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European Buses in the United States and Canada (by Larry Plachno)
This serves to answer those readers who requested a list of European buses sold in the United States and Canada. We start way back with the Eagle and move up through the years with both coaches and transit buses to the most recent imports We welcome any additions from readers
A Look at the New Increased EPA Emission Regulations (by Larry Plachno) .
December of 2022 found the EPA mandating another round of environmental regulations on diesel engines guaranteed to impact engines and buses. While the underlying pressure to move to electric is obvious, there may be other options and alternatives
Theological Maintenance (by Dave Millhouser) . .
Operating without a good maintenance program may not be a good idea even with a great deal of prayer and faith If nothing else, this should give the reader some good reasons for developing and working with a sound and effective maintenance agenda.
P r e v o s t i n t r o d u c e d i t s a l l - n e w, n e x tg e n e r a t i o n H 3 - 4 5 d u r i n g t h e 2 0 2 3 U M A Expo in Orlando, Florida The redesigned H 3 - 4 5 f e a t u r e s a s e r i e s o f e n g i n e e r i n g a d v a n c e s t h a t d e l i v e r i m p ro v e d f u e l e f ficiency, an enhanced driver experience and ultimate comfor t for passengers
“ T h e H 3 - 4 5 i s o u r fl a g s h i p a n d h a s f o r t h e p a s t t w o d e c a d e s s e t t h e s t a n d a rd i n the industr y,” said Prevost president Franc o i s Tr e m b l a y “ W e ’ v e r e - e n g i n e e r e d a l l a s p e c t s o f t h e c o a c h i n o rd e r t o c re a t e a b e s t - i n - c l a s s v e h i c l e t h a t i s a n o b v i o u s standout The interior, which has been completely redesigned, was inspired by the automobile and aerospace industries Everything we executed on the H3-45 we did with the user experience in mind ”
The H3-45 made its public debut at the U M A M o t o rc o a c h E x p o a s p a r t o f a y e a rlong introduction of the updated coach
The most visibly striking innovation is the coach’s new aerodynamic shape that makes it up to 12 percent more fuel efficient The s l e e k e r p ro fi l e a l s o p ro d u c e s a s m o o t h e r r i d e a n d s i g n i fi c a n t l y r e d u c e s n o i s e –advances that make driving the H3-45 easier
a n d m o r e c o m f o r t a b l e A n o t h e r a e r o d yn a m i c a d v a n t a g e i s l e s s s o i l d i s p e r s i o n , resulting in better mirror visibility for the driver and an overall cleaner exterior
In addition, a plethora of top-to-bottom e n g i n e e r i n g , e r g o n o m i c a n d a e s t h e t i c i m p r o v e m e n t s s u r r o u n d d r i v e r s a n d p a s s e n g e r s
For drivers, the H3-45 has more than a dozen advances, including an intuitive dash featuring elegant automotive styling with a full-color digital and analog instrument cluster and push-button start On the safety and c o m f o r t s i d e , t h e H 3 - 4 5 b o a s t s a n H VA C s y s t e m t h a t i s 2 0 p e rc e n t m o re p o w e r f u l , defrosts 37 percent faster than SAE requirements and is eight decibels quieter Thanks t o i t s a e r o d y n a m i c s h a p e , t h e H 3 - 4 5 i s nearly 50 percent quieter in the driver area
F o r p a s s e n g e r s , t h e h o s t o f a m e n i t i e s and safety features includes a redesigned, l a r g e r e n t r a n c e t h a t m a k e s b o a r d i n g smoother and easier – especially for those w i t h l i m i t e d m o b i l i t y T h e e n t r y s t a i r w i d t h has been increased by seven percent, sharp cor ners have been smoothed out, there is 300 percent more lighting and an updated h a n d r a i l p ro v i d e s a s e c u re g r i p p o i n t I n addition, the interior has 50 percent more
As promised for several weeks, Prevost introduced their next-generation H3-45 coach at the UMA Expo The newly redesigned H3-45 features a number of engineering advances that increase fuel efficiency, improve the driver ’s experience and increase passenger comfort The new coach will hit the road for a debut tour after the show
lighting to provide a brighter and more enjoyable experience and a new window layout delivers better sightlines and views
P r e v o s t h a s a l s o m a d e c h a n g e s t h a t make the H3-45 easier for operators to maintain The new lighting system, which is all LED for a longer life, has a cleaning mode to fully illuminate the cabin for better visibility d u r i n g i n t e r i o r c l e a n i n g a n d u p k e e p F o r ease of maintenance, a front panel has been added to conveniently access and service the wiper and defrost systems and driver air conditioning units In addition, the front junction box, which provides access to the multiplex components, now has an interior door for improved protection and is 70 percent larger Plus, three standardized passenger window and blind sizes reduce the need to stock excess inventor y
“At Prevost, we focus on people,” said C o m m e r c i a l O p e r a t i o n s V i c e P r e s i d e n t K e v i n D a w s o n “ I t ’s o u r c o m m i t m e n t a n d d e d i c a t i o n t o o p e r a t o r s , d r i v er s a nd pa ssengers that has led to our number 1 position in the marketplace In fact, we’re seeing a n i n c re a s e i n n e w a n d e s t a b l i s h e d c u stomers who are coming to us for their vehicle solutions due to our reputation as a strong, trusted par tner who will always be there for them ”
As par t of that commitment, Prevost has built the largest service network in the industr y with strategically-placed, OEM-owned service centers and more than 160 service providers throughout Nor th America dedicated to supporting the H3-45 and the entire line of coaches
“ 2 0 2 3 i s a n e x c i t i n g t i m e f o r P re v o s t , ” said Dawson “The all-new H3-45 couples the quality, reliability and serviceability that have been hallmarks of Prevost for nearly 100 years with advanced engineering innov a t i o n s t h a t h a v e b e e n i m p l e m e n t e d w i t h the customer in mind ”
Following UMA, the H3-45 will hit the road for a months-long debut tour The coach will be at the RV Supershow in Tampa, Januar y 18-22; IMG Maintenance & Safety Forum in Detroit, Februar y 2-4; ABA Marketplace & B
in Toronto, April 18
5-8; and
H3-45 coach, visit prevostcar com
Prevost has provided coach solutions for nearly a centur y with an uncompromising commitment to quality, a drive for constant innovation and improvement and dedication to safety and sustainability in every business aspect Today, Prevost is one of North America’s largest producers of premium intercity touring coaches and is the world leader in the production of high-end motor home and s p e c i a l t y c o n v e r s i o n c o a c h e s C u s t o m e r suppor t is secured via the largest service n e t w o r k i n t h e m o t o rc o a c h i n d u s t r y w i t h strategically-located OEM-owned and operated service centers across North America, a specialized customer suppor t team with more than 260 years of industry experience, and 50+ mobile service vans Prevost manu f a c t u r i n g f a c i l i t i e s a re l o c a t e d i n S a i n t eClaire, Quebec, Canada Prevost is par t of the Volvo Group, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of buses, trucks, construction equipment, power solutions for marine and industrial applications, financing and serv i c e s t h a t i n c re a s e c u s t o m e r u p t i m e a n d p r o d u c t i v i t y F o r m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n , v i s i t www volvogroup com
MCI Delivers Its First Zero-Emission J4500 CHARGE™ Coaches
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 bs i d i a r y o f N F I G ro u p I n c ( N F I ) , a l e a d i n g independent bus and coach manufacturer and a leader in electric mass mobility solut i o n s , a n n o u n c e d o n D e c e m b e r 1 9 t h a t i t has delivered its first battery-electric J4500 coaches in North America, with two batteryelectric, zero-emission J4500 CHARGE™ 45-foot coaches going to a Califor nia Bay Area operator
The batter y-electric, zero-emission luxu r y c o a c h e s f e a t u r e s p a c i o u s i n t e r i o r s w i t h i n d u s t r y - l e a d i n g l e g r o o m a n d w i l l
c o m p l e m e n t c l e a n - d i e s e l m o d e l s i n t h e Califor nia Bay Area employee shuttle mark e t Te c h n o l o g y c o m p a n i e s i n t h e B a y Area first introduced employee commuting i n t h e l a t e 1 9 9 0 s t o o ff e r a l t e r n a t i v e c o mm u t e r o p t i o n s t o s u p p l e m e n t l o c a l p u b l i c t r a n s p o r t a t i o n
“MCI is proud to deliver our first batter yelectric J4500 CHARGE coaches to the Bay Area employee shuttle market,” said Brent Maitland, vice president, sales and marketing, MCI “This growing market continues to advance employee transportation, making c o m m u t e r s h u t t l e s e r v i c e e v e n m o r e environmentally-friendly, inviting and comfor table The employee shuttle market is an excellent application for MCI’s EVs as their range covers the length of the shuttle service routes and does not require a large amount of baggage bay space MCI has rigorously tested J4500 CHARGE coach for this business segment throughout locations in the U S and Canada to ensure its high per formance for our customers ”
Introduced in 2021, the J4500 CHARGE is a zero-emission version of the industr y’s best-selling J series tour and charter luxury coach Powered by American-made, highenergy batteries, the J4500 CHARGE levera g e s E V t e c h n o l o g y f ro m N e w F l y e r a n d delivers a range of more than 230 miles (544 kWh) on a single charge
All MCI batter y-electric coaches incorporate advanced EV technology, including enhanced regeneration for energy recovery and greater efficiency, a smooth-riding suspension and a high-torque electric drive syst e m f o r e f fi c i e n t p e r f o r m a n c e a t h i g h w a y speeds Designed for long-distance applications, MCI electric coaches deliver plug-
i n b a t t e r y c h a r g i n g t o 1 0 0 p e rc e n t i n f o u r hours or less
NFI is a leader in zero-emission mobility w i t h e l e c t r i c v e h i c l e s o p e r a t i n g ( o r o n o rd e r ) i n m o re t h a n 1 2 0 c i t i e s i n s i x c o u nt r i e s N F I o ff e r s t h e w i d e s t r a n g e o f z e roe m i s s i o n b a t t e r y a n d f u e l c e l l - e l e c t r i c buses and coaches, and its vehicles have completed more than 85 million EV service m i l e s
Today, NFI supports growing North American cities with scalable, clean and sustainable mobility solutions through a four-pillar approach that includes buses and coaches, 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 rc e development NFI also operates the Vehicle Innovation Center (VIC), the first and only i n n o v a t i o n l a b o f i t s k i n d d e d i c a t e d t o advancing bus and coach technology and p ro v i d i n g w o r k f o rc 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 350 interactive events, welcoming 7,000 industry professionals for EV and infrastructure training
Leveraging 450 years of combined experience, NFI is leading the electrification of mass mobility around the world With zeroemission 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 solutions 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 stainable transpor tation
With 7,500 team members in nine countries, NFI is a leading global bus manufacturer 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 buses), Plaxton (motorcoaches), ARBOC® (low-floor cutaway and medium-duty buses) a n d N F I P a r t s ™ N F I c u r re n t l y o ff e r s t h e widest range of sustainable drive systems available, including zero-emission electric (trolley, batter y and fuel cell), natural gas, electric hybrid and clean diesel In total, NFI 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 a ro u n d t h e world
MCI is North America’s public and private market motorcoach leader Products include the luxur y J-Series (an industr y best-seller f o r m o r e t h a n a d e c a d e ) , t h e w o r k h o r s e D-Series and the brand new zero-emission luxury and commuter coaches: the batterye l e c t r i c J 4 5 0 0
only Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) accredited and award-winning MCI Academy
In Februar y 2023 Busworld will land in the United States for the first time in its hist o r y A l o n g h i s t o r y o f o r g a n i z i n g t r a d e shows – later on accompanied by conferences – for the bus and motorcoach industry goes back all the way to 1971
R e c o g n i z i n g t h e f a c t t h a t b u s e s a n d motorcoaches needed a trade show of their o w n , B u s w o r l d o r g a n i z e d a fi r s t e v e n t i n K o r t r i j k , B e l g i u m i n N o v e m b e r 1 9 7 1 B u s and coach no longer had to play the third fi d d l e i n t h e c o m m e rc i a l v e h i c l e i n d u s t r y ( v e r s u s t r u c k a n d v a n ) o r i n t h e p u b l i c t r a n s p o r t w o r l d ( v e r s u s t r a i n , t r a m a n d metro); they now had the leading role Year after year, this idea proved to be more right and the importance of the event kept growi n g To d a y, B u s w o r l d n o t o n l y o r g a n i z e s the biggest bus and motorcoach exhibition i n t h e w o r l d i n B r u s s e l s , t h e e v e n t i s a l s o e x p o r t e d t o o t h e r re g i o n s a n d c o u n t r i e s like Turkey, Southeast Asia, Latin America, C e n t r a l A s i a a n d l a s t b u t n o t l e a s t N o r t h America
In par tnership with ABA (American Bus A s s o c i a t i o n ) a B u s w o r l d t r a d e s h o w a n d conference will be organized in Detroit from February 4-7: the trade show from February 4-6 and the conference from Februar y 5-7 Contrary to what the partnership might sugg e s t , B u s w o r l d i s a n e v e n t t h a t b r i n g s together the whole bus industr y, meaning: transit bus, school bus, motorcoach and any other type of bus Although the different subsectors have a diverse playground, they still share the same core: passenger transportation on the road Therefore a lot of synergies can be found by reaching out cross sector and working all together
E x h i b i t o r s s u c h a s A B C C o m p a n i e s , M C I , M o b i l i t y T R A N S , D a i m l e r C o a c h e s , BYD, Prevost, Temsa, Marcopolo, Pegasus Specialty and National Bus Sales will showc a s e t h e i r l a t e s t v e h i c l e s T h i s l i s t w i l l become bigger; other contracts are still in the pipeline Suppliers of drivetrains, charging systems, IT systems, glazing, fire sup-
pression and even solar panels will be on the fairground too The exhibitor list on the W e b s i t e i s r e g u l a r l y u p d a t e d w i t h n e w exhibitors
T h e B u s w o r l d c o n f e re n c e p ro g r a m i n partnership with CTE (Center for Transportation and the Environment) and Endava will present many relevant topics for the different sub-sectors with top notch speakers Topics are: zero emission vehicles, the market in N o r t h A m e r i c a , c o n n e c t i v i t y, i n s u r a n c e , charging systems, hydrogen, MaaS, ticketi n g , l e s s o n s l e a r n e d f r o m a v i a t i o n ( w i t h American Airlines and Southwest Airlines) and many more The detailed schedule can b e c o n s u l t e d o n t h e W e b s i t e a t w w w busworldnor thamerica org
Visiting the Busworld trade show and participating in the conference is free of charge to attract as many people as possible Tickets are available on the Web site
Vincent Dewaele, CEO of Busworld International, invites the North American bus and motorcoach people to become par t of the B u s w o r l d f a m i l y : “ L e t ’s h a v e a w o n d e r f u l event together with the whole sector Let’s e x p e r i e n c e t h e l a t e s t p r o d u c t s , l e t ’s exchange information and let’s network The Busworld team is more than ready to welcome you and all of your colleagues ”¡
NFI Receives 157 Bus Contract from Pennsylvania’s PRT
New Flyer of America Inc (New Flyer), a subsidiary of NFI Group Inc (NFI), a leading independent bus and coach manufacturer and a leader in electric mass mobility solut i o n s , o n D e c e m b e r 2 2 a n n o u n c e d t h a t i t has received a five-year contract from Por t Authority of Allegheny County, d/b/a Pittsb u r g h R e g i o n a l Tr a n s i t ( P RT ) f o r 1 5 z e roemission, batter y-electric Xcelsior Charge NG™ 60-foot, heavy-duty transit buses (30 equivalent units or EUs) and 54 clean-diesel Xcelsior® 60-foot buses (108 EUs), for a total of 138 EUs, with options to purchase up to 8 8 a d d i t i o n a l 6 0 - f o o t , b a t t e r y - e l e c t r i c o r clean-diesel buses In total NFI will add 157 60-foot buses (314 EUs) to its backlog
A recent contract with t h e P o r t A u t h o r i t y o f Allegheny County will s e e n e w N F I b u s e s delivered to Pittsburgh R e g i o n a l Tr a n s i t Included are 15 zeroemisison 60-foot Xcels i o r C H A R G E a r t i c ul a t e d b u s e s a n d 5 4 clean diesel articulated b u s e s T h e r e a r e options to purchase up to 88 additional articulated buses
PRT is the second largest public transit agency in Pennsylvania, operating a fleet of 730 buses and providing more than 60 million annual passenger trips a year in the P i t t s b u r g h a re a I n S e p t e m b e r 2 0 2 2 , P RT announced its plan to transition to a zeroemission bus fleet by 2045 to improve the health and safety of the area it serves
Suppor ted by Federal Transit Administ r a t i o n ( F TA ) f u n d s , t h i s o r d e r w i l l s p u r PRT’s transition to a more sustainable fleet a n d re p l a c e v e h i c l e s t h a t h a v e re a c h e d the end of their lifespan with more efficient a n d r e l i a b l e b a t t e r y - e l e c t r i c a n d c l e a ndiesel buses, delivering an enhanced pass e n g e r e x p e r i e n c e
“Since 2011 NFI has delivered more than 130 vehicles to PRT, eight of which were battery-electric buses NFI continues to deliver the most advanced transit technology available in North America,” said Chris Stoddart, president, North American Bus and Coach, NFI “Designed on NFI’s Xcelsior platfor m, both electric and clean-diesel 60-foot buses share common par ts, tooling and training, enabling PRT’s smooth transition to a zeroe m i s s i o n fl e e t To g e t h e r w i t h P RT, w e a re delivering safe, reliable, efficient and more s u s t a i n a b l e m o b i l i t y f o r t h e g re a t e r P i t t sburgh community ”
I n t r o d u c e d i n 2 0 2 1 , t h e X c e l s i o r
CHARGE NG bus incorporates three distinct technology advancements, including highenergy batteries, advanced protective batter y packaging for easy install and simpler serviceability and a new lightweight electric traction drive system with up to 90 percent energy recover y For more infor mation visit newflyer com/ng
New Flyer’s Xcelsior buses confor m to the Environmental Protection Agency and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s comprehensive Heavy-Duty National Program, which reduces greenhouse gas emissions and fuel consumption for heavyduty highway vehicles For more information visit newflyer com/xcelsior
N F I i s a l e a d e r i n z e ro - e m i s s i o n m o b i li t y, w i t h e l e c t r i c v e h i c l e s o p e r a t i n g ( o r o n o rd e r ) i n m o re t h a n 1 2 0 c i t i e s i n s i x c o u nt r i e s N F I o ff e r s t h e w i d e s t r a n g e o f z e roe m i s s i o n b a t t e r y a n d f u e l c e l l - e l e c t r i c buses and coaches, and its vehicles have completed more than 85 million EV service m i l e s
Today, NFI supports growing North America cities with scalable, clean and sustainable mobility solutions through a four-pillar approach that includes buses and coaches, 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 rc e development NFI also operates the Vehicle Innovation Center (VIC), the first and only
i n n o v a t i o n l a b o f i t s k i n d d e d i c a t e d t o advancing bus and coach technology and p ro v i d i n g w o r k f o rc 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, welcoming 5,000 industry professionals for EV and infrastructure training
Leveraging 450 years of combined experience, NFI is leading the electrification of mass mobility around the world With zeroemission 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 solutions 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 stainable transpor tation
With 7,500 team members in nine countries, NFI is a leading global bus manufact u re r o f m a s s m o b i l i t y s o l u t i o n s u n d e r t h e 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 buses), Plaxton (motorcoaches), ARBOC® ( 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 b u s e s ) a n d N F I P a r t s ™ N F I c u r r e n t l y offers the widest range of sustainable drive systems available, including zero-emission e l e c t r i c ( t ro l l e y, b a t t e r y a n d f u e l c e l l ) , n a tu r a l g a s , e l e c t r i c h y b r i d a n d c l e a n d i e s e l 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 a ro u n d t h e w o r l d
New Flyer is North America’s heavy-duty t r a n s i t b u s l e a d e r a n d o f f e r s t h e m o s t advanced product line under the Xcelsior® and Xcelsior CHARGE® brands It also offers i n f r a s t r u c t u r e d e v e l o p m e n t t h r o u g h N F I
Infrastructure Solutions™, a service dedicated to providing safe, sustainable and reliable charging and mobility solutions New F l y e r a c t i v e l y s u p p o r t s m o re t h a n 3 5 , 0 0 0 heavy-duty transit buses (New Flyer, NABI a n d O r i o n ) c u r re n t l y i n s e r v i c e , o f w h i c h 8,600 are powered by electric motors and battery propulsion and 1,900 are zero-emiss i o n F u r t h e r i n f o r m a t i o n i s a v a i l a b l e a t www newflyer com
Matthew Daus reported that the Committ e e f o r E n v i ro n m e n t a l P ro t e c t i o n h e l d a n oversight hearing on December 15 on the c i t y ’s a i r q u a l i t y a n d i t s e f f e c t o n p u b l i c health Discussion included Councilwoman Julie Menin’s anti-idling bill, which aims to i n c re a s e fi n e s i m p o s e d o n b u s a n d t r u c k drivers who violate the anti-idling provision o f t h e c i t y ’s a i r p o l l u t i o n c o n t ro l c o d e –a practice long denounced by environmental activists
The new law, which has received support f r o m 3 8 c i t y c o u n c i l m e m b e r s , w o u l d increase violation penalties from a flat $350 per violation to a range of $1,000 to $2,000 for first-time offenders From there, violations penalties would only go up, depending on t h e n u m b e r o f o f f e n s e s ( S e c o n d - t i m e offenders would owe between $2,000 and $ 4 , 0 0 0 F o r t h r e e o r m o r e v i o l a t i o n s , t h e range would be $3,000 to $6,000)
I n a n i n t e r v i e w w i t h G o t h a m i s t , M e n i n said the current penalty is too low to motivate enough drivers to consistently obey the law
“Right now, we’ve got a problem where t h e re ’s a s i n g l e r a t e o f $ 3 5 0 f o r v i o l a t o r s , and the current law is not taking into account re p e a t o ff e n s e s , ” s a i d M e n i n , w h o re p resents a section of the Upper East Side “So we have corporate actors like Amazon and ConEd that are continuing to flout the law, a n d t h e fi n e i s b a s i c a l l y $ 3 5 0 S o t h e y ’ re viewing it as a cost of doing business, and yet they’re clogging up the streets with the idling ”
S h e a d d e d , “ We n e e d t o t o u g h e n t h e penalties to send a loud and clear message to these corporations that they cannot continues to idle on our city streets ”
TEMSA has announced TEMSA Financial Services, a new and more affordable way to acquire its highly innovative and comfortable motorcoaches
TEMSA Financial Services is the result of a collaboration between TEMSA, the comp a n y t h a t s e t s t h e s t a n d a rd i n i n n o v a t i v e and sustainable mobility and Auxilior Capital Par tners, Nor th America’s fastest growing s a l e s c a t a l y s t , fi n a n c e c o m p a n y T E M S A Financial Services offers customers affordable acquisition methods for its full line of motorcoaches with fast, frictionless service
Fatih Kozan, TEMSA’s managing director, commented, “A branded finance offering is part of the total solution TEMSA North A m e r i c a n o w o ff e r s i t s c l i e n t s a n d a l i g n s with our goal to be among the world’s most customer-centered businesses We chose the Auxilior team because of their long and successful history in rolling out finance prog r a m s a n d e n a b l i n g s a l e s a n d m a r k e t share growth for their par tners In addition, o u r v a l u e o f i n n o v a t i o n i s a l i g n e d , s o w e knew that providing our clients with a seamless finance experience enabled by worldc l a s s t e c h n o l o g i e s a n d f o c u s o n s e r v i c e was guaranteed ”
Kosan continued, “One of the criteria of paramount impor tance was to par tner with an organization that we believed would be good stewards of our growing and prestigious brand The choice was clear based on the marquee brands with which the Auxilior leadership team has been associated ”
Don Campbell, Auxilior’s chief risk officer a n d T E M S A F i n a n c i a l S e r v i c e s e x e c u t i v e l e a d e r, s a i d “ We ’ re s o p l e a s e d t o p a r t n e r with TEMSA Our organizations have synergies and common corporate cultures and beliefs, which will result in the best financial solutions being offered to TEMSA’s clients ”
T E M S A F i n a n c i a l S e r v i c e s e n a b l e s clients to be approved for up to $350,000 with application only Lower total cost of owne r s h i p t a k e s o n n e w m e a n i n g w i t h c u stomized finance structures to meet clients’ business and balance sheet needs TEMSA Financial Services’ finance executives are e x p e r i e n c e d d e a l e n g i n e e r s w h o u n d e rstand how to structure transactions to help clients get more of what they need – whether it is additional motorcoaches for their existing fl e e t o r m o r e f u l l y f e a t u r e d , i n n o v a t i v e
TEMSA models
R o n n i e D e M a r c o , T E M S A F i n a n c i a l Services VP of sales, said, “Our organizations are connected at every level from execu t i v e s p o n s o r s h i p t h ro u g h t h e s a l e s a n d closing processes This connection ensures
maximum focus and attention on TEMSA’s c l i e n t s , a n d I b e l i e v e t h a t t o g e t h e r, w e ’ re o ff e r i n g a b e s t - i n - c l a s s p ro d u c t w i t h t h e added feature of affordability ”
TEMSA Financial Services’ finance execu t i v e a r e a l i g n e d g e o g r a p h i c a l l y w i t h TEMSA’s seasoned team of regional sales managers TEMSA clients can count on fast approvals, timely communications regarding t h e i r fi n a n c e t r a n s a c t i o n s a n d s e a m l e s s closings TEMSA regional sales executives confidently connect their clients with TESMA F i n a n c i a l S e r v i c e s , w h o t a k e t h e fi n a n c e process from front to back By continually enhancing its product and service offersi n g s , T E M S A e x p e c t s i t s N o r t h A m e r i c a n sales to double and continue its mission to b e t h e h u m a n - c e n t e re d t e c h n o l o g y c o mpany which provides smart and sustainable mobility solutions to the world for more pleasant jour neys
W i t h m o r e t h a n 1 5 , 0 0 0 v e h i c l e s i n 6 6 countries, TEMSA is reinforcing its position in the U S day by day Having entered the U S market in 2010, TEMSA continues to operate through the TEMSA North America Company founded in 2018 TEMSA that has managed to be one of the most impor tant actors in the industr y by achieving a notew o r t h y m a r k e t s h a r e w h e r e i t o p e r a t e s p re s e n t l y, a p p e a r s t o b e a n “ a u t o m o t i v ef o c u s e d t e c h n o l o g y c o m p a n y ” w i t h m o re than 1,500 vehicles in the U S The company c o n s i d e r s t h e N o r t h A m e r i c a n m a r k e t a s one of its growth accelerators in the future and aims to bring the TS45E Electric motor-
coach that it has recently developed specifically for the U S market
PBA 2023 Family Day at the Bus Museum in Hershey
T h e P e n n s y l v a n i a B u s A s s o c i a t i o n ’s annual Family Day event this year will be at the Bus Museum in Hershey, Pennsylvania on June 10, 2023
This year the Museum of Bus Transportation/AACA Museum’s Spring Fling in Hershey, Pennsylvania will take place on June 9 a n d 1 0 , 2 0 2 3 T h e t h e m e f o r t h i s y e a r ’s event will be celebrating the Centennial of the founding of the Pennsylvania Bus Association As a result, the Pennsylvania Bus Association has designated June 10 as their 2023 Family Day at the museum
Pennsylvania’s bus industr y has a long tradition of innovation and service, and the Pennsylvania Bus Association’s membership is a unique blend of long, successful fami l y - o w n e d o p e r a t i o n s w i t h r i c h h i s t o r i e s , m i x e d w i t h i n n o v a t i v e n e w e r c o m p a n i e s N o t o n l y i s P B A o n e o f t h e n a t i o n ’s o l d e s t state bus associations, it remains one of the strongest and most influential
Prior to Covid, Spring Fling was averagi n g m o re t h a n 5 0 0 g u e s t s a n d m o re t h a n 100 buses With the extra energy that PBA brings, the museum is hoping to far exceed that this year The block of hotel rooms that the bus museum reserved as sold out, but there are still a few left in the block arranged by PBA
If PBA members want to drive a bus to the event, the museum will need to give the AACA a bus count in April, so as to provide a designated parking area large enough Please let the museum know if you plan to bring a bus
Overnight accommodations are available a t t h e B e s t We s t e r n P re m i e r, t h e C e n t r a l H o t e l , 8 0 0 E a s t P a r k D r i v e , H a r r i s b u r g , P e n n s y l v a n i a 1 7 1 1 1 Yo u c a n p h o n e a n d give the front desk your check-in and checkout dates as well as the Pennsylvania Bus Association group name
NFI Receives Award for 46 ZeroEmission, High-Capacity Buses from Wisconsin’s Metro Transit
New Flyer of America Inc (New Flyer), a subsidiary of NFI Group Inc (NFI), a leading independent bus and coach manufacturer and a leader in electric mass mobility solutions, on January 10 announced that the City o f M a d i s o n ( M e t r o Tr a n s i t ) o r d e r e d 4 6 battery-electric Xcelsior CHARGE NG™ 60foot, heavy-duty transit buses (92 equivalent units or EUs) The purchase was supported b y 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 ( F TA ) funds
The high-capacity, zero-emission ar ticu l a t e d b u s e s w i l l b e c o n f i g u re d w i t h f i v e d o o r s t o o p e r a t e o n M e t r o Tr a n s i t ’s n e w E a s t - W e s t B u s R a p i d Tr a n s i t s y s t e m , w h i c h i s e x p e c t e d t o b e g i n i t s s e r v i c e i n 2024 In addition, the new batter y-electric b u s e s f o r M e t ro Tr a n s i t w i l l b e e q u i p p e d w i t h h i g h - p o w e r b a t t e r i e s , p ro v i d i n g 4 1 0 k W h o f p o w e r t o d e l i v e r m o re e n e r g y - e ff ic i e n t a n d l o n g e r- r a n g e z e r o - e m i s s i o n buses Metro Transit provides public transp o r t a t i o n s e r v i c e t h r o u g h o u t t h e C i t y o f Madison, Wisconsin, delivering more than 4 6 m i l l i o n a n n u a l f i x e d r o u t e b u s a n d p a r a t r a n s i t r i d e s
“Metro transit is excited to par tner with New Flyer to help make our ambitious BRT plans a reality,” said Justin Stuehrenberg, general manager, Metro Transit “New Flyer’s track record of innovation, quality products and on-time delivery give us complete confidence that they will be a trustworthy partner for the largest infrastructure project the City of Madison has ever under taken ”
“With more than 16,000 Xcelsior buses on Nor th America’s roads, NFI is a proven mass mobility leader that provides reliable and safe mobility solutions,” said Chris Stodd 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 “These 60-foot CHARGE NG buses will immediately reduce greenhouse gas emissions, delivering cleaner, more sustainable mobility all while providing faster, high-capacity transpor tation to the City of Madison community ”
I n t r o d u c e d i n 2 0 2 1 , t h e X c e l s i o r C H A R G E N G i n c o r p o r a t e s t h re e d i s t i n c t technology advancements, including highenergy batteries, advanced protective batter y packaging for easy install and simpler serviceability and a new lightweight electric traction drive system with up to 90 percent energy recovery For more information, visit newflyer com/ng
NFI is a leader in zero-emission mobility, with electric vehicles operating (or on order) in more than 120 cities in six countries NFI offers the widest range of zero-emission batt 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 85 million electric service miles
Today, NFI supports growing North America cities with scalable, clean and sustainable mobility solutions through a four-pillar approach that includes buses and coaches, 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 rc e
development NFI also operates the Vehicle Innovation Center (VIC), the first and only i n n o v a t i o n l a b o f i t s k i n d d e d i c a t e d t o advancing bus and coach technology and p ro v i d i n g w o r k f o rc 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 350 interactive events, welcoming 7,000 industry professionals for EV and infrastructure training
Gillig Sets Records at Altoona
Gillig, America’s leading manufacturer of heavy-duty, clean-energy transit buses, a n n o u n c e d o n D e c e m b e r 1 9 t h a t t h e y received the highest-ever score for a batteryelectric bus tested at Altoona, with a total score of 89 5
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 ’s (FTA) Bus Test Program, conducted by the L a r s o n Tr a n s p o r t a t i o n I n s t i t u t e ’s B u s R e s e a rc h a n d Te s t i n g C e n t e r i n A l t o o n a , Pennsylvania, evaluates how well vehicles per for m under conditions that simulate the r i g o r o u s d u t y c y c l e s r e q u i r e d o f t r a n s i t buses
To be eligible for purchase with federal grant funding, such as the recently awarded $1 66 billion in FTA grants, all buses must demonstrate that they meet or exceed perfor mance minimums The comprehensive testing assesses key per for mance areas, s u c h a s m a i n t a i n a b i l i t y, re l i a b i l i t y, s a f e t y, structural integrity, noise, fuel economy and emissions The FTA introduced a 100-point scoring system in 2016 to better inform buyers by offering an unbiased, standardized assessment of vehicle durability, safety and per for mance
With an overall score of 89 5 out of 100, Gillig’s batter y-electric bus far exceeds the Altoona minimum standards and passed all pass/fail per for mance tests, qualifying for
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
purchase with federal funding (as all Gillig b u s e s a re ) P e r f o r m i n g b e y o n d A l t o o n a ’s re q u i re m e n t s , G i l l i g ’s 4 0 - f o o t b u s s c o re d exceptionally well in all evaluated categories and broke the previous highest records for reliability and safety per for mance
The repor t, released earlier this month, clearly proves that Gillig produces the safest a n d m o s t re l i a b l e b a t t e r y - e l e c t r i c b u s e s available in the U S Altoona evaluates reliability, in part, through measuring in a range o f 0 t o 1 2 5 h o u r s o f u n s c h e d u l e d m a i n t enance throughout the testing process, with h i g h e r s c o r e s g o i n g t o t h o s e w i t h f e w e r required repairs During more than 15,000 miles of testing, the Gillig batter y-electric b u s r e q u i r e d o n l y 1 5 2 r e p a i r h o u r s o f unscheduled maintenance Comparatively, o t h e r b a t t e r y - e l e c t r i c b u s e s t e s t e d a t Altoona over the last seven years have each needed, on average, 72 3 hours of repair time to complete their testing
In addition to proving Gillig’s commitment t o q u a l i t y, t h e re s u l t s a l s o c l e a r l y d e m o nstrate Gillig’s dedication to safety The Gillig b a t t e r y - e l e c t r i c b u s re c e i v e d t h e h i g h e s t score ever in the critical braking test, stoping, on average, more than 30 feet – or more than two car lengths – earlier than other manufacturers’ comparable electric buses
“ We t a l k a l o t o f ‘ q u a l i t y w i t h o u t c o mp ro m i s e ’ h e re a t G i l l i g , ” s a i d B e n G r u n a t , V P o f p r o d u c t p l a n n i n g a n d s t r a t e g y, Gillig “These scores demonstrate exactly w h a t t h a t m e a n s ; o u r p r o d u c t b e i n g t h e s a f e s t a n d m o s t r e l i a b l e z e r o - e m i s s i o n b u s o n t h e m a r k e t i s n o t o u r g o a l R a t h e r, i t ’s G i l l i g ’s s t a n d a rd ”
Their standard of excellence comes from a f o c u s e d v i s i o n , e x e m p l a r y p r o d u c t s , s t e a d f a s t c u s t o m e r c a re a n d G i l l i g ’s 1 3 0 y e a r s o f A m e r i c a n - b u i l t c r a f t s m a n s h i p Known for being ruggedly reliable, all Gillig buses are built on their proven low-floor platfor m, which has decades of successful inservice per for mance and excels in-depth validation testing, such as at Altoona
Gillig’s battery-electric bus combines the unmatched durability of their platfor m with a highly efficient electric power train and a unique modular energy storage system that is plug-in, overhead conductive and induct i v e c h a r g i n g c o m p a t i b l e T h e re s u l t i s a re c o rd - s e t t i n g p ro d u c t t h a t o ff e r s t r u s t e d quality, proven performance and maximum flexibility for operators and agencies as they plan and expand their zero-emission fleets
T h e l a t e s t A l t o o n a r e p o r t c o n c r e t e l y p ro v e s t h a t G i l l i g ’s b a t t e r y - e l e c t r i c b u s i s the gold standard of reliability, durability and s a f e t y A s s h o w n b y t h e i r r e c e n t r e c o r dbreaking low-no funding par tnerships, the
m a r k e t a g re e s S i n c e re l e a s i n g t h e i r fi r s t electric bus in 2018, Gillig has rapidly gained a market reputation as the highest-quality, best-performing and safest zero-emissions bus manufacturer in America
CapMetro Orders 30 Char gers from NFI NFI Group (NFI), a leading independent bus and coach manufacturer and leader in electric mass mobility solutions, on January 3 announced that the Capital Metro Transp o r t a t i o n A u t h o r i t y ( C a p M e t ro ) h a s e x e rc i s e d o p t i o n s t o p u rc h a s e 3 0 H e l i o x 1 8 0 k W h d e p o t o v e r h e a d c h a r g e r s , i n c l u d i n g 9 0 p a n t o g r a p h d i s p e n s e r s , b y N F I I n f r astructure Solutions™ The purchase is par t o f C a p M e t ro ’s fi v e - y e a r c o n t r a c t w i t h N F I subsidiary of New Flyer of America Inc (New Flyer) for up to 171 batter y-electric buses and 427 chargers
The Heliox depot overhead chargers will support CapMetro’s initiative of transitioning to a battery-electric bus fleet The order will also suppor t Project Connect, CapMetro’s a n d t h e C i t y o f A u s t i n ’s j o i n t i n i t i a t i v e t o improve the public transpor tation network across the Central Texas region Headquartered in Austin, Texas, CapMetro provides p u b l i c t r a n s p o r t a t i o n s e r v i c e s , d e l i v e r i n g m o re t h a n 2 0 m i l l i o n a n n u a l t r i p s t h ro u g h bus, paratransit and commuter rail services
“This is just another step forward in our mission to create a clean environment for our community,” said Andrew Skabowski, chief operating officer, CapMetro “Sustain-
ability is one of the core values at CapMetro, and through our partnership with New Flyer, we are investing in a sustainable future for all Central Texans ”
“For 25 years, NFI has suppor ted CapM e t ro w i t h e f fi c i e n t , s a f e a n d a c c e s s i b l e transit solutions, having delivered more than 360 vehicles to CapMetro since 1997 NFI now continues to enable CapMetro’s transition to zero-emission mobility through its reliable, safe and sustainable infrastructure services,” said Chris Stoddar t, president, Nor th American Bus and Coach, NFI “By l e v e r a g i n g N F I ’s e x t e n s i v e e x p e r i e n c e i n smart charging infrastructure, CapMetro will suppor t zero-emission bus deployment in Austin, ultimately delivering cleaner, quieter mobility in Texas ”
NFI Infrastructure Solutions is a service d e d i c a t e d t o p ro v i d i n g s a f e a n d re l i a b l e infrastructure services for smart, sustainable mobility projects with more than 330 chargers installed to date For more infor mation, visit nfigroup com/IS
NFI is a leader in zero-emission mobility, with electric vehicles operating (or on order) in more than 120 cities in six countries NFI offers the widest range of zero-emission batt 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 85 million electric 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 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 Ve h i c l e I n n o v a t i o n C e n t e r ( V I C ) , t h e f i r s t a n d o n l y i n n o v a t i o n l a b o f i t s k i n d d e d i c a t e d t o a d v a n c 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 kf o rc 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 m o re t h a n 3 5 0 i n t e r a c t i v e e v e n t s , w e l c o m i n g 7 , 0 0 0 i n d u s t r y p r o f e s s i o n a l s f o r E V a n d i n f r as t r u c t u re t r a i n i n g
Santa Maria Launches Electric Fleet with Proterra Buses
Santa Maria Regional Transit (SMRT) has started down the path to building a fully electric fleet The California-based transit agency unveiled its first electric buses at a recent c o m m u n i t y e v e n t : P ro t e r r a Z X 5 + m o d e l s with vibrant and local landscape-inspired designs
C i t y o f fi c i a l s h a v e t h e i r s i g h t s s e t o n adding up to 15 more e-buses to the SMRT fleet in the near future, with plans to operate a fully electric fleet and become carbon-free by 2024
Winnipeg Opts for NFI Buses
NFI Group Inc (NFI), a leading independ 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, on January 4 announced that its subsidiary N e w F l y e r I n d u s t r i e s C a n a d a U L C ( N e w Flyer) has received new fir m orders for 16 batter y-electric and fuel cell-electric transit buses from Winnipeg Transit The contract a l s o h a s o p t i o n s t o b e e x t e n d e d f o r u p t o f o u r y e a r s t o p u rc h a s e u p t o 1 5 0 4 0 - f o o t , zero-emission buses (ZEB) In total NFI will add up to 166 buses (or 174 equivalent units E U s ) t o i t s b a c k l o g f r o m fi r m a n d o p t i o n orders The new five-year contract includes the following fir m order:
• Four Xcelsior CHARGE FC™ fuel celle l e c t r i c 4 0 - f o o t , h e a v y - d u t y t r a n s i t b u s e s (four EUs) and four Xcelsior CHARGE FC fuel cell-electric 60-foot transit buses (eight EUs), and
Santa Maria Regional Transit, located on the Pacific Coast north and east of Los Angeles, recently acquired its first electric buses A recent community event marked the delivery of new Proterra ZX5+ battery-electric buses City officials are contemplating adding 15 more e-buses to the fleet
• Four Xcelsior CHARGE NG™ batteryelectric 40-foot transit buses (four EUs) and four Xcelsior CHARGE NG batter y-electric 60-foot transit buses (eight EUs)
Named one of Canada’s most efficient transit systems, Winnipeg Transit is the public transit agency serving Winnipeg, Manitoba, delivering more than 48 million passenger trips annually
Through this purchase of ZEBs, Winnipeg Transit accelerates its transition to a 100 percent zero-emission fleet ahead of the 2050 target outlined in Winnipeg’s Climate Action Plan, delivering on a promise to realize the c i t y ’s s u s t a i n a b l e f u t u r e v i s i o n F u n d e d through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program, the high-per for mance ZEBs will be built on New Flyer’s proven Xcelsior® p l a t f o r m a n d w i l l d e l i v e r re d u c e d g re e nhouse gas emissions and annual operating costs compared to diesel buses
W i n n i p e g , M a n i t o b a recently opted to purc h a s e b o t h b a t t e r ye l e c t r i c a n d f u e l c e l le l e c t r i c b u s e s f r o m l o c a l m a n u f a c t u r e r N e w F l y e r T h e c o ntract has options to be extended for up to four years for an additional 150 40-foot zero-emission buses Winnipeg Transit, providing more than 48 million passenger trips annually, will operate the buses
“We’re proud to extend our par tnership with NFI to moder nize our transit fleet and move toward zero emissions,” said Mayor S c o t t G i l l i g h a m “ T h i s p u rc h a s e w i l l a l s o s u p p o r t l o c a l j o b s a n d b u i l d W i n n i p e g ’s r e p u t a t i o n a s a c e n t e r o f e x c e l l e n c e f o r transit manufacturing and sustainable trans i t t e c h n o l o g y ”
“NFI has led innovation in North American p u b l i c t r a n s i t f o r d e c a d e s , a n d t o d a y w e stand ready with our next generation zeroemission buses to help communities trans i t i o n t o n o - e m i s s i o n m o b i l i t y, ” s a i d C h r i s S t o d 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 and Coach, NFI “NFI’s partnership with Winnipeg Transit spans 35 years, and we have delivered more than 1,560 transit buses to Winnipeg Transit since 1987 We are now proudly enabling the agency’s transition to a l o w - c a r b o n f u t u re t h ro u g h o u r e f fi c i e n t , long-range batter y-electric and hydrogen fuel cell-electric buses for healthier Manitoba communities ”
New Flyer’s Xcelsior CHARGE FC incorporates four distinct technology advancements, including a lighter, simpler and more efficient heavy-duty fuel cell power module that is easier to service; recyclable, highpower batteries; a redesigned waterproof b a t t e r y e n c l o s u r e p r o v i d i n g i m p r o v e d s e r v i c e a b i l i t y ; a n d a h i g h - g r a d e e l e c t r i c drive traction system For more infor mation visit newflyer com/FC
The Xcelsior CHARGE NG bus incorpor a t e s t h re e d i s t i n c t t e c h n o l o g y a d v a n c em e n t s , i n c l u d i n g h i g h - e n e r g y b a t t e r i e s , advanced protective batter y packaging for easy install and simpler serviceability and National Bus Trader / February, 2023 • 13
innovative lightweight electric traction For more infor mation, visit newflyer com/NG
NFI is a leader in zero-emission mobility, with electric vehicles operating or on order in more than 120 cities in six countries NFI offers the widest range of zero-emission batt 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 85 million EV service miles
Today, NFI supports growing North America cities with scalable, clean and sustainable mobility solutions through a four-pillar approach that includes buses and coaches, 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 rc e development NFI also operates the Vehicle Innovation Center (VIC), the first and only i n n o v a t i o n l a b o f i t s k i n d d e d i c a t e d t o advancing bus and coach technology and p ro v i d i n g w o r k f o rc 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 350 interactive events, welcoming 7,000 industry professionals for EV and infrastructure training
Express Air Coach Launches
New Shuttle Ser vice
Express Air Coach (EAC) now offers pickup points at the University of Illinois-UrbanaC h a m p a i g n t o s h u t t l e s t u d e n t s t o O ’ H a re International Airport The new shuttle service routes began on December 5, 2022
The Lafayette, Indiana-based company also offers shuttle service multiple times daily t o O ’ H a r e f r o m P u r d u e U n i v e r s i t y, W e s t Lafayette, Indiana; Por tage, Indiana; Ham-
mond, Indiana; Michigan City, Indiana and Elgin, Illinois
“We have been providing shuttle service t o O ’ H a r e f r o m P u r d u e U n i v e r s i t y f o r 1 8 y e a r s , a n d w e a re e x c i t e d t o e x p a n d o u r service in Urbana-Champaign from a weekend service to Purdue to a daily O’Hare shuttle service,” said EAC President Paul David “We have many years of experience offering airport shuttle services to university students from O’Hare ”
D a v i s s a i d t h a t E A C w i l l i n i t i a l l y o ff e r a m o d e s t s c h e d u l e t o d e t e r m i n e m a r k e t d e m a n d a n d i n t e r e s t i n t h e s e r v i c e A s demand grows, EAC will expand its schedule accordingly
“This will be an express service with limited stops to achieve our goal of delivering passengers to O’Hare in under three hours We look forward to providing a safe, convenient, low-cost option that will deliver you to your ter minal at O’Hare,” said Davis
“We feel this new service will be a great o p t i o n t o g e t t o O ’ H a r e i n a c o n v e n i e n t , quick, affordable and direct manner without having to deal with airport parking and transfers,” Davis added
T h e U n i v e r s i t y o f I l l i n o i s U r b a n aC h a m p a i g n s h u t t l e w i l l p i c k u p a t A l t g e l d H a l l a n d t h e A r m o r y R e s e r v a t i o n s w i l l b e re q u i re d f o r c o n fi r m e d t r a v e l a n d c a n b e m a d e a n d p a i d f o r i n a d v a n c e a t expressaircoach com
Express Air Coach is a bus transpor tat i o n c o m p a n y t h a t h a s b e e n i n b u s i n e s s f o r 1 8 y e a r s F o u n d e d i n We s t L a f a y e t t e , I n d i a n a i n 2 0 0 4 , t h e c o m p a n y o f f e r s scheduled airpor t shuttle service, char ters and tours to its customers throughout India n a a n d I l l i n o i s
Irizar e-Mobility Will Deliver Seven Electric Buses to EMT Fuenlabrada
Irizar e-mobility is still leading the domestic market and has added a new contract to s u p p l y s e v e n 1 0 0 p e r c e n t e l e c t r i c z e r oe m i s s i o n s b u s e s t o E M T F u e n l a b r a d a , located southwest of Madrid, to their portfolio of orders
T h e m o d e l c h o s e n b y t h e o p e r a t o r i s the 12-meter-long Irizar ie tram It is a vehic l e w i t h a n a v a n t - g a r d e a n d i n n o v a t i v e d e s i g n s i m i l a r t o a t r a m t h a t w i l l c h a n g e t h e l o o k o f p u b l i c t r a n s p o r t f o r t h e c i t y o f F u e n l a b r a d a
I t i s a v e h i c l e t h a t s t a n d s o u t , a m o n g other reasons, for its low noise level (below 70 dB with the air conditioning running), and its high capacity, easy access and the ample space for passengers inside The passenger a re a o f t h e b u s i s l u m i n o u s , c o m f o r t a b l e , s p a c i o u s , p l e a s a n t a n d s a f e I t h a s U S B por ts for charging the batteries of passengers’ phone
In ter ms of accessibility, it is a low-floor vehicle that has a ramp, priority spaces and s e a t s f o r p e o p l e w i t h r e d u c e d m o b i l i t y, sound and light emitting door buttons and stops can be requested in Braille
It is a completely safe bus that has video surveillance cameras and obstacle proximity radar, among other things
The vehicles that will become part of the EMT Fuenlabrada fleet will have three doors, 26 seats, and they will be able to carr y 80 passengers They will have 403 kWh Irizar b a t t e r i e s a n d c a n b e c h a r g e d u s i n g a n inverted pantograph or a Combo 2 charging outlet The drive unit will be a 206 kW central motor The ie trams will have enough range to provide service for 16 hours
Without a doubt, these sustainable and i n n o v a t i v e v e h i c l e s w i l l c o n t r i b u t e t o t h e decarbonization project for public transport in Fuenlabrada
12 Ebusco Buses for NIAG
Ebusco, a pioneer and frontrunner in the development of electric buses and charging systems, has signed a contract with NIAG (like Transdev par t of the Tethmann Group) for 12 Ebusco 3 0 12-meter buses The deliver y of these buses is planned for the end of 2023
The new 12 Ebusco 3 0 12-meter buses will be used by public transpor t company NIAG NIAG will deploy the buses in the dis-
Ebusco
t r i c t o f We s e l l a n d K l e v e i n We s t e r n G e rm a n y F o r t h i s o r d e r, E b u s c o c o m p e t e d
a g a i n s t o t h e r p re f e r re d s u p p l i e r s i n a s ocalled mini-tender
Niederrheinische Verkehrsbetriebe AG (NIAG) is a moder n, multimodal transpor t and mobility service provider with around 800 employees NIAG creates connections for the region in two core business areas: local public transpor t and logistics With its bus route network of more than 2,200 kilom e t e r s a n d 3 6 5 m i l l i o n p a s s e n g e r s p e r year, NIAG is the largest provider of public bus transpor t in the Lower Rhine region
H e n d r i k Vo n n e g u t , b o a r d m e m b e r a t NIAG, comments: “We are pleased to have ordered the first 12 electric buses for NIAG f ro m E b u s c o T h i s i n i t i a l o rd e r i s t h e fi r s t important step towards the electrification of the entire bus fleet ”
P e t e r B i j v e l d s , C E O o f E b u s c o , c o mments: “We are delighted with this collaboration with NIAG/Transdev, as we share the commitment to drive the transition to zero emission public transport, in which Transdev is an industr y leader Having already delivered more than 170 buses to Transdev, this order is a clear recognition for Ebusco, and w e l o o k f o r w a rd t o f u r t h e r e x p a n d i n g o u r successful par tnership with Transdev and NIAG ” q
of the initial buses that crossed the Atlantic from Europe arrived with European configuration or components rather than American configuration and components
Observations suggest that the European companies that have done the best tend to do these three things: 1) Modify their product for the American market including comp o n e n t s a n d c o n f i g u r a t i o n 2 ) I n v e s t t h e money to provide parts, support and repair centers (similar to what is available in much of Western Europe) 3) Because of Buy Ameri c a p ro v i s i o n s , t h o s e s e l l i n g t r a n s i t b u s e s will do better if their products are assembled or manufactured here.
Are there any common reasons as to why these manufacturers decided to expand their market to America? Two events appear to have prompted half of these companies to take this step The more important of the two was deregulation in 1982 that increased competition and interest in buses that attract riders This prompted the arrival of five European brands in America between late 1984 and late 1985. In addition, the breakup of the E a s t e r n E u r o p e a n C o m m u n i s t B l o c k prompted three manufacturers to look west for new markets
Following is our list of European buses t h a t w e r e s o l d i n t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s a n d C a n a d a W h e re p o s s i b l e w e h a v e t r i e d t o p r e s e n t t h e m i n c h r o n o l o g i c a l o r d e r o f appearance although a few are somewhat sketchy and difficult to document Providing d e t a i l s o n t h e m o d e l s s o l d w o u l d e x p a n d t h e s i z e o f t h i s w o r k s u b s t a n t i a l l y, s o w e have tried to limit this while still providing some corporate background and information where it is interesting or helps explain t h i n g s . S i n c e t h i s a p p e a r s t o b e t h e f i r s t a t t e m p t t o g a t h e r t h i s i n f o r m a t i o n i n o n e place, we would welcome additional information or corrections from our readers
As w i t h s e v e r a l p re v i o u s a r t i c l e s i n
N AT I O N A L B U S T R A D E R , t h i s o n e originated with a query to our “Curious Coachowner” question and answer colu m n a s k i n g a b o u t a l i s t o f E u ro p e a n b u s b r a n d s t h a t h a d b e e n s o l d i n t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s a n d C a n a d a T h i s b ro u g h t u p t w o things. One is that none of us had ever seen a list like this The second was that any list would be too long to fit into that column and would require at least an article.
by
Larr y PlachnoA f t e r c h a l l e n g i n g o u r m e m o r y a n d c h e c k i n g b a c k i s s u e s o f N AT I O N A L B U S T R A D E R w e c a m e u p w i t h m o r e t h a n 1 5 b r a n d s o f E u ro p e a n b u s e s t h a t h a
. I n many cases the manufacturers were looking to expand their business, and going into the American market was looked at as adding some prestige to their company However, many if not most of them failed to understand that this is a different market with different needs and requirements Virtually all
The Eagle was originally developed as the Trailways answer to the 40-foot Scenic r u i s e r o f G r e y h o u n d . A f t e r m a k i n g t h e rounds of the American bus manufacturers and failing to find an interested partner, Continental Trailways ended up working with the Kässbohrer company in Ulm, Germany A s i n g l e p ro t o t y p e w a s d e l i v e re d i n 1 9 5 6 and was followed by an order for 50 Golden Eagles Then there were orders for two articulated Academy Express buses, four 60-foot a r t i c u l a t e d E a g l e s a n d 4 1 S i l v e r E a g l e s According to our notes, these were not only t h e f i r s t s e r i o u s i m p o r t a t i o n o f E u ro p e a n c o a c h e s b u t a l s o t h e s e c o n d m e a n i n g f u l group of 40-foot coaches in America.
For the record, Kässbohrer gave up building Eagles in 1959 as the economy in West G e r m a n y p i c k e d u p a n d l o c a l b u s o rd e r s i n c re a s e d We w i l l t a l k a g a i n a b o u t K ä s sbohrer later in this listing. Eagle production continued in 1960 under La Brugeoise SA
i n B r u g g e , B e l g i u m , j u s t d o w n t h e s t re e t from the Hochbahnhoff (main railroad station). Following that, Continental Trailways opened their own factory in Brugge in 1961 under the name Bus & Car. N.V.
Although ownership of the manufacturi n g c o m p a n y c h a n g e d , r e p o r t s a r e t h a t Eagles were produced in Brugge as late as 1 9 7 6 I n 1 9 7 4 , E a g l e I n t e r n a t i o n a l o p e n e d their new manufacturing plant adjacent to
the airport in Brownsville, Texas and Eagle production went domestic The Eagles were probably the first significant European coach import, and I think that they were also the first European design assembled or manufacturered in the United States
British Double Deckers & Other Imports
decker buses were sold in America mainly as a novelty. Most would end up in shuttle
The Eagle was obviously planned as the Trailways answer to the 40-foot Greyhound Scenicruiser After being unable to find a manufacturing partner in the United States, Continental Trailways turned to Kässbohrer in Ulm, Germany This is the initial demo Eagle that arrived in the United States in 1956 and started the first major importation of European coaches NBT ARCHIVES
s e r v i c e t o p ro m o t e a n a t t r a c t i o n , s t o re o r shopping mall One was used to promote a m a j o r d e p a r t m e n t s t o r e i n C h i c a g o a n d another brought tourists to a shopping mall in Hawaii. In many cases they were difficult to keep running because of the lack of parts and support In the early 1980s there was an attempt by a company in Minnesota called Porter ’s Double Deckers to modernize these b u s e s a n d m a k e t h e m m o r e r e l i a b l e , b u t there was apparently not enough interest to continue this
I t s h o u l d a l s o b e n o t e d t h a t t h e re w e re o c c a s i o n a l E u r o p e a n b u s e s i m p o r t e d i n small quantities that we were unable to docu m e n t S o m e M e rc e d e s - B e n z b u s e s w e re operating in Hawaii in 1980 and we believe t h a t a f e w b o d y - o n - c h a s s i s b u s e s f r o m E u r o p e w i t h J o n c k h e e r e b o d i e s w e r e imported
Neoplan
Gottlob Auwärter GmbH & Co. was originally founded in 1935 While the company had several locations, it was headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany after a new plant was built there in 1969 that doubled production A s a re s u l t , t h e c o m p a n y e x p a n d e d t h e i r exports to several countries that eventually re p re s e n t e d 4 5 p e rc e n t o f p ro d u c t i o n A s early as 1969, Neoplan had sales representatives in the United States selling German-built c o a c h e s a n d i n 1 9 7 6 e n t e re d i n t o a l i c e n s e agreement with Gillig to build smaller buses. There were a few American bus operators that bought and operated the imported Neoplan coaches in these early years
Neoplan coaches were imported into the United States as early as the 1960s and were operated by a handful of bus companies. It was not until later in the 1980s that Neoplan began building coaches at their new plant in Lamar, Colorado ABC Bus sold new Neoplan coaches for a while and this photo shows several Neoplan coaches in their booth at the 1987 UBOA Bus Expo. NBT ARCHIVES.
In 1979, Neoplan built a factory in Lamar, Colorado for transit buses but continued to import and sell coaches built in Germany By 1983 they had their own Neoplan Coach Sales o r g a n i z a t i o n I n e a r l y 1 9 8 5 N e o p l a n announced the importation of an Americanized N116/3 Cityliner model designed for t h e A m e r i c a n m a r k e t T h i s p l u s a l a t e r a n n o u n c e m e n t t h a t N e o p l a n w o u l d s t a r t building coaches domestically in Lamar by 1987 increased interest in Neoplan coaches among American operators. ABC Bus already had four facilities nationwide for used bus sales and was looking for a new coach to sell As a result, they took on Neoplan coach sales for more than a year At the UBOA Bus Expo shows in January of 1986 and 1987, they had five Neoplan buses on display
A B C c h a n g e d p a r t n e r s t o g o w i t h Va n H o o l i n A p r i l o f 1 9 8 7 a n d N e o p l a n b e g a n b u i l d i n g c o a c h e s d o m e s t i c a l l y a l t h o u g h there still were occasional imports for special models In 2000 new management stepped in. There was an attempt to build coaches at the former Eagle plant in Brownsville, but that fell through because of the 9-11 tragedy In 2006 Neoplan ceased production in the United States The European Neoplan company was merged into M A N A few Neoplan models are still built at the M.A.N. facility in Turkey
National Bus Trader / February, 2023
In the late 1970s and early 1980s several transit operations developed an interest in articulated transit buses because they prov i d e d a d d i t i o n a l c a p a c i t y i n r u s h h o u r s without requiring more drivers Since articulated transit buses had not been popular in the United States and Canada, some European builders took advantage of the situation to offer their own articulateds
M A N traces its history back to an ironworks in Oberhausen, Germany in 1758 The shortened initials is derived from an earlier company name: Maschinenfabrik Augsburg Nürenberg A.G. Over the years the company was involved in ot her areas b esides t ruck and buses It built printing presses, helped Rudolf Diesel perfect the diesel engine and e v e n b u i l t b r i d g e s a n d g o t i n v o l v e d i n mining
In 1978-79, M A N made an agreement with AM General of Mishawaka, Indiana to d o t h e f i n a l a s s e m b l y o f a r t i c u l a t e d b u s shells from Germany Nearly 400 model 297 and 298 articulated buses were built and sold t o v a r i o u s U S t r a n s i t o p e r a t o r s I n 1 9 8 1 M A N developed a manufacturing plant in Cleveland, North Carolina through a subsidiary that initially built articulated buses L a t e r, 4 0 - f o o t b u s e s w e re b u i l t i n c l u d i n g some trolley buses for Seattle An interesting side note is that because of their involvement w i t h M . A . N . e n g i n e s i n E u ro p e , t h e e a r l y Van Hool sales staff maintained an office at this facility
Production ended in 1988 when a lawsuit prohibiting non-accessible buses in Chicago forced the cancellation of an order that had a l r e a d y s t a r t e d M A N s h u t t h e f a c t o r y down on relatively short notice. The facility was then sold to Daimler/Freightliner and used to build trucks
Neoplan opened this factory in Lamar, Colorado in 1979 but initially only built transit buses They did not start building coaches here until the later 1980s. Meanwhile, coaches were still imported from Europe. A few specialized coaches were still imported in later years. NBT ARCHIVES
S e v e r a l u s e d M A N c o a c h e s w e r e imported into the United States during the 1980s, mostly their SR280 and SR321 models T h e y w e r e t r a d e - i n s o n n e w E u r o p e a n coaches that were reconditioned and partially Americanized although they retained their center door and lower level restroom Operators who wanted the European look b u t d i d n o t w a n t t o p a y f o r a n e w c o a c h f o u n d t h e m a t t r a c t i v e . V I P C o a c h o f Orlando, Florida acted as a dealer for many o f t h e u n i t s S a l e s d i m i n i s h e d a n d e n d e d l a t e r i n t h e d e c a d e w h e n m o re E u ro p e a n coaches came on the market
Ikarus/NABI
Originally founded back in 1895, Ikarus in Hungary became a major bus supplier in the Eastern Block Countries and was the first of the Eastern Block builders to come to the United States to look for increased business. During the 1980s they produced more than 10,000 buses annually in various plants in H u n g a r y, m a n y o f w h i c h w e n t t o o t h e r c o u n t r i e s i n t h e E a s t e r n B l o c k T h i s s t o r y r u n s f r o m 1 9 8 0 t o 2 0 1 3 a n d g e n e r a l l y involves importing bus shells from Hungary and completing them in the United States or Canada. Since this saga involves numerous corporations and name changes, we will try to condense it as much as we can
A m e r i c a n o p e r a t i o n s s t a r t e d i n 1 9 8 0 when Ikarus Hungary entered into partnerships with Crown in Los Angeles and Orion in Mississauga, Ontario to build the Ikarus 280 articulated bus using Ikarus bodies from Hungary The resulting buses were known a s t h e C r o w n - I k a r u s 2 8 6 a n d t h e O r i o n -
I k a r u s 2 8 6 . T h e s e p a r t n e r s h i p s w e re d i ssolved prior to the end of the decade The
M A N partnered with AM General to build articulated transit buses in Indiana and then built their own plant in North Carolina for both articulated and conventional buses. However, several used M A N coaches that had been traded in for new European coaches were imported during the 1980s and sold in the United States. This two-axle model was displayed at the UBOA Bus Expo in 1988. NBT ARCHIVES
Berlin Wall came down in 1989 and the following political changes prompted Ikarus to again look for business in America.
In 1989 Ikarus Hungary formed another partnership with Union City Body Company of Union City, Indiana to build Ikarus transit buses in Anniston, Alabama under the Ikarus USA name However, the bankruptcy of Union City Body Company in 1992 prompted the creation of American Ikarus, Inc. in Alabama in November of that year American Ikarus, in turn, was owned by a Hungarian holding
Industries The factory in Anniston opened in 1993 and did final assembly on knocked-down buses imported from Hungary Ikarus experienced problems because of political and economic changes so NABI stepped in, purchased an Ikarus plant in Budapest and continued production in Hungary.
The company expanded in aftermarket and service parts for other brands in 1996 w i t h t h e a c q u i s i t i o n o f
facility in Delaware, Ohio At this same time
American Ikarus was renamed North American Bus Industries, Inc The following years w e r e a c o m p l e x i t y o f c o m p l e t i n g f i n a l assembly of Hungarian buses in the United States, expanding in the European bus market with ownership of UK’s Optare for a few years, selling buses in Hungary and building a new plant in Hungary in 2002.
In December of 2005 NABI lost Federal Transportation Administration waivers on its popular CompoBus allowing exemptions to the Buy America provisions Early in 2006 N A B I w a s s o l d t o C e r b e ru s C a p i t a l M a nagement who soon made two more acquisitions. Optima Bus Corporation in Wichita, Kansas was purchased in 2006 with production moved to Anniston in 2007 Optima was the bus division of Chance Manufacturing, a builder of amusement park rides At that s a m e t i m e N A B I a c q u i re d t h e B l u e B i rd commercial bus product line The Blue Bird school bus and the Wanderlodge RV operations went elsewhere.
In 2007 the CompoBus was put back into production using parts from NABI’s Hung a r i a n p l a n t b u t s h i f t i n g m o re a s s e m b l y work to the enlarged Anniston plant to comply with Buy America provisions Neither the Optima nor the Blue Bird lines worked out well for NABI and were discontinued in 2 0 1 0 P r o d u c t i o n o f s o m e b o d i e s w e r e s h i f t e d t o A n n i s t o n i n 2 0 11 - 2 0 1 2 , b u t t h e CompoBus shells continued to be built in Hungary until the end of production in 2013 Production in Hungary ended in April of 2013 New Flyer acquired NABI from Cerberus in June of 2013 New Flyer continued p r o d u c t i o n o f s o m e N A B I m o d e l s u n t i l October of 2015 Now named New Flyer of America, the Anniston plant today produces New Flyer Xcelsior transit buses.
The intercity bus industry faced a major t u r n i n g p o i n t w i t h d e re g u l a t i o n i n 1 9 8 2 With new applications for operating authority, the industry moved from being primarily scheduled service to being primarily charter and tour. Because of deregulation, competition increased substantially as coach operators looked for ways to differentiate themselves and attract customers. Many looked to put buses in their fleet that were unusual and attractive. To meet this need five European brands that we know of began selling in the United States between late 1984 and late 1985. The first three showed up at the A B A M a r k e t p l a c e i n S a l t L a k e C i t y i n December of 1984
Van Hool
Antwerp is a large city and port located in northern Belgium If you drive about 11 miles southeast, you will reach the city of Lier. From there if you continue southeast on Highway N10 for about five miles, you will reach a traffic circle on the outskirts of Koningshooikt. Turning right and west from the circle, you will enter Koningshooikt with
National Bus Trader / February, 2023 • 21
In 1982, Ikarus entered into partnerships with Crown in Los Angeles and with Orion in Mississauga, Ontario to build articulated buses using bodies from Hungary. The resulting buses were known as the Crown-Ikarus 286 and the Orion-Ikarus 286. Shown here is a 1982 Crown-Ikarus photographed in September of 1982 while operating for Tri-Met in Portland, Oregon The unusual lettering on the side was a reference to a popular Portland disc jockey at the time. STEVE MORGAN/PIXABAY.Van Hool coaches were introduced at a show in December of 1984. The first coach was lettered for Seniors Unlimited but had European configuration and components with two doors, a lower level restroom, stick shift and a M A N engine When the imported coaches were Americanized at the end of the decade, sales went up. NBT. ARCHIVES.
the old Van Hool homestead on your right followed by large bus building facilities on your right and bus and truck building facilities on your left Encompassing more than 100 acres, the Van Hool complex seems to make up half of the community when seen from the air
The company was originally founded in 1947 by Bernard Van Hool to deal with the post-war transportation shortage in Belgium. In the following years the company develo p e d 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 Today’s product line includes both conventional transit buses and articulated tram buses using a wide range of power including diesel, hybrid, hydrogen fuel cell, trolley bus, battery-electric and CNG Several different coach m o d e l s a re p ro d u c e d i n c l u d i n g a d o u b l ed e c k v e r s i o n M u c h o f t h e p r o d u c t i o n i s exported to other countries with the United States high on the list The second Van Hool factory is located in Skopje, Macedonia and a t h i rd b e i n g b u i l t i n Te n n e s s e e h a s b e e n paused because of the pandemic
Van Hool was one of the exhibitors at that show in December of 1984 Wim Van Hool, t h e s o n o f o n e o f t h e s e v e n b ro t h e r s t h e n managing the company, showed a Van Hool coach with two axles, two doors, a M A N engine and a manual transmission. Van Hool handled their own sales until April of 1987 when ABC Bus became the American distributor. This worked well for both companies because ABC had four locations selling u s e d c o a c h e s a n d w a s l o o k i n g f o r a n e w coach line to sell
ABC worked with Van Hool to help them d e v e l o p a u n i q u e A m e r i c a n p ro d u c t l i n e T h i s w a s i n i t i a t e d i n 1 9 8 9 w i t h t h e T- 8 0 0
model Very quickly, Van Hool became the m o s t p o p u l a r i m p o r t e d c o a c h a n d h a s re t a i n e d t h a t t i t l e T h e A m e r i c a n p ro d u c t line was later enhanced with additional and newer models including a double-deck and a battery-electric coach ABC continues as the North American distributor of Van Hool with the contract up for renewal soon
Kässbohrer/Setra/Daimler
The Kässbohrer family from Ulm, Germany in Bavaria was originally involved with
building “Ulmer Zille” boats that went down the Danube River to the Black Sea. In 1893 Karl Kässbohrer founded a wagon building company in Ulm which by this time had a reputation for wooden transportation construction By 1907 the company was building motor vehicles and in 1911 built its first bus In 1951 they developed their version of integral construction, calling it “selbsttragagent” or self-supporting that developed into the Setra name They were essentially the first European coach manufacturer to export to North America when they delivered the first Eagles to Trailways in the later 1950s that was mentioned earlier
T h e i r s e c o n d e n t r y i n t o t h e A m e r i c a n market was prompted by a combination of t h e f a c t t h a t t h e y a l re a d y h a d a f a c i l i t y i n Gray, Maine selling their Pisten Bully snow g r o o m i n g e q u i p m e n t a n d t h e A m e r i c a n p o s t - d e r e g u l a t i o n i n t e r e s t i n E u r o p e a n buses They showed their S215HDH model at the show in December of 1984 but deserve credit for the fact that is was Americanized with a single door, a right rear restroom and A m e r i c a n c o m p o n e n t s T h i s m a d e t h e m s o m e w h a t u n i q u e a m o n g t h e i m p o r t e r s Almost immediately, the Setra became the best selling import and retained that honor f o r a b o u t f i v e y e a r s A l t h o u g h t h e y d i d d e v e l o p a n o ff i c e i n N e v a d a , S e t r a n e v e r t r i e d t o e s t a b l i s h f a c t o r y - o w n e d s u p p o r t l o c a t i o n s a n d s e e m e d c o n t e n t w i t h t h e i r level of sales
It should be noted that in Europe, the Setra w a s re g a rd e d a s t h e t o p - o f - t h e - l i n e c o a c h while the Mercedes-Benz buses were considered more of a bread-and-butter style. Hence, it was not unexpected that following some
expansion problems the Kässbohrer operation in Ulm was acquired in 1995 and merged with the Mercedes-Benz bus operation under the name EvoBus Expectedly, this involved several changes. Daimler discontinued the Setra transit bus line because it would complete with the Mercedes-Benz transit buses, but these had never been imported and sold in America A new Setra factory was established across the Danube in Neu Ulm Frames for the Setra coaches, which were not stainless, were now built at the big Mercedes-Benz facility in Mannheim where they could be
dunked in the big rustproofing tank before being shipped by rail to New Ulm for finishing. Some Mercedes-Benz buses were also sent to Neu Ulm for finishing Setra offices were moved to the Daimler facility in Greensboro, North Carolina
cedes-Benz In mid-2012 MCI was appointed to sell and provide service for Setra coaches in America. MCI even acquired some of the Setra management and sales team This cont i n u e d u n t i l 2 0 1 8 w h e n R E V G r o u p w a s briefly designated as the general distributor for Setra coaches in the United States and Canada after which Setra went back to having their own sales team What is interesting i s t h a t w h i l e t h e 2 0 0 a n d 4 0 0 s e r i e s S e t r a coaches were sold in America, the 300 and 500 Setra coach series were never modified for North American sales
The most recent development is that in 2021 Daimler announced the introduction of their new Tourrider model for the American market Built at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Turkey, it was designed for North American operators and is sold by the Setra sales staff The factory in Neu Ulm continues to complete the traditional Setra line of coaches sold in Europe and exported elsewhere
LAG
LAG history dates back to a blacksmith shop founded in Belgium just prior to World War II Just after the war two brothers, Lambert and Arnold Geusens, took over the shop f ro m t h e i r s t e p f a t h e r a n d e x p a n d e d i n t o building small trailers In 1953 the company began building general transport equipment and adopted the name LAG derived from the names of the founding brothers By 1958 they were respected builders of semi-trailers and road tankers In 1975 a bus division was started by Tony Geusens, the son of Arnold As its product line grew to both transit buses and coaches, it began to do more exporting By the mid-1980s the bus division employed 100 people
Pat Nelson, who had previous bus operating experience in England, made arrangements to bring an LAG to the United States under his Sabre name The original unit, affectionally known as the “Silver Bullet” because of its external paint, had typical European styling including two doors, a lower level re s t ro o m a n d a m a n u a l Z F “ l o n g t h ro w ” transmission. The Sabre contribution was in talking Cummins to put their engine in the coach, thereby bringing Cummins back into a bus industry dominated by Detroit Diesel. Nelson drove to coach to my bus garage in Wisconsin and I helped drive it to Salt Lake City, learning about Cummins low end torque along the way It became the third European coach to debut in December of 1984 but was d i s p l a y e d o u t s i d e O r i g i n a l l y, t h e L A G coaches carried Nelson’s Sabre name
Early sales success prompted LAG to take over and create a subsidiary sales company called LAGUSA in early 1986 In July of 1987 LAGUSA moved to their new U S home in a n i n d u s t r i a l p a r k i n B e l c a m p , M a r y l a n d , northeast of Baltimore Incorporated into this facility were corporate and sales offices, a parts depot and a service facility. Coaches arriving from Belgium were prepped here prior to sale
National Bus Trader / February, 2023
This facility was a major reason why LAG had a good following in the Northeast states Subsequent imported coaches were more Americanized as some had a single passenger door and American components.
In 1990, LAG opened a new bus factory in Bree, Belgium. This not only offered additional separation between LAG’s truck and bus operators but also provided additional manufacturing capacity for future expansion. A new model, the Eos tour coach for the Europ e a n m a r k e t , w a s p ro d u c e d h e re b u t w a s never sold in America Van Hool took over the bus division of LAG in 1990 and renamed it Eos Bus Manufacturing. The Bree plant continued to build the Eos model but discontinued production of the traditional LAG model c o a c h e s b e c a u s e t h e y w e re s i m i l a r t o Va n H o o l ’ s o w n p r o d u c t l i n e I n 1 9 9 1 s o m e remaining traditional new LAG coaches at the plant were exported to the United States and sold by the LAG sales organization, effectively being their last activity.
The final traditional LAG models built at Bree were 20 constructed for sale in the Middle East That sale never went through and those 20 coaches were sent to the United States in 1993 All but one were sold by ABC Bus Ken Stranger, the former U S manager of LAG, took over the Belcamp facility and used it to obtain and sell parts for European buses and trucks It would later be involved w i t h t h e i m p o r t a t i o n a n d s a l e o f TA M coaches from Slovenia
Renault
While one of the more interesting of the import stories, this one may be the least successful Renault is a French automotive manufacturer founded by three Renault brothers
in 1899 The company was headquartered in Boulogne-Billancourt near Paris. By 1983, R e n a u l t h a d a 4 4 6 p e rc e n t o w n e r s h i p i n M a c k i n t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s T h e i r p r i m a r y interest was using the extensive Mack dealer network to sell smaller Renault trucks However, seeing other European coaches crossing the Atlantic, Renault decided to sell buses through Mack
D e p e n d i n g o n w h o y o u a s k , t h e M a c k Brothers Company built their first vehicle
in a trolley barn in New York in 1900 or 1902 Considered the first bus in the United States, it went into tour service in Prospect Park in Brooklyn They built their first truck in 1905 and moved their company headquarters to Allentown, Pennsylvania Mack had a habit of going into and out of bus manufacturing I n e a r l i e r y e a r s t h e y b u i l t b u s e s f o r G re yh o u n d a n d P i c k w i c k b u t c o n c e n t r a t e d o n transit buses in the late 1930s. In 1956 Mack purchased the C D Beck Company of Sidney, Ohio and introduced a new model but quit bus production in 1958. Mack did complete a prototype for a revolutionary new 40-foot coach in 1957 known as the MV-620, but it was never put into production
The debut of the Renault buses took place in Nevada in 1985, a year behind Van Hool, Setra and LAG An impressive introduction included driving through a man-made fog. While they did have a single passenger door (as well as the European driver ’s door) there were three questionable items. The standard transmission was a Mack five-speed manual, a l t h o u g h a Z F a u t o m a t i c w a s o p t i o n a l . Coaches came with a Mack engine which was virtually unknown in the bus industry except for a few bus operators who also operated trucks In addition, the initial coaches came with only two axles which made them questionable in the United States.
S a l e s w e r e v e r y s l o w s o R e n a u l t promised a three-axle version, but it proved to be elusive since the Renault assembly line had been set up for two axles. The first threea x l e c o a c h w a s s h o w n a t a b u s s h o w i n Tampa in January of 1987 Even with three axles the sales did not increase. Rather than a t t e m p t t o s
coach in America, Mack made the decision to get out of the bus business The Mack bus department and staff were disbanded while the Renault coaches were repurchased and resold outside of the United States.
Scania/Jonckheere
T h e re a re s u g g e s t i o n s t h a t a f e w o t h e r European buses may have been imported at this time, but documentation appears to be lacking. We do know that KrafTours of Tulsa, Oklahoma purchased two European coaches somewhere around 1985 Both buses were 40 feet long and the standard European 98 5 inches wide One was a two-axle coach while the other had three axles as well as the center European door and a lower level restroom They were the higher quality body-on-chassis European design with what we presume were Jonckheere bodies
An interesting side note that Jonckheere was one of several companies combined to c r e a t e w h a t t o d a y i s V D L G r o u p t h a t i s based in Netherlands They are unusual in being a composite of several smaller bus and body builders. VDL was a leader in moving to battery-electric transit buses in Europe T h e y d i d l o o k a t e x p o r t i n g t o t h e U n i t e d States but never made that decision
Pat Famos/Sabre
T h e s a m e m a n a g e m e n t i n v o l v e d w i t h importing the early LAG coaches under the S a b r e n a m e a t t e m p t e d t o d o s o m e t h i n g s i m i l a r a s e c o n d t i m e I n 1 9 8 7 t h e S a b r e management made arrangements with the Pat Famos company of Yugoslavia to mark e t t h e i r b u s i n t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s T h i s would be the second time a company from the Eastern Block looked at exporting into N o r t h A m e r i c a S e v e r a l d i ff e re n t c h a r t e r
and tour coaches were planned with differe n t l e n g t h s M a r k e t i n g s t a r t i n g i n M a y o f 1988 with an imported demonstrator model S-411 from Yugoslavia It was only 30 feet l o n g a n d m o re s u i t e d t o t r a n s i t o r s h u t t l e s e r v i c e t h a n c h a r t e r s a n d t o u r s . T h i s b u s toured several states trying to interest opera t o r s i n t h e p ro p o s e d l a rg e r c o a c h e s We a r e n o t s u r e w h e t h e r m a r k e t i n g e f f o r t s c e a s e d b e c a u s e o f a l a c k o f i n t e re s t f ro m American operators or because of unrest in Yu g o s l a v i a We n e v e r d i d h e a r w h e re t h e demonstration bus went
In the late 1990s, Metrotrans sold buses with Irizar bodies on Spartan chassis to provide a larger tour and charter bus in their product line It had three axles and was powered by a Detroit Diesel engine. This one was on display at the 1998 UMA show. NBT ARCHIVES.
T h i s w o u l d b e t h e t h i rd e x a m p l e o f a n i m p o r t f r o m t h e E a s t e r n B l o c k . S l o v e n i a declared its independence from Yugoslavia on June 26, 1991 and became a member of the United Nations in May of 1992. Slovenia b o r d e r s b o t h I t a l y a n d A u s t r i a , w a s t h e northern part of Yugoslavia and arguably its most commercial part
TAM (Tovarna Mobilov in Motorjev) was based in Maribor, Slovenia and traced its history back to 1944 By 1948 the factory was p r o d u c i n g b o t h P r a g a a u t o m o b i l e s a n d trucks Bodies from Avtomontaza in Ljubljana, Slovenia were merged with the chassis from TAM to produce integral buses TAM’s original intention in coming to the United States was to offer their high-quality model 252 school bus similar to what was offered by Crown and Gillig Yes, this is the same Crown that had previously partnered with Ikarus to assemble articulated buses in the United States However, Crown shut down in 1991 and Gillig began concentrating on transit buses so the school bus buyers began acquiring body-on-chassis buses. After the s t o p a r m s w e r e r e m o v e d , t h e t w o d e m o u n i t s w e r e r e p a i n t e d a n d s o l d l o c a l l y a s m o t o rc o a c h e s . D u e t o t h e C u m m i n s 8 . 3 L engine, they got 10 miles per gallon
Efforts then moved to work with an Ameri c a n b u s m a r k e t i n g g ro u p a n d o ff e r t h e i r TAM 260 intercity coach. This was nearly 40 f e e t l o n g a n d h a d a C u m m i n s e n g i n e A l t h o u g h i t o n l y h a d t w o a x l e s , i t s l i g h t weight made this less of a problem. One coach was brought over from Slovenia and shown at the UBOA Bus Expo in Miami in January o f 1 9 9 3 . I t d e v e l o p e d e n o u g h i n t e re s t a n d p o t e n t i a l s a l e s t h a t n i n e c o a c h e s w e r e
TAMoriginally intended to offer a high-quality school bus but instead ended up importing its 260 charter and tour coach model from Slovenia. It was displayed at bus shows in both 1993 and 1994 w i t h t h i s p h o t o
imported into Baltimore in September, 1993 They were prepped at European Bus & Truck in Belcamp, Maryland, the same facility that had been started by LAG Virtually all were sold or delivered within a few weeks. Some arrived already painted for their new owners Another 30 coaches were ordered but never delivered due to complications in Slovenia. TA M d i d s e l l a l a r g e n u m b e r o f s i m i l a r coaches to Russia and smaller buses to Israel, many with U.S. components.
Irizar was founded in 1889 by Jose Antonio Irizar in the Basque section of Northern Spain and just west of France. Originally the company built iron fittings for carriages but soon began building the carriages themselves They moved from wood to metal in 1948 and eventually developed a reputation as one of the best bus body builders in the world Irizar bodies were used on Mercedes, Volvo and Irisbus chassis, but the Irizar body on a Scania chassis became very popular in Europe.
Metrotrans based in Atlanta built smaller buses and was looking for a larger bus to add to its product line Arrangements were made to put Irizar bodies on Spartan chassis with American components Metrotrans sold these in 1998 and 1999 Ongoing production ceased because of problems at Metrotrans.
Meanwhile several factors, including the i n t ro d u c t i o n o f C h i n e s e b o d i e s t o E u ro p e a n d t h e h i g h q u a l i t y o f t h e I r i z a r p ro d u c t prompted Irizar customers to ask for integral coaches Irizar began moving to an integral bus line in 2009 and eventually developed a n i m p r e s s i v e i n t e g r a l b u s p r o d u c t l i n e including coaches, transit buses and even a tram bus although they continue to provide bus bodies. They have also become leaders in electric buses with a plant dedicated solely to electric bus production
I r i z a r o f f e r e d t h e i r i 6 i n t e r c i t y c o a c h model to the North American market at the UMA show in early 2016 Originally a distributor was used, but this was replaced by a company distributor, Irizar USA. Operat i o n s a r e h e a d q u a r t e r e d i n N e v a d a a n d Irizar USA has their own sales staff
Some people might object to including TEMSA in a European bus listing because their plant in Adana, Turkey is located east of the Bosphorus and hence is in the Asian part of Turkey However, since M A N , Neoplan and Mercedes-Benz also build buses in Turkey and since TEMSA is very active in the European bus market, it would be difficult to exclude them.
TEMSA was originally founded in 1968
The first three letters of the TEMSA name come from “Thermomekanik” since the original product line was air conditioning equipm e n t . T h e l a s t t w o l e t t e r s p o i n t t o t h e founder and owner, Sabanci Group, a large
a diversified holding company in Turkey In t h e m i d - 1 9 8 0 s , T E M S A s t a r t e d b u i l d i n g b u s e s u n d e r l i c e n s e f ro m M i t s u b i s h i a n d over the years developed an extensive product line of their own Today, TEMSA offers a r a n g e o f t r a n s i t a n d s c h o o l / s u b u r b a n buses as well as several coach models They have four battery-electric models in production including a 45-foot coach
I n 2 0 0 8 T E M S A e n t e re d t h e A m e r i c a n m a r k e t w i t h t h e i r 3 5 - f o o t c o a c h O t h e r
m a n u f a c t u r e r s h a d g i v e n u p o f f e r i n g a s m a l l e r i n t e g r a l c o a c h b e c a u s e o f l i m i t e d s a l e s , b u t o p e r a t o r s w e r e l o o k i n g f o r a n i n t e g r a l c o a c h w i t h b i g c o a c h f e a t u re s t o t r a n s p o r t s m a l l e r g ro u p s A f t e r w o r k i n g w i t h t w o l o c a l c o m p a n i e s a s d i s t r i b u t o r s , TEMSA decided to develop their own distributor company, TEMSA North America, I n c T h e c o m p a n y i s h e a d q u a r t e r e d i n Orlando, Florida They also began offering a 30-foot coach, a 45-foot coach and now a b a t t e r y - e l e c t r i c c o a c h
TEMSA originally got into the American market with their 35-foot TS35 in 2008 when operators were looking for a short, integral coach for smaller groups. Later, they added their 30-foot TS30 and 45-foot TS45 to their product line Recently, they also began offering a 45-foot battery-electric coach. TEMSA.
Alexander Dennis
A l e x a n d e r D e n n i s i s d i ff i c u l t t o c o v e r b e c a u s e i t h a s a r a t h e r c o m p l e x h i s t o r y. Rather than repeat it all, I would refer reade r s t o t h e a r t i c l e i n t h e A u g u s t , 2 0 1 9
N AT I O N A L B U S T R A D E R w r i t t e n a f t e r Alexander Dennis became part of NFI This a r t i c l e p ro v i d e s s u b s t a n t i a l d e t a i l s o n t h e history of Alexander Dennis and the other NFI companies
Basically, we can start with the fact that Alexander Dennis has been the largest bus manufacturer in the United Kingdom with a 5 0 p e rc e n t m a r k e t s h a re T h e y a re a l s o t h e l a rg e s t b u i l d e r o f d o u b l e - d e c k b u s e s i n t h e w o r l d A l e x a n d e r D e n n i s h a s a l s o b e e n m o v i n g i n t o e l e c t r i c b u s e s a n d h a v e b e e n a m a j o r e x p o r t e r. T h e i r a c t i v i t i e s s t a r t e d w i t h e x p o r t i n g b u s e s t o N o r t h
A m e r i c a T h e n t h e r e w e r e p a r t n e r s h i p s
Based in the United Kingdom, Alexander-Dennis has a long history and became the largest bus builder in the UK as well as the largest builder of double-deck buses in the world. Hence, it was not unexpected that their initial efforts at importing to America involved double-deck buses Shown here is a Dennis Trident II chassis with an Alexander body operating for Grayline NY Tours Inc. in 2001 Subsequently, Alexander Dennis began building buses on this side of the Atlantic and was acquired by NFI Group J C REBIS JR
w i t h c o m p a n i e s t h a t b u i l t o r c o m p l e t e d
A l e x a n d e r D e n n i s b u s e s l o c a l l y F i n a l l y,
A l e x a n d e r D e n n i s s t a r t e d b u i l d i n g t h e i r o w n b u s e s i n N o r t h A m e r i c a T h e f o l l o wing list is far from complete but does touch u p o n t h e k e y p o i n t s
It appears that the first of the imports to North American came in 2000 when Alexander Dennis provided Dennis Trident doub l e - d e c k b u s e s f o r B C Tr a n s i t i n Vi c t o r i a , B r i t i s h C o l u m b i a i n C a n a d a T h e i r h i g h capacity proved useful in transit and comm u t e r s e r v i c e s a n d p e a k e d t h e i n t e re s t o f other bus operators Dennis Trident chassis with an Alexander body were soon sold to Grayline NY Tour Inc where they operated in New York tour service Among numerous o t h e r e x a m p l e s i s t h a t d o u b l e - d e c k b u s e s w e r e s o l d t o G O Tr a n s i t i n O n t a r i o a n d Sound Transit in Seattle for transit and commuter service
T h e re w e re a l s o s e v e r a l p a r t n e r s h i p s . October of 2008 saw a deal with ElDorado N a t i o n a l t o a s s e m b l e t h e i r d o u b l e - d e c k Enviro500 for the United States market. In 2012 Alexander Dennis entered into a joint v e n t u r e w i t h N F I G r o u p t o d e s i g n a n d b u i l d l o w - f l o o r m i d i b u s e s A n a s s e m b l y plant was established in Vaughan, Ontario in 2015 to handle orders for Metrolinx. Prod u c t i o n o f t h e A l e x a n d e r D e n n i s d o u b l edeck buses was started at the ABC facility in Nappanee, Indiana. ABC had originally refurbished a large number of Greyhound b u s e s a n d t h e n u s e d t h e f a c i l i t y t o re f u rbish Van Hool coaches In 2017, Alexander Dennis moved to their own facility in Napp a n e e . A s m e n t i o n e d e a r l i e r, A l e x a n d e r Dennis was acquired by NFI Group in May o f 2 0 1 9
What may well be the next European bus maker to come to the United States is Ebusco, a Dutch company specializing in battery-electric transit buses. Major accomplishments include an order for 156 electric buses for Transdev in Holland and an agreement with Deutsche Bahn in Germany. To break into the American market would probably require a local factory EBUSCO
Ebusco
T h e l a t e s t p o s s i b l e e n t r a n t i n t o t h e N o r t h A m e r i c a n b u s m a r k e t i s a D u t c h c o m p a n y c a l l e d E b u s c o F o u n d e d i n 2 0 1 2 i t s p e c i a l i z e s i n b a t t e r y - e l e c t r i c t r a n s i t buses The initial bus was built in 2013 and w e n t t o H e l s i n k i , F i n l a n d S i n c e t h e n Ebusco has delivered buses around Europe including an order for 156 electric city and r e g i o n a l b u s e s f o r Tr a n s d e v i n H o l l a n d a n d a n a g re e m e n t w i t h D e u t s c h e B a h n i n Germany for regional buses Late 2021 saw E b u s c o s u c c e s s f u l l y l i s t e d o n t h e A m s t e rd a m s t o c k e x c h a n g e w h e n t h e c o m p a n y announced that it will be expanding to the U n i t e d S t a t e s . T h e y h a d a b o o t h a t t h e A P TA E x p o i n O r l a n d o , b u t w e h a v e n o t s e e n a n y i n f o r m a t i o n o n t h e p o s s i b i l i t y o f b u i l d i n g a f a c t o r y i n t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s .
As mentioned earlier, this is apparently the first attempt to document European bus brands that have come to the United States and Canada. Hence, we would welcome any missing information and corrections from our readers q
n D e c e m b e r 2 0 , 2 0 2 2 , t h e E n v i ro nmental Protection Agency increased emission regulations on buses, tractor-trailers, delivery vans and other vehicles This new rule is designed to reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from the vehicles by 48 to 50 percent by 2046 The new regulations go into effect in 2027. Here is some basic information on the new regulations as well as comments and concerns from the industry
T h i s n e w re g u l a t i o n p r i m a r i l y a i m s a t o n - h i g h w a y v e h i c l e s , b u t i t a l s o i n c l u d e s provisions for engine categories including off-highway engines that are used in construction equipment. Michael Regan, EPA’s administrator, said that the new regulations are the “strongest-ever national standards” for the buses and trucks covered by the rules. The EPA commented that the new regulations are more than 80 percent stronger than current standards
It was noted that these new regulations do not require vehicle manufacturers to cut greenhouse gas emissions from diesel fuel nor do they require converting fleets to electric power However, the EPA said that new re g u l a t i o n s o n g re e n h o u s e g a s e m i s s i o n s would come out in the spring EPA Administrator Regan said that issuing both regulations at the same time would have delayed things so he pushed the new nitrogen dioxide regulations first because he felt that they were more important.
According to the EPA, these new regulat i on s a re t h e f i r st u p da t e t o b u s a n d t ru ck standards in more than 20 years. The previous round of major regulations were phased in over the first decade of the 2000s They became very challenging when it was obvious that it was difficult to meet the regulat i o n s w i t h o u t u s i n g S e l e c t i v e C a t a l y t i c Reduction (SCR) technology Caterpillar left the market while Navistar lost market share More recently, Detroit Diesel opted out of the market at one point Hence, the engine options available on buses are limited compared to 20 years ago.
T h e s e n e w re g u l a t i o n s w e re n o t u n e xpected. In March of 2022, the EPA had proposed new emissions rules Two options were offered and comments were solicited. Option One talked about new requirements in May of 2027 with additional requirements in May of 2031. Option Two called for new standards and requirements for model year 2027 So far it appears that the EPA has opted for the first option. Several industry groups submitted comments and concerns to the proposals with many feeling that they were ignored.
These new EPA requirements limit NOx emissions on heavy-duty commercial vehicles in 2027 to 0 035 grams per horsepowerhour during normal operation, 0.050 grams at low load and 10 grams at idle They also
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• National Bus Trader / February, 2023
Several industry people have mentioned that emissions from the new Clean Diesel engines are only 1/60th as much as they were in 2000 Hence, it has been suggested that money and effort would be better spent elsewhere where they could generate more results MCI
require these new standards to be met for a l o n g e r p e r i o d o f t i m e a s t h e s e v e h i c l e s run on the road An increase of useful life of 1.5 to 2.5 times is required under the new r u l e s T h e y m u s t a l s o p r o v i d e e m i s s i o n warranties that are 2 8 to 4 5 times longer According to EPA, these longer useful life a n d w a r r a n t y p e r i o d s g u a r a n t e e t h a t a s these vehicles age they will meet the new a n d s t r i c t e r e m i s s i o n re q u i re m e n t s f o r a longer period of time
U n d e r t h e n e w r e g u l a t i o n s , v e h i c l e m a n u f a c t u re r s a re re q u i re d t o m a k e s u re t h a t t h e e l e c t ro n i c p o l l u t i o n c o n t ro l s a re t a m p e r p r o o f M a n u f a c t u r e r s m u s t n o w d e m o n s t r a t e t h a t e n g i n e s a n d r e l a t e d equipment is designed to prevent drivers from tampering with the emission controls by limiting access.
EPA also mentioned that the new rules include a “balanced approach to engine derates related to the Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) emission control system.” In particular, the new regulations require that the engines provide more advanced warning to drivers that their SCR system is not working properly The EPA feels that this will encoura g e o p e r a t o r s t o s c h e d u l e m a i n t e n a n c e sooner rather than disabling emission control systems to get to their destination
T h e E PA i s l o o k i n g a t w a i v e r re q u e s t s from the state of California to set their own a n d s t r i c t e r e m i s s i o n s t a n d a r d s . T h e a g e n c y s a i d i t w o u l d r e s p o n d t o t h e w a i v e r s i n e a r l y 2 0 2 3
Comments and Concerns
Not unexpectedly, there seems to be no e n d t o t h e c o m m e n t s a n d c o n c e r n s f ro m i n d u s t r y r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s a n d g r o u p s
addressing the original proposal last March or the new regulations in December In part i c u l a r, i t h a s b e e n p o i n t e d o u t t h a t b u s e n g i n e e m i s s i o n s a re n o w o n l y 1 / 6 0 t h a s m u c h a s t h e y w e r e i n 2 0 0 0 Tr y i n g t o
To comply with recent emission standards, engines generally had to convert to Selective Catalytic Reduction technology and use DEF fluid Many European operators had already made this transition although in Europe the fluid added to the engine was called AdBlue MYSHOUN
re d u c e t h e m f u r t h e r s e e m s l i k e a t e r r i b l e waste of effort and cost when there are so many other things that pollute even more like coal mine fires and ocean-going ships using bunker oil
I t h a s b e e n p o i n t e d o u t t h a t t h e s e n e w regulations ignore the competition The airlines continue to use fossil fuel and freight railroads are almost exclusively powered by diesel fuel In the past there were several railr o a d s t h a t u s e d e l e c t r i c l o c o m o t i v e s o n freight trains including the Pennsylvania, Norfolk & Western, Piedmont & Northern, Milwaukee Road, Great Northern and Butte, A n a c o n d a & P a c i f i c a s w e l l a s n u m e ro u s electric interurban lines.
A major concern is that maintenance of t h e e m i s s i o n c o n t ro l s y s t e m h a s i n c re a si n g l y b e c o m e a h i g h e r s h a r e o f m a i n t en a n c e c o s t s . A c o m m e n t f ro m t h e A m e r ic a n Tru c k i n g A s s o c i a t i o n o ff e re d : “ A f t e r all, a truck in a service bay is an unproduct i v e t r u c k – e v e n i f s u c h t r u c k i s u n d e r warranty for repairs ” They added: “String e n c y l e v e l s t e e t e r i n g o n a n o t c h a b o v e z e ro c a u s e g re a t h e s i t a t i o n f o r f l e e t s t h a t can ill afford more false-positive NOx sensor readings and greater potential for manu f a c t u r e r r e c a l l s D a i m l e r q u e s t i o n e d w h e t h e r N O x s e n s o r s w e re u p t o t h e t a s k s i n c e c u r re n t s e n s o r s a re n o t T h e y w e n t on to suggest that sensor suppliers are not i n v e s t i n g i n d i e s e l t e c h n o l o g y.
It is very obvious that while these new regulations are geared primarily at trucks, the bus industry is forced to go along for the ride Several people have commented that Clean Diesel engines are already so clean that any additional environmental efforts would be best directed in other areas. It is also obvious that these new regulations are pushing trucks and buses in the direction of electric power. BENDIX.
The new rule will be costly, particularly f o r s m a l l t ru c k e r s , s a i d t ru c k i n g i n d u s t r y officials. Director of federal affairs for the O w n e r - O p e r a t o r I n d e p e n d e n t D r i v e r ’ s A s s o c i a t i o n , J a y G r i m e s , s a i d t h a t t h e requirements that emissions be cut by 2027 w a s t o o a g g r e s s i v e H e a d d e d t h a t r u l e s r e q u i r i n g r e d u c t i o n s i n g r e e n h o u s e g a s emissions would be costly with increased prices being passed on to consumers A simi l a r c o m m e n t c a m e f r o m t h e A m e r i c a n Trucking Associations indicating that fleet operators are worried that the engine and v e h i c l e m a n u f a c t u re r s w i l l n o t b e a b l e t o produce compliant vehicles in time
T h i s s a m e t h e m e h a s b e e n re p e a t e d b y others In response to the original proposal, the Truck and Engine Manufacturers Assoc i a t i o n o ff e re d : “ B ro a d l y s p e a k i n g , E PA’ s assumption that its proposed Option 1 standards and requirements are fully feasible is a fallacy ” They added: “Moreover, that fallacy is premised on only one set of data – in some instances just one data point – from one still-evolving prototype engine used in one not-fully successful experiment.” They questioned whether an engine existed that could reach the requirements at the 800,000mile mark without the need to replace emission related components Daimler mentioned that: “Notably, no vehicle has been demonstrated that can meet EPA’s proposed standards ” The EPA did admit that these engines were still in the development stage but some improvements were anticipated in the future
While the new regulations apply to vehicles built after 2027, they do not eliminate or require operators to stop driving the older vehicles Jed Mandel, president of the Truck and Engine Manufacturers Association, commented: “Ultimately, the success and future of this rule hinges on the willingness and ability of trucking fleets to invest in purchasing
new technology to replace their older, higheremitting vehicles.” The director of federal affairs for the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association mentioned: “Certainly we all want cleaner air, but if independent and small business owners can’t afford the new trucks, they are going to stay with the older trucks, which are not going to be as clean and efficient ” He added that the price of a new truck with pollution controls is about $200,000. “For most of our members it makes it hard for them to invest in new equipment ” Of course, the price of new buses is much higher.
A s t a t e m e n t f ro m To d d S p e n c e r, p re s ident of the Owner-Operator Independent
Driver ’s Association, said: “If small business t r u c k e r s c a n ’ t a f f o r d t h e n e w c o m p l i a n t trucks, they’re going to stay with older, lesse f f i c i e n t t r u c k s o r l e a v e t h e i n d u s t r y entirely.” He went on to say that once again the EPA has ignored the warnings and concerns raised by truckers in this latest rule It is interesting that a recent report issued by A C T R e s e a r c h f o u n d t h a t a s i g n i f i c a n t “prebuy” of Class 8 trucks is likely before the new EPA standards go into effect This is said to be the largest truck prebuy ever Electric Buses and Trucks
While these new regulations stopped short of asking fleet operators to throw away their
I n m a n y w a y s t h i s new regulation seems to push truck and bus o p e r a t o r s t o w a r d s e l e c t r i c o p e r a t i o n . While battery-electric buses are increasingly p o p u l a r i n t r a n s i t o p e r a t i o n s , t h e y a r e s l o w e r t o c a t c h o n i n c o a c h e s b e c a u s e o f cost, range and chargi n g r e q u i r e m e n t s .
Shown here is the new e l e c t r i c M C I D 4 5
CRTe LE with its low entry MCI
diesel vehicles and move to electric, the pressure to move to electric was obvious EPA Director Michael Regan said that the EPA was working with vehicle manufacturers to see if they could take advantage of federal tax credits for electric vehicles that are part of the $370 billion in clean energy provisions under t h e I n f l a t i o n R e d u c t i o n A c t . S e v e r a l c o mments to the new regulations encouraged the EPA to put more pressure on fleet operators to move to electric vehicles.
Electric buses have had success in city transit operations, but there are concerns with r a n g e , c h a rg i n g a n d c o s t w i t h t r u c k s a n d buses. The typical truck tractor has diesel fuel t a n k s o n b o t h s i d e s o f t h e c a b I f t h e s e a re replaced with batties of equivalent size, the driving range is considerably less than with diesel fuel To solve this problem the Europeans have been experimenting with placing overhead wires above highways so trucks can charge “on the go ” For details see “Charging Along the Way” in the June, 2022 NATIONAL BUS TRADER So far this is still in the experimental stages and is far from having enough highway miles outfitted to be practical.
Although there is more room in buses for batteries, range is still a major problem Stopping along the way to recharge is not pract i c a l o n e i t h e r a s c h e d u l e d r o u t e o r t o u r. A d d i n g m o r e b a t t e r i e s w o u l d e l i m i n a t e space for luggage, making the bus less practical. With both buses and trucks, the cost of
Some bus builders are also experimenting with hydrogen fuel cell power for long distance coaches because it may provide better range. This Marcopolo Audace 500 model with hydrogen fuel cell power was displayed at the IAA show in Germany in late 2022 and reportedly had a range of 600 kilometers (370 miles). However, the hydrogen tanks end up taking as much space as battery packs on electric buses. MARCOPOLO
the batteries adds substantially to the price of the vehicle.
W h a t i s i n t e r e s t i n g i s t h a t t h e r e a r e l o n g e r d i s t a n c e b u s e s b e i n g b u i l t a n d
t e s t e d w i t h h y d r o g e n f u e l c e l l p o w e r
D e p e n d i n g o n re s u l t s , t h e h y d ro g e n f u e l
cell alternative may offer greater range and l e s s n e e d t o re c h a rg e t h a n b a t t e r y - e l e c t r i c
b u s e s . q
Yo u m i g h t c a l l i t t h e “ t h e o l o g i c a l method” of maintaining coaches.
It was 1967, and our fleet consisted of three 1947 Brills, a 1937 Brill, and a 1947 Aerocoach All summer they did non-stop, back-to-back, t r i p s b e t w e e n B a l t i m o r e a n d C o l o r a d o –transporting kids to camp We dubbed the
1937 “Wind Wagon” because the floor had a gaping hole in it, and at 30 m.p.h. a gale blew through the bus
All five were gasoline powered and built b y m a n u f a c t u r e r s b y t h e n l o n g r e s t i n g i n bussy heaven Parts were hard to find, so our meager inventory traveled with us in the storage bays Theology was critical Every time
a bus burped we prayed like hell that we had the needed part with us.
We operated ancient equipment because it was all we could afford, not as a spiritual e x e rc i s e O l d e r v e h i c l e s a re n o t a s e ff i c i e n t o r s a f e a s n e w o n e s T h e y b u r n m o re f u e l , e m i t m o r e C 0 2 , a n d h a v e f e w e r s a f e t y f e a t u re s
Motorcoaches are so expensive to build that they make economic sense only if they have a lengthy service life. The point being that there is a balance between cost, “greenness” and safety. Have we, as an industry, and the government as a regulating agent, tipped that balance too far?
O u r i n d u s t r y w e n t t h r o u g h a p e r i o d when we seemed to tell the public to insist on newer equipment, (and by the way they did not need to pay extra for it) If you have newer coaches, that seems a good marketing strategy – until it is time to trade them in If we have suggested that coaches are old at five years, who is going to ride five-year-old b u s e s ( a n d w h a t d o e s t h a t d o t o re s i d u a l value)?
The regulatory side of the equation has a similar problem with unintended consequences In the quest for clean, efficient, safe coaches, have they driven the price of new equipment so high that the nation’s fleet will necessarily age? Despite improvements in technology, fewer new coaches will be sold and we will be less safe and “green?” Is some of the new mandated technology so unreliable that savvy companies find that some older buses are more reliable than new ones?
A t h i rd f a c t o r i s t h e p u b l i c ’ s d e s i re f o r more amenities (and their reluctance to pay for them) That “stuff” is expensive to buy, a n d s o m e o f i t d o e s n o t a g e t o o w e l l –g ro w i n g e x p e n s i v e t o m a i n t a i n a s t h e b u s m a t u r e s I n m y o p i n i o n , i f y o u c a n n o t re m e m b e r w h o y o u s w i p e d a n i d e a f ro m , i t i s n o t p l a g i a r i s m t o u s e i t I c a n n o t remember where I stole this, so consider it m i n e
“It is easy to manage in the short-term, and easy to manage long-term – doing both is incredibly difficult ” It is also easy for old f a t re t i re d c o l u m n i s t s t o t a k e s h o t s , w h e n they have little at stake. Even so, it seems to me that we, as an industry have done far bett e r a t s h o r t - t e r m m a n a g e m e n t t h a n l o n gterm thinking
We have been so busy eeking out shortterm cash-flow that we have not managed
For those who do not remember or might be too young, here is a photo of a pair of IC 41 Brill coaches that were built around the 1947 era. One has been restored while the other has not, but both have the expected underfloor engine and entrance door behind the front axle It appears that the coach on the left is not the same one in the Greyhound Historical Fleet. NBT ARCHIVES.
t o c o n v i n c e t h e p u b l i c o f t h e v a l u e o f o u r service, so that we can charge appropriately. We give away goodies like videos and WiFi while airlines get away with charging passengers to carry their own bags on board.
We often speak with a fragmented voice, m a k i n g i t m o re d i ff i c u l t t o m a k e a c o g e n t case to legislative and regulatory organizations. We sometimes lose the opportunity to point out instances where regulations may have an effect opposite what is intended
As usual, I am providing few answers Heck, I am even stealing my major premise O n t h e o t h e r h a n d , i t s e e m s c l e a r t h a t w e need to do some serious long-term thinking, a n d g i v e t h o u g h t t o w h e re w e w a n t t o g o together as an industry If we do not, we will continue to shrink, and are in danger of endi n g u p l i k e t h e p r i v a t e t r a n s i t o p e r a t o r s , sucked up by government agencies
“ P l a n s a r e w o r t h l e s s , b u t p l a n n i n g i s everything,” seems a good way to look at it I k n o w w h e re I s t o l e t h a t c o n c e p t , a n d i t worked well for Dwight D Eisenhower
Strategies we develop may not work out as planned when they bump against reality, but the process of developing them makes us think about our direction and priorities. Hoping (and praying) will not be enough
Oakie [John Oakman] and I were rebuilding an 8V-71 when I asked him if we should look at the manual. “The manual makes me nervous Don’t think just work faster,” he said The engine lasted 20 miles This is a h a rd - w o r k i n g i n d u s t r y, b u t w e n e e d t o work smart, too q
Part 4: System Design and Networks
I have written about the regrettable disa p p e a r a n c e o f s y s t e m d e s i g n i n p r i o r
N AT I O N A L B U S T R A D E R a r t i c l e s ( s e e https://transalt com/article/survival-andp r o s p e r i t y - p a r t - 4 - s e r v i c e - c o n c e p t s / ; https://transalt.com/article/cutting-costsb y - m a s t e r i n g - t i m e - a n d - s p a c e - p a r t - i / –including the substitution of robots for live earthlings for creating routes and schedules a n d s e l e c t i n g s t o p s ( s e e h t t p s : / / transalt com/article/drivers-v-robots-part7-betrayal-by-robots/) Today, the term “system design” is most-commonly applied to d i g i t a l s y s t e m s o r a p p l i c a t i o n s . I n t r a n sportation, system design refers to an effort to configure the vehicles of a single mode, or a combination of modes, into some coherent form so that they work together as a system
At its best, the design of a public transportation system includes multiple modes (or types of service) working in concert to p roduce a n et work t hat mak es most t rip s using all or part of the network as safe, effic i e n t a n d re l i a b l e a s re a s o n a b l y p o s s i b l e . Focused mostly on safety, few attorneys liti g a t i n g p u b l i c t r a n s p o r t a t i o n c a s e s –“experts” on the law and not the subject matter – fail to recognize, or even care, that both efficiency and reliability (measured primarily in terms of the “on-time performance” of pick-ups and drop-offs) have a direct and powerful impact on safety.
Regarding reliability, when any vehicle (by itself or as part of a network) is running behind schedule, drivers are induced (and most accept this inducement) to compromise multiple safety principles in order to catch up (see https://safetycompromises.com as well as 12 installments about this phenome n o n i n N AT I O N A L B U S T R A D E R : https://transalt com/article/safety-comp r o m i s e s - p a r t - 1 - i n t r o d u c t i o n / ; https://transalt com/article/safety-compromises-part-2-on-board-slips-and-falls/; https://transalt com/article/safety-compromises-part-3-wheelchair-and-passengersecurement/; https://transalt com/ article/safety-compromises-part-4-speeding/; https://transalt com/article/safety-compromises-part-5-failing-to-kneel-the-busor-coach/; ht t ps://t ransalt com/art icle/
safety-compromises-part-6-failing-to-pullto-the-curb/; https://transalt com/article/ s
; https://transalt.com/article/safety-compromises-part-8-boarding-and-alighting/; https://transalt com/article/safety-compromises-part-9-rolling-turns-and-sharpturns/; https://transalt.com/article/safetycompromises-part-10-passenger-assistance-s t a n d a r d s - p r a c t i c e s - a n d - d i s i n c e n t i v e s / ; https://transalt com/article/safety-compromises-part-11-wheelchair-and-passenger-securement/ and https://transalt com/ article/safety-compromises-part-12-conclusions/)
S o m e s a f e t y c o m p r omises require only a few seconds to commit.
Some safety compromises require only a few seconds to commit For example, kneeli n g a n d ( a f t e r p a s s e n g e r s b o a r d a n d / o r alight) raising the front curb-side corner (or the entire curb side) of a bus or motorcoach with a pneumatic suspension system gene r a l l y c o n s u m e s a b o u t s i x s e c o n d s . O n a “run” with perhaps 100 boardings and/or a l i g h t i n g s p e r h o u r – n o t u n c o m m o n i n dense urban areas – eliminating this procedure 50 times will shave a full five minutes off the run’s “running time” (the actual time it takes the vehicle to go from one end of a route to the other) This is hardly trivial: A f u l l f o u r t h o f t h e ro u g h l y 7 0 0 l a w s u i t s i n w h i c h I h a v e s e r v e d a s a n e x p e r t h a v e involved incidents when passengers were simply getting on or off the vehicle – when it was not even moving.
It can easily take a driver fi v e m i n u t e s t o p ro p e r l y s e c u re a g a rd e n v a r i e t y manual wheelchair.
At the other end of the spectrum, it can easily take a driver five minutes to properly secure a garden variety manual wheelchair – or longer for the most obscure of the more
than 5,000 types of wheelchairs and motorized scooters on the market The variety of even the most obvious safety compromises (see https://safetycompromises com) and the time saved by each commission of one c a n e a s i l y a l l o w a d r i v e r t o “ m a k e u p t h e time” when his or her schedule would otherwise run 20 or even more minutes behind schedule if all the (almost-always) required safety procedures were executed
O v e r a l l , s a f e t y c o m p ro m i s e s w e re t h e most direct cause of roughly one-half of all the lawsuits on which I served as an expert U s u a l l y, t h e u n d e r l y i n g c a u s e i s a t i g h t s c h e d u l e M y s a m p l e i s h a r d l y t h e o n l y proof: A 2011 study found that 73.6 percent o f t h e w h e e l c h a i r s t r a n s p o r t e d o n t r a n s i t buses were either not secured or not properly and completely secured Compared to modes like non-emergency medical service, w h e r e m o s t s e r v i c e p r o v i d e r s a r e p a i d $X/trip and $Y/mile – effectively paid nothing when the vehicle (a) is not moving (b) with a passenger on board – transit services (public or private) are paid for by the hour
Periodically vehicles run behind schedule through no fault of the driver or the scheduler I am not taking about rush-hour traffic, delays from which should be factored into the scheduling process So too should be the time to secure a wheelchair, and execute the numerous other procedures needed to keep the passengers (and pedestrians, motorists, b i c y c l i s t s , m o t o r c y c l i s t s , s k a t e b o a r d e r s , scooter-users and other travelers) safe. I am talking about detours, parades, construction, c o l l i s i o n s ( i n v o l v i n g o t h e r v e h i c l e s ) a n d i r r e g u l a r a b e r r a t i o n s t h a t a r e l e s s - p r edictable, one-of-a-kind or which last only for brief periods Otherwise, tight schedules are common in a range of public transportation modes (see https://transalt com/artic l e / t i g h t - s c h e d u l e s - p a r t - 1 - t h e - o t h e ra c h i l l e s - h e e l / ; h t t p s : / / t r a n s a l t c o m / article/tight-schedules-part-2-lessons-fromthe-nemt-sector/; https://transalt com/article/tight-schedules-part-3-fixed-route-trans i t - s e r v i c e - 2 / ; h t t p s : / / t r a n s a l t c o m / article/tight-schedules-part-4-complement a r y - p a r a t r a n s i t - s e r v i c e / ; h t t p s : / / transalt.com/article/tight-schedules-part5 - m o t o r c o a c h - s e r v i c e / a n d h t t p s : / / transalt com/article/tight-schedules-part6-schoolbus-service/)
Regardless, it requires only a crayon-level understanding of transportation to grasp
why the driver of a vehicle running behind schedule would commit safety compromises – even while drivers regularly testify that there are no consequences if and when they ru n b e h i n d s c h e d u l e – c o m p l e t e l y u n d e rstandable by anyone who believes in Santa or the Easter Bunny, or that his “fridge is a portal to Wakanda ”
The connection between efficiency and safety is a bit harder to grasp, although just as powerful as that between on-time performance and safety As a starting point (to not write a book about this), the more inefficient a service is, the more prone, in general, many drivers are to commit safety compromises. When systems devolve beyond inefficiency to chaos, all type and manner of forces are u n l e a s h e d w h i c h e x p o s e p a s s e n g e r s a n d o t h e r s ( s e e p a re n t h e t i c a l a b o v e ) t o r i s k . I have occasionally seen buses leapfrog one another Drivers of fixed route buses whose performance is rarely if ever monitored often improvise route deviations – often operating on streets that are not designed for vehicles with large wheelbases to travel on or turn onto and off of (see https://transalt com/ article/the-danger-deterrent-long-wheelb a s e s - a n d - l e f t - t u r n s / a n d h t t p s : / / transalt com/article/dancing-in-the-oncoming-lane-long-wheelbases-and-right-turns/)
I have been involved in numerous crossi n g / t u r n i n g c a s e s w h e r e d r i v e r s r o l l e d around turns (usually to “beat the light” that would have delayed them a minute or so) only to nail pedestrians in the perpendicular crosswalk) Almost every driver involved testifies that he or she did not see the victim, and that the victim (or plaintiff or decedent) “ c a m e o u t o f n o w h e r e ” – e v e n w h e n t h e nose of the bus came to a stop five to 10 feet beyond the point of impact – a mathematical impossibility when one considers (a) reaction time and (b) braking time and distance (see https://transalt com/article/the-follyo f - f a k e - f a c t s / a n d h t t p s : / / t r a n s a l t c o m / article/the-folly-of-fake-facts-part-2/).
their navigator ’s information and the incompetence of signage
For those unfamiliar with these states or cities, lettering on most signs in New York and New Jersey is white on a forest-green b a c k g ro u n d –
t h o s e c o u n t r y r o a d s i n w o o d e d a r e a s o n days where the skies are covered with cumulous clouds In Los Angeles and many other California cities, the lettering is white on a powder-blue background – perfectly camouflaged against the same clouds and “sky blue” surrounding them These are under optimal conditions, not at night and/or duri n g a t h u n d e r s t o r m F o rg e t a b o u t t h e f a c t that most personal vehicles today – black or various shades of gray – are the same color of the roadway
Thankfully, today’s navigators provide redundant information, warning motorists of the upcoming turns and announcing them again just before they encountering them Particularly with services deploying larger vehicles, drivers rely on navigators less often than ordinary motorists (like TNC drivers), or taxi, paratransit or NEMT drivers, these color-spectrum choices compound the discrepancies between the navigators and colorc o m p ro m i s e d s i g n a g e I n t h e d a y s b e f o re navigators became common, I have served as an expert on cases where drivers crashed into the thick cement wedge separating freeways, or where they drove up an off-ramp Regardless, even when chaos emerges only for short periods, it can instantly translate into a serious incident
As a matter of efficiency, on-time performance and safety (again, often interrelated and overlapping), a coherent network of serv i c e s p r o v i d e s a v a s t i m p r o v e m e n t o v e r what transportation professionals refer to as “spaghetti routing ” The most coherent systems employ a strong design whose characteristics are understandable to those who are non-lingual. (I myself designed such a system in southern California in 1983: see h t t p s : / / t r a n s a l t c o m / w p - c o n t e n t / u p l o a d s / 2 0 1 8 / 0 8 / c a r s o n c i rc u i t s c h e dule large.jpg and https://transalt.com/wpcontent/uploads/2018/08/route d and g thumbnail jpg)
(not freeways or, at the other end of the spectrum, “local streets”), focusing stops on what a r e k n o w n a s “ m a j o r t r i p g e n e r a t o r s ” –mostly commercial, industrial and institutional centers, facilities and buildings. These c i rc u i t o u s ro u t e s d e s i g n e d t o c a p t u re t h e greatest number of riders are often long, and usually tight While I suspect some exist during at least the “base period,” I have yet to find a single transit route in New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston or anywhere in New Jersey that was not too tight
In demand-responsive modes like paratransit, NEMT service, taxi and limousine service, where a “familiarity with the service area” was common in the age before “navigators” emerged, Today’s drivers occasionally make turns at the last possible moment or get mixed up by the discrepancy between
Many or most fixed route transit systems essentially have no design – with the except i o n o f s o m e r o u t e s s e r v i n g a s “ c o m m u t e r / e x p re s s ” s e r v i c e c o n n e c t i n g groups of pick-ups at one end of the line and groups of drop-offs at the other (and reversi n g t h e d i r e c t i o n i n t h e o p p o s i n g p e a k period) Instead, vehicles deployed in what i s o f t e n r e f e r r e d t o a s “ r e g i o n a l s e r v i c e ” meander through a sequence of cities, mostly on major “arterials” and “collector streets”
One important characteristic of a coherent collection of routes, or a network of services, is that all the routes and/or services f o r m a h i e r a rc h y P a s s e n g e r s c a n t r a n s f e r f ro m o n e t o t h e n e x t i n t h e m o s t e f fi c i e n t manner (which, as noted, is also the safest manner). As noted in Part 3 of this series (see t h e J a n u a r y, 2 0 2 3 i s s u e o f N AT I O N A L B U S T R A D E R s u b t i t l e d “ F e e d e r S e r v i c e ” ) , o n e mode “feeds” its riders into the next: Taxis o r T N C s t a k e o n e t o t h e n e a re s t b u s s t o p , one may transfer from one route to the next, buses feed subway stations and so on Total travel time is further reduced when Parka n d - R i d e l o t s a r e a b u n d a n t ( s e e https://transalt com/article/making-public-t ransport at ion-work -p art -2-park -andride-lot s/ and ht t p s://t ransalt com/art icle/making-public-transportation-work-par t-3-feeder-service, which greatly shorten the t ime and dist ance passengers must t ravel by personal vehicle to reach a stop, regardl e s s o f h o w m a n y a d d i t i o n a l c o n n e c t i o n s may be needed
All this is hardly innovative Think about Tarzan swinging from, and transferring to, vine after vine before reaching his destination – often a tree or the back of an elephant (which took him further along in the network) Forget about more advanced civilizations where one traveled by horse or camel to a dock or port where the rider transferred to a boat or ship Franky, a hierarchy of modes overlapped the end of The Ice Age (which terminated only about 11,500 years ago)
Some of the most rudimentary principles of fixed route design may be found on my We b s i t e ( s e e h t t p s : / / t r a n s a l t c o m / c o n -
tent/principles-system-design/) Similarly, one may find some of the most rudimentary principles of demand-responsive (door-tod o o r o r c u r b - t o - c u r b s e r v i c e o n t h i s s a m e
Total travel time is fur ther reduced when Park-andRide lots are abundant
Today’s drivers occasionally make tur ns at the last possible moment.
site (see https://transalt.com/content/principles-paratransit-system-design/) Assembling some of these principles to produce a coherent transportation system is not at the crayon level – even while many individual elements of it are (as Tarzan recognized) Yet with a base map of the service area, a couple layers of mylar or acetate and a set of grease crayons, one should easily be able to develop a number of what I call “concept sketches ” Unfortunately, this is a task your robots cannot perform Instead, they can only optimize the chaos of your failure to do such a thing, or anything else that might resemble some effort toward design
E v e n f o r g e t t i n g a b o u t s a f e t y, a n o t h e r i m p o r t a n t p r i n c i p l e o f e f fi c i e n c y i s t h a t money does not grow on trees I am certain that even Tarzan knew this As those of us used to currency know, “It takes money to make money ” In transportation, the enlightened members know that it takes money to save money Passing the recent infrastructure bill is a decent modern re-start – although it is hardly the Defense Highway Act of 1956 O t h e r t h a n r e p a i r i n g c r u m b l i n g r o a d s , bridges and tunnels, we must spend money wisely to create the infrastructure to transform the chaos and waste of spaghetti routing into a coherent network of services if we
hope to build and/or sustain a public transportation system of almost any kind Parkand-ride lots and feeder services (again, see https://transalt com/article/making-public-t ransport at ion-work -p art -2-p ark -andr i d e - l o t s a n d h t t p s : / / t r a n s a l t c o m / a r t icle/making-public-transportation-work-par t-3-feeder-service ) are a good starting point – and major keys to success. Otherwise, all t h e w o r l d ’ s r o b o t s ( s e e h t t p s : / / transalt com/article/the-price-of-digitalmadness/ and https://transalt com/artic l e / d r i v e r s - v - ro b o t s - p a r t - 7 - b e t r a y a l - b yrobots/) will fall far short of what is needed to stifle traffic (an ironic use of language), improve the quality of our lives and save a streetful of them along the way.
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 Transportation Alternatives (www transalt com [1]), a
. Einstein (einstein@transit com) specializes in catastrophic motorcoach accidents
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T h e “ N e w s ” s e c t i o n i n t h e D e c e m b e r, 2022 NATIONAL BUS TRADER mentioned a large order of Van Hool CX45 coaches going to Echo AFC Transportation. Here i s a p h o t o o f s e v e r a l o f t h o s e c o a c h e s posed at the front of the ABC Companies facility in Winter Garden, Florida. There are 47 coaches in this order
Can any readers provide information on this historic sightseeing bus that apparently operated in Toronto more than 100 years ago? The photo comes from a postcard that was probably mailed in Septemb e r o f 1 9 0 9 . L e t t e r i n g o n t h e v e h i c l e includes “Imperial Coach Limited” and “The King Co.”
Number 290 of a Series
“ T h e C u r i o u s C o a c h o w n e r ” i s a q u e s t i o n a n d a n s w e r c o l u m n t h a t p ro v i d e s s i m p l e a n s w e r s t o s i m p l e q u e s t i o n s t h a t a re t o o shor t to warrant a full ar ticle or inclusion in one of our regular columns We will accept re a s o n a b l y s i m p l e t e c h n i c a l o r h i s t o r i c a l questions on coaches, buses or even conver ted coach shells by letter, fax, e-mail or phone If our staff is unable to answer them, w e w i l l c a l l u p o n o u r p a n e l o f e x p e r t s Names and addresses should be submitted w i t h y o u r q u e s t i o n s , b u t w e w i l l w i t h h o l d n a m e s f r o m p u b l i c a t i o n o n r e q u e s t W e reserve the right to modify questions to make them more useful to our readers
Q The J a nua r y is s ue of N a tiona l B us Trader in the Greyhound Historical Fleet a r t i c l e m e n t i o n s t h a t o n e o f t h e e x t r a model 743 buses was sold by Greyhound in 1990. Do you know the story behind this bus and what happened to it?
–– Reader in Illinois
A We knew some of the story but were fortunate to get help from Ron Medaglia in Califor nia for most of it
The information we have suggests that when Greyhound originally ordered the 743 mode l s f ro m Ye l l o w C o a c h , t w o w e re o rd e re d w i t h t w o - a n d - o n e s e a t i n g T h e s e w e r e reportedly to be used for special service on routes to Florida
Following World War II these two buses were transferred to Califor nia Parlor Car Tours, a subsidiary of Pacific Greyhound Lines Here, they received fleet numbers 61 and 62 At some point in the later 1950s, 62 was sold to Bay Area Transportation Company where i t w a s c o n v e r t e d t o a D e t ro i t D i e s e l 6 - 7 1 engine
Eastshore Lines acquired Bay Area Transpor tation Company in the early 1960s, and this 743 was renumbered 308 in the Eastshore fleet It was reportedly used occasionally for charter work, but its seating capacity was limited to only 22 passengers because of the two-and-one seating
This bus was acquired by Greyhound, but it was decided not to include it in the Historical Fleet because of the unusual seating Instead, Greyhound was able to acquire a 743 with standard seating from Black Hills Stages that had formerly operated for North-
l a n d G r e y h o u n d A t h i r d 7 4 3 w a s a l s o acquired as a par ts bus
The 743 from Northland Greyhound became t h e b u s i n t h e H i s t o r i c a l F l e e t I t re c e i v e d parts from the parts bus and the engine from the 743 with the two-and-one seating that is called 62
In 1990, 62 went to Alex Lock in Califor nia but had no engine It was soon acquired by Ted Campbell of Coach Maintenance Company in Williams, Califor nia Restoration on this bus was star ted in 2001 and was comp l e t e d i n 2 0 0 7 T h e b u s i s n o w c o m p l e t e and operable
Q. Are changes being planned for rules on Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs)?
–– Northeast Bus Operator
A S e v e r a l t h i n g s h a v e b e e n i n t h e n e w s l a t e l y b u t a s o f m i d - D e c e m b e r I h a v e n o t heard any new rules
S t a t i s t i c s h a v e s h o w n t h a t g o i n g t o E L D s has increased accidents The feds are now looking at reducing speed limits to help while m a n y t r u c k e r s a r e s u g g e s t i n g t h a t t h e answer is to eliminate the use of ELDs
To the best of my knowledge, there are three exceptions to the requirement to use ELDs
1) Drivers who use paper logs no more than e i g h t d a y s d u r i n g a n y 3 0 - d a y p e r i o d 2 ) T h e re i s a n e x c e p t i o n f o r t o w i n g a n RV o r motor home
3) Drivers of vehicles manufactured prior to 2000
This past September the FMCSA asked for i n p u t o n m a k i n g c h a n g e s t o E L D re g u l ations Some of the questions get pretty technical like how to deal with ELDs if the manufacturer is no longer in business
Answers, primarily from truckers, suggest that the ELD regulations were never about safety Many suggest that since ELDs have decreased safety, the entire program should be scrapped
Q. Is it true that Eagle produced a 102inch wide coach at the same time as the MCI MC-6 model?
–– Reader in California
A Yes The MCI MC-6 model was originally p l a n n e d a s t h e re p l a c e m e n t f o r t h e v e r y popular Scenicruisers It had numerous special features including three roof levels, an
improved air suspension and a huge Detroit D i e s e l 1 2 V- 7 1 e n g i n e t o g i v e i t s u f fi c i e n t power The main feature was going from the traditional 96-inch width to a new 102-inch width Since the Scenicruiser had pioneered the 40-foot length, the MC-6 was supposed to pioneer the 102-inch width
Approval for the 102-inch width failed to happ e n H e n c e , i t w a s t h e M C - 7 m o d e l t h a t replaced the Scenicruisers The MC-6 model was eventually placed in production in 1969 and 1970 There were only 100 production u n i t s a l t h o u g h t h e re h a d b e e n t w o e a r l i e r p r o t o t y p e s T h e s e w e r e u s e d o n c e r t a i n routes where Greyhound could get permission for the 102-inch width
Most of our readers are probably aware that after Greyhound introduced the 40-foot long Scenicruiser, Trailways brought out its new 4 0 - f o o t E a g l e s o o n a f t e r w a rd T h e s a m e thing happened with the MC-6 When Eagle foud out about Greyhound going with a 102inch wide bus, they began working on their own 102-inch wide bus
This was the Eagle Model 07 Instead of creating an entirely different model, Eagle simply took their popular Model 05 design and e x t e n d e d t h e b o d y t h re e i n c h e s o n e a c h side However, since permission for the 102inch width was not immediately forthcoming, only 45 were built in 1969 and 1970
An interesting side note on this is that both the MC-6 and Eagle Model 07 models were on the highways for years before the 102i n c h w i d t h b e c a m e l e g a l O p e r a t o r s w h o purchased the MC-6 model from Greyhound sometimes had problems with regulations b e c a u s e t h e b u s d e s i g n w a s u n i q u e a n d h e n c e c o u l d b e s p o t t e d b y t ro o p e r s w h o were familiar On the other hand, it was difficult to spot a wide Eagle other than the tires looked like they were recessed slightly into the body
Q Can I get an article on my bus company into National Bus Trader?
–– Midwest Bus Operator
A Ye s , j u s t l e t u s k n o w b y s e n d i n g a n email to management@busmag com and we will get back to you with details on the information and photos we need in order to put something together
A n s w e r s n o t c r e d i t e d t o o t h e r i n d i v i d u a l s are provided by Larry Plachno q National Bus Trader /
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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 Vintage 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 Support for the American Market
• MCI Launches Motorcoach Technician Apprenticeship 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 Regulation in 1935
q Vol XXXXII, No 11 October, 2019
• Proterra Launches Proterra Powered™ Vehicle Electrification 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 PREVIEW 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 Luxury 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
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The next. The future. It’s here, now. The All-New H3-45.
ALL ROADS HAVE LED TO THIS
