National Bus Trader Volume XLVIII, No. 1 December, 2024 by Bus Tours Magazine

temsa.com

The Magazine of Bus Equipment for the United States and Canada

A Transit Tale of Two Cities (by Larry Plachno)

This is another article in our ongoing series on public transit and its problems Here we look at the mutual problems faced by the new York MTA and Chicago’s CTA and how Washington, D.C. has solved some of these problems.

The Pasadena Cycleway and Using Bicycles for Practical Transportation (by Larry Plachno) .

A look at a California attempt to create a roadway for bicycles and how bicycles serve as practical transportation in Europe

The State of the Museum (by Dave Millhouser)

Following their recent deaccession of buses and requests from readers, this is a report on where things stand with the Museum of bus Transportation in Hershey, Pennsylvania

It is a good idea to pay attention to bus height because it could not only prevent an accident but be of substantial help in planning doors and ceiling height in your new bus garage.

Equipment News

MCI Ships Its First Electric Coach Out of Pembina

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 zero-emission electric mass mobility solutions, subsidiary Motor Coach Industries (MCI), on November 12 announced it has shipped the ﬁrst of nine battery-electric coaches built by its Pembina, North Dakota facility

Production of electric coaches is a major milestone for the Pembina facility and follows NFI’s November 2023 announcement that it was continuing operations in North Dakota NFI had originally announced a planned closure by 2025, but after careful deliberations re g a rd i n g N F I ’s N o r t h A m e r i c a n f o o t p r i n t and the signiﬁcant improvements in market c o n d i t i o n s a n d d e m a n d f o r M C I c o a c h e s saw a path to retain the long-standing Pembina facility

O v e r t h e p a s t n i n e m o n t h s , M C I h a s m a d e s i g n i ﬁ c a n t i n f r a s t r u c t u re a n d l a b o r investments in the Pembina facility, which has enabled them to support the completion o f e l e c t r i c c o a c h e s T h i s i n f r a s t r u c t u r e includes chargers, storage areas and commissioning areas plus extensive training

“We are pleased to see these ﬁrst electric coaches come off the assembly line in Pemb i n a f o l l o w i n g a s i g n i ﬁ c a n t i n v e s t m e n t i n t r a i n i n g a n d i n f r a s t r u c t u re t

p p

r t t h e transition to zero-emission,” said Chris Stodd

n d Coach, NFI “Thank you to the over 120 team members at Pembina for your determination a

years and I look froward to welcoming more t

our customers ”

“As a major manufacturer and employer i

a , M

o r C o a c h Industries’ investment in the Pembina facility is great news for the region, our state’s economy and the hardworking Nor th Dakotans who keep MCI on the industry’s cutting edge,” said North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum “Innovation drives our economy, and we congratulate MCI and NFI Group on achieving this signiﬁcant milestone, setting the company up for further success in the future ”

“MCI ofﬁcially opened its Pembina facility in 1963, marking their entrance into the U S coach market,” said Paul Soubry, president and chief executive ofﬁcer, NFI “Since then, this facility has manufactured and delivered o u r m a r k e t l e

tomers, and I am thrilled that today they have d

and our commitment to clean and sustainable transpor tation solutions ”

NFI is a leader in zero-emission mobility, with electric vehicles operating (or on order) in more than 150 cities in six countries NFI offers the widest range of zero-emission bat-

MCI’s plant in Pembina, North Dakota recently delivered their first battery-electric buses in a nine-coach order Original plans were to close the Pembina facility because of its age and limitations, but plans were changed and the facility will now remain open. MCI is by far the largest employer in Pembina.

coaches, and its vehicles have completed more than 220 million EV service miles

Today, NFI supports growing North American cities with scalable, clean and sustainable mobility solutions through its mobility solution ecosystem, which includes buses and coaches; infrastructure; parts and service; technology; workforce development and training; and vehicle ﬁnancing NFI also operates the Vehicle Innovation Center (VIC), the ﬁrst and only innovation lab of its kind dedicated to advancing bus and coach technology and providing workforce development Since opening in late 2017, the VIC has hosted more than 400 interactive events, welcoming 9,000 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

h n o l o g y, N F I

demands for scalable smar t mobility solutions Together, NFI is enabling more livable c i t i e s t

tainable transpor tation

With more than 9,000 team members in 1 0 c

under the brands New Flyer® (heavy-duty

a n d d o u b l e - d e c k b u s e s ) , P l a x t o n ( m o t o rcoaches), ARBOC® (low-ﬂoor cutaway and medium-duty buses) and NFI Par ts™ NFI currently offers the widest range of sustainable drive systems available, including zeroemission electric (trolley, batter y and fuel cell), natural gas, electric hybrid and clean 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 0 , 0 0 0 b u s e s a n d coaches around the world M C I i s N o r t h A m e r i c a ’s p u b l i c a n d p r i -

v a t e m a r k e t m o t o rc o a c h l e a d e r P ro d u c t s i n c l u d e t h e l u x u

w o r k h o r s e D S e r i e s a n d t h e b r a n d n e w z e r o - e m i s s i o n l u x u r y a n d c o m m u t e r c o a c h e s : t h e

New Flyer Awarded Lar gest Hydrogen Fuel Cell-Electric Contract in Company Histor y New Flyer of America Inc (New Flyer), a s u b s i d i a r y o f N F I G ro u p I n c ( N F I ) a n d a leader in zero-emission electric mobility solutions, recently announced a new ﬁr m order f o r 1 0 8 z e ro - e m i s s i o n h y d ro g e n f u e l c e l lelectric Xcelsior CHARGE FC™ 40-foot trans i t b u s e s f ro m S a n M a t e o C o u n t y Tr a n s i t (SamTrans), marking the largest single fuel c e l l b u s o rd e r i n N e w F l y e r ’s h i s t o r y T h e contract for 108 buses was added to New F l y e r ’s b a c k l o g i n t h e s e c o n d q u a r t e r o f 2024, with ﬁr m orders placed over the second and third quar ters

S a m Tr a n s p r o v i d e s t r a n s p o r t a t i o n services in San Mateo County, extending its reach to San Francisco and Palo Alto, Califor nia, delivering close to nine million bus rides across an extensive network of 74 bus routes

This investment in fuel cell-electric buses accelerates SamTrans’ journey towards netz e ro a n d i s m a d e p o s s i b l e t h ro u g h c o mb i n e d f u n d i n g f r o m t h e F e d e r a l Tr a n s i t Administration (FTA), California’s Hybrid and Z e r o - E m i s s i o n Tr u c k a n d B u s Vo u c h e r Incentive Project (HVIP) vouchers and local funds These cutting-edge hydrogen buses w i l l re p l a c e S a m Tr a n s ’ d i e s e l b u s e s a n d s u p p o r t t h e a g e n c y ’s t r a n s i t i o n t o a z e roemission fleet to meet sustainability targets d e fi n e d b y t h e C a l i f o r n i a A i r R e s o u r c e s Board’s (CARB’s) Innovative Clean Transit (ICT) regulation, requiring agencies to trans i t i o n b u s fl e e t s t o 1 0 0 p e r c e n t z e r o -

Equipment News

emission by 2040 This purchase will also help SamTrans to meet the U S greenhouse g a s e m i s s i o n s t a r g e t s o f 5 0 - 5 2 p e r c e n t below 2005 levels by 2030

“Our par tnership with SamTrans spans n e a r l y 3 5 y e a r s , ” s a i d C h r i s S t o d d a r t , p r e 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

which were zero-emission The technology a

“Our zero-emission ﬂeet demonstrates SamTrans’ commitment towards reducing the impact of transpor tation on air quality a n d o u r c l i m a t e b y re d u c i n g g re e n h o u s e gases in our communities, which further supports our mission to provide safe, equitable and sustainable transpor tation for our riders,” said Tasha Bartholomew, communications manager, SamTrans

New MCI Coaches for Trans-Bridge Trans-Bridge Lines has taken delivery of four new MCI J4500 buses The buses join the Trans-Bridge ﬂeet for a total of 32 motorcoaches

Three of the buses will be integrated into t h e c o m p a n y ’s N e w Yo r k C i t y l i n e r

buses, 481, 482 and 483, can comfor tably a c c o m m o d a t e u p

offers the bus industry’s largest interior ﬂoor

passenger experience

The four th silver motorcoach will be uti-

made its debut during Musikfest 2024, transporting passengers to and from the popular music festival

The buses’ Cummins X12 clean-diesel engines make the most of ever y gallon by integrating fuel-efﬁcient technologies Per passenger, the coaches offer lower emissions than any current hybrid car This is

transpor tation

New Flyer recently received an order from California’s SamTrans for 108 buses, representing the largest hydrogen fuel cell bus order to date The order involved 108 zero-emission hydrogen Xcelsior CHARGE FC 40-foot transit buses. SamTrans serves San Mateo County and an area stretching from San Francisco to Palo Alto, California

Trans-Bridge Lines recently took delivery of four new J4500 coaches Three of the coaches will be used for scheduled service into New York City and the fourth coach will be used for charter service

The commuter coaches seat 60 passengers while the charter coach will seat 56 All are powered by Cummins engines.

“Trans-Bridge Lines is thrilled to welcome t h e s e n e w b u s e s a s p a r t o f o u r o n g o i n g commitment to renew our ﬂeet,” said Mark Er tel, vice president of operations “These buses allow us to continue in providing the best possible service for our passengers, many of them loyal commuters ”

“It was great to also meet the manufact u r e r r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s f r o m M o t o r C o a c h Industries,” stated Jerr y Feather man, Fleet and Facilities maintenance manager “We had the oppor tunity to ask questions about bus features and their knowledgeable team w a s v e r y re s p o n s i v e We l o o k f o r w a rd t o maintaining our longstanding relationship with the MCI team ”

Paciﬁc Bus Museum Gets 1924 Fageol

T h e P a c

e l c o m

Califor nia

In September, Peninsula Char ter Lines #216 was acquired from the Museum of Bus Tr a n s p o r t a t i o n i n H e r s h e y, P e n n s y l v a n i a The return of this coach back to the Bay Area to become part of the Paciﬁc Bus Museum’s ﬂ e e t , r e p r e s e n t s a h o m e c o m i n g f o r t h i s coach that was operated in the San Francisco Bay Area from 1926 until 1949

#216 (serial 10465) was built in 1924, last of an order (206-216) for the Paciﬁc Electric Railway It had a standard Fageol body and a four-cylinder Hall-Scott engine (50 serial 483) and four-speed Brown-Lipe transmission

A f t e r i t s s h o r t s e r v i c e w i t h t h e P a c i ﬁ c Electric Railway in Los Angeles, in 1926 four F a g e o l s ( 2 1 3 - 2 1 6 ) w e r e s e n t n o r t h a n d leased to fellow Souther n Paciﬁc Railroad subsidiar y, Peninsular Railway Peninsular R a i l w a y n e e d e d t h e s e b u s e s t o p r o v i d e replacement bus service as a result of street

Equipment News

Due to the increasing interest in hydrogen fuel cell buses, New Flyer recently announced its Eastern Canada fuel cell-electric bus tour to demonstrate this technology. The tour with an Xcelsior CHARGE FC™ bus began in Ontario and is making stops in Oshawa, Toronto, Mississauga and Burlington Transit authorities will have an opportunity to experience the advanced features of the New Flyer hydrogen fuel cell bus

improvements that forced abandonment of some of their trolley service At the end of the lease, the ownership of #216 was transferred and repainted into Peninsular dark red with gold-leaf lettering In 1933, #216, along with sister #215, passed to Floyd Pearson (Palo Alto Transit Company) and subs e q u

Knapp (Palo Alto City Lines) in 1942 and ran in city service until 1949

East Palo Alto, Califor nia It was conver ted t

e n g i n

w i t h a d i

t i n c t i v e D i a m o n d T m a nifold mated to a manual transmission it still h a s t o d a y I n 1 9 9 0 # 2 1 6 w a s f e a t u re d i n a P a c i ﬁ c B u s M u s e u m c h a r t e r t r i p t o c e l eb r a t e i t s re s t o r a t i o n

During its time in Palo Alto, just 16 miles a c ro s s t h e b a y f ro m t h e m u s e u m i n F remont, Califor nia, it was seen multiple times i n t h e R e d w o o d C i t y p a r a d e s a n d w a s o n display for the 1992 Bus Bash in San Jose M i k e d o n a t e d t h e b u s t o t h e M u s e u m o f

operator of Peninsula Char ter Lines out of

The Pacific Bus Museum recently acquired a 1924 Fageol bus from the Museum of Bus Transportation Originally built for the Pacific Electric Railway, the bus later operated for Peninsular Railway and became #216 in the fleet of Peninsula Charter Lines It is very appropriate that it is returning to its original service area

B u s Tr a n s p o r t a t i o n i n H e r s h e y, P e n n s y lv a n i a , w h e re i t b e c a m e o n e o f t h e g e m s o f t h e i r c o l l e c t i o n u n t i l t h e P a c i f i c B u s Museum acquired it in September of 2024

# 2 1 6 i s a re m a r k a b l e s u r v i v o r a n d t h e

Paciﬁc Bus Museum is thrilled to bring this 100-year-old bus home to northern California

New Flyer Launches Easter n Canada Hydrogen Bus Tour

N e w F l y e r i s e x c i t e d t o a n n o u n c e t h

Transit authorities will have an oppor tunity t

the state-of-the-ar

showcase how cutting-edge technology is paving the way for a greener future in public transpor tation

Equipment News

Stay tuned for updates from the tour and join New Flyer in leading the charge toward zero-emission mobility

In October, Shuttle Bus Leasing was awarded a contract for the lease of seven buses to The Driver Provider The buses will be used by the company to provide service during the busy ski season in Utah Earlier in the year, The Driver Provider placed an order with Shuttle Bus Leasing for four 40-foot New Flyer buses

Shuttle Bus Leasing Awarded Contract by The Driver Provider Shuttle Bus Leasing (SBL), the nation’s leading provider of pre-owned buses, in collaboration with its afﬁliate Complete Coach Wo

seven buses to The Driver Provider, a premier transportation service company These buses will be used to meet the demands of the upcoming busy ski season in Utah

placed an order for four 40-foot New Flyer b

Phoenix-based client This expanded par tn

commitment to providing reliable, ﬂexible a

providers across the countr y

“We are excited to continue our positive relationship with The Driver Provider,” said Shah Remtulla, regional sales manager of C C W “

demonstrates our dedication to delivering high-quality, well-maintained buses ”

broad selection of pre-owned buses, ranging from transit and shuttle buses to motorc o a c h e s , T h e D r i v e r P ro v i d e r c a n e ff e c -

t i v e l y s c a l e i t s f l e e t t o s u p p o r t i t s

e x p a n d i n g o p e r a t i o n s

S h u t t l e B u s L e a s i n g c o n t i n u e s t o b e a trusted partner in the transportation industry, o ff e r i n g ﬂ e x i b l e a n d re l i a b l e b u s l e a s i n g solutions to meet the evolving needs of its customers

ABA Headquar ters Relocation to Capitol Hill

The American Bus Association (ABA), a leading voice in North America’s motorcoach, charter bus, group travel and tourism industries, has announced that it will relocate its headquarters to a new, centrally-located space on Washington D C ’s Capitol Hill, just steps away from the United States House of Representatives and the United States Department of Transportation The move, scheduled for April 1, 2025, is part of ABA’s ongoing efforts to rightsize its workplace, optimize operational efﬁciency and refocus resources on creating value for its membership

With 75 percent of its current ofﬁce space underutilized, ABA has decided to strategically divest its existing real estate holdings

T h e a s s e t ’s s a l e w i l l f r e e u p s i g n i ﬁ c a n t

r e s o u r c e s , a l l o w i n g A B A t o i n v e s t m o r e directly in initiatives that support its misison of helping members grow their busineses and creating a better regulatory and legislative environment for motorcoach and charter bus operators and the group travel industry

“ T h i s s t r a t e g i c re l o c a t i o n m a r k s a s i gn i f i c a n t m i l e s t o n e i n A B A’s p l a n s f o r e x p a n d i n g m e m b e r v a l u e c re a t i o n , ” s a i d Terr y Fischer, chair man of the board of the A m e r i c a n B u s A s s o c i a t i o n “ B y s t r a t e g i -

c a l l y r i g h s i z i n g o u r h e a d q u a r t e r s , w e e n s u re t h a t A B A re m a i n s a g i l e a n d b e t t e r positioned to focus on what truly matters –

s u p p o r t i n g o u r m e m b e r s a n d d r i v i n g t h e future of the motorcoach, char ter bus and g ro u p t r a v e l i n d u s t r y O u r n e w s p a c e w i l l also enhance our presence on Capitol Hill, a l l o w i n g u s t o w o r k m o re c l o s e l y w i t h p o li c y m a k e r s a n d re g u l a t o r s t o c re a t e a b e tter operating landscape for our members

I’m confident this relocation will open new d o o r s f o r A B A a n d s t re n g t h e n o u r a b i l i t y t o s e r v e t h e i n d u s t r y f o r y e a r s t o c o m e ”

The new headquarters will offer a modern, collaborative environment that reﬂects ABA’s commitment to innovation and team development Its proximity to key government agencies will enhance the association’s ability to engage with policymakers on critical issues affecting the group travel industry

“ O u r p l a n n e d re l o c a t i o n t o C a p i t o l H i l l represents a pivotal step forward for ABA,”

Equipment News

s a i d F re d F e r

“ R i g h tsizing our real estate footprint enables sign i f i c a n t i n v e s t m e n t s i n A B A s t a ff a n d p ro -

g r a m m i n g , a l l o w i n g u s t o s u p p p o

a m o r e

m o d e r n w o r k p l a c e e n v i ro n m e n t t h a t c a n b e t t e r s u p p o r t t h e n e e d s o f o u

our members succeed in today’s challeng-

spring 2025, ABA’s current mailing address and phone number will remain unchanged

inquiries ABA will provide fur ther updates regarding our new address, mailing procedures or any other information that members a

the move progresses

IMG 2025 Leadership Team and Board of Directors

The IMG leadership team that will serve with the new chairman, Greg Gallup, includes Vice Chairman Dan Martin, Karst Stage; secretary-treasurer, Hadley Bos-Fisher, Niagara Scenic Tours; and past chairman, Mike Dickson, Southeastern Stages

New and returning members to the Board of Directors include Jeff Arensdor f, Village Travel; Jonathan Moody, Holiday Tours; and Peter Borowsky, STARR

The 2025 Board of Directors:

• Chair man: Greg Gallup, Royal Coach Tours, San Jose

•

Stage, Bozeman, Montana

• Secretary/Treasurer: Hadley Bos-Fisher, Niagara Scenic Tours, Hamburg, New York

• Past chair man: Mike Dickson, Southeaster n Stages, Atlanta, Georgia

• Chuck Abbott, Gray Line Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee

• Jeff Arensdor f, Village Travel, Wichita, Kansas

• L u k e B u s s k o h l , A r r o w

, Omaha, Nebraska

• Peter Borowsky, STARR Bus Char ter & Tours, Trenton, New Jersey

• Jonathan Moody, Holiday Tours, Randleman, Nor th Carolina

• D e n n i s S t r e i f , Va n d a l i a B u s L i n e s , Caseyville, Illinois

New Flyer Announces Order From Ottawa’s OC Transpo

New Flyer Industries Canada ULC (New Flyer), a subsidiar y of NFI Group Inc (NFI) and a leader in zero-emission electric mobility solutions, on October 31 announced two

IMG recently announced its new Leadership Team: Back Row, L to R: Jeff Arensdorf Village Travel; Hadley Bos-Fisher, Niagara Scenic Tours; Chuck Abbott, Gray Line Tennessee; Jonathan Moody, Holiday Tours; Mike Dickson, Southeastern Stages Front Row, L to R: Peter Borowsky, STARR; Luke Bushohl, Arrow Stage Lines; Greg Gallup, Royal Coach Tours; Dennis Streif, Vandalia Bus Lines; and Dan Martin, Karst Stage

n e w ﬁ r m o r d e r s f o r a t o t a l o f 5 1 X c e l s i o r

C H A R G E N G ™ b a t t e r y - e l e c t r i c , 4 0 - f o o t

transit buses from OC Transpo in Ottawa

T h i s p u r c h a s e w a s c o n t r a c t e d v i a t h e

To r o n t o Tr a n s i t C o m m i s s i o n c o n t r a c t awarded to New Flyer in 2023 which allows for local Ontario agencies to piggyback purc h a s e s T h e o rd e r i s s u p p o r t e d b y f u n d s invested by a loan from the Canada Infrastructure Bank and a grant from Housing,

I n f

Equipment News

(HICC) The units were added to New Flyer’s ﬁr m backlog in the four th quar ter of 2023

updates to support the operation of the new ZEB ﬂeet

b e c O C

OC Transpo’s bus and O-Train network spans 480 square kilometers across Ottawa, O n t a r i o a n

Transpo aims to reach a zero-emission ﬂeet by 2036, and this procurement aligns with other zero-emission bus (ZEB) transition initiatives currently underway for the agency, i

and Coach, NFI “New Flyer has leveraged advanced technologies and our extensive zero-emission experience to create these

New Flyer’s Xcelsior CHARGE NG™ bus

advanced protective batter y packaging for easy installation and simpler serviceability, and a lightweight electric traction drive system with up to 90 percent energy recover y 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 150 cities in six countries NFI offers the widest range of zero-emission batt

coaches, and its vehicles have completed more than 195 million EV service miles

Vicinity Motor Corp. Resignations and Delisting

O n O c t o b e r 2 1 , 2 0 2 4 R o

Canada was granted a petition for Receivership of Vicinity Motor Corp by the Superior Cour t of British Columbia Since the grant of Receivership, none of the board members has been contacted by the Receiver(s) As this appointment is considered a “Change of Control,” the entire board of directors cons i s t i n g o f J o s e p h M i l l e r, A n d re w I m a n s e , William Trainer, Chris Strong, James White and John LaGourgue has resigned from the board Tina Stewar t, chief ﬁnancial ofﬁcer, has also resigned her position

Vicinity Motor Corp on October 23, 2024 announced that it has received a letter from the Nasdaq Listing Qualiﬁcations Depar t-

National Bus Trader / December, 2024 • 9

OC Transpo in Ottawa recently placed two orders with New Flyer for 51 zero-emission Xcelsior CHARGE NG™ heavy-duty transit buses The buses are 40 feet in length and have battery-electric power OC Transpo was able to piggy back this order on a 2023 purchase from the Toronto Transit Commission that allowed Ontario agencies to do this

On October 21, the entire board of directors of Vicinity Motor Corp. resigned their positions. Vicinity also received a letter indicating that it would no longer be listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market Based in British Columbia, Vicinity has been building a popular small transit bus and recently expanded into truck production

ment notifying the company of its failure to m e e t t h e m i n i m u m b i d p r i c e re q u i re m e n t under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2)

The letter stated that as of October 21, 2024, the company’s stock had not regained compliance, as its shares continued to trade b e l o w $ 1 A d d i t i o n a l l y, t h e c o m p a n y received a separate delisting determination based on its recent entr y into receivership pursuant to the Order of the Supreme Court of British Columbia In light of the receivers h i p ﬁ l i n g , N a s d a q h a s d

g Rules 5101, 5110(b) and IM-5101-1

The company will not appeal the decision a n d t r a d i n g o f i t s c o m m o n s h a re s w i l l b e suspended at the opening of business on October 31, 2024, with a Form 25-NSE ﬁled with the Securities and Exchange Commission, removing Vicinity Motor Corp from the Nasdaq Capital Market

First Bus Signs Five-Year Deal with Flixbus

One of the UK’s leading bus operators and global travel tech company, FlixBus on N o v e m b e r 6 a n n o u n c e d a n e w ﬁ v e - y e a r partnership, bringing eight new or expanded F l i x B u s c o a c h ro u t e s a c ro s s t h e U K n e x t year – another move that signals First Bus’ commitment to growing the business and diversifying its services

The diversiﬁcation and growth oppor tunity comes from FlixBus, a brand which has already provided more than ﬁve million passengers with affordable, sustainable coach travel since its launch in the UK in 2021

Equipment News

e its UK network size by the end of summer of 2025, with more than 200 FlixBus vehicles o

par tners

The addition of First Bus will signiﬁcantly b o o s t F l

h e Southwest of England and expand routes in northern cities including Leeds, Manchester and Newcastle First Bus depots in Bath, B r i s t o l , S

super-Mare and in Yorkshire will operate services

Andrew Jarvis comments: “The new par tnership with FlixBus marks another signiﬁcant milestone in growing the First Bus B2B operation and we’re excited to serve further re g i o n s i n t h

distance travel easier

“This new contract will create around 70 jobs and strengthen our national footprint as we renew our presence in the contract express coach market segment ”

FlixBus Managing Director UK Andreas Schorling comments: “Three years ago we s

We ’ v e e x

senger demand and strong commercial succ

inevitable

“

t r a v e l where new moder n, comfor table vehicles provide an enjoyable experience that passengers love This is a renaissance for coach

travel, and we see record numbers of people tr ying and retur ning to FlixBus ”

FlixBus and First Bus will make signiﬁcant investments in the partnership, with FlixBus continuing to increase brand engagement and awareness of the new services

As par t of the investment in the par tners h i p , F i r s t B u s i s p u r c h a s i n g 2 1 Yu t o n

GT12 express coaches, with plans to recruit 6 5 n

depots in three regions A dedicated manager and supervisor will oversee the operations, boosting employment oppor tunities in those regions

The new routes span across the countr y and will launch from spring 2025 Under the c o n t r a c

delivery FlixBus will provide the platform for passengers, offering value for money and b

coaches will be branded in the full FlixBus liver y, including unifor m for the drivers

C o a c h

the economy: According to a KPMG repor t commissioned by the Confederation of Pass e n

have a multi-billion-pound economic impact on the UK, with one additional coach visiting a destination daily generating £1 million in economic value yearly

Szczecin, Poland Gets 14 Solaris Electric Buses

The city of Szczecin has ordered 14 electric buses from Solaris The order includes t h e U r b

four 12-meter Urbino 12 electric buses and 10 ar ticulated Urbino 18 electric buses

Representatives of the City of Szczecin and Solaris Bus & Coach signed an agreement on November 6 for the purchase of 14 zero-emission buses The order includes the Urbino electric model in two lengths: four 12meter Urbino 12 electric buses and 10 articulated Urbino 18 electric buses The vehicles will be operated by Szczecin’s public transport c o m p a

Autobusowe “Konowica” sp z o o With their modern features and high-level equipment, these buses will enhance the comfor t and safety of drivers and passengers Upon deliver y, Szczecin will have 30 Solaris electric buses in its ﬂeet

Both the Solaris Urbino 12 electric and 18 electric models will be equipped with a c e n t r a l

energy batteries, which feature high energy density and capacity, ensuring a long range o

charged using both pantograph and plugin chargers

Andrea Schorling from FlixBus UK and Andrew Janis, COO of First Bus, pose in front of a Yutong bus painted up for FlixBus service First Bus will bring eight new or expanded FlixBus routes across the UK in 2025 FlixBus will double its UK network size by the end of summer 2025

The Solaris Urbino electric buses will be equipped with full-vehicle air conditioning, electric heating, Wi-Fi access, monitoring s y s t e m s a n d a n i n t e g r a t e d d r i v e r a l c o h o l detection system for driver and passenger safety The onboard monitoring will be integrated with the city’s Central Urban Transpor t Management System Additionally, to s u p p o r t d a i l y o p e r a t i o n s a n d m o n i t o r upboard processes, the buses wlil connect to eSConnect, Solaris’s dedicated system for ﬂeet management

Szczecin continues to invest in a modern and eco-friendly bus ﬂeet In recently years, the city has purchased 16 Solaris electric buses With the completion of today’s contract, this number will increase to 30 zeroemission e-buses

Irizar Buses to the UK Ministr y of Defense

Irizar has completed the handover of 26 coaches into the Ministr y of Defense, delive re d t o s i t e s a c ro s s t h e U K T h e b a t c h i s comprised of 21 15-meter i6 coaches and ﬁve 12 9-meter i4 coaches, built to an exacting MoD speciﬁcation

The project had multiple stakeholders, with Babcock Inter national managing the procurement process on behalf of the MoD via competitive tender, and Novuna Vehicle S o l u t i o n s b e i n g s e l e c t e d a s t h e l e a s e provider

Managing Director of Irizar UK Andrew Blundell commented, “It has been a pleasure to work closely with the teams at Babcock and Novuna, and successfully deliver the ﬁrst Irizar coaches into the MoD By comm i t t i n g t o d e t a i l e d e v a l u a t i o n o f d i ff e re n t o p t i o n s , w e h a v e b e e n a b l e t o d e l i v e r a s p e c i ﬁ c a t i o n w h i c h o p t i m i z e s t h e M o D ’s unique requirements around passenger seat numbers and payload capacity ”

The 14-meter i6 coaches have 59 pass e n g e r s e a t s a n d h a v e b e e n b u i l t w i t h PSVAR preparation to protect future residual values The i4s, speciﬁcally selected for their lower overall height due to access restrictions at a number of locations, have 51 seats and also PSVAR preparation All the coaches are supplied with the DAF engines paired with ZF Traxon transmission and are HVO compatible This was particularly important in the selection criteria, with the use of HVO offering a 90 percent reduction in CO2 emissions

Optimization and Implementation Manager for Babcock Inter national Matt Strickl a n d c o m m e n t e d , “ B a b c o c k i s d e l i g h t e d t o b e w o r k i n g w i t h I r i z a r d e l i v e r i n g t h i s vital capability to the MoD Throughout the process the Irizar team has been proactive and customer focused, understanding the

Equipment News

Szczecin, Poland recently placed an order with Solaris Bus & Coach for 14 electric buses Included are four 12-meter Urbino 12 buses and 10 articulated Urbino 18 buses, all with battery-electric power. With this new order, Szczecin will have 30 zero-emission buses in its fleet

specific requirements of the MoD Reduci n g C O 2 e m i s s i o n s , m a x i m i z i n g p a y l o a d / s e a t n u m b e r s a n d m i n i m i z i n g t h ro u g h l i f e c o s t s w e re t h re e v e r y i m p o rt a n t c u s t o m e r re q u i re m e n t s , w o r k i n g w i t h Irizar we have delivered a first-class produ c t t o e n d u s e r s ”

After successfully being awarded a vehic l e l e a s i n g c o n t r a c t f o r t h e M i n i s t r y o f

Defense, Novuna has worked closely with all included par ties to deliver high-quality c o a c h e s t o t h e M o D N a t i o n a l B u s i n e s s Development Manager for Novuna Vehicle S o l u t i o n s To b y C a r t e r re m a r k s , “ T h i s h a

through to user deliver y, including our own t h o r o u g h p r e - d e l i v e r y i n s p e c t i o n s , a n d driver training on handover of all these new coaches Everyone in the process has been

Irizar has completed the delivery fo 26 coaches to the UK Ministry of Defense Included are 21 14meter (46-foot) i6 coaches and five 12 9-meter (42-foot) i4 coaches, all built to exacting Ministry of Defense specifications The coaches will be used at various locations around the UK

very satisﬁed with the outcome and we have received excellent user feedback, so a great job done by all involved

Winning a public sector tender and delivering into the MoD is part of Irizar’s strategic road-map as Andrew explains, “When I was appointed in March 2020, diversiﬁcation of the customer base and volume growth were two ver y clear objectives COVID put a 30month dent in our timeline, but I’m delighted that Irizar in the UK is now actively engaged in supplying units into the larger ﬂeets and the public sector Whilst the ‘retail market’ will remain vitally impor tant to us, our successful divergence into larger volume deals will deliver critical mass into our business, and strategically underpin our medium term plans for the UK market as we embark on the next exciting phase of our growth ”

Lorient Agglomeration

Choses IVECO Bus

IVECO BUS’s hydrogen vehicle has been s e l e c t e d b y L o r i e n t A g g l o m e r a t i o n f o r i t s fleet of zero-emission BRT buses The first five of 19 vehicles on order will enter service on its IziLo Mobilités network in the second half of 2025

T h i s m a r k s a n a d d i t i o n a l s u c c e s s f o r

IVECO BUS’s hydrogen solution in France

L o r i e n t A g g l o m e r a t i o n h a s c o n t r a c t e d with IVECO BUS for the supply of the ﬁrst ﬁ v e z e r o - e m i s s i o n h y d r o g e n G X 3 3 7 H 2 buses, in the Linium BRT version, which will j o i n t h e I z i L o n e t w o r k i n t h s e c o n d h a l f o f

2025 A total of 19 buses will be supplied for progressive commissioning by 2025

“Lorient Agglomeration is taking an import

ering ever ything from production to buses, i

these first five vehicles, scheduled to enter

region in Brittany to acquire zero-emission

c o m f o r t a n d g u a r a n t e e i n g e x c e l l e n t p a s -

s e n g e r c a p a c i t y w i t h a r a n g e o f u p t o 4 5 0

k m W i t h a m o d e r n a n d a e r o d y n a m i c

“We are delighted to have been selected by Lorient Agglomeration to suppor t them in their deployment of hydrogen buses,” said Giorgio Zino, head of IVECO BUS Europe Commercial Operations “With its high level of performance, our GX 337 H2 Linium BRT w i l l f u l l y m

h e c h a l l

o f d e c a rbonized mobility With this new reference in France, the IVECO BUS conﬁr ms its major r o l e i n t h e d e p l o y m e n t o f z e r o - e m i s s i o n mobility solutions ”

T h i s b u s m o d e l , c o m b i n i n g a 1 0 0

H y u n d a i f u e

d b

u r t a n k s with a 69 kWh FPT Industrial batter y pack, will provide the IziLo network a par ticularly e ff i c i e n t s o l u t i o n re d u c i n g h y d ro g e n c o ns u m p t i o n b y 1 5 - 2 0 p e rc e n t c o m p a re d t o m a r k e t s t a n d a r d s , o p t i m i z i n g t h e r m a l

Iveco has delivered the first five of 19 buses to Lorient Agglomeration in the Brittany section of Northwest France The buses are powered by hydrogen fuel cells and are the Iveco GX 337 H2 BRT model They will be used on the IziLo Mobilités network

In 2023, Lorient Agglomeration launched the construction of a slow renewable hydrogen distribution station Equipped with 19 charging points, this slow-charge station, the ﬁrst of its kind in France, will supply the buses Once commissioning is completed, which is scheduled for the second quar ter of 2025 in coordination with the arrival of the buses, it will take only four hours to recharge the vehicles’ tanks without any human intervention This entire project (buses and station) is co-ﬁnanced by the French State via an ADEME (Agence de la Transition Energétique) call for projects

Schiphol Airpor t Orders 52 MAN eBuses

emission-free by 2030 In order to achieve this goal, the airpor t operator is focusing, among other things, on creating emissionfree ground operations at take-off and landing areas and has now ordered 52 eBuses from MAN From next year, the all-electric MAN Lion’s City 12 E buses will take travelers and crews from the terminals at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport to their aircraft before take-off or pick them up after landing Deliver y of the ﬁrst vehicles is planned for 2025 “We are proud that MAN is fur ther expanding its cooperation with Schiphol in the area of passenger transpor tation and thus making a signiﬁcant contribution to the ambitious zero-emission targets of our national airport,” said Sybren Hahn, executive director Infrastructure Schiphol

of the vehicles, the Lion’s City E impressed w

O u r e B u s i s p e r f e c t l y s u i t e d t o m e e t i n g t h e i n c re a s i n g d e m a n d f o r p a s s e n g

w i t h a s m a l l n u m b e r o f s e a t s I n r e t u r n ,

t h e y h a v e m a x i m u m s t a n d i n g r o o m f o r

p a s s e n g e r s w i t h h a n d l u g g a g e

S c h i p h o l h a s b e e n o p e r a t i n g a n a l l -

e l e c t r i c b u s f l e e t f o r 1 0 y e a r s , m a k i n g i t

o n e o f t h e f i r s t a i r p o r t s i n t h e N e t h e r l a n d s

t o s w i t c h t o e - m o b i l i t y W i t h t h e n e w g e n-

e r a t i o n o f e l e c t r i c b u s e s f r o m M A N , t h e

a i r p o r t w a n t s t o t a k e a d e c i s i v e s t e p f o r-

w a rd i n t e r m s o f p a s s e n g e r c o m f o r t w h i l e

c o n t i n u i n g t o g u a r a n t e e m a x i m u m re l i ability “In the coming years, bus transpor ta-

t i o n w i l l b e c o m e i n c r e a s i n g l y i m p o r t a n t

d u e t o e v e r l a r g e r a i r c r a f t , a m o n g o t h e r

t h i n g s T h i s m a k e s i n n o v a t i v e a n d s u s -

n t f o r u s , ” s a y s S y b re n H a h n

With more than 60 million passengers, A m s t e rd a m S c h i p h o l A i r p o r t i s t h e f o u r t h largest airport in Europe “We are proud that more and more major airports are opting for our MAN Lion’s City E It clearly shows that the eBuses do a great job in city transpor t, b u t a l s o i n o t h e r a r e a s o f a p p l i c a t i o n , ” emphasizes Robert Katzer, head of Sales & Product Bus at MAN Truck & Bus CologneB o n n A i r p o r t , f o r e x a m p l e , a l r e a d y t o o k delivery of MAN eBuses at the beginning of 2023 Munich Airpor t also recently ordered 49 fully electric Lion’s City E, with an option for a fur ther 25 vehicles

La Veloz Gets Two New Electric Buses from Irizar

L a Ve l o z , a c o m p a n y b e l o n g i n g t o t h e Samar Group, will incorporate two new elec-

Equipment News

Samar Group will start moving to electric buses with the addition of two Irizar ie buses. They will be used on the Vaciamadrid urban lines which are managed by the Regional Transport Consortium of Madrid The 12-meter (39-foot) buses have three doors and 30 seats with four seats reserved for pas-

tric buses manufactured by Irizar e-mobility to their urban ﬂeet The model they chose is the 12-meter-long Irizar ie bus Deliver y of the units is scheduled for the end of this month They will provide service for the Rivas Va c i a m a d r i d u r b a n l i n e s , w h i c h a re m a naged by the Regional Transport Consortium of Madrid

“After years of having a close relationship w i t h t h e S a m

i n g Irizar buses, the time has come to take the l e a p t o e l e c t r i c m o b i l i t y We ’ re e x

e-mobility for Spain and Por tugal

The Irizar ie bus stands out because of i

Equipped with latest generation Irizar batt e r i e s , t h e b u s h a

s (four are reserved for people with reduced mobility – PRM), and it has spaces speciﬁcally designed for wheelchairs, which makes it accessible and guarantees smooth circulation inside In addition, there are charging points on both sides of the vehicle, located over the ﬁrst axle, and it is compatible with the Combo 2 garage charging system

Acquiring these electric buses is par t of the Samar Group’s ﬁrm commitment to sustainability and respect for the environment The company has set out to improve the air quality in the cities where they operate and move towards a completely electric ﬂeet in t h e n e x t

reducing their carbon footprint and promoting cleaner mobility

David Gutiérrez, a Samar Group repres e

, “ We ’ re

e d t o continue our commitment to innovation and respect for the environment, in line with the values of Irizar e-mobility These new electric buses mark a before and after in our urban transpor t services, not just in ter ms of sustainability but also in comfor t and safety ”

Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam has ordered 52 electric MAN buses They are the all-electric MAN Lion’s City 12 E buses that will help the airport become climate-neutral by 2030 These zero-emission buses will be used to transport crews and passengers from the terminal to their aircraft and back to the terminal

sengers with reduced mobility

Alexander Dennis Next Generation Electric Buses

A l e x a n d e r D e n n i s , a s u b s i d i a r y o f N F I Group Inc , one of the world’s leading indep e n d e n t g l o b a l b u s m a n u f a c t u r e r s , o n October 10 announced that Zemo Par tners h i p t e s t i n g h a s c o n fi r m e d a 9 7 p e rc e n t charging efficiency for its next-generation electric buses, delivering fur ther financial b e n e fi t s f o r c u s t o m e r s b y re d u c i n g t o t a l cost of ownership

The exceptional charging efﬁciency has been achieved by careful system integration a n d o p t i m i z a t i o n , w i t h t h e m a n u f a c t u re r ’s engineers working in close partnership with driveline supplier Voith Turbo, battery system provider Impact Clean Power Technology and HVAC specialists Grayson Thermal Systems

The 97 percent grid-to-wheel efﬁciency is best recorded in UK zero-emission bus cer tiﬁcation to date

It further enhances the overall efﬁciency of Alexander Dennis’s next-generation electric buses, which were earlier cer tiﬁed with a benchmark 0 67kWh/km driveline energy consumption over the UK Bus Cycle for the E n v i r o 4 0 0 E V a n d 0 5 4 k W h / k m f o r t h e Enviro100EV

T h e c o m b i n e d c h a r g i n g a n d d r i v e l i n e efﬁciencies ensure that the manufacturer’s next-generation electric buses require sign i ﬁ c a n t l y l e s s e n e

Equipment News

On October 10, Alexander dennis announced that Zemo Partnership testing has confirmed a 97 percent charging efficiency for its next-generation electric buses This exceptional charging efficiency was achieved by careful system integration and optimization Alexander dennis mentions that the data from Zemo Partnerhip testing shows that their enviro400eV model can reduce energy costs by at least 14 percent

operating costs

The independent data from Zemo Par tnership testing shows that the Enviro400EV can reduce energy cost by at least 14 percent compared to any other certiﬁed electric double-decker of similar batter y size under UK Bus Cycle testing conditions To

w n e r s h i p i s f u r t h e r re d u c e d b y t h e s u b s t a n t i a l l y l o n g e r b a tt e r y l i f e o f A

a t i o n e l e c t r i c b u s e s , e n a b l e d b y c l a s sleading warrantable energy throughput of u p t o 1 6 G W h

As real world conditions may differ from U K B u s C y c l e t e s

s p ro v i d e s

route modeling to anticipate per for mance on their actual routes A l

e r i n g Director Chris Gall said: “We have focused o n d e l i v e r i n g b e n e fi t s f o r o u r c u s t o m e r s throughout the development of our next-gene r a t i o n e l e c t r i c b u s e s We ’ re d e l i g h t e d t o announce a stunning 97 percent grid-to-wheel efficiency, certified by the Zemo Partnership’s zero-emission bus testing This will minimize energy requirements and slash costs for cust o m e r s b y d e l i v e r i n g s u s t a i n e d s a v i n g s throughout the buses’ long operational lives

“This is once again testament to the fantastic expertise of our engineering team and the collaborative working culture we have fostered with our key par tners Voith Turbo, I

Grayson Ther mal Systems

Solaris Urbino 18 Hydrogen Named Bus of the Year 2025

2025 title by the International Jury of the Bus of the Year This historic win marks the ﬁrst

received this honor

The Solaris Urbino 18 hydrogen bus has been named Bus of the Year 2025 by the International Jury of the Bus of the Year An award was presented on September 16 at the IAA Transportation show in Hannover, Germany The Solaris Urbino 18 articulated bus was featured on the cover of the October, 2024 NATIONAl BUS TrAder

MAN recently received its largest order to date from a private company

i n A u s t r i a L e d e r m a i r

H o l d i n g G m b H h a s ordered 27 Lion’s City

E b u s e s t o c o n v e r t from diesel to electric

b u s e s i n t h e s t a t e o f

Ty r o l I n c l u d e d i n t h e order are 19 12-meter buses and eight meter articulated buses

Equipment News

The Solaris Urbino 18 hydrogen bus has e a r n e d a h i g h l y p re s t i g i o u s t i t l e o f B u s o f the Year 2025 The award was presented on S e p t e m b e r 1 6 a t t h e I A A Tr a n s p o r t a t i o n show in Hannover, where Javier Iriarte, CEO of Solaris, accepted the honor The Bus of t h e Ye a r a w a rd i s g r a n t e d b y t h e I n t e r n ational Jur y of the Bus of the Year

This achievement is par ticularly significant for Solaris, as it is the first time a hydrog e n b u s h a s w o n i n t h e c o m p e t i t i o n T h e Solaris Urbino 18 hydrogen stands out with its cutting-edge hydrogen technology, which allows it to travel up to 600 kilometers, on a s i n g l e r e f u e l i n g w i t h o u t a n y e m i s s i o n s –making it a sustainable and efficient solution f o r m o d e r n p u b l i c t r a n s p o r t S o l a r i s i s a European leader in hydrogen technology, having delivered more than 260 hydrogen buses, with nearly 600 more on order

MAN Lion’s City E Gets Lar gest eBus Order from a Private Customer in Austria

“Better bus driving” – the motto of Ledermair Holding GmbH says it all The long-established Tyrolean company stands for punctuality, comfort and smooth processes “But we are also driven by issues such as safety, relia b i l i t y, a c c e s s i b i l i t y a n d s u s t a i n a b i l i t y O f course, our ﬂeet must also live up to these values The demands we place on it are correspondingly high With the MAN Lion’s City E, a modern and environmentally-friendly city bus will complement our ﬂeet,” says Alexander Ledermair, managing director of Ledermair Holding GmbH The Austrian transport

company ordered a total of 27 MAN Lion’s City E buses, including 19 solo buses with a l e n g

buses with a length of 18 meters

“We are delighted with the order After all, this is the largest eBus order from a priv

A N Tr u c k & Bus Ver trief Österrich GesmbH, adding: “ T h e v e h

buses by the end of 2025 The all-electric solo and ar ticulated buses will be used in

sufﬁcient space, especially for operations with par ticularly high passenger volumes

In addition to their reliability and sustainability, the MAN Lion’s City E also impresses with numerous innovations in terms of equipment and features With the new electronics platform, a completely new cockpit has found its way into the Lion’s City E It is the central point of vehicle operation and meets the highest ergonomic standards Numerous assistance and safety systems also ensure that the driver, passengers and other road users a re a s s a f e

b l e

h e ro a d T h e wheelchair-accessible and barrier-free interior ensures that even people with limited mobility can get from A to B without any problems Comfort is also ensured by the standard CO2 air conditioning system, which is both more e n v i ro n m e n t a l l

more efﬁcient “In order to protect the environment and make a contribution for us and our future generations, we are increasingly focusing on the use of electric buses Our aim is to motivate people to replace individual car jour neys with environmentally-friendly bus journeys We are convinced that we can achieve this with eMAN Lion’s City E,” says Alexander Ledermair

Another decisive factor in the decision to choose MAN was the all-around consulti n g o n t h

Transpor t Solutions team looks at the entire conversion process with a 360º analysis –with the aim of ensuring a successful transition to electromobility with as little effort as p o s s i b l e f o r t h e o p e r a t o r s E v e n a f t e r t h e switch to e-vehicles, MAN’s experts continue t o s u p

and digital tools

For example, Ledermair Holding GmbH relies on the MAN eManager, a smar t digi t a l c e n t r a l c o m m a n d s y s t e m t h a t c a n b e u s e d t o c o n t ro l t h e b a t t e r y, ro o m t e m p e ra t u re a n d o t h e r v e h i c l e p a r a m e t e r s f ro m t h e c o m f o r t o f y o u r d e s k Tr u e t o t h e b r a n d ’s g u i d i n g p r i n c i p l e o f “ S i m p l i f y i n g B u s i n e s s , ” c h a r g i n g m a

iA Tra nsit

Tale of Two Cities

by Larr y Plac hno

n r e c e n t i s s u e s o f n at i o n a l b u s trader, space and time permitting, we h a v e l o o k e d i n t o s o m e o f t h e m a j o r problems that transit operators are facing Where possible, we have provided a little history on some of these problems as well as suggestions on solutions this particular i n s t a l l m e n t w i l l c o n c e n t r a t e o n d e c l i n i n g

r i d e r s h i p o n m a j o r t r a n s i t s y s t e m s w i t h

s o m e t h o u g h t s o n h o w t o t u r n t h i n g s a ro u n d

a t i p o f t h e h a t t o c h a r l e s d i c k e n s f o r

o u r u s e o f h i s b o o k t i t l e w i t h a m i n o r

c h a n g e i g u a r a n t e e y o u t h a t h i s c o n t e n t

a n d o u r c o n t e n t w i l l b e s u b s t a n t i a l l y d i f -

f e re n t . t h i s t i t l e w a s a p p ro p r i a t e b e c a u s e we recently received information on both the new york Mta and the chicago cta –

a rg u a b l y t w o o f t h e o l d e s t a n d m o s t t r a -

d i t i o n a l t r a n s i t s y s t e m s i n t h e u n i t e d s t a t e s .

What we found fascinating, but probab l y n o t s u r p r i s i n g , w a s t h a t b o t h o p e r at i o n s s h a r e d s i m i l a r p r o b l e m s t h e s e included declining patronage, increasing o p e r a t i n g c o s t s a n d p a s s e n g e r s w h o d i d not feel safe when riding in addition, both m e t ro p o l i t a n a re a s h a d v a c a n t b u i l d i n g s a n d o f f i c e s w h e r e c o m p a n i e s a n d b u s in e s s e s h a d m o v e d o u t o f t h e c i t y W h i l e there are several different possible topics here, we have elected to review the declining ridership with some history and some suggestions for improvement.

Where Did All The Riders Go? the decline in ridership is significant and obviously has a high impact on the two systems and their income ridership numbers actually started a notable decline in 2017, even before the pandemic. in 2020 Mta ridership fell to 960 million paid passengers t h i s c a m e u p t o 1 3 b i l l i o n p a s s e n g e r s i n 2022, but numbers are currently at about 63 percent of pre-pandemic levels in chicago, the cta ridership is at 60 percent of pre-pandemic levels in 2019, ridership was at 455 8 million riders but fell to 273 5 million in 2023

Why did all of these people stop riding public transit? somewhat obviously, there are several reasons – some where the transit agency and city had no control and others where it did or could have some influence one of the biggest reasons for this decline in r i d e r s h i p w

retired early in the face of the pandemic, others were able to work remotely from home still others found other ways to commute because of social distancing. in addition, there was some natural attrition because of retirements in all of these situations the transit agency and the city had little influence or control.

there are some areas where the transit agency or the city could exercise some control included would be the passengers’ conc e r n o v e r t h e l a c k

f e t y, t h e o n

o i n g movement to a one-seat ride and the movement away from higher prices and taxes We can take some time to look at each of these concerns individually

Safety First the lack of perceived safety by riders has become an increasing concern in city transit operations How many riders have been lost because they no longer feel safe in riding? a re c e n t n e w yo r k M ta s u b w a y s u r v e y showed that only 49 percent of daytime riders said they felt safe this is down from 82 percent in 2017 and means that more than half of the riders do not feel safe Meanwhile a 2 0 2 2 re p o r t b y C r a i n ’ s C h i c a g o B u s i n e s s found that only one-in-five chicagoans felt that public transportation was “somewhat safe” or “very safe.”

experience shows a connection between fare evasion and crime. the new york Mta currently has 48 percent of bus passengers and 14 percent of subway riders who evade paying fares this represents an annual loss of $600 million in income in chicago, homicides and shootings are well above pre-pand e m i c

chicago

authority also had problems with crime and passengers concerned with safety. they discovered that policing and reducing fare evasion was a major factor in reducing crime a n d i n c re a s i n g s a f e t y o n t h e i r t r a i n s a n d buses one of their people said, “not all fare evaders are criminals, but all criminals fare evade for the most part ”

station looks north over Wabash Avenue That huge building in the distance, across the Chicago River, is the Trump International Hotel & Tower slayerprincess at pixabay

transit police to require people to provide t h e i r a d d r e s s a n d I D o r n a m e i f t h e y a r e stopped for fare evasion so they can be given a c i t a t i o n a n d a f i n e o f u p t o $ 5 0 I f t h e y refuse, they can be arrested and given a bigger fine This action resulted in an 82 percent reduction in fare evasion as well as turning up illegal firearms.

The

Way We Were

t o t a l k a b o u t a n d o t h e r s c o n s i d e r t h e i r

“ E l e p h a n t i n t h e R o o m ” i s

n g o i n g trend away from fixed route transit and to a one-seat ride In 1888, a former Navy offic e r n a m e d F r

w h a t w a s c o n s i d e re d t h e

i r s t s u c c e s s f u l streetcar line in Richmond, Virginia In the n e x t f e w y e a r s , s t re e t c a r l i n e s w e re b u i l t a l l o v e r t h e c o u n t r y B y 1 9 0 0 s o m e t h i n g like 90 percent of transit trips were on elect r i c s t re e t c a r s w h i l e t h e re m a i n i n g 1 0 p e rcent was divided between horse cars, cable c a r s , b i c y c l e s , m o t o rc y c l e s a n d w a l k i n g .

M a n y w o u l d c o n s i d e r t h i s a n i d e a l s i t -

u a t i o n . A u t o m o b i l e s w e r e n o t f u l l y p e rf e c t e d a n d w e re c o n s i d e re d a t o y f o r t h e rich Paved roads were virtually unknown

o u t s i d e o f c i t i e s G o v e r n m e n t a g e n c i e s

s t a r t e d t o p a v e ro a d s a n d p e o p l e s l o w l y moved from electric public transit to a ones e a t r i d e u s i n g p r i v a t e g a s o l i n e - p o w e re d vehicles This trend away from fixed-route

t r a n s i t a n d t o a o n e - s e a t r i d e c o n t i n u e s

t o d a y w i t h U b e r a n d Ly f t T h e l a t e s t f i g -

Back in 1888 in Richmond, Virginia, a young former naval officer built what is considered the first successful streetcar line By the turn of the century, most people used the electric streetcar for public transportation. Since then there has been a movement away from fixed route transit and to a oneseat ride. PENNSYLVANIA TROLLEY MUSEUM

u r e s I s a w i n d i c a t e d t h a t 9 7 p e r c e n t o f commuters have moved away from fixedro u t e t r a n

t a n d t o a

s e a t r i d e . M o s t of the remaining three percent using public t r a n s i t a re i n b i g c i t i e s

Why is this trend so strong and so overwhelming ? Pub lic t ransit simply does not work for some people Others say that the b u s e s a n d s u b w a y s d o n o t g o w h e re

a r e afraid to ride public transit I would guess that some people still believe in social dis-

This New York MTA bus is on its way to the Port Authority Bus Terminal, arguably the largest bus station in North America. It is not unexpected that the New York MTA and Chicago CTA have similar concerns and problems. These include declining ridership, increased costs and safety concerns ARTISTSCOOPERATIONS AT PIXABAY

public transit is becoming an anachronism

Is there a solution? When Washington, D C was taking about going with free bus service, the idea came up of buying automob

g developments in this area is that some cities have either replaced their fixed route transit with microtransit or have added microtransit to a fixed-route system In many cases the results have been interesting because ridership increased. Passengers could now use the system to go anywhere, not just where the routes went

Perhaps worth watching is the ongoing experiments with a modern version of the people mover Abu Dhabi is testing a podc

pods reportedly are as roomy as a passenger car and will be able to travel the short-

Water Seeks Its Level

One of the problems with transit comes f ro m p o l i t i c a l l e

stand business and competition It is a rule of physics that water seeks its level If you p

and not up A similar situation takes place where workers, companies and businesses

and

The companies

to be

O n e o f t h e f i r s t e x a m p l e s o f t h i s t o o k place as early as the 1920s in the Los Angeles a r e a w h e n t h e P a c i f i c E l e c t r i c R a i l w a y stretched its electric rail lines out of the city a n d i n t o t h e s u b u r b s . B u i l d a b l e l o t s w e re offered adjacent to the rail lines and families moved out of the city At least they were still riding electric transportation.

Elsewhere, this trend generally got started after World War II when families left the city and moved to the suburbs Companies, stores and businesses followed This left fewer people

in the city to ride public transit Public transit did not work so well in the suburbs because of the lower population density. Meanwhile, the cities have vacant buildings and empty offices because of the companies that have moved out The transit riders who formerly worked there are now gone

This situation is by no means limited to big, American cities Right now there is a growing concern about deindustrialization in Western Europe Companies, jobs and transit passengers have moved out in order to be competi-

tive Volkswagen is being forced to move production out of Germany and other companies are shutting down and moving manufacturing and assembly to China and elsewhere

The way to bring back these companies, b u s i

taxes and costs to make the city more competitive One has to question whether a city

costs become too high to be competitive. It might even be said that subsidizing transit in such a city is not so much supporting transit as it is supporting the high city taxes that are making it less competitive

Our Shrinking Globe

ships, we are slowly moving into a global economy For decades companies, businesses and workers have been leaving the big cities Companies and businesses need to compete with similar companies in other states where taxes and operating costs are less. Now even global competition is growing because it is so inexpensive to ship products around the world

move into our city when their competition

businesses and industry to move back into the city and bring workers and passengers

20 • National Bus Trader / December, 2024

The New York MTA has a vast rapid transit system that carries more passengers than their bus network In addition to the buses and rapid transit, the New York MTA is also responsible for several suburban train operations. In Chicago, the suburban trains and suburban buses are operated by different agencies MTATRAIN AT PIXABAY

A Chicago CTA bus running the #56 Milwaukee Avenue route runs under an elevated rapid transit line. The location is unknown but possibly Wabash Avenue on the east side of the Loop. The Milwaukee Avenue bus runs northwest to the Jefferson Park neighborhood where it terminates at a rapid transit station on the line going to O’Hare International Airport CHICAGO TRANSIT AUTHORITY

The primary developer of the Pasadena Cycleway was Horace M. Dobbins who was born in Pennsylvania in 1868 and later moved to Pasadena with his family In addition to the cycleway, he was involved in several civic activities in the Pasadena area. This photo of Dobbins in his steam-powered Locomobile was taken near the south end of the cycleway One has to question how the vehicle got here since there were no ramps

Tof bicycles in Europe, I found that many people were unaware that the bicycle could be used for practical transportation We will take a few minutes to look at the Pasadena Cycleway, arguably an early and impressive scheme to use bicycles for practical transportation Then, we will discuss how the Europeans use bicycles for practical t r a n s p o r t a t i o n

The story behind the Pasadena Cycleway starts with Horace M Dobbins who was born in 1868 to a wealthy family in Pennsylvania. His father, Richard Dobbins, had made a fortune constructing buildings for the 1876 Centennial in Philadelphia The family started vacationing in Pasadena in 1888 and soon moved there Dobbins and his wife purchased a mansion on Orange Grove Boulevard, a prestigious

Although the cycleway was approved in 1898, the official groundbreaking did not come until May of 1899. After that, construction moved rapidly and the cycleway was able to open on January 1, 1900 A steam sawmill and a portable derrick helped move construction along rapidly

The Pasadena Cycleway And Using Bicycles for Practical Transportation

by Larr y Plachno

Gamble (Proctor & Gamble) and Adolphus Busch (Busch Beer) lived. Horace got involved in several civic activities including membership in the Valley Hunt Club, the group that created the famous Tournament of Roses.

There is a question as to whether Pasadena needed more transp o r t a t i

1890s Pasadena was served by three railroads and an early interurb

This photo was apparently taken from an upper level of the Green Hotel looking almost directly south. The toll booth for the cycleway is obvious towards the center of the photo while Fair Oaks Avenue is to the right and Raymond Street is to the left. Note the extended supports south of the toll booth to allow for future expansion.

When Henry Huntington’s interurban tracks met the southern extension of Fair Oaks Avenue, he built Oneonta Junction Right (east) is to Monrovia

Short Line turned north here to follow Fair Oaks into Pasadena The car at the left is southbound from Pasadena and turning towards Los Angeles.

Originally opened in 1885, the interurban l i n e c h a n g e d n a m e s a n d o w n e r s h i p m o re than once but is credited with being the first interurban line in Southern California From the east side of Los Angeles it ran north on Pasadena Avenue through Highland Park, c ro s s e d t h e A r ro y o S e c o o n a b r i d g e a n d entered Pasadena on Mission Street. It then ran north on Fair Oaks to a carbarn just north of Colorado It eventually became known as t h e S o u t h P a s a d e n a L i n e . A l t h o u g h m o re streetcar than interurban, this line did prov i d e re l a t i v e l y f re q u e n t s e r v i c e w h e n t h e cycleway was being contemplated and built

A n i n t e re s t i n g s i d e n o t e i s t h a t o n e o f t h e popular stops on the line was an ostrich farm near the Arroyo Seco that provided feathers for women’s hats and other things

In retrospect, the emphasis on bicycles was logical at that time Bicycles had reached a substantial degree of perfection and reliability with chain drive and good tires Some published material compared the bicycle to a horse and made it obvious that the bicycle was not only cheaper to buy and maintain b u t a l s o d i d n o t l e a v e d ro p p i n g s b e h i n d . B o t h b i c y c l e a n d h o r s e h a d t w o s e r i o u s s h o r t c o m i n g s O n e w a s t h e y b o t h h a d t o contend with dusty roads in good weather and impassible mud with heavy rain The second was that they were both open to cold weather and rain Southern California was perhaps an appropriate location for a cyclew a y a n d a n e l e v a t e d c y c l e w a y a b o v e t h e dusty and muddy streets had some merit

Several prominent area residents joined Dobbins in his California Cycle Way Company. Included were former California Gove r n o r H e n r y M a r k h a m , E d B r a l e y w h o owned the biggest and oldest bike shop in Pasadena, and Thaddeus Lowe who built the railway running to the top of Mount Wilson The California state legislature turned down their first application in 1897 but gave their approval in 1898

This early photo was probably taken at the time the cycleway was promoted and built The interurban car in the photo was heading south on Fair Oaks Avenue. Based on the single track it was most likely running on the South Pasadena Line prior to the start of the Pasadena Short Line Was there a special event that caused this crowd to board today?

Pine wood came by boat from Oregon to build the elevated cycleway Dobbins held a symbolic groundbreaking on May 1, 1899, and construction started in earnest With the use of a steam sawmill and a portable derr i c k , a s m u c h

had lights at night and the roadway had a sandy surface to increase traction and elim-

e roadway was wide enough to handle four bicycles side-by-side Portions of the supporting structure were wide enough so that t

future T

located near the Green Hotel, just south of Colorado and just east of Fair Oaks. It then w

Fair Oaks and Raymond Street It extended

Raymond hotel. It officially opened on Janu

I n i t i a l p l a n s c a l l e d f o r t h e c y c l e w a y t o extend nine miles to Los Angeles From the Raymond Hill area it would turn west, cross Fair Oaks and then follow the Arroyo Seco through Highland Park to Los Angeles Dobbins claimed to have purchased six miles of right-of-way as far as Highland Park. Somewhere near this location would be the Merl e m o n t C a s i n o , a b i c y c l e v e r s i o n o f a re s t area, in the center of the cycleway It would include a large resort complex with a cafe a n d S w i s s D a i r y, a w o m e n - o n l y r e a d i n g room, a reception hall and the expected bike racks for the visitors

h a d t h e cycleway reached Los Angeles, it might have been practical and profitable In 1901, Pears o n ’ s M

devoted to the cycleway that reported that it had been built nine miles to Los Angeles

The trolley line in the street would have connected Fair Oaks with

bucks in the distance

the Santa Fe Railroad

including the casino and Swiss Dairy However, in reality, it never got beyond the Raymon d H i l l a re a . Th e cy cl e w a y si mp l y di d not go far enough to be useful to many riders. The toll was not high enough to finance m o r e c o n s t r u c t i o n , a n d t h e r i d e r s c o mplained about having to carry their bicycles up and down stairs since there were no elevators or ramps

W h i l e s o m e a c c o u n t s s u g g e s t t h a t t h e c y c l e w a y w a s d o n e i n b y t h e a u t o m o b i l e , that is far from the truth since automobiles were still a rich man’s toy in 1900 The real reason for the demise of the cycleway was Henry Huntington and his 1,000-mile Pacific Electric railway in the Los Angeles metropolitan area

H u n t i n g t o n o r i g i n a l l y b e c a m e a c t i v e with electric railways in the Los Angeles area i n 1 8 9 8 a n d s o o n a c q u i r e d t h e S o u t h Pasadena line From there he began building his suburban electric lines in several direct i o n s T h e m a i n l i n e o f w h a t b e c a m e h i s Northern District operated on private rightof-way after crossing the Los Angeles River and continued east to Monrovia and Glendora It incorporated a section of four-track main line more than five miles long, one of o n l y t w o f o u r- t

built (the other being in Huntington’s Southern District)

much of Europe, bicycles are also used for

shows a bike rack outside of a bank in Hungary Some of the bicycles are equipped with baskets to help in carrying a few groceries or other items home

Where this line met the southern extension of Fair Oaks Avenue, Huntington built Oneonta Junction It was named after Huntington’s birth place in Oneonta, New York In building north on Fair Oaks, Huntington r a n i n t o o b j e c t i o n s o f t h e c y c l e w a y t h a t secured an injunction to stop track construction The interurban line in turn tried to condemn the portion of the cycleway property it wanted to cross Eventually the two sides reached an agreement in late 1902 and the interurban line built a bridge T

Short Line It followed the Monrovia-Glendora line from Los Angeles to Oneonta Junction and then turned north on the alignment of Fair Oaks Avenue Cars terminated at the c a r b

time from Pasadena to downtown Los Ange-

h effectively ended any thoughts of extending the cycleway

Reports suggest that although the cyclew a y w

m a

n e d intact at least to 1906 when it was dismant

company headed by Dobbins founded the

ington and Pacific Electric However, nothing ever came of this Years later Dobbin’s g

muters ride their bicycles to the station and

go to work.

bicycle has remained primarily a recreational vehicle in the United States and has generally not become part of the transportation network Possibly this reflects American’s love of the passenger car and their willingn

could be a big help in looking for that “first mile and last mile” link for both buses and trains.

Admittedly, this has improved a little in recent years. Many transit buses have bike racks so that passengers can take their bicycle with them and use it for transportation after leaving the bus Likewise, there are now numerous bicycle lanes marked on streets that do encourage two-wheeled transportation However, bicycle paths are still somewhat elusive Most of the suitable private right-of-way paths I have seen are in parks, n a t u re t r

railroads that are generally not positioned for meaningful transportation

should take a close look at Western Europe To begin with, the Western Europeans are very accepting of public transportation In addition to a marvelous public transportation system, they are very strong on inter-

modal connections Their railroad stations serve as a meeting point for trains, trams,

b u s e s a n d t a x i s . M o r e o v e r, i n We s t e r n

Europ e, more b icy cles are used for meani n g f u l t r a n s p o r t a t i o n t h a n f o r re c re a t i o n .

B o t h t h e y o u n g a n d t h e o l d r i d e b i c y c l e s

They are used for commuting, shopping and

visiting It is not at all unusual to see men a n d w o m e n i n o ff i c e a t t i re p e d d l i n g t h e i r way to the office. It is also not unusual to see the bicycles in colder weather

have large areas with bike racks My memo

both Antwerp and Brussels, is surrounded by a sea of bike racks and bicycles People r i d e

and then board the train to work The same situation prevails at more remote and rural stations although the number of bikes may b

bicycles for other forms of meaningful transportation Children going to school are obvious, but many people ride their bicycles to work or shopping It is not at all unusual to see a bicycle rack in a shopping area, at the t

numerous places in Europe where there are designated cycleways and paths designed for meaningful transportation and not just recreation

Western Europe If you

Americans

The State of the Museum

by AACA Museum Bus Committee

Wi t h t h e r e c e n t d e a c c e s s i o n o f a f e w buses by the bus museum in Hershey, Pennsylvania, comes questions from re a d e r s a n d o t h e r s i n t h e i n d u s t r y. H e re , t h e museum staff answers questions and brings us up-to-date on museum matters. – Editor

t h e M u s e u m o f B u s tr a n sportation/aaCa Museum (https://www. aacamuseum org/mobt/ ) currently maintains an historic fleet of more than 40 buses dating back to 1912. seven to eight are on p u b l i c d i s p l a y d a i l y, y e a r r o u n d a t t h e aaCa Museum/america's transportation experience, a national institution to the best of our knowledge it is the only comprehensive bus display open every day to the public year round

the museum is an affiliate museum of t h e s m i t h s o n i a n I n s t i t u t i o n a n d h o l d s a

Charity navigator

currently both larger, and superior in quali

is to have a representative, carefully main-

been made in that direction In addition to

l y w o r k d a y s t h a t d r a w n u m e ro u s v o l u n t e e r s , t h i s y e a r t h e r e h a v e b e e n m u l t i - d a y w o r k e v e n t s w i t h t e a m s o f s k i l l e d b u s m e c h a n i c s c o m i n g i n f r o m n e w e n g l a n d

Museum volunteers have collected and cataloged more than 600 maintenance and parts manuals for antique coaches, as well as sorting and storing hundreds of parts. as a r e s u l t o f t h e i r e f f o r t s , t h e m u s e

become a major resource for people throughout north america who are involved in bus history preservation

for the past 20 years (both pre- and postm e r g i n g w i t h t h e a a C a M u s e u m ) t

museum has had an annual spring fling that in recent years has drawn more than 400 bus

the bus collection and its volunteers are

high-quality magazine

takes seriously "america's transportation experience" by recognizing buses as a huge part of history.

Starting from scratch, the Museum of Bus Transportation has developed into an amazing professional organization affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution that is open daily. Today, the collection includes a fleet of more than 40 buses dating back as far as 1912. Several of them are on display at the impressive AACA Museum in Hershey, Pennsylvania, as shown here stefan aleo

For the past several years the museum has prominently displayed an historic bus

tion) is financially sound, as can be seen in their annual filings as a 501(c) (3) They are careful about trumpeting that for fear that d

After years of struggle, both before and after t

The only disappointment in recent years i

improvements in the bus arena Considerable thought is going into that The hope is t h

stable, more people will be willing to invest in future growth

Watch Your Head

by Dave Millhouser

The crash was horrendous, and the only thing that makes it PG rated is the fact that the coach was empty

A New Jersey operator was asked to pick up an inbound group at Boston’s Logan Airport The driver headed towards Terminal B and was doing pretty well, until he nailed an 11-inch high overhead concrete structure so hard that the top of the bus was pushed back five feet The ceiling of the restroom dangled

o v e r t h e r e a r b u m p e r a n d t h e f r o n t e n d looked like an old Scenicruiser

In this particular model of coach, the driver ’s seat was two steps below the passenger platform, which may have saved his life.

To his credit, the driver was completely honest with investigators – admitting that he had not slowed or even applied the brakes H e h a d n e v e r b e e n t o L o g a n b e f o r e , b u t assumed that no one would be goofy enough to design an airport with clearances too low for modern motorcoaches.

Welcome to Massachusetts

This accident was around 2001, and that o v e r h e a d i s s t i l l t h e r e I n w r i t i n g t h i s , i t s e e m e d

searched for several minutes, and the only re f

ru n b y drivers of entertainers’ crew buses It should not be that difficult.

In ye olden days a key parameter of bus

there were still lots of 12-foot garage doors

ances change, particularly during the summer construction season, when temporary b r

G P S g o d s Sometimes road signs lie

Again, the occasional glance out the windshield can help.

A few 12-foot doors are a bit like Mickey Rooney – short, but around for a very LONG

sneaky Layers of either additional paving, or snow, can create a problem Entering too fast may produce a bounce if the surface is

bounce – you get it

Which brings up a point When we are driv i n g

l d occasionally Not only are low clearances generally marked, but if we pay attention, they look – low. Is the posted height for the center of the road? Or the shoulders?

Some drivers trust GPS routing designed for trucks Remember, no matter how long

feet Most manufacturers post that information on the dash, but there are a few conside

are visiting either one, a little calculation in a

The bus builder may not be aware of the T V

HVACs are common today, and vulnerable, so they need to be correctly maintained and zipped up. Air suspensions depend on “leveling valves” to determine height, and somet

installed.

Bear in mind that no two buses, regardless of model and fleet, are exactly the same altitude

For many years, garages and garage doors were built to accommodate buses with a height of 12 feet or less When the buses began getting taller, we were forced to build higher. This was taken at ABC’s Minnesota facility and shows a garage that was obviously built to accommodate taller buses. ABC COMPANIES

On some coaches, the highest points on t h e ro o f a re t h e ro o f h a t c h e s W h e n t h o s e jewels are popped open for ventilation, they add several inches to overall height, kinda like a bad wig.

When a peek out the windshield suggests clearance will be a near thing, stopping and conducting a scouting trip might be in order If it is still uncertain, a really clever driver c a n c o n a f r i e n d i n t o p o o c h i n g t h

h e a d through the emergency hatch for a close up, real-time, look You want to be careful with that one Go REALLY slow – because whacking your pals will make them reluctant (or unable) to help in the future.

B e f o re b u y i n g e q u i p m e n

, i t i s w o r t hwhile to consider your infrastructure, and w h

Years ago I got a call from one of my most s o p h i s t i c a t e d c u s t o m e r

order When told that they were 11-feet, 10 inches he said “NOOO . . . , ” they had to be 11

would be able to get them INTO one of his busiest terminals, but the exit was 11 feet, nine inches Unless we wanted them trapped there forever, like dinosaurs in a tar-pit, we needed to lower them two inches

A couple of frantic calls to engineering, and the problem was solved On this model

reduced “angle of departure ” No sweat in his particular service. q

The Hampton Inn in Black Mountain, North Carolina planned well. Even higher buses could fit under the portico protecting the entrance This made them a favorite of visiting bus tours HAMPTON INN

Sur vival and Pr osperity

by Ned Einstein

Transportation, Energy and Politics

One can dismiss the complex interrelationships among these three variables as one t w i s t e d m e s s , b u t d o i n g s o d o e s n o t h e l p . What helps is taking a quick peek at these dynamics around the edges and seeing – or h o p i n g – t h a t d o i n g s o a l l o w s u s t o t h i n k more clearly about any of them. This effort is becoming increasingly important as we seem to be failing in all three areas

Recently, the New York Times published a detailed, state-by-state comparative analysis of the sources from which every state derives its energy: Coal, natural gas, nuclear, hydroe l e c t r i c , p e t r o l e u m a n d w i n d ( s e e https://www nytimes com/interactive/202 4/08/02/climate/electricity-generation-usstates html?pgtype=Article&action=click& module=RelatedLinks). The state-by-state differences were vivid, if not eye opening They largely reﬂected those resources these states have They also reﬂect how much revenue each state has to invest in more nonpolluting technologies – although, of course, it requires energy to produce and maintain even those technologies that simply capture free energy. (If you can only read one more article this entire year, this would be the one )

Why I consider this extraordinary diversity as a pollical issue is that it celebrates the wisdom – in certain areas – of what many may term state’s rights While there is some overlap in allowing such individuality – carbon emissions do not respect state boundaries, and wind currents spread one state’s dirty air to another – the extraordinary differences in what each state chooses to do are i n e s c a p a b l e n e c e s s i t i e s . A t t h e e x t re m e s , Wy o m i n g , I n d i a n a a n d K e n t u c k y, u n t i l recently, obtained most of their energy from coal – although natural gas has come to prov i d e 3 9 p e rc e n t o f I n d i a n a ’ s e n e rg y ( f ro m almost none 15 years ago), 23 percent of Kentucky’s (from practically zero a decade ago), and wind power has increased, in Wyoming from almost nothing two decades ago to 21 percent today West Virginia, as one might expect, still derives almost all its energy from coal

In most other states, the variation would not seem probable until one viewed the evidence – in simple but vivid graphic form in the New York Times article. Otherwise, and particularly with each state’s experts possessing a ﬁrmer grasp of its resources than

could anyone at the federal level, it would a

s own way – with bits of help and technologysharing from other sources where they can

This illustration is very different than the well accepted standard that treating murder as a serious capital crime should not differ among states – although the ultimate penalties may differ (The recent reversion of eastern Oklahoma to tribal laws and regulations, where penalties for most serious crimes are far lesser, is the only serious aberration to this pattern )

Politics often skews what l i t t l e c o m m o n s e n s e exists

Transportation, Politics and Waste

These other examples were cited because

other issues drove their choices Transportation is very different – an outlier where critical thinking, resources or belief systems are

common sense exists in the ﬁeld even furt h e r. I re c

installments:

• In the October, 2022 issue, I explained the folly of introducing congestion pricing t o a c i t y l i k e N e w Yo r k C i t y, a n d i n s t e a d , identiﬁed the characteristics of a city where such an approach might make sense.

• In the June, July and November, 2024 issues, I dealt with the interrelationships and dysfunctional consequences of the intersection of transit, trafﬁc and politics.

• In the August, September and October, 2 0 2 4 i s s u e s , I d e a l t w i t h t h e p h y s i c a l a n d commercial environments in which electric buses might make sense – two that had a few where they made no sense, and one which had none where they might make sense

• In the November, 2024 issue, I noted a transit route that carried fewer than one passenger per vehicle service hour – a situation where passengers could be better served by

I noted a transit route that c a r r i e d f e w e r t h a n o n e p a s s e n g e r p e r v e h i c l e service hour.

other modes (some of which – like car-sharing – we have not even begun to explore –and which hold great promise if and when driverless vehicles expand further into the transportation landscape)

The folly that public transportation cont i n u e s t o b e r o l l s ( o r c r a w l s ) o n a n d o n

Recently, one of the nation’s largest motorcoach companies, Coach USA, ﬁled for bankruptcy As charter and tour service slowly declined, and motorcoach operators were increasingly relegated to serving as contractors to transit agencies (at far lower proﬁts and lower drivers’ wages) and with no alleviation of unwavering stupidity (e g , charging motorcoaches bridge and tunnel fees) in sight, such failures were inevitable. Expect to see more of them

Boomers, Lionel and American Flyer

Clearly, most decisions by politicians at t h e f e d e r a l a

t e l e v e

r e m a d e b y people of my age (77), somewhat older or somewhat younger – the core of which are t e r m e d “ b a b y b o o m e r s . ” P a r t i c u l a r l y among male baby boomers, one historical experience so many of us had in common is always overlooked As children, we grew u p w i t h t r a i n s e t s . ( L i o n e l s e t s , a s I h a d , were mostly differentiated from American Flyer sets because Lionel tracks contained three rails, while American Flyer tracks contained only two.) Countless hours spent as young children take their toll on our psyches throughout our lives At often tragic costs, our obsession with trains has squandered hundreds of billions of dollars over the years, as we built and operated heavy a n d l i g h t r a i l s y s t e m s a l l o v e r t h e p l a c e Their inflexibility helped little when mass transportation was most needed – for examp l e , i n e v a c u a t i o n s , w h e r e t h o u s a n d s o f high-floor buses would have been handy, s i n c e m a s s e s o f t h e m c o u l d h a v e re a c h e d N e w O r l e a n s a n d H o u s t o n – a m o n g t h e first of the near-annual wave of examples –long before the storm hit

Survival and Prosperity

B o t h t h e s e e a r l y e x a m p l e s e n j o y AMTRAK service It contributed a pittance of what was needed for evacuation, given its costs. The subsidies given to AMTRAK, m o s t re c e n t l y, a re s t a g g e r i n g . I n t h e m i d 1 9 7 0 s , a n d f o r d e c a d e s a f t e r w a r d s , AMTRAK was allotted a couple billion doll a r s a y e a r I n w h a t w a s re n a m e d t h e Ta x Reduction Act (to facilitate its passage), but now referred to again as the Infrastructure Act, AMTRAK was given $60 million Having worked on an AMTRAK train in the mid 1 9 7 0 s, a n d h a v i n g d e a l t w i t h t h e r a i l ro a d often as an expert witness – and having seen the waste and carnage ﬁrst-hand – I cannot i m a g i n e w h a t t h i s b o t t o m l e s s p i t w i l l d o with all this money.

A n o t h e r e x a m p l e i s t h e L o s A n g e l e s METRO – originally a ploy to help former M a y o r T h o m a s B r a d l e y m o u n t a r u n f o r governor, which Californians thought one c o u l d n o t a c h i e v e a s a m a y o r f ro m a c i t y that did not even have a rail system of any kind. The ﬁrst three lines placed the County $7 billion in debt – just for its construction (In 2018, fares for Los Angeles County’s bus and subway systems covered nine percent of their operating costs; they are much less now ) Placing this in perspective, Tokyo’s transit system covers 160 percent of its operating costs More and more lines have been added to the Los Angeles County system.

Ye t f o r y e a r s t h a t h a s n o t b e e n e n o u g h t o

s a t i s f y o u r p r i m e v a l c r a z y f o r t r a i n s , needed or not:

• P l a n s f o r a h i g h - s p e e d r a i l s y s t e m

b e t w e e n L o s A n g e l e s a n d L a s Ve g a s appeared and fell off the boomer ’s drawing boards for decades

• Now, in the era where many individuals need not even show up at work physically, these drawing boards are being cove r e d b y a n e w f o l l y – a h i g h - s p e e d r a i l system between Los Angeles and San Francisco – the latter likely our only major city with so little traﬃc that, during some rush h o u r p e r i o d s , t h e s t r e e t s a r e p r a c t i c a l l y empty.

O n a n d O f f t h e D r a w i n g B o a r d s O n c e

Again

Perhaps drawing boards are a poor image for the almost certain digital renditions of any transportation system for at least the p a s t 3 5 y e a r s R e g a rd l e s s , n e w p l a n s f o r squandering enormous sums of money on t h i s f o l l y c o m e a n d g o A re c e n t a r t i c l e i n Forbes magazine (August/September, 2024) well summarized the dynamics More accur a t e l y, t h e s e p l a n s w e re o p e n l y m o c k e d : “ California, which calls itself the Golden State is pure lead Never has an area with so much going of it been so mismanaged by its politicians.” Forbes notes (incorrectly) that for the ﬁrst time since it achieved statehood in 1850, California has been losing pop-

ulation. As I myself was a resident of California from 1980 through 1997, I recall a huge exodus around 1993 when (a) the aerospace industry laid off roughly 250,000 workers and the Northridge Earthquake devastated Los Angeles Forbes can be excused for missing this blip, signiﬁcant as it was at the time

Among the state’s boomer ’s plans to add yet more trains onto the state’s transportation infrastructure:

T h e s t a t e i s p l a n n i n g t o ban diesel-operated locomotives

• T h e

operated locomotives Older engines would

trains would have to produce zero emissions by 2035 As Forbes noted, the technology for such trains does not presently exist

• Railroads will be required to deposit billions of dollars into a special fund so that, if and when these technologies do exit, the funds to buy them will be available

• The batteries to power such trains will need to b e 10 times larger than those that exist now

• E v e n a p a r t f ro m

such batteries, they will be prone to ﬁres and explosions.

Apart from the impact such follies will have on the state’s residents, such policies

y b a n two-thirds of the nation’s locomotives from entering the state The natural consequence of such a ban would, of course, result into a t r a n s f e

ﬂ

o f trucks As Forbes points out, this will not happen so fast The state has a mandate to force a transition to battery-powered trucks

Topping this folly, the state has a plan to build a 463-mile-long, high-speed rail system b e t w e e n L

F r a n c i s c o This project – on the “drawing board” for quite some time – is already a decade behind schedule Its estimated cost of $35 billion has ballooned to $135 billion – and continues to climb. Only one-fourth of this system has already been built – meaning it is far too late to stop it The route has been altered numerous times for political reasons Projected ridership has been “scaled back.” Funding is “uncertain ”

Such plans lie at an extreme end of the p o l i t i c a l s p e c t r u m t h a t h a s b e e n t e r m e d “woke” in recent years – often representing an enormous pie-in-the-sky squandering of

taxpayer funds or social values not universally shared, and often considered extreme by many at various points along the political spectrum. Regarding the L.A.-to-S.F. rail proj

November to prevent a permanent derailment of this project. Regardless of the outcome the recent election had, this project will ﬂ y a

Vegas I think it was impossible to place a bet on even that one, convenient as it might have been in Las Vegas

Thre are some aspects of life and society that might m a k e s e n s e t o b e g

level

States Rights and States Wrongs

As this article began discussing, there are some aspects of life and society that might make sense to be governed at the state level

The best eye-opening example of that is each state’s use of energy – and the commendable progress so many states have been able to achieve toward sustainable energy sources Among the worst examples I can think of for allowing individual states to make decis

h t transportation

One can only wonder what use will be made of the ﬁrst fourth of the high-speed L A -to-San Francisco rail system already b u i l t F o r t h o s e w h o f o r g e t , a t e r

reminder is Mid-America Airport – now a lightly-used stopping point about 30 miles e a s t

s intended to serve as a major “transfer airport” to thin out the loads at Chicago’s thenovercrowded O’Hare Airport The airport is now so overcrowded With the airlines so s p a r s e l y o v e r r e g u l a t e d ( a i

required to have “spare vehicles” as most other transportation modes do, and the elimination of ﬂights to consolidate passengers t o e n s u r e f u l l l o a d s – i

inconvenience to passengers as they are rero u t

d i s t a n

v e r p o i n

o f t e n delayed for a day or more altogether) that, in 2021, one half of the planet’s ﬂights were cancelled altogether.

A s M i d A m e r i c a A i r p o r

, costly boondoggles somehow fail to serve as reminders about why we never see white elephants in the wild (At least we see grey o n e s – a l t h o u g h 9 0 p e rc e n t

National Bus Trader / December, 2024 • 31

b e e n s l a u g h t e re d s o t h a t r i c h A s i a n s c a n

d r e a m o f e n h a n c e d s e x u a l p r o w e s s b y i n g e s t i n g t h e p o w d e r f r o m t h e i r g r o u n d tusks )

The True Cost of Mistakes, Corruption and Politics

Perhaps money does grow on trees We have yet to ﬁnd those trees. At the rate the rainforests, West Coast forestland and, more recently, forests in Europe are burning down, w e m a y n e v e r ﬁ n d t h o s e t re e s F a n t a s i e s about battery-powered freight and passeng e r t r a i n s t h a t w i l l l i k e l y s q u a n d e r m o re energy than they can conserve will not help a d d r e s s g l o b a l m e l t i n g a n d b u r n i n g

Decades ago, one of the most beautiful and exotic cities on the planet, a tourist heaven, was Cairo No longer Now, with mid-day

t e m p e r a t u re s o f t e n re a c h i n g b e t w e e n 11 5 a n d 1 2 0 d e g re e s F a h re n h e i t , re s i d e n t s a re forced to work, shop and recreate between 8 p m and 5 a m – when the heat is tolerable, particularly in many indoor facilities without air conditioning. More tourists are visiting venues like Stockholm and Oslo

I n t e n s e s t u p i d i t y i n o n e s t a t e d o e s n o t

a ff e c t o n l y o t h e r s t a t e s . I n t e n s e s t u p i d i t y affects everyone in the world – other than p e r h a p s R u s s i a , b u i l d i n g i c e b r e a k e r s a t

breakneck speed, and allowing cargo ships to reach Portugal, via the North Sea during the summertime, in a third the time the same cargo used to reach it by truck At the same time, Russian’s distant proxies, the Houthis, have forced cargo ships that would otherwise have used the Suez Canal to sail south around the Horn of Africa, depriving a U S ally, Egypt, of much needed revenue, while this excess travel spews millions of cubic feet of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere

Perhaps we will ﬁnd those money trees after all

We s h o u l d t h i n k m o re s e r i o u s l y a b o u t acting as an isolated country, and squander-

boondoggles that could otherwise be used to make our lives, and those of our international friends, last a few months longer. On the other hand, perhaps we will ﬁnd those money trees after all – before we burn down most of our forests

The opinions expressed in this article are that of the author and do not necessarily represent the

opinion of National Bus Trader, Inc. or its staff or management q

Ned Einstein is the president of Transportation Alternatives (www.transalt.com [1]), a p u b l i c t r a n s p o r t a t i o n w i t n e s s ﬁ r m Einstein (einstein@transit com) specializes in catastrophic motorcoach accidents.

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Glass City River Wall – Nicole LeBoutillier

Toledo Museum of Art – Destination Toledo

The Toledo Zoo – Destination Toledo

ProMedica Museum of Natural History– Destination Toledo

Toledo Mud Hens – Destination Toledo

Toledo Botanical Garden Metropark – Destination Toledo

Number 312 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 What has happened to Vicinity Motor Corp.?

–– Several Readers

A V i c i n i t y w a s p l a c e d i n r e c e i v e r s h i p i n October by the Royal Bank of Canada for i t s f a i l u re t o re p a y l o a n s i n e x c e s s o f $ 2 2 m i l l i o n H e r e a r e s o m e d e t a i l s o n t h e company

Grande West Transpor tation was originally founded in British Columbia in 2008 It was interested in providing heavy-duty, mid-size b u s e s t h a t Va n c o u v e r ’s B C Tr a n s i t a n d

O t t a w a ’s O C Tr a n s p o w e re s e e k i n g T h e major transit bus builders were not offering a s m a l l e r, h e a v y - d u t y m o d e l I n i t i a l l y t h e company worked closely with BC Transit to design a suitable mid-size bus

B C Tr a n s i t p l a c e d a n o rd e r f o r 1 5 Vi c i n i t y buses in 2011 They were built in China and were delivered in 2013 Following that, the c o m p a n y w e n t p u b l i c a n d w o r k e d w i t h Weichai Power to build buses in Aldergrove, B r i t i s h C o l u m b i a T h e b u s e s w e r e w e l l received and orders started coming in from Canadian transit agencies

The company then began moving into the U S market by complying with Buy America p r o v i s i o n s I n 2 0 1 5 a n a g r e e m e n t w i t h Alliance Bus Group in Atlanta met these prov i s i o n s a n d t h e V i c i n i t y 3 0 - f o o t m o d e l passed the Altoona Testing Program

In March of 2021, the company changed its name to Vicinity Transpor tation Corp A few months later, in July, the company star ted b u i l d i n g a n a s s e m b l y f a c i l i t y i n F e r n d a l e , Washington

The Curious Coachowner

In addition to their “Classic” diesel model, the company also began offering their Vicinity model with CNG or battery-electric power The buses appear to be well-received One source suggests that Vicinity has more than 800 vehicles on the streets of Canada and the United States

In 2022 the company received a major order for Class 3 electric trucks that may have led to its problems

In recent months, Vicinity had been cited by Nasdaq for the failure to meet the minimum bid price requirements under Nasdaq listing rules What happened in quick succession is that a receivership order was ﬁled by the Royal Bank of Canada On October 23 Vicini t y re c e i v e d a l e t t e r f ro m N a s d a

stock would be delisted On October 25, all members of the Vicinity board of directors resigned as well as other management staff

A s t a t e m e n t f ro m Vi c i n i t y s a i d t h a t i n

h e event of receivership, the company will most likely be forced to lay off its remaining staff and cease operations

Q. Have there been any developments in the European Van Hool product line? –– Several Readers

Van Hool production facility in Macedonia and some of the proper ty in Koningshooikt, Belgium VDL announced that it was primari l y i n t e re s

r k e t a n d double-deck coaches in Europe

W h i l e i t

the Van Hool transit line would be dropped, what followed was months of confusion in Europe, and particularly in the UK, over what par ts of the traditional Van Hool coach line would remain in production

Things got ver y confusing for a while Bus operators who had placed deposits with Van Hool on new coaches discovered that their money was probably lost Other operators h a d c o a c h e s o n t h

V D L w o u l d continue any of the traditional European Van Hool models

T h i s w a s re s o l v e d t o

e e x t e n t a t t h e recent Euro Bus Expo held in Bir mingham on November 12-14 VDL was not only present at the show but displayed a T16 Astron

and a TDX21 Altano model VDL also helped clarify the situation with a new VDL Van Hool Web site and new brochures

From what we can see, the former EX range will apparently be eliminated after current orders are completed However, it appears that many of the T15, T16 and T17 range of c

TDX27 Astromega double-decker Moreover, many of these models will be available with either left- or right-hand drive for both the Continental European and UK markets

Van Hool sales are apparently now centered in the Koningshooikt facility In addition, Van Hool par ts will be available at this location and shipped from here

Q. Why is CARB seeking waivers?

–– Several Readers

A This can get to be complex so I will tr y to keep it as simple as possible

CARB (California Air Resources Board) actually pre-dates EPA because it was founded i n 1 9 6 7 w h i l e E PA c a m e a l o n g i n 1 9 7 0 CARB vehicle regulations are more demanding than EPA regulations and hence require waivers from the feds However, the CARB regulations are of par ticular concer n to the bus industry because they are also followed by some other states

CARB regulations require that motorcoaches must be entirely zero-emission by 2042 This presents two problems for the bus industry One is that buses being built today will have to be parked before the end of their useful life if these regulations hold

T h e s e c o n

B mandates does not exist There is no batterye l e c t

o 6

0 miles needed for longer charters and tours In addition, technology does not exist for a quick charge along the way Hydrogen may o ff e r m

infrastrucure is also not there today

California is trying to get the waivers in place before the new administration takes ofﬁce b e c a u s

stration may not want to continue them A n s w e r s n o t c re 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 Larr y Plachno q

Photographs

send in photographs of buses or equipment that may be of special interest to our readers. Please, i n c l u d

what makes the pictured item different, unusual or interesting.

Submitted

usage is dependent on the quality of the photo a

Left: Some interesting stories are developing over the deaccession program at the Museum of Bus Transportation in Hershey, Pennsylvania. This 1924 Fageol was originally built for Paciﬁc Electric Railway and has now gone into the collection of the Paciﬁc Bus Museum This photo shows it while still on display in Hershey.

Below: The Solaris Urbino 18 articulated hydrogen fuel cell bus was named the

TRADER had the Solaris 18 articulated hydrogen fuel cell bus on the cover

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

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

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q Vol XXVII, No 11 October, 2004

q Vol XXVII, No 12 November, 2004

q Vol XXVIII, No 2 January, 2005

q Vol. XXVIII, No. 3 February, 2005

q Vol. XXVIII, No. 4 March, 2005

q Vol XXVIII, No 5 April, 2005

q Vol XXVIII, No 6 May, 2005

q Vol XXVIII, No 7 June, 2005

q Vol. XXVIII, No. 9 August, 2005

q Vol. XXVIII, No.10 September, 2005

q Vol XXVIII, No 11 October, 2005

q Vol XXVIII, No 12 November, 2005

q Vol XXVIV, No 2 January, 2006

q Vol XXVIV, No 3 February, 2006

q Vol. XXVIV, No. 4 March, 2006

q Vol. XXVIV, No. 5 April, 2006

q Vol XXVIV, No 6 May, 2006

q Vol XXVIV, No 7 June, 2006

q Vol XXVIV, No 8 July, 2006

q Vol XXVIV, No 9 August, 2006

q Vol XXVIV, No 10 September, 2006

q Vol. XXVIV, No. 11 October, 2006

q Vol. XXVIV, No. 12 November, 2006

q Vol XXX, No 1 December, 2006

q Vol XXX, No 2 January, 2007

q Vol XXX, No 3 February, 2007

q Vol XXX, No 4 March, 2007

q Vol. XXX, No. 5 April, 2007

q Vol. XXX, No. 6 May, 2007

q Vol XXX, No 7 June, 2007

q Vol XXX, No 8 July, 2007

q Vol XXX, No 9 August, 2007

q Vol XXX, No 10 September, 2007

q Vol. XXX No. 11 October, 2007

q Vol. XXX, No. 12 November, 2007

q Vol XXXI, No 1 December, 2007

q Vol XXXI, No 2 January, 2008

q Vol XXXI, No 3 February, 2008

q Vol XXXI, No 4 March, 2008

q Vol. XXXI, No. 5 April, 2008

q Vol. XXXI, No. 6 May, 2008

q Vol XXXI, No 7 June, 2008

q Vol XXXI, No 8 July, 2008

q Vol XXXI, No 9 August, 2008

q Vol XXXI, No 10 September, 2008

q Vol. XXXI, No. 11 October, 2008

q Vol. XXXI, No. 12 November, 2008

q Vol XXXII, No 1 December, 2008

q Vol XXXII, No 2 January, 2009

q Vol XXXII, No 3 February, 2009

q Vol XXXII, No 4 March, 2009

q Vol. XXXII, No. 5 April, 2009

q Vol. XXXII, No. 6 May, 2009

q Vol. XXXII, No. 7 June, 2009

q Vol XXXII, No 8 July, 2009

q Vol XXXII, No 9 August, 2009

q Vol XXXII, No 10 September, 2009

q Vol XXXII, No 11 October, 2009

q Vol. XXXII, No. 12 November, 2009

q Vol. XXXIII, No. 1 December, 2009

q Vol XXXIII, No 2 January, 2010

q Vol XXXIII, No 3 February, 2010

q Vol XXXIII, No 4 March, 2010

q Vol. XXXIII, No. 5 April, 2010

q Vol XXXIII, No 6 May, 2010

q Vol XXXIII, No 7 June, 2010

q Vol XXXIII, No 8 July, 2010

q Vol XXXIII, No 9 August, 2010

q Vol XXXIII, No 10 September, 2010

q Vol XXXIII, No 11 October, 2010

q Vol. XXXIII, No. 12 November, 2010

q Vol XXXIV, No 1 December, 2010

q Vol. XXXIV, No. 2 January, 2011

q Vol XXXIV, No 3 February, 2011

q Vol. XXXIV, No. 4 March, 2011

q Vol XXXIV, No 5 April, 2011

q Vol. XXXIV, No. 6 May, 2011

q Vol XXXIV, No 7 June, 2011

q Vol. XXXIV, No. 8 July, 2011

q Vol XXXIV, No 9 August, 2011

q Vol. XXXIV, No. 10 September, 2011

q Vol XXXIV, No 11 October, 2011

q Vol XXXIV, No 12 November, 2011

q Vol XXXV, No 1 December, 2011

q Vol XXXV, No 2 January, 2012

q Vol XXXV, No 3 February, 2012

q Vol XXXV, No 4 March, 2012

q Vol. XXXV, No. 5 April, 2012

q Vol XXXV, No 6 May, 2012

q Vol. XXXV, No. 7 June, 2012

q Vol XXXV, No 8 July, 2012

q Vol. XXXV, No. 9 August, 2012

q Vol XXXV, No 10 September, 2012

q Vol. XXXV, No. 11 October, 2012

q Vol XXXV, No 12 November, 2012

q Vol. XXXVI, No. 1 December, 2012

q Vol XXXVI, No 2 January, 2013

q Vol XXXVI, No 3 February, 2013

q Vol XXXVI, No 4 March, 2013

q Vol XXXVI, No 5 April, 2013

q Vol XXXVI, No 6 May, 2013

q Vol XXXVI, No 7 June, 2013

q Vol XXXVI, No 8 July, 2013

q Vol XXXVI, No 9 August, 2013

q Vol. XXXVI, No. 10 September, 2013

q Vol XXXVI, No 11 October, 2013

q Vol. XXXVI, No. 12 November, 2013

q Vol XXXVII, No 1 December, 2013

q Vol XXXVII, No 2 January, 2014

q Vol XXXVII, No 3 February, 2014

q Vol XXXVII, No 4 March, 2014

q Vol. XXXVII, No. 5 April, 2014

q Vol XXXVII, No 6 May, 2014

q Vol. XXXVII, No. 7 June, 2014

q Vol XXXVII, No 8 July, 2014

q Vol. XXXVII, No. 9 August, 2014

q Vol XXXVII, No 10 September, 2014

q Vol. XXXVII, No. 11 October, 2014

q Vol XXXVII, No 12 November, 2014

q Vol. XXXVIII, No. 1 December, 2014

q Vol XXXVIII, No 2 January, 2015

q Vol. XXXVIII, No. 3 February, 2015

q Vol XXXVIII, No 4 March, 2015

q Vol XXXVIII, No 5 April, 2015

q Vol XXXVIII, No 6 May, 2015

q Vol XXXVIII, No 7 June, 2015

q Vol XXXVIII, No 8 July, 2015

q Vol XXXVIII, No 9 August, 2015

q Vol. XXXVIII, No. 10 September, 2015

q Vol XXXVIII, No 11 October, 2015

q Vol. XXXVIII, No. 12 November, 2015

q Vol XXXIX, No 1 December, 2015

q Vol. XXXIX, No. 2 January, 2016

q Vol XXXIX, No 3 February, 2016

q Vol. XXXIX, No. 4 March, 2016

q Vol XXXIX, No 5 April, 2016

q Vol. XXXIX, No. 6 May, 2016

q Vol XXXIX, No 7 June, 2016

q Vol. XXXIX, No. 8 July, 2016

q Vol XXXIX, No 9 August, 2016

q Vol XXXIX, No 10 September, 2016

q Vol XXXIX, No 11 October, 2016

q Vol XXXIX, No 12 November, 2016

q Vol XL, No 1 December, 2016

q Vol XL, No 2 January, 2017

q Vol. XL, No. 3 February, 2017

q Vol XL, No 4 March, 2017

q Vol. XXXX, No. 5 April, 2017

q Vol XXXX, No 6 May, 2017

• UMA Motorcoach Expo in St Louis

• The Prize-Winning Aerocoach at the Museum of Bus Transportation

• Rochester City Lines Still Making, Preserving and Celebrating History

q Vol XXXX, No 7 June, 2017

• Industry History From UMA Shows – Installment I

• Extended Service Protection on Your Bus Fleet

• Bus History on a Wall

q Vol XXXX, No 8 July, 2017

• Vicinity – A Mid-Size Bus Success Story

• Prevost Conversion Shells for All Types of Coaches

• The Bus Accident in Red Lion, Delaware

q Vol. XXXX, No. 9 August, 2017

• “J” is for Jackpot with the 2018 J4500

• Industry History from UMA Shows – Installment II

• Book Review

q Vol. XXXX, No. 10 September, 2017

• Propane Continues to be Clean and Economical

• H&L Charter – The Best Comes in Small Packages

• Industry History from UMA Shows – Installment III

q Vol XXXX, No 11 October, 2017

• ABC & Van Hool Celebrate 30 Years

• Taking a Venture in Norfolk

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

q Vol XXXX, No 12 November, 2017

• MCI Reliability Rally 2017

• BusCon 2017 in Indianapolis

• Exit Planning Becoming More Complicated for Family-Owned Bus Businesses

q Vol. XXXXI, No. 1 December, 2017

• Complete Coach Works and the Carson Heritage

• The Busboys Vintage Bus Rally in Evansville, Indiana

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

• Re-Energizing the North American Diecast Model Bus Scene

q Vol XXXXI, No 2 January, 2018

• Prevost Again Moves Ahead in Support, Service and Parts

• New 2018 J4500 Highlights Busy Season for MCI

• Common Rail Technology and the GHG17 Volvo Engine

q Vol. XXXXI, No. 3 February, 2018

• Walking the Irizar Assembly Line in Ormaiztegi

• Busworld 2017 in Belgium

q Vol XXXXI, No 4 March, 2018

• UMA Motorcoach Expo 2018i

• Van Hool to Build Buses in Eastern Tennessee

• The New MCI D45 CRT LE

q Vol XXXXI, No 5 April, 2018

• Charging Ahead with Electric Buses

• Holiday Tours Puts Customers First

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

Bus Tourism

q Vol XXXXI, No 6 May, 2018

• The CHTC HT45 amd HT35 Coaches

• The Paciﬁc Bus Museum – From Hobby to Formal Museum

• Twenty Tips on Hiring Bus Drivers

• Van Hool Builds Bus Factoryin Morristown, Tennessee

q Vol. XXXXI, No. 7 June, 2018

• MCI Academy Wins Fans Across Industry

• Where are the Buses Built? #1

• The Campaign Bus for the President of the Philippines

• The Penn Highway Transit Company

q Vol XXXXI, No 8 July, 2018

• Farber Continues Custom Coach Traditions

• Prevost’s New Flat Floor Slide-Outs

• Liberty Coach Busch Bus

q Vol XXXXI, No 9 August, 2018

• ZF Components for Electric Buses

• Museum of Bus Transportation Spring Fling Open House Success

• “Friends” of the NJ Heritage Center Takes Eight 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 Electri-

ﬁcation Solutions for Commercial Fleets

• Bendix Tech Tips: Avoiding the “Gotchas”

• The “Shorty” Flxibles of Pikes Peak

q Vol XXXXII, No 12 November, 2019

• 30 Years of Foxy Travel & FTI Coach

• Fleet Graphics is an Art at ABC Companies

• MCI debuts 2020 model line-up with a SNEAK 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

Classiﬁed

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

1 – BUSES WANTED

Seeking 102D3 converted by Custom Coach Prefer motor home interior with side aisle or semi-side aisle

Please provide details by e-mail to safety@busmag com or phone Larry at (815) 946-2341

5A – ADULT MINIBUSES FOR SALE

2015 E450 24-passenger shuttle Clean forward face seats, Starcraft shuttle bus New tires, brakes and front end parts engine, 33K miles; transmission rebuilt 159 on body, very clean bus black on black Asking $43,500 neg Phone (631) 543-2500 in NY

6 – MOTOR HOMES FOR SALE

1991 Hawkins motorcoach 3208T CAT, 35 ft with all awnings Alcoa wheels, landing/docking lights, heated m i r r o r s , d u c t e d h e a t , l

, propane generator, exhaust brake Always stored indoors

Asking $15,000 Contact Dallas in MI at (269) 591-2564 I 1956 Flxible coach – old conversion Phone (802) 9482886 in VT for details I

6 – MOTOR HOMES FOR SALE

MCI MC5A ’67 (shell) 8V-71, 4-speed For sale to highe

AZ I

10 – PARTS AND EQUIPMENT

6V-92T Detroit Diesel engine Fresh overhaul In storage Spent $4,700 Make offer Phone (815) 262-0587 in IL I

14 – NOTICES

Visit our 45+ vintage bus collection most Saturday morni

Transport Heritage Center ($30 annually) See/learn: www friendsnjthc org I

15 – MISCELLANEOUS

Author and Transportation Historian available to write “Your Story ” Company histories, vehicle memories or s

Phone, text or write: Stew Carter, PO Box 252, Silver Lake IN 46982; (314) 882-7859 I

Coming events of interest to readers of NATIONAL BuS TRADeR. Submissions for the department should be directed to the editor unless otherwise indicated, events are not open to the general public.

The next. The future. It’s here, now. The All-New H3-45.