o r t h i rd t e r m ( 2 0 0 2 t h r o u g h 2 0 1 3 ) , f o r m e r M a j o r Bloomberg tried to gain support for a con g e s t i o n p r i c i n g d e m o n s t r a t i o n p r o j e c t designed to charge a fee to motorists (and motorcoaches) operating between Central P a r k S o u t h ( 5 9 t h S t re e t ) a n d C a n a l S t re e t (running through Chinatown) during day t i m e h o u r s T h e p l a n w a s re j e c t e d b y t h e State Assembly largely because its members f e l t t h a t M a y o r B l o o m b e rg d i d n o t s p e n d enough time upstate lobbying for this pro gram an omission which many Assembly men, particularly upstate, interpreted as a sign of disrespect

The “formal” excuse was articulated by e l e c t e d o f fi c i a l s f ro m t h e “ o t h e r f o u r b o r o u g h s ” a n d s u r r o u n d i n g a r e a s ( m o s t l y We s t c h e s t e r a n d R o c k l a n d c o u n t i e s , a n d B r o o k l y n a n d Q u e e n s ) : Q u e s t i o n : ” W h y s h o u l d m y c o n s t i t u e n t s c o m m u t i n g f ro m the poorer boroughs (and the rich suburbs) s u b s i d i z e t h e U b e r R i c h i n M a n h a t t a n ? ” R e g a r d l e s s , p o l i t i c s o v e r r u l e d c o m m o n sense and popularity, as it has increasingly done at the expense of increased traffic and lower transit ridership

A u t h o r i t y ( N Y C M TA ) c o n d u c t e d d o z e n s o f p u b l i c h e a r i n g s a b o u t n e w a t t e m p t s t o launch this same project (some boundaries m a y h a v e c h a n g e d s i n c e t h e fi r s t a t t e m p t a d e c a d e e a r l i e r ) A u t o m o b i l e f e e s c o u l d b e a s h i g h a s $ 2 3 a d a y ) I n p e r s p e c t i v e , o f c o u r s e , p a r k i n g o n e ’ s c a r i n t h e F i n a n c i a l D i s t r i c t c o s t s $ 7 0 a d a y. ) O t h e r w i s e , c o n gestion pricing is practically on New York C i t y ’ s d o o r s t e p T h e p l a n i s e s t i m a t e d t o b r i n g i n $ 1 B b i l l i o n a y e a r To p l a c e t h i s “windfall” in perspective, one need merely re f e re n c e t h e $ 4 b i l l i o n u p g r a d i n g o f t h e World Trade Center PATH station Or per h a p s t h e f a c t t h a t , b y t h e e n d o f 2 0 1 5 , t h e city had allowed 15,000 Ubers to enter the c i t y w i t h o u t p u r c h a s i n g a t a x i “ m e d a l l i o n ” w h i c h , a t t h e t i m e , c o s t $ 1 1 m i l lion The owners of few of these unneeded vehicles would likely have purchased any m e d a l l i o n s H a d t h e y, t h i s fi r s t 1 5 , 0 0 0 U b e r s w o u l d h a v e r a i s e d $ 1 6 5 B b i l l i o n ( T h e c i t y re c e n t l y c a p p e d t h e n u m b e r o f [ s t i l l m e d a l l i o n f r e e ] U b e r s a t 6 0 , 0 0 0 . C l e a r l y, s o m e o f t h e m w o u l d h a v e p a i d s o m e t h i n g f o r a m e d a l l i o n )

The point is that, in New York City, $1B billion a year in additional revenue is a foot n o t e T h e re v e n u e f ro m m o t o rc o a c h f e e s would barely cover the cost of the printer cartridges to make hard copies of the pro gram’s budget

W h e n o n e s q u e e z e s t h e t e c h n i c a l j u i c e from this bag of @y%k$#, what is left are cor ruption and power. After all, what power do 33,000 motorcoaches’ drivers (and per haps a few hundred large or medium sized fleet owners) and their two miniscule lob bying groups have over leviathans like Uber and Lyft? Or General Motors, Chrysler Cor p o r a t i o n a n d F o r d M o t o r C o m p a n y ? O r more importantly, huge construction con g l o m e r a t e s k n o c k i n g d o w n e v e r y t h i r d building in Manhattan to erect a much taller o n e w h o s e o f fi c e s a r e fi l l e d b y c o u n t l e s s more motorists?

Hypocrisy and Impunity

Throughout my 23 years writing monthly columns for NATIONAL BUS TRADER, I have repeatedly railed at the stupidity (and gall) of charging motorcoaches bridge and tunnel tolls Stupidity appears to have no end The impending, any day now congestion pricing p r o g r a m w i l l a l s o c h a r g e f e e s t o m o t o r c o a c h e s I n t h e o l d d a y s o f 4 0 f o o t e r s , a motorcoach would replace a mere 40 auto mobiles Today’s 45 footers, with 12 more seats, would likely replace 50. Who cares?

T h e a b i l i t y o f e l e c t e d o f fi c i a l s t o p e r f o r m fourth grade math (i e , long division) has become as irrelevant as their command of 20th Century history and wisdom. Equally obsolete are counting and measuring Even a d o g c h a s i n g o n e k n o w s t h a t a m o d e r n

The Couch, One’s Buttocks and One’s Thumb

Name three things that should never be combined at the same time

One constant I have observed over my 3 5 y e a r a s s o c i a t i o n w i t h t h e m o t o rc o a c h i n d u s t r y i s t h a t i t h a s c h a n g e d l i t t l e a n d a c c o m p l i s h e d e v e n l e s s E x c e p t i o n s l i k e cleaner engines, three point seat belts and longer vehicles are barely asterisks We do n o t n e e d c l e a n e r, s a f e r, f a n c i e r o r l a r g e r motorcoaches We need more of them Pay ing a daily penalty for replacing 50 cars that day is hardly a good start At this point, my opinions depart from the mainstream of do nothingness that characterizes the motor coach industry’s lemmings.

If you do not want to pay congestion pric i n g f e e s , t h e r e a r e a c t u a l l y a n u m b e r o f things you can do.

Parody and Disparity

s t a r t

s

Put those n

impound and store

A m o d e r n m o t o r c o a c h takes up less space than t h r e e s m a l l c a r s g l u e d together.

do not need cleaner, s a f e

a n

a

g e

motorcoaches We need more of them.

Sur vival and Pr osperity

good use. Park a handful at the intersection o f B r o a d w a y a n d 4 2 n d S t r e e t , a n d a f e w dozen at other key intersections and disman tle the engine Drive them onto the lawn in Central Park and Washington Square Park. Park them on the sidewalk in front of some key public buildings Take apart a few old ones of no value and strew their components

a n d s h e e t m e t a l f r a g m e n t s o n e v e r y s i d e street in Manhattan Park a cluster of them at the entrance to the Lincoln and Holland tunnels, the Queens Midtown Tunnel, the Verrazano Narrows Bridge and on the ramps t o t h e G e o r g e Wa s h i n g t o n B r i d g e a n d puncture their tires (after you replace them w i t h j u n k y a r d t i r e s w i t h n o r e m a i n i n g tread). Position them sideways on West Side Highway and FDR drive, and remove the tires, wheels and transmission

For a decade now, Silicon Valley compa nies have not even pretended to offer prod uct improvements They openly declare their intentions to disrupt what currently exists A s t h e y s u c c e e d , t h e y o w n t h e t e r r i t o r y. There are now twice as many Ubers operat i n g i n N e w Yo r k C i t y a s t h e re a re m o t o r coaches operating in the entire country How do you think that happened? If you wish to s u c c e e d i n t o d a y ’ s A m e r i c a w i t h t o d a y ’ s rules, you must act accordingly

If New Yorkers or Americans do not yet u n d e r s t a n d t r a f fi c , y o u m u s t s h o w t h e m w h a t i t i s E v e n t h e d u m b e s t o f t h e d u m b w i l l n o t p u n i s h y o u b y t a k i n g y o u o ff t h e roadway. If they did, traffic would only get worse With a tad of support from the transit industry or a handful of its drivers, the city would shut down so fast that it would make COVID look like a bad cold.

s o m e t h i n g e l s e t o d o . I f y o u w a n t t o b e i n this business, do what it takes to stay there Interestingly, it may not take a great many “disrupters” to draw attention to what traf fic is really about. A few score of near dead

“ s p a re ” c o a c h e s s t r a t e g i c a l l y p o s i t i o n e d will have an enormous impact, and send a c l e a r m e s s a g e N e w Yo r k m o t o r i s t s w i l l need only a single day stuck in their cars f ro z e n i n p l a c e f o r h o u r s t o g e t i t T h i s i s n o t t h e U k r a i n e I d o u b t N e w Yo r k C i t y has many heavy duty tow trucks The task w i l l b e h a rd e r o n c e y o u re m o v e t h e t i re s a n d t r a n s m i s s i o n s P l u s , w i t h t h e s t re e t s clogged with a million unmovable vehicles, h o w w o u l d t h e y e v e n g e t t h e r e ? D o w e h a v e e n o u g h O s p r e y s t o l i f t t h e m u p ? ( H e l p f r o m o u r M a r t i a n b r o t h e r s i s unlikely ) It could take several days to clean u p t h i s m e s s

I a m t a l k i n g a b o u t a o n e d a y protest/demonstration involving a few score o f m o t o rc o a c h e s w i t h l i t t l e v a l u e b e y o n d scrap. One might first strip off almost every p a r t o f a n y v a l u e ( i n c l u d i n g r u b b i n g o f f every trace of its VIN, registration stickers, vehicle operating numbers and emptying out the glove box) as long as enough parts and fuel remain to drive each one a few miles to its destination (At the drop off, unscrew and remove the plates ) This is not much of a contribution for sensible operating rights. Who knows? The imbecility of charging you bridge and tunnel tolls may even come up Or your spokespersons not necessarily the coach owners could raise it

Banning motorcoaches from the city will hardly become the penalty If you leave the decision makers two choices, increasing traf fi c l e v e l s i s n o t l i k e l y t o p re

a i l T h e “ T

shirts need not say, “More Motorcoaches.” They need only say, “Less Traffic ” The same lesson The same message The same solu tion

Tired of being treated like feces? If so, do something about it Let the games begin

The opinions expressed in this article are that of the author and do not necessarily represent the opinions of NATIONAL BUS TRADER, Inc or its staff and management q

Ned Einstein is the president of Transporta tion Alternatives (www transalt com [1]), a p u b l i c t r a n s p o r t a t i o n w i t n e s s

. Einstein (einstein@transit com) specializes in catastrophic motorcoach accidents.

i

If Americans barely know what motor coaches even are, how about showing them? Along the way, you might even teach them to count and measure You will surely teach them that local politicians have only disdain for their needs and interests The “T” shirts would be a national embarrassment. ”$25 is too much to remove 50 cars” (an interesting concept since Bridge and Tunnel fees have ballooned to $16 per round trip ) I feel sure that a few thinking motorcoach owners or drivers can improve upon and shorten this slogan

I f y o u w a n t t h e r i g h t t o

By the way, I cannot even Google a fine f o r t h i s a c t I s u s p e c t t h e re m a y b e n o n e T h e c i t y w i l l s i m p l y i m p o u n d t h e v e h i c l e . S o h o w m u c h c o u l d t h i s re a l l y c o s t ? H o w m u c h w o u l d t h i s v e h i c l e b r i n g w e re y o u t o s c r a p i t m u c h l e s s w h e n y o u c o u l d a v o i d t h e t o w i n g f e e ? To c r i m i n a l i z e t h i s abandonment of property, the City Council would have to conduct an emergency ses sion New York City’s “finest” would have to hunt you down for the three days in jail y o u m i g h t s p e n d a n d t h e $ 5 0 0 fi n e y o u m a y h a v e t o p a y ( T h i n k o f a l l t h e p o l i c e o f fi c e r s n e e d e d t o b a t a w a y t h e h o rd e s o f reporters and their camera crews.) All this f o r a s i n g l e d a y ’ s p e a c e f u l d e m o n s t r a t i o n i n w h i c h n o o n e w a s h u r t , a n d y o u g e t t o dump your worst vehicle(s) The New York Ti m e s w o u l d h a v e a fi e l d d a y. Yo u w o u l d b e c o m e a ro c k s t a r a l t h o u g h t h e fl o o d o f i n t e r v i e w s i n t h e p re s s a n d m e d i a c o u l d b e c o m e t i r i n g

As congestion pricing illustrates, no one in America notices stupidity We are drown ing in it Any deranged teenager can buy a m a c h i n e g u n a n d s h o o t u p t h e s c h o o l o r church of his choice Those in the Car Coun try will absolutely notice gridlock They will

notice celebrity. They will notice when “The C i t y t h a t N e v e r S l e e p s ” s u d d e n l y c a n n o t move

BACK ISSUES

EVERY ISSUE IS NEW UNTIL YOU HAVE READ IT!

NATIONAL BUS TRADER continues to receive requests on the availability of back issues so that readers can either locate desired information or obtain missing issues

While they last, the following back issues are available Issues beginning with June, 1979 thru c

$ 3 U S , $ 4 5 0 C a n a d a a n d $ 5 International (US) each postpaid

Several issues are already “out of print,” hence we suggest that you indicate second choices We

requested are no longer available

q Vol II, No 7 June, 1979

q Vol II, No 10 September, 1979

q Vol III, No 4 March, 1980

q Vol III, No 5 April, 1980

q Vol III, No 6 May, 1980

q Vol. III, No. 9 August, 1980

q Vol III, No 10 September, 1980

q Vol. III, No. 12 November, 1980

q Vol IV, No 5 April, 1981

q Vol. IV, No. 6 May, 1981

q Vol IV, No 7 June, 1981

q Vol. IV, No. 9 August, 1981

q Vol IV, No 10 September, 1981

q Vol. IV, No. 11 October, 1981

q Vol V, No 2 January, 1982

q Vol. V, No. 3 February, 1982

q Vol V, No 6 May, 1982

q Vol V, No 11 October, 1982

q Vol V, No 12 November, 1982

q Vol VI, No 2 January, 1983

q Vol VI, No 5 April, 1983

q Vol VI, No 7 June, 1983

q Vol. VI, No. 9 August, 1983

q Vol VI, No 10 September, 1983

q Vol. VI, No. 11 October, 1983

q Vol VI, No 12 November, 1983

q Vol. VII, No. 5 April, 1984

q Vol VII, No 9 August, 1984

q Vol. VII, No. 10 September, 1984

q Vol VII, No 11 October, 1984

q Vol. VII, No. 12 November, 1984

q Vol VIII, No 2 January, 1985

q Vol. VIII, No. 4 March, 1985

q Vol VIII, No 6 May, 1985

q Vol VIII, No 7 June, 1985

q Vol VIII, No 8 July, 1985

q Vol VIII, No 10 September, 1985

q Vol VIII, No 12 November, 1985

q Vol IX, No 5 April, 1986

q Vol. IX, No. 6 May, 1986

q Vol IX, No 8 July, 1986

q Vol. IX, No. 9 August, 1986

q Vol IX, No 10 September, 1986

q Vol. IX, No. 12 November, 1986

q Vol X, No 2 January, 1987

q Vol. X, No. 4 March, 1987

q Vol X, No 5 April, 1987

q Vol. X, No. 6 May, 1987

q Vol X, No 9 August, 1987

q Vol X, No 10 September, 1987

q Vol X, No 11 October, 1987

q Vol X, No 12 November, 1987

q Vol XI, No 2 January, 1988

q Vol XI, No 3 February, 1988

q Vol. XI, No. 4 March, 1988

q Vol XI, No 5 April, 1988

q Vol. XI, No. 6 May, 1988

q Vol XI, No 11 October, 1988

q Vol. XI, No. 12 November, 1988

q Vol XII, No 2 January, 1989

q Vol. XII, No. 3 February, 1989

q Vol XII, No 4 March, 1989

q Vol. XII, No. 5 April, 1989

q Vol XII, No 6 May, 1989

q Vol. XII, No. 7 June, 1989

q Vol XII, No 10 September, 1989

q Vol XII, No 11 October, 1989

q Vol XIII, No 2 January, 1990

q Vol XIII, No 4 March, 1990

q Vol XIII, No 6 May, 1990

q Vol XIII, No 5 April, 1990

q Vol. XIII, No. 7 June, 1990

q Vol XIII, No 8 July, 1990

q Vol. XIII, No. 10 September, 1990

q Vol XIV, No 2 January, 1991

q Vol XIV, No 4 March, 1991

q Vol XIV, No 7 June, 1991

q Vol XIV, No 10 September, 1991

q Vol. XIV, No. 11 October, 1991

q Vol XIV, No 12 November, 1991

q Vol. XV, No. 2 January, 1992

q Vol XV, No 3 February, 1992

q Vol. XV, No. 4 March, 1992

q Vol XV, No 6 May, 1992

q Vol. XV, No. 7 June, 1992

q Vol XV, No 8 July, 1992

q Vol. XV, No. 9 August, 1992

q Vol XV, No 10 September, 1992

q Vol. XVI, No. 7 June, 1993

q Vol XVI, No 11 October, 1993

q Vol XVI, No 12 November, 1993

q Vol XVII, No 2 January, 1994

q Vol XVII, No 3 February, 1994

q Vol XVII, No 4 March, 1994

q Vol XVII, No 6 May, 1994

q Vol. XVII, No. 7 June, 1994

q Vol XVII, No 10 September, 1994

q Vol. XVII, No. 11 October, 1994

q Vol XVII, No 12 November, 1994

q Vol. XVIII, No. 2 January, 1995

q Vol XVIII, No 3 February, 1995

q Vol. XVIII, No. 4 March, 1995

q Vol XVIII, No 6 May, 1995

q Vol. XVIII, No. 7 June, 1995

q Vol XVIII, No 8 July, 1995

q Vol. XIX, No. 2 January, 1996

q Vol XIX, No 3 February, 1996

q Vol XIX, No 4 March, 1996

q Vol XIX, No 8 July, 1996

q Vol XIX, No 11 October, 1996

q Vol XIX, No 12 November, 1996

q Vol XX, No 2 January, 1997

q Vol. XX, No. 5 April, 1997

q Vol XX, No 6 May, 1997

q Vol. XX, No. 6 May, 1997

q Vol XX, No 7 June, 1997

q Vol. XX, No. 8 July, 1997

q Vol XX, No 9 August, 1997

q Vol. XX, No. 10 September, 1997

q Vol XX, No 12 November, 1997

q Vol. XXI, No. 2 January, 1998

q Vol XXI, No 3 February, 1998

q Vol XXI, No 5 April, 1998

q Vol XXI, No 7 June, 1998

q Vol XXI, No 8 July, 1998

q Vol XXI, No 9 August, 1998

q Vol XXI, No 10 September, 1998

q Vol. XXII, No. 2 January, 1999

q Vol XXII, No 4 March, 1999

q Vol. XXII, No. 5 April, 1999

q Vol XXII, No 6 May, 1999

q Vol. XXII, No. 7 June, 1999

q Vol XXII, No 8 July, 1999

q Vol. XXII, No. 9 August, 1999

q Vol XXII, No 10 September, 1999

q Vol. XXII, No. 11 October, 1999

q Vol XXII, No 12 November, 1999

q Vol. XXIII, No. 2 January, 2000

q Vol XXIII, No 3 February, 2000

q Vol XXIII, No 4 March, 2000

q Vol XXIII, No 5 April, 2000

q Vol XXIII, No 6 May, 2000

q Vol XXIII, No 7 June, 2000

q Vol XXIII, No 8 July, 2000

q Vol. XXIII, No.9 August, 2000

q Vol XXIII, No 10 September, 2000

q Vol. XXIII, No.11 October, 2000

q Vol XXIII, No 12 November, 2000

q Vol. XXIV, No.3 February, 2001

q Vol XXIV, No 4 March, 2001

q Vol. XXIV, No.5 April, 2001

q Vol XXIV, No 6 May, 2001

q Vol. XXIV, No.7 June, 2001

q Vol XXIV, No 9 August, 2001

q Vol. XXIV, No.10 September, 2001

q Vol XXIV, No 11 October, 2001

q Vol XXIV, No 12 November, 2001

q Vol XXV, No 2 January, 2002

q Vol XXV, No 3 February, 2002

q Vol. XXV, No. 4 March, 2002

q Vol. XXV, No. 5 April, 2002

q Vol XXV, No 6 May, 2002

q Vol XXV, No 8 July, 2002

q Vol XXV, No 9 August, 2002

q Vol XXV, No 11 October, 2002

q Vol. XXVI, No. 4 March, 2003

q Vol. XXVI, No. 6 May, 2003

q Vol XXVI, No 7 June, 2003

q Vol XXVI, No 8 July, 2003

q Vol XXVI, No 9 August, 2003

q Vol XXVI, No 10 September, 2003

q Vol XXVI, No 11 October, 2003

q Vol. XXVI, No. 12 November, 2003

q Vol. XXVII, No. 2 January, 2004

q Vol XXVII, No 3 February, 2004

q Vol XXVII, No 4 March, 2004

q Vol XXVII, No 5 April, 2004

q Vol XXVII, No 8 July, 2004

q Vol. XXVII, No. 9 August, 2004

q Vol. XXVII, No. 10 September, 2004

q Vol XXVII, No 11 October, 2004

q Vol XXVII, No 12 November, 2004

q Vol XXVIII, No 2 January, 2005

q Vol XXVIII, No 3 February, 2005

q Vol. XXVIII, No. 4 March, 2005

q Vol. XXVIII, No. 5 April, 2005

q Vol. XXVIII, No. 6 May, 2005

q Vol XXVIII, No 7 June, 2005

q Vol XXVIII, No 9 August, 2005

q Vol XXVIII, No 10 September, 2005

q Vol XXVIII, No 11 October, 2005

q Vol. XXVIII, No. 12 November, 2005

q Vol. XXVIV, No. 2 January, 2006

q Vol XXVIV, No 3 February, 2006

q Vol XXVIV, No 4 March, 2006

q Vol XXVIV, No 5 April, 2006

q Vol XXVIV, No 6 May, 2006

q Vol. XXVIV, No. 7 June, 2006

q Vol. XXVIV, No. 8 July, 2006

q Vol XXVIV, No 9 August, 2006

q Vol XXVIV, No 10 September, 2006

q Vol XXVIV, No 11 October, 2006

q Vol XXVIV, No 12 November, 2006

q Vol. XXX, No. 1 December, 2006

q Vol. XXX, No. 2 January, 2007

q Vol XXX, No 3 February, 2007

q Vol XXX, No 4 March, 2007

q Vol XXX, No 5 April, 2007

q Vol XXX, No 6 May, 2007

q Vol. XXX, No. 7 June, 2007

q Vol. XXX, No. 8 July, 2007

q Vol XXX, No 9 August, 2007

q Vol XXX, No 10 September, 2007

q Vol XXX No 11 October, 2007

q Vol XXX, No 12 November, 2007

q Vol. XXXI, No. 1 December, 2007

q Vol. XXXI, No. 2 January, 2008

q Vol. XXXI, No. 3 February, 2008

q Vol XXXI, No 4 March, 2008

q Vol XXXI, No 5 April, 2008

q Vol XXXI, No 6 May, 2008

q Vol XXXI, No 7 June, 2008

q Vol. XXXI, No. 8 July, 2008

q Vol. XXXI, No. 9 August, 2008

q Vol XXXI, No 10 September, 2008

q Vol XXXI, No 11 October, 2008

q Vol XXXI, No 12 November, 2008

q Vol XXXII, No 1 December, 2008

q Vol. XXXII, No. 2 January, 2009

q Vol. XXXII, No. 3 February, 2009

q Vol XXXII, No 4 March, 2009

q Vol XXXII, No 5 April, 2009

q Vol XXXII, No 6 May, 2009

q Vol XXXII, No 7 June, 2009

q Vol. XXXII, No. 8 July, 2009

q Vol. XXXII, No. 9 August, 2009

q Vol XXXII, No 10 September, 2009

q Vol XXXII, No 11 October, 2009

q Vol XXXII, No 12 November, 2009

q Vol XXXIII, No 1 December, 2009

q Vol. XXXIII, No. 2 January, 2010

q Vol. XXXIII, No. 3 February, 2010

q Vol XXXIII, No 4 March, 2010

q Vol XXXIII, No 5 April, 2010

q Vol XXXIII, No 6 May, 2010

q Vol XXXIII, No 7 June, 2010

q Vol XXXIII, No 8 July, 2010

q Vol. XXXIII, No. 9 August, 2010

q Vol XXXIII, No 10 September, 2010

q Vol. XXXIII, No. 11 October, 2010

q Vol XXXIII, No 12 November, 2010

q Vol. XXXIV, No. 1 December, 2010

q Vol XXXIV, No 2 January, 2011

q Vol. XXXIV, No. 3 February, 2011

q Vol XXXIV, No 4 March, 2011

q Vol. XXXIV, No. 5 April, 2011

q Vol XXXIV, No 6 May, 2011

q Vol. XXXIV, No. 7 June, 2011

q Vol XXXIV, No 8 July, 2011

q Vol XXXIV, No 9 August, 2011

q Vol XXXIV, No 10 September, 2011

q Vol XXXIV, No 11 October, 2011

q Vol XXXIV, No 12 November, 2011

q Vol XXXV, No 1 December, 2011

q Vol. XXXV, No. 2 January, 2012

q Vol XXXV, No 3 February, 2012

q Vol. XXXV, No. 4 March, 2012

q Vol XXXV, No 5 April, 2012

q Vol. XXXV, No. 6 May, 2012

q Vol XXXV, No 7 June, 2012

q Vol. XXXV, No. 8 July, 2012

q Vol XXXV, No 9 August, 2012

q Vol XXXV, No 10 September, 2012

q Vol XXXV, No 11 October, 2012

q Vol XXXV, No 12 November, 2012

q Vol XXXVI, No 1 December, 2012

q Vol. XXXVI, No. 2 January, 2013

q Vol XXXVI, No 3 February, 2013

q Vol. XXXVI, No. 4 March, 2013

q Vol XXXVI, No 5 April, 2013

q Vol. XXXVI, No. 6 May, 2013

q Vol XXXVI, No 7 June, 2013

q Vol. XXXVI, No. 8 July, 2013

q Vol XXXVI, No 9 August, 2013

q Vol. XXXVI, No. 10 September, 2013

q Vol XXXVI, No 11 October, 2013

q Vol. XXXVI, No. 12 November, 2013

q Vol XXXVII, No 1 December, 2013

q Vol XXXVII, No 2 January, 2014

q Vol XXXVII, No 3 February, 2014

q Vol XXXVII, No 4 March, 2014

q Vol XXXVII, No 5 April, 2014

q Vol XXXVII, No 6 May, 2014

q Vol. XXXVII, No. 7 June, 2014

q Vol XXXVII, No 8 July, 2014

q Vol. XXXVII, No. 9 August, 2014

q Vol XXXVII, No 10 September, 2014

q Vol. XXXVII, No. 11 October, 2014

q Vol XXXVII, No 12 November, 2014

q Vol. XXXVIII, No. 1 December, 2014

q Vol XXXVIII, No 2 January, 2015

q Vol. XXXVIII, No. 3 February, 2015

q Vol XXXVIII, No 4 March, 2015

q Vol. XXXVIII, No. 5 April, 2015

q Vol XXXVIII, No 6 May, 2015

q Vol XXXVIII, No 7 June, 2015

q Vol XXXVIII, No 8 July, 2015

q Vol XXXVIII, No 9 August, 2015

q Vol XXXVIII, No 10 September, 2015

q Vol XXXVIII, No 11 October, 2015

q Vol. XXXVIII, No. 12 November, 2015

q Vol XXXIX, No 1 December, 2015

q Vol. XXXIX, No. 2 January, 2016

q Vol XXXIX, No 3 February, 2016

q Vol. XXXIX, No. 4 March, 2016

q Vol XXXIX, No 5 April, 2016

q Vol. XXXIX, No. 6 May, 2016

q Vol XXXIX, No 7 June, 2016

q Vol. XXXIX, No. 8 July, 2016

q Vol XXXIX, No 9 August, 2016

q Vol XXXIX, No 10 September, 2016

q Vol XXXIX, No 11 October, 2016

q Vol XXXIX, No 12 November, 2016

q Vol XL, No 1 December, 2016

q Vol XL, No 2 January, 2017

q Vol XL, No 3 February, 2017

q Vol XL, No 4 March, 2017

q Vol. XXXX, No. 5 April, 2017

q Vol XXXX, No 6 May, 2017

• UMA Motorcoach Expo in St Louis

• The Prize Winning Aerocoach at the Museum of Bus Transportation

• Rochester City Lines Still Making, Preserving and Celebrating History

q Vol XXXX, No 7 June, 2017

• Industry History From UMA Shows Installment I

• Extended Service Protection on Your Bus Fleet

• Bus History on a Wall

q Vol XXXX, No 8 July, 2017

• Vicinity A Mid Size Bus Success Story

• Prevost Conversion Shells for All Types of Coaches

• The Bus Accident in Red Lion, Delaware

q Vol. XXXX, No. 9 August, 2017

• “J” is for Jackpot with the 2018 J4500

• Industry History from UMA Shows Installment II

• Book Review

q Vol. XXXX, No. 10 September, 2017

• Propane Continues to be Clean and Economical

• H&L Charter The Best Comes in Small Packages

• Industry History from UMA Shows Installment III

q Vol XXXX, No 11 October, 2017

• ABC & Van Hool Celebrate 30 Years

• Taking a Venture in Norfolk

•The Five “No’s” You Must Overcome to Sell Your Bus Business

q Vol XXXX, No 12 November, 2017

• MCI Reliability Rally 2017

• BusCon 2017 in Indianapolis

• Exit Planning Becoming More Complicated for Family Owned Bus Businesses

q Vol. XXXXI, No. 1 December, 2017

• Complete Coach Works and the Carson Heritage

• The Busboys Vintage Bus Rally in Evansville, Indiana

• Virginia’s Commonwealth Coach and Trolley Museum Ravaged by Fire

• Re Energizing the North American Diecast Model Bus Scene

q Vol XXXXI, No 2 January, 2018

• Prevost Again Moves Ahead in Support, Service and Parts

• New 2018 J4500 Highlights Busy Season for MCI

• Common Rail Technology and the GHG17 Volvo Engine

q Vol. XXXXI, No. 3 February, 2018

• Walking the Irizar Assembly Line in Ormaiztegi

• Busworld 2017 in Belgium

q Vol XXXXI, No 4 March, 2018

• UMA Motorcoach Expo 2018i

• Van Hool to Build Buses in Eastern Tennessee

• The New MCI D45 CRT LE

q Vol XXXXI, No 5 April, 2018

• Charging Ahead with Electric Buses

• Holiday Tours Puts Customers First

• How Chicago’s “Party Bus” Ordinance is Affecting Bus Tourism

q Vol XXXXI, No 6 May, 2018

• The CHTC HT45 amd HT35 Coaches

• The Pacific Bus Museum From Hobby to Formal Museum

• Twenty Tips on Hiring Bus Drivers

• Van Hool Builds Bus Factoryin Morristown, Tennessee

q Vol. XXXXI, No. 7 June, 2018

• MCI Academy Wins Fans Across Industry

• Where are the Buses Built? #1

• The Campaign Bus for the President of the Philippines

• The Penn Highway Transit Company

q Vol. XXXXI, No. 8 July, 2018

• Farber Continues Custom Coach Traditions

• Prevost’s New Flat Floor Slide Outs

• Liberty Coach Busch Bus

q Vol XXXXI, No 9 August, 2018

• ZF Components for Electric Buses

• Museum of Bus Transportation Spring Fling Open House Success

• “Friends” of the NJ Heritage Center Takes Eight Vin tage Coaches to the 2018 MOBT Spring Fling

q Vol XXXXI, No 10 September, 2018

• Van Hool’s CX35 Small in Size, Big in Quality

• Diecast Model Buses Impress in a Big Way

• Master ’s Transportation Where to go to increase your fleet quickly or temporarily

q Vol. XXXXI, No. 11 October, 2018

• ZF Technology Day in Friedrichshafen

• MCI’s 2018 Reliability Rally

• How Will Autonomous Cars Impact the Bus Industry?

q Vol XXXXI, No 12 November, 2018

• Peter Pan Celebrates 85 Years on the Road

• Clean Up Your Fleet with a Bitimec Wash Bot

q Vol XXXXII, No 1 December, 2018

• Prevost Unveils New Features and New Possibility on the Volvo 9700 at UMA Expo

• MCI’s New J3500 Small in Size, Big in Features

• The e GO Mover Filling a Gap in Transportation with ZF Technology

• Giving Buses a Second Life at Complete Coach Works

q Vol. XXXXII, No. 2 January, 2019

• BusCon 2018 in Indianapolis

• Panorama Tours Keeps Things in the Family

• How Will Demand or Congestion Toll Pricing Impact Bus Operations?

q Vol XXXXII, No 3 February, 2019

• Test Driving the New Electric MCI J4500e CHARGE

• Stagecoach Group Sells Coach USA and Coach Canada

• The Story of the Australian Scenicruiser

q Vol XXXXII, No 4 March, 2019

• UMA 2019 Motorcoach Expo in Fort Lauderdale

• Angel Tours Celebrates 20 Years

• The Saga of #5496, a 1937 Yellow Coach Model 733

q Vol XXXXII, No 5 April, 2019

• Buses at the 2019 ABA Marketplace in Louisville

• Are Pre Owned Coach Sales Declining?

• The Six Levels of Autonomous Vehicles

q Vol XXXXII, No 6 May, 2019

• Temsa North America Inc Temsa’s Increased Sup port for the American Market

• MCI Launches Motorcoach Technician Apprentice ship Program

• 2019 Spring Fling Announced

q Vol XXXXII, No 7 June, 2019

• Looking Beyond the Driver Shortage to Demography and the Global Economy

• Are the Reasons for Coach Seat Belts Changing?

• The Passengers Left Behind Take the Accessible Information Test

q Vol. XXXXII, No. 8 July, 2019

• Prevost Motorhome Expo

• Featherlite Luxury Coaches

• Emerald Luxury Coaches Unveils First H3 45 Conversions

• Ten Things to Consider When Choosing a Luxury RV

q Vol XXXXII, No 9 August, 2019

• NFI Group Acquires Alexander Dennis

• Getting the Glow Take a look inside the “New Look” of Liberty

• Book Review Chicago Motor Coach

q Vol. XXXXII, No. 10 September, 2019

• The 2019 Spring Fling in Hershey

• Congestion Pricing May Affect Bus Operators

• In the Beginning The Bus Industry Prior to Regula tion in 1935

q Vol XXXXII, No 11 October, 2019

• Proterra Launches Proterra Powered™ Vehicle Electri fication Solutions for Commercial Fleets

• Bendix Tech Tips: Avoiding the “Gotchas”

• The “Shorty” Flxibles of Pikes Peak

q Vol XXXXII, No 12 November, 2019

• 30 Years of Foxy Travel & FTI Coach

• Fleet Graphics is an Art at ABC Companies

• MCI debuts 2020 model line up with a SNEAK PRE VIEW of the battery electric D45 CRTe LE CHARGE

at Bay Area Reliability Symposium on October 1

q Vol XXXXIII, No 1 December, 2019

• Temsa’s Redesigned TS 30

• BusCon 2019 in Indianapolis

• Hammond Transportation

q Vol XXXXIII, No 2 January, 2020

• Anchor Transportation 30 Years and Counting in a Growing Nashville

• David Thomas Tours and Their Short Temsa Coaches

• Museum of Bus Transportation to Merge with Antique Automobile Club of America Museum

q Vol XXXXIII, No 3 February, 2020

• Busworld 2019 in Brussels, Part I

• Heroes’ Honeymoon

• Philadelphia to New York Every Half Hour

q Vol XXXXIII, No 4 March, 2020

• Busworld 2019 in Brussels, Part II

• The Changing Bus Industry

q Vol XXXXIII, No 5 April, 2020

• ABA Marketplace 2020 in Omaha

• Procedure and Liability After a Collision with an Automated Vehicle

• Impaired Drivers

q Vol. XXXXIII, No. 6 May, 2020

• Bringing Back the Bus Industry

• Bus Industry Suggestions from Shriver Insurance

• What Can Bus Companies Do To Reduce Insurance Costs During COVID 19?

• UMA Motorcoach Expo 2020 in Nashville

• Bus Preservation After the Merger

q Vol XXXXIII, No 7 June, 2020

• Grants, Loans and Programs to Help Transportation Companies Survive COVID 19 Business Disruption

• Time to Think Tours

• Motorcoaches Rolling for Awareness

q Vol XXXXIII, No 8 July, 2020

• What the IATR and Transportation Regulators are Doing to Respond to the COVID 19 Pandemic

• A Tribute to Kirwan Elmers and Custom Coach Corporation

• RiverLandings Motorcoach Resort, Where True Lux ury Reaches New Heights

q Vol. XXXXIII, No. 9 August, 2020

• The Evolving MCI Product Line

• The Impact of COVID 19 on the Transportation Ecosystem

• Marijuana and Drivers

q Vol XXXXIII, No 10 September, 2020

• New Coach Review

• Seven Simple Steps to Show Your Customers You Are Open for Business

• Can Bus Operators Change to Survive?

q Vol XXXXIII, No 11 October, 2020

• Getting People Back on the Buses

• 10 Easy Ways to Update Your Web Site During COVID 19

• Didn’t See That Coming

• The Eucharistic Congress in Chicago

q Vol XXXXIII, No 12 November, 2020

• How Temsa Developed Their Programmable Electric Bus

• Can Bus Companies Get to and Survive in the “New Normal?”

• Talk’s Cheap Let’s Play

q Vol XXXXIV, No 1 December, 2020

• Keolis Moves People

• Are Mergers the Answer?

• A Lesson from the Sea Time to Choose a Strategy

• Now is Not the Time to Skip on Bus Maintenance

• The Small Business Reorganization Act A New Option in Bankruptcy

Classified ad rate is $30 per issue for first 25 words, 25 cents for each additional word. Rate includes Internet access. Name, address, zip and phone number are not included in word count The total number of words in a classified ad can not exceed 70 Rates apply on each ad individually the rate for multiple insertions is the total of each ad figured individually. Free classified ads are acceptable ONLY when sub mitted on or with your free classified ad cer tificate. Display advertising rates on request.

motor

6 MOTOR HOMES FOR SALE

1956 Flxible coach old conversion Phone (802) 948 2886 in VT for details

10 PARTS AND EQUIPMENT

Detroit Diesel engines, parts New and used S53, S71, S60, S92 Also will rebuild or repair your engine Leid Diesel Service, 2952 W Carson City Rd , Sheridan MI 48884 Phone (616) 754 5871

6V 92T Detroit Diesel engine Fresh overhaul In stor age Spent $4,700 Make offer Phone (815) 262 0587

14 NOTICES

Please

details

mail to safety@busmag com or phone Larry at (815) 946 2341

ADULT MINIBUSES FOR SALE

MOTOR HOMES FOR SALE

coaches for damage and market values Also diminish value/national coverage Contact Coddington Adjustment Co at (732) 346 4200 or champ@coddingtonadj com in NJ

. . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

UNMATCHED EXPERTISE. UNPARALLELED SERVICE.

The world’s most advanced coaches deserve the best in support, and that’s precisely what Prevost provides. No other service network delivers more technical expertise and years of hands-on experience. It’s a commitment we make to your drivers, your passengers, your schedule and your bottom line.

Love the way you roll.

Our J-Series and D-Series coaches combine stunning design and proven reliability with best-in-class service, parts and training. However you roll, MCI is with you all the way.

We build more than coaches. We build trust.