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Affiliations and Memberships: American Bus Association, The Bus History Association, Family Motor Coach Association, International B u s C o l l e c t o r s , N o r t h A m e r i c a n Tr a c k l e s s Tr o l l e y A s s o c i a t i o n , Motor Bus Society, Omnibus Socie t y o f A m e r i c a , To u r i s t R a i l w a y A s s o
Peter Pan Bus Lines Celebrates 90 Years – Part I (by Larry Plachno)
Founded as a small bus operation on a round-about route from Springfield to Boston, Peter Pan Bus Lines has grown into one of the industry leaders. While collecting several awards for safety, Peter Pan has continued its tradition of both a scheduled service operator as well as a family business. Part II will follow in a later issue
The National Motor Bus Museum – The First Non-Profit Bus Museum (by Larry Plachno) . . . .
Following several requests, this story starts way back in the 1960s and explains the background on the founding of the National Motor Bus Museum, the first non-profit bus museum in the United States. We also salute the following Museum of Bus Transportation that made the original dream a reality.
Forecasting the Future is Tricky (by Dave Millhouser) . . .
Our bus industry pundit points out that predictions for the future may not always happen The bus industry has continually wished that the next generation will park their cars and decide to ride on buses instead. Unfortunately, any campaign to change public attitudes on buses is more expensive than the industry can afford
On August 17, the Regional Transpor tation Commission of southern Nevada (RTC) u n v e i l e d i t s fi r s t z e r o - e m i s s i o n X c e l s i o r
CHARGE H2™ fuel cell-electric bus, proudly built by New Flyer, during the ribbon-cutting ceremony in Las Vegas, Nevada
New Flyer and MCI’s Mark Fisher, director of national sales, and Walter Yang, regional sales manager, joined the RTC team to cele b r a t e t h i s i n c re d i b l e s u s t a i n a b i l i t y m i l estone Together with RTC, MCI is creating m o re l i v a b l e , c o n n e c t e d a n d h e a l t h y L a s Vegas Valley community
T h e A u g u s t 1 7 e v e n t t o o k p l a c e a t t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f N e v a d a , L a s Ve g a s ’ ( U N LV ) Black Fire Innovation One of the two 40-foot vehicles was unveiled with the help of U S Senator Catherine Cortez Masto; U S Representative Susie Lee; Nevada State President Pro Tempore Pat Spearman; RTC Chair
a n d C l a r k C o u n t y C o m m i s s i o n e r J u s t i n Jones
“I launched my Innovation State Initiative to bring new jobs to Nevada and promote e m e r g i n g c l e a n e n e r g y t e c h n o l o g i e s j u s t l i k e t h e s e n e w h y d ro g e n f u e l c e l l e l e c t r i c buses,” said Masto “These buses are easier to maintain, quieter and help us combat climate change I was proud to work with RTC of souther n Nevada to help secure funding to get these new buses on the streets ” The t e c h n o l o g i c a l l y - a d v a n c e d v e h i c l e s w e re funded with a $3 8-million Low or No Emiss i o n G r a n t f r o m t h e U S D e p a r t m e n t o f Transportation The grant also provides funding to train staff to maintain and operate the new technology
“As souther n Nevada steers towards a greener future, embracing sustainable transpor tation options is a responsible environm e n t a l c h o i c e t h a t d r i v e s o u r c o m m u n i t y forward,” said Jones “By investing in sustainable technology, we’re creating green-
collar jobs that benefit both our environment and our economy ”
The new fuel cell buses are powered by c o m p r e s s e d h y d r o g e n g a s , a n a t u r a l l y abundant element The fuel cell combines hydrogen and oxygen to generate electricity through an electro-chemical process The only resulting by-product is water
This technology has numerous advant a g e s c o m p a re d t o o t h e r p o w e r s o u rc e s Hydrogen fuel cells do not release greenhouse gasses and create little to no noise while the bus is idle and in motion Fuel cell vehicles can be fueled in less than 15 minutes and can operate for longer periods of time, which will support the RTC’s operating routes
“We are extremely grateful to our federal d e l e g a t i o n f o r s e c u r i n g f u n d i n g f o r t h e s e two hydrogen fuel cell electric buses,” said M a y n a r d “ W e h a v e l o n g c o m m i t t e d t o investment in innovative transit technology
t o re d u c e o u r e m i s s i o n s f o o t p r i n t h e re i n souther n Nevada This technology, which is new to souther n Nevada, helps address o u r s u s t a i n a b i l i t y g o a l , i n c l u d i n g m o v i n g toward a zero-emissions fleet ”
Seven additional 60-foot, hydrogen fuel c e l l b u s e s h a v e b e e n o rd e re d a n d w i l l b e d e l i v e r e d t o s o u t h e r n N e v a d a i n t h e f a l l o f 2 0 2 4 T h e n e w b u s e s w e r e m a n u f a ct u r e d b y N e w F l y e r a n d f e a t u r e f u e l c e l l t e c h n o l o g y b y B a l l a rd T h e h y d ro g e n f o r
t h e f i r s t t w o v e h i c l e s i s p r o v i d e d b y A i r P ro d u c t s
The RTC is the regional authority overseeing public transit, metropolitan planning, roadway funding, traffic management and t h e p u b l i c b i k e s h a re s y s t e m T h e RT C ’s vision is to advance regionally transformative mobility solutions through equitable, innovative and sustainable infrastructure develo p m e n t T h e R T C ’s m i s s i o n i s t o e l e v a t e q u a l i t y o f l i f e f o r r e s i d e n t s a n d v i s i t o r s
through sustainable planning, collaborative, problem-solving and safety and equitable transpor tation service
Arrow Stage Lines Welcomes 25 MCI Coaches
MCI and Arrow Stage Lines, a premier g r o u n d t r a n s p o r t a t i o n s e r v i c e p r o v i d e r, h o s t e d a c e l e b r a t i o n t o i n t r o d u c e i t s 2 5 n e w l y d e l i v e r e d M C I h i g h - p e r f o r m a n c e J 4 5 0 0 c o a c h e s a t t h e i r P h o e n i x , A r i z o n a facility Paul Soubr y, president and CEO of NFI; Aram Nikitas, regional vice president for MCI and MCI’s skilled service and suppor t team joined the event to congratulate the Arrow Stages Lines team on this incredible milestone
Vicinity Motor Corp. Hosts Grand Opening Ceremony in Fer ndale, Washington
Vi c i n i t y M o t o r C o r p ( V M C ) , a t r u s t e d N o r t h A m e r i c a n s u p p l i e r o f c o m m e r c i a l e l e c t r i c v e h i c l e s ( E V s ) , o n S e p t e m b e r 1 2 hosted the grand opening ceremony of its 100,000-square-foot campus in Fer ndale, Wa s h i n g t o n
With an annual assembly capacity of up to 850 low- and zero-emission buses and 6,250 Class 3 all-electric trucks, the stateof-the-art facility will immediately start cutting into VMC’s order backlog of more than $150 m i l l i o n , w h i c h i n c l u d e s re c e n t d e a l s w i t h Lafarge Canada, Transdev and Pioneer Auto Group
“Strong demand for our newest EV, the V M C 1 2 0 0 e l e c t r i c c o m m e r c i a l t r u c k , i s b e i n g d r i v e n b y m u n i c i p a l , l a n d s c a p i n g , transpor tation, shipping and logistics leade r s t h a t a re s e e k i n g t o re d u c e c o s t s a n d carbon emissions while running more efficient fleets,” said VMC Chief Executive Offic e r W i l l Tr a i n e r “ W i t h l i g h t - a n d m e d i u mduty EV inventories across Nor th America projected to top one million by 2030 and six million by 2040, I’m excited to see our busin e s s fi r i n g o n a l l c y l i n d e r s , a n d a m immensely proud of the work our team has p u t i n t o d e s i g n i n g a n d b u i l d i n g a w o r l dclass manufacturing facility ”
In addition to assembly and upfitting, the Fer ndale campus will be used to conduct p r e - d e l i v e r y i n s p e c t i o n s , r e s e a r c h a n d d e v e l o p m e n t a n d g e n e r a l t e c h n i c a l a n d s e r v i c i n g w o r k C u r re n t V M C m o d e l s t h a t can be assembled at the Ferndale campus include:
• VMC 1200: Powered by cutting edge L i - I o n b a t t e r y t e c h n o l o g y t h a t p r o v i d e s approximately 100 kWh of power, this ultraquiet Class 3 electric truck can travel up to 150 miles/240 kilometers fully loaded on a single charge
• Vicinity Classic and Lightning: Running on electric, compressed natural gas (CNG), National Bus Trader / October, 2023 • 5
Arrow Stage Lines recently held a celebration to mark the delivery of 25 new MCI coaches Some of the MCI staff joined the event introducing the new MCI J4500 coaches Arrow Stage Lines, a premier ground transportation service provider is based in Phoenix, Arizona Vicinity Motors Corp held a Grand Opening Ceremony for its new assembly facility in Ferndale, Washington The 100,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility has an annual capacity of up to 850 low- and zero-emission buses and 6,250 Class 3 all-electric trucks Mayor Greg Hansen is shown speaking during the ceremonyor clean-diesel powertrains, these mid-size b u s e s a re p ro v i n g p o p u l a r a m o n g t r a n s i t operators seeking reliability at significantly lower price points than rival offerings, and superior durability than is offered by cutaway buses built on truck chassis
W h i l e s p e a k i n g a t t h e g r a n d o p e n i n g , Washington Governor Jay Inslee applauded V M C f o r h e l p i n g t o d i v e r s i f y t h e s t a t e economy, supporting fleet operators’ decarb o n i z a t i o n i n i t i a t i v e s a n d p r o v i d i n g n e w employment opportunities for families in the region “Here in Washington, we’re working on electrifying ever ything from ferries and t r a i n s t o a u t o m o b i l e s a n d b u s e s , ” s a i d Inslee “Companies like Vicinity are making i t p o s s i b l e f o r u s t o d e c a r b o n i z e t h e transportation sector and defeat the climate crisis, all while creating family-wage jobs for Washingtonians ”
Less than 20 miles south of VMC’s headq u a r t e r s i n A l d e r g ro v e , B r i t i s h C o l u m b i a , t h e c a m p u s w i l l a l s o i m p r o v e a c c e s s t o n e a r b y p o r t , r a i l a n d t r u c k s h i p p i n g a n d receiving infrastructure After being awarded a $300,000 economic development strateg i c r e s e r v e f u n d ( S R F ) g r a n t t o s u p p o r t VMC, the Port of Bellingham’s Port Commission President Michael Shepard said, “Vicinity Motors is a terrific addition to Whatcom C o u n t y ’s g r o w i n g c l e a n - t e c h e c o n o m y T h e re i s t re m e n d o u s d e m a n d f o r e l e c t r i c buses in the United States and the sky is the limit for Vicinity The Port is proud to be able to help another Canadian company expand into the U S market while creating familywage jobs for Whatcom County residents and accelerating the transition to a sustainable public transit system ”
To s u p p o r t t h e i m m e d i a t e r a m p u p o f operations at Fer ndale, VMC recently supplemented a $30-million credit facility with t h e R o y a l B a n k o f C a n a d a a n d E x p o r t Development Canada (EDC) with a fur ther $ 9 - m i l l i o n w o r k i n g c a p i t a l c r e d i t f a c i l i t y w i t h E D C
“By completing key hires and fully funding our new operations with non-dilutive debt financing, we’re in a prime position to scale q u i c k l y a n d a c c e l e r a t e o u r s a l e s p u s h across Nor th America,” said John LaGourg u e , V M C ’s v i c e p r e s i d e n t o f c o r p o r a t e development “It’s a huge and fast-growing m a r k e t , a n d w e ’ re re a d y t o h e l p o u r c u stomers hit their near- and long-term sustainability targets with best-in-class products, while striving to deliver strong and enduring value to our shareholders ”
Low-Floor Bus at a Dealer Meeting
A R B O C , a n N F I s u b s i d i a r y, h o s t e d a semi-annual dealer meeting in Middlebur y,
Indiana, welcoming 30 dealer representatives from all over Nor th America
W i t h a k e e n f o c u s o n A R B O C ’s fi r s t batter y-electric, low-floor transit bus – the Equess CHARGE™ – the dealers explored t h e i n n o v a t i v e E V t e c h n o l o g i e s p o w e r i n g ARBOC’s fully accessible zero-emission bus a n d p a r t i c i p a t e d i n e n g a g i n g i n f o r m a t i o n sessions about the Vehicle Innovation Center, NFI Infrastructure Solutions™ and NFI Connect™
The ARBOC team also delivered updates on its comprehensive cutaway and mediumd u t y, l o w - fl o o r v e h i c l e l i n e , re a f fi r m i n g i t s commitment to leading accessible mobility across North America while supporting dealers and, ultimately, customers
T h e Wa s h i n g t o n D e p a r t m e n t o f Tr a n spor tation (WSDOT) and Amtrak are replacing a diesel-powered bus with an electric vehicle (EV) on the Amtrak Cascades route Daily mid-day buses provide additional connectivity beyond the mor ning and evening train service between Seattle and Bellingh a m T h e C a s c a d e s T h r u w a y b u s e s a l s o stop in Everett and Mount Ver non and connect with trains heading to and from stations south of Seattle As the first-ever EV in the Amtrak National Network, the bus – owned and operated by MTRWester n – can make the nearly 200-mile roundtrip on one single charge
“At Amtrak, we strive to give our passengers reliable, comfor table and sustainable travel options By incorporating environmental considerations into our current operations
and as we work with our par tners to reach m o r e o f A m e r i c a , w e c o n t i n u e t o m a k e A m t r a k a n e v e n ‘ g re e n e r ’ m o d e o f t r a n sportation,” said Amtrak Sustainability Director Kara Oldhouser
“WSDOT is pleased to be the first in the countr y to offer electric bus service on an intercity route that’s part of Amtrak’s National Network Amtrak Cascades trains already operate with locomotives that meet the EPA’s highest standards – reducing emissions by 86 percent after replacing older locomotives i n 2 0 1 7 A d d i n g a b u s t o o u r fl e e t t h a t i s powered by clean energy further affirms our commitment to offer environmentally-friendly travel options in the Pacific Northwest,” said Wa s h i n g t o n S e c r e t a r y o f Tr a n s p o r t a t i o n Roger Millar
MTRWester n contracted with Amtrak to provide a more sustainable connection to travelers An ideal trip length for an electric bus, the connector will save approximately 10,000 gallons of diesel fuel per year, cutting C O 2 e m i s s i o n s b y 1 0 9 t o n s a n n u a l l y T h e c h a r g i n g h u b , i n s t a l l e d a t M T RWe s t e r n ’s Seattle facilities, sits on land once used to store large petroleum tanks
“The future is electric, and we are committed to delivering carbon-free intercity and group transportation throughout the Pacific Nor thwest We consider the collaboration on this route a transformational step towards even greater EV regional transit,” said MTRWester n President Jeremy Butzlaff
W S D O T s e e k s t o o p e r a t e a n e f fi c i e n t , high-quality intercity passenger rail service while being sensitive to community and envi-
ronmental impacts and business costs In a continual push to provide efficient, safe a n d c o s t - e ff e c t i v e a l t e r n a t i v e s t o h i g h e r e m i s s i o n s t r a v e l , A m t r a k C a s c a d e s i s
adding even more trains to its service later this year This announcement follows restoration of pre-pandemic service levels, including the popular daily roundtrip train between
P o r t l a n d , S e a t t l e a n d Va n c o u v e r, B r i t i s h Columbia
Introducing the first-ever EV bus into the d a i l y T h r u w a y s c h e d u l e h e l p s A m t r a k advance it pledge to become net zero by 2 0 4 5 T h e c o m p a n y i s e x a m i n i n g o t h e r routes within the National Network for EVs and alter native fuels
A m t r a k re l e a s e d t h e F i s c a l Ye a r 2 0 2 2 Sustainability Repor t in June which details how Amtrak reduced diesel usage and air emissions alongside increased purchases of carbon-free energy The results suppor t a c o m p a n y - w i d e c l i m a t e c o m m i t m e n t t o c o n s i d e r t h e e n v i ro n m e n t i n a l l b u s i n e s s decisions
Philadelphia’s New Flyer Buses Are on the Way
N e w F l y e r d e l i v e re d t h e fi r s t 3 0 o f 3 4 0 hybrid-electric buses to the Southeaster n P e n n s y l v a n i a Tr a n s p o r t a t i o n A u t h o r i t y (SEPTA) under the new contract announced in February of 2022 This delivery brings the total number of New Flyer buses delivered to SEPTA since 1996 to 2,138, demonstrating its longstanding partnership with SEPTA
N F I i s p ro u d t o b u i l d o n i t s 2 5 + y e a r s o f c o l l a b o r a t i o n w i t h S E P TA t o p o w e r t h e
t r a n s i t i o n o f A m e r i c a ’ s i x t h - l a r g e s t t r a n s i t a g e n c y t o s u s t a i n a b l e m o b i l i t y w i t h t h e l o w - e m i s s i o n , q u i e t a n d e ff i c i e n t h y b r i delectric buses With best-in-class features o n b o a rd , t h e s e X c e l s i o r ® b u s e s w i l l p rov i d e t h e g re a t e r P h i l a d e l p h i a c o m m u n i t y w i t h s a f e , f u l l y a c c e s s i b l e a n d c l e a n e r t r a n s p o r t a t i o n
Burlington Gets Two BYD Buses
BYD | RIDE delivered two K7M 30-foot, battery-electric buses to the City of Burlington in Nor th Carolina to serve the passengers of its Link Transit Fleet
The zero-emission BYD | RIDE buses will be utilized in Burlington’s public transit syst e m , L i n k , w h i c h h a s fi v e ro u t e s c o v e r i n g Burlington, Gibsonville, Elon and Alamance Community College The 30-foot buses fit up to 22 passengers and are equipped with the industr y’s safest batteries, providing a smooth, quiet and sustainable ride throughout its bustling city
These buses and associated chargers w e re p u rc h a s e d o ff t h e S t a t e o f G e o r g i a statewide cooperative procurement which a l l o w e d t h e C i t y o f B u r l i n g t o n t h e a b i l i t y
SEPTA, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority in Philadelphia, recently received the first of its New Flyer bus order The first 30 buses were delivered of 340 hybrid electric buses on the contract New Flyer has delivered 2,138 buses to SEPTA since 1996
t o p u r c h a s e i n l i n e w i t h f e d e r a l r u l e s f o r t h e p u r c h a s e s o f t r a n s i t v e h i c l e s u n d e r 4 9 U S C § 5 3 2 3 ( u ) , a d m i n i s t e re d w i t h i n t h e g u i d e l i n e s o f t h e F e d e r a l Tr a n s i t A d m i n i s t r a t i o n
“BYD | RIDE applauds the City of Burlington for making the transition to clean, zeroemission transportation,” said BYD’s Senior Vice President Patrick Duan “We are thrilled t h e y c h o s e o u r K 7 M t o h e l p re d e fi n e t h e future of transpor tation by transitioning to green technology ”
The City of Burlington increased accessibility to clean transpor tation and mobility b y c o n n e c t i n g i t s p e d e s t r i a n w a l k w a y s , g re e n w a y s a n d b i k e w a y s t o t h e L i n k b u s stops, where passengers can ride on a zeroemission BYD | RIDE bus
“ W e a r e e x c i t e d t o g i v e L i n k Tr a n s i t p a s s e n g e r s t h e o p p o r t u n i t y t o r i d e a z e ro emissions transit bus with more capacity,” stated John Andoh, Link Transit manager “ A s L i n k Tr a n s i t re p l a c e s i t s b u s e s i n t h e f u t u r e , t h o s e r e p l a c e m e n t s w o u l d a l s o b e c o m e z e ro e m i s s i o n s b a t t e r y - e l e c t r i c b u s e s a s w e l l W e a r e d o i n g o u r p a r t t o m a k e t h e e n v i r o n m e n t b e t t e r f o r f u t u r e g e n e r a t i o n s ”
The buses are purpose-built by members of the Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation (SMART) Workers Union, Local 105, at t h e B Y D | R I D E C o a c h a n d B u s F a c i l i t y located in Lancaster, Califor nia
The Pacific Bus Museum’s Open House in Fremont, Califor nia was held on August 2 0 a n d h o s t e d a n e a r re c o rd t u r n o u t T h e e v e n t f e a t u re d n u m e ro u s h i s t o r i c m o t o rcoaches, transit and school buses on disp l a y A f l e
a m a r k e t w i t h v e n d o r s o ff e r i n gThe Pacific Bus Museum held their annual
Open Housein
Fremont, Californiaon August 20 In addition to the museum’s
buses, severalother
buses drovein and were put on display
popular exhibit at the Pacific Bus Museum Open House was Tammy Wynette’s 1986 MCI 102C3 tour coach It retains its original interior and had numerous artifacts from Wynette’s career
a variety of bus items to the public shared space inside the museum’s main building w i t h a B B Q o f f e r i n g a c h o i c e o f h a mb u r g e r / c h e e s e b u r g e r o r c h i c k e n b re a s t , s a l a d s , a s o d a o r w a t e r a n d d e s s e r t
Among the many buses on display were three buses from Greyhound’s for mer Historic Bus collection The MCI, MC-7 #1968, The ACF Brill IC 41 #1948, both of which are p r i v a t e l y o w n e d , a n d t h e P a c i fi c B u s M u s e u m ’s G M P D 4 1 5 1 S i l v e r s i d e # 1 9 4 7
Also a “one of a kind” conversion of a 1955 Greyhound GM PD4501 Scenicruiser, the f o r m e r R e d B u l l h o s p i t a l i t y b u s t h a t w a s re c e n t l y a c q u i re d b y t h e m u s e u m a s w e l l a s C o u n t r y a n d W e s t e r n M u s i c l e g e n d Tammy Wynette’s private tour coach, a 1986 MCI 102C3 preserved in its original interior w i t h n u m e r o u s a r t i f a c t s f r o m W y n e t t e ’s career
NFI Delivers Strongest FTA
Low-No and Buses and Bus
Facilities Grant Per for mance
Ever
N F I G r o u p I n c ( N F I ) , a l e a d i n g i n d ependent bus and coach manufacturer and a leader in electric mass mobility solutions, o n S e p t e m b e r 7 a n n o u n c e d t h a t i t s s u bs i d i a r y, N e w F l y e r o f A m e r i c a I n c ( N e w Flyer), is the par tner of choice in more than $ 2 0 7 m i l l i o n i n c o m p e t i t i v e g r a n t a w a rd s through the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) 2023 Low- or No-Emission (Low-No) a n d B u s e s a n d B u s F a c i l i t i e s ( B B F ) p rog r a m s
This is New Flyer’s best Low-No and BBF per for mance to date and shows significant improvement over the $41 million in grants f ro m 2 0 2 1 a n d t h e n e a r l y $ 2 0 0 m i l l i o n i n grants from 2022
“New Flyer’s success with Low-No and B B F g r a n t s d e m o n s t r a t e s t h e c o n f i d e n c e a n d t r u s t t h a t t r a n s i t a g e n c i e s h a v e i n o u r ability to enable their transition to low- and z e ro - e m i s s i o n m o b i l i t y, ” s a i d C h r i s S t o dd a r t , p re s i d e n t , N o r t h A m e r i c a n B u s a n d C o a c h , N F I “ N e w F l y e r ’s u n i q u e a b i l i t y t o deliver multiple propulsion systems on the s a m e b u s p l a t f o r m p ro v i d e s t r a n s i t a g e nc i e s w i t h t h e m o s t a v a i l a b l e l o w - a n d n oemission options of any bus manufacturer W i t h t h e c o n s i s t e n t g ro w t h o f f u n d i n g f o r t h e s e F TA g r a n t p r o g r a m s a n d s t r o n g p u b l i c s u p p o r t , w e a re p ro u d t o w o r k w i t h t r a n s i t a g e n c i e s a c ro s s t h e U S t o p a v e t h e w a y f o r A m e r i c a ’s z e r o - e m i s s i o n f u t u re ”
On June 26, 2023, the FTA announced nearly $1 7 billion of 2023 Low-No and BBF grant awards The FTA Low-No Grant Program is a competitive application program introduced in 2015 that exists to support the U S t r a n s i t i o n t o l o w - a n d z e ro - e m i s s i o n public transit fleets Funding can be used to purchase or lease low- and zero-emission b u s e s , i n c l u d i n g a c q u i r i n g , c o n s t r u c t i n g and leasing the necessar y charging infrastructure and facilities The BBF Program makes federal resources available to states and municipalities and directs recipients to replace, rehabilitate and purchase buses
New Flyer was the partner of choice in more than $207 million competitive grant awards through the Federal Transit Administration 2023 Low- or No-Emission Buses and Bus Facilities programs This is New Flyer ’s best year following $41 million in grants in 2021 and nearly $200 million in grants in 2022 In addition to battery and hydrogen fuel cell power, New Flyer has also offered hybrid power and trolley buses
and related equipment and to construct busre l a t e d f a c i l i t i e s , i n c l u d i n g t e c h n o l o g i c a l changes or innovations to modify low- or noemission vehicles or facilities For more information on the FTA Grant Programs for 2023, visit www transit dot gov
G r a n t s w h e r e t r a n s i t a g e n c i e s t h a t have committed to working with New Flyer, w i l l b e a w a r d e d f r o m t h e F TA d i r e c t l y t o t r a n s i t a g e n c i e s , w h o w i l l t h e n u s e a p o rt i o n o f t h e s e f u n d s t o p u rc h a s e t h e i r v e h ic l e s a n d / o r t h e n e c e s s a r y c h a r g i n g i n f r as t r u c t u r e f o r t h e i r f l e e t s T h r o u g h t h e s e p a r t n e r s h i p s , N F I e x p e c t s t o g r o w i t s b a c k l o g w i t h p o t e n t i a l f u t u re a w a rd s t h a t w i l l b e c o m e o rd e r s w h e n c o n t r a c t d o c um e n t a t i o n i s c o m p l e t e d , a n d f o r m a l p u rc h a s e o rd e r s a re re c e i v e d
L o w - N o a n d B B F g r a n t s p r o v i d e longer-term opportunities for future awards a s a g e n c i e s h a v e u n t i l S e p t e m b e r 2 6 , 2026, to finalize their purchase orders with t h i s f u n d i n g
I n a d d i t i o n t o t h e “ n a m e d p a r t n e r ” a w a rd s , m o re t h a n $ 1 2 b i l l i o n o f L o w - N o and BBF awards were made to U S public transit agencies that have not yet selected a s p e c i fi c p r o v i d e r b u t w i l l d o s o i n t h e months and years to come through a competitive procurement process As more trans i t a g e n c i e s t r a n s i t i o n t h e i r fl e e t s t o z e roemission buses and coaches, it is becoming more common that these funds are used to create future bidding oppor tunities rather than naming a manufacturing par tner early in the application process
NFI’s battery and fuel cell-electric buses a n d c o a c h e s h a v e c o l l e c t i v e l y t r a v e l l e d more than 120 million electric service miles, w i t h N F I I n f r a s t r u c t u re S o l u t i o n s ’ t u r n k e y s m a r t c h a r g i n g s e r v i c e s d e l i v e r i n g m o re than 410 char ters to date NFI is a leader in zero-emission mobility, with electric vehicles o p e r a t i n g ( o r o n o rd e r ) i n m o re t h a n 1 4 0 cities in six countries
To d a y, N F I s u p p o r t s g r o w i n g N o r t h A m e r i c a n c i t i e s w i t h s c a l a b l e , c l e a n a n d s u s t a i n a b l e m o b i l i t y s o l u t i o n s t h ro u g h a f o u r- p i l l a r a p p ro a c h t h a t i n c l u d e s b u s e s a n d c o a c h e s , t e c h n o l o g y, i n f r a s t r u c t u re a n d w o r k f o r c e d e v e l o p m e n t N F I a l s o o p e r a t e s t h e Ve h i c l e I n n o v a t i o n C e n t e r
( V I C ) , t h e f i r s t a n d o n l y i n n o v a t i o n l a b o f i t s k i n d d e d i c a t e d t o a d v a n c i n g b u s a n d c o a c h t e c h n o l o g y a n d p r o v i d i n g w o r kf o rc e d e v e l o p m e n t S i n c e o p e n i n g i n l a t e 2 0 1 7 , t h e V I C h a s h o s t e d m o re t h a n 3 5 0 i n t e r a c t i v e e v e n t s , w e l c o m i n g 7 , 0 0 0 i n d u s t r y p r o f e s s i o n a l s f o r E V a n d i n f r as t r u c t u re t r a i n i n g
Leveraging 450 years of combined experience, NFI is leading the electrification of
mass mobility around the world With zeroemission buses and coaches, infrastructure a n d t e c h n o l o g y, N F I m e e t s t o d a y ’s u r b a n demands for scalable smar t mobility solutions Together, NFI is enabling more livable c i t i e s t h ro u g h c o n n e c t e d , c l e a n a n d s u stainable transpor tation
W i t h 7 , 7 0 0 t e a m m e m b e r s i n 1 0 c o u ntries, NFI is a leading global bus manufacturer of mass mobility solutions under the b r a n d s N e w F l y e r ® ( h e a v y - d u t y t r a n s i t b u s e s ) M C I ® ( m o t o rc o a c h e s ) , A l e x a n d e r D e n n i s L i m i t e d ( s i n g l e - a n d d o u b l e - d e c k buses), Plaxton (motorcoaches), ARBOC® (low-floor cutaway and medium-duty buses) a n d N F I p a r t s ™ N F I c u r re n t l y o ff e r s t h e widest range of sustainable drive systems available, including zero-emission electric ( t ro l l e y, b a t t e r y a n d f u e l c e l l ) n a t u r a l g a s , electric hybrid and clean diesel In total, NFI s u p p o r t s i t s i n s t a l l e d b a s e o f m o r e t h a n 1 0 0 , 0 0 0 b u s e s a n d c o a c h e s a ro u n d t h e world
New Flyer is North America’s heavy-duty t r a n s i t b u s l e a d e r a n d o f f e r s t h e m o s t advanced product line under the Xcelsior® and Xcelsior CHARGE® brands If also offers i n f r a s t r u c t u r e d e v e l o p m e n t t h r o u g h N F I
Infrastructure Solutions™, a service dedicated to providing safe, sustainable and reliable charging and mobility solutions New F l y e r a c t i v e l y s u p p o r t s m o re t h a n 3 5 , 0 0 0 heavy-duty transit buses (New Flyer, NABI a n d O r i o n ) c u r re n t l y i n s e r v i c e , o f w h i c h
8,600 are powered by electric motors and battery propulsion and 1,900 are zero-emiss i o n F u r t h e r i n f o r m a t i o n i s a v a i l a b l e a t www newflyer com
A s t r a v e l d e m a n d a n d i t s a s s o c i a t e d costs continue to soar, GoWithUs com (formerly GO Airport Shuttle) is adding new and modified economy services in several of its frequented cities to meet changing passenger needs
I n N e w Yo r k , G O i s o f f e r i n g E c o n o m y S e d a n a n d S U V s e r v i c e s b e t w e e n L o n g Island, Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan and B r o o k l y n p i e r s a n d C a p e L i b e r t y C r u i s e Ter minals
Also launched in New York is Grand Central Express, a low-cost, scheduled shuttle service operating daily on the hour, ever y hour from 6 a m to 11 p m , providing direct s e r v i c e b e t w e e n J F K A i r p o r t a n d G r a n d C e n t r a l Te r m i n a l i n M a n h a t t a n G O a l s o o f f e r s c o n n e c t i o n s w i t h i n G r a n d C e n t r a l S t a t i o n f o r t h o s e c o n t i n u i n g t h e i r j o u r n e y elsewhere
G O ’s o p e r a t o r i n A u s t i n , Te x a s , n o w o f f e r s a l i m i t e d s t o p s h a r e d s e r v i c e b e t w e e n A u s t i n - B e r g s t ro m I n t e r n a t i o n a l Airpor t (AUS) to the downtown hotels and b u s i n e s s d i s t r i c t a n d t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f Te x a s a t A u s t i n a re a T h e s e n e w s h a re d r i d e o p t i o n s s e r v e a s m a l l e r s e r v i c e a re a to provide travelers with faster service with f e w e r s t o p s a t a l o w e r p r i c e t h a n p r i v a t e v e h i c l e s
Travelers in Baltimore, Mar yland, Washington, D C and Long Island, New York can choose the new Economy Sedan service, which is priced lower than luxur y vehicles and SUVs
In Fort Lauderdale, GO has brought back its shared ride van services which are less expensive than private cars and SUVs, offering safe, convenient and reliable services to and from Fort Lauderdale Hollywood Intern a t i o n a l A i r p o r t ( F L L ) a n d h o t e l s , b u s in e s s e s , a r e a a t t r a c t i o n s a n d r e s i d e n t i a l areas
“ T h e Wo r l d Tr a v e l & To u r i s m C o u n c i l ’s (WTTC) 2023 Economic Impact Research (EIR) reports the U S travel sector is forecast t o e x c e e d t h e 2 0 1 9 p e a k t h i s y e a r, ” s a y s John McCarthy, president of The GO Group LLC, GOWithUs’ parent company “We continually monitor trends in the travel industr y and adjust our service options to best meet our riders’ capacity and budgetary needs ”
GOWithUs com offers transpor tation to all the airports serving the cities listed above
The GO Group LLC is one of the world’s largest airport transportation providers, offering shared rides, private vehicles, char ters and tours, serving airpor ts and cities in the U n i t e d S t a t e s , p l u s C a n a d a , M e x i c o , t h e C a r i b b e a n , A u s t r a l i a a n d E u ro p e U n d e r GOWithUs com, travelers can book ground transpor tation to and from both depar ture and destination airports, around town travel, tours and attractions
ABC Companies, a leading provider of motorcoach, transit and specialty passenger transpor t equipment and industr y leader in e l e c t r i c m o b i l i t y s o l u t i o n s i n t h e U S A a n d Canada, has completed its recent Phase II Z e r o E m i s s i o n s C r o s s C o u n t r y To u r, ” “ C h a r g e O n A m e r i c a , ” d r i v e n b y P e o r i a Char ter of Peoria, Illinois
Piloted by James Wang of Peoria Charter, t h e “ C h a r g e O n A m e r i c a ” t o u r d e p a r t e d f ro m A B C ’s N e w a r k , C a l i f o r n i a f a c i l i t y o n J u l y 2 6 , 2 0 2 3 c o v e r i n g m o r e t h a n 2 , 8 0 0 miles and arriving at ABC headquar ters in W i n t e r G a rd e n , F l o r i d a o n A u g u s t 7 T h e entire trip was documented on the “Motorcoach World” YouTube channel which Wang began and now has more than 28,000 followers from around the globe Joined by codriver Dennis Utley, also from Peoria Charter, and four other family members, the voyagers experienced firsthand the unique benefits a n d c h a l l e n g e s o f b a t t e r y - e l e c t r i c t r a v e l Despite grueling weather conditions, including triple-digit temps and moreover, interoperability, availability and capacity issues within the public infrastructure grid, the Van Hool TDX25E 45-foot double-deck coach posted impressive stats throughout the journey As captured by real-time telematics, the vehicle met or exceeded all parameters along the route including projected mileage of 285 miles per full charge, based on 21 14 kWh per mile Thirty-four charging sessions
National Bus Trader / October, 2023
• 11
Go Group, one of the world’s largest airport transportation providers, has added new and modified services in some of its operating cities This ranges from Economy Sedan and SUV services in the New York City area as well as low-cost scheduled shuttle service Economy Sedan Service, as well as shared ride service, is being offered in other locationsw e r e r e c o r d e d f o r a t o t a l o f 6 9 c h a r g i n g h o u r s T h e t r i p c o n s u m e d 6 , 4 1 9 k W a n d reduced CO2 emissions by 9,842 7 pounds v e r s u s a c o m p a r a b l e c l e a n d i e s e l m o t o rcoach traveling the same route
“ T h e Va n H o o l d o u b l e - d e c k E V c o a c h per for med beautifully throughout the entire trip,” said Wang, “Offering a smooth, quiet, comfortable and spacious ride for my fellow driver and both of our families Our biggest h u rd l e w a s fi n d i n g d e p e n d a b l e c h a r g i n g for a vehicle of this size, as these coaches are typically used for regional service This cross-countr y challenge underscored the need for a more reliable, robust and strateg i c a l l y a v a i l a b l e p u b l i c c h a r g i n g s y s t e m that can accommodate medium and heavy c o m m e rc i a l e q u i p m e n t l i k e t h e Va n H o o l TDX25E ” It was also noted that most chargi n g d e p o t s a l o n g t h e ro u t e a re s i m p l y n o t d e s i g n e d f o r l a r g e r v e h i c l e s , c r e a t i n g a c c e s s a n d m a n e u v e r a b i l i t y i s s u e s , a n d wait times for other vehicles “Even an electric pick-up pulling a trailer would be hard pressed to use these charging depots,” continued Wang “In many instances, the chargers were not operational, and this was reinf o r c e d b y c o u n t l e s s e n c o u n t e r s o f p a s s e n g e r c a r s e x p e r i e n c i n g t h e s a m e issues as the motorcoach The lack of reliability meant we would rarely go below 50 percent charge for fear we would arrive at a charging station that was inoperable and need to travel fur ther ”
R e l y i n g s o l e l y o n t h e p u b l i c g r i d f o r c h a r g i n g n e e d s , t h e A B C C o m p a n i e s “ C h a r g e O n A m e r i c a ” t o u r e x p e r i e n c e d innumerable challenges at stops along the r o u t e W h i l e t e c h n i c a l l y a d v a n c e d h i g hc a p a c i t y E V s l i k e t h e Va n H o o l 4 5 - f o o t double-deck motorcoach have enor mous potential to reduce carbon emissions, it is
difficult to envision broad EV adoption for o p e r a t o r s w h o n e e d t o t r a v e l l o n g e r d i stances utilizing the public charging ecosystem “Our vehicle technology is in place for EV adoption,” said Thom Peebles, BP marketing at ABC Companies “However, our road tests are proving again and again the disparity between EV equipment readiness and a consistent, reliable charging experience using the existing grid ”
A s A B C s e t o u t t o d e m o n s t r a t e o n t h i s cross-country challenge, there is much room f o r i m p ro v e m e n t W i t h i n s i g h t s a n d d a t a compiled from the tour, ABC is focused on i n c re a s i n g a w a re n e s s a b o u t t h e g ro w i n g need for future public investment in EV infrastructure for medium- and heavy-duty equipment ABC continues to see strong demand in EV sales, as it also continues to offer clean d i e s e l f o r o p e r a t o r s n e e d i n g fl e x i b i l i t y t o t r a v e l o u t s i d e ro u t i n e ro u t e s a n d t o c o v e r long distances over the road For more information about the ABC Zero Emissions Tour and the complete por tfolio of EV and combustion vehicles including after sales supp o r t , s e r v i c e c a p a b i l i t i e s a n d p a r t s p r ograms, visit abc-companies com
Vicinity Motor Corp (Vicinity or the company), a Nor th American supplier of commercial electric vehicles, on September 14 announced the receipt of a new purchase o r d e r f r o m S i m c o e C o u n t y i n O n t a r i o , Canada for four Vicinity™ Classic buses valued at more than CAD$1 9 million, marking its seventh re-order from Vicinity
Per the ter ms of the supply agreement, Simcoe County has ordered four of the company’s 35-foot Clean-Diesel Vicinity Classic buses for delivery in 2024 The Vicinity buses
will service Simcoe County LINX, a public transit system that links major urban hubs and local transit services in the County of Simcoe Simcoe is an unincorporated comm u n i t y i n s o u t h w e s t e r n O n t a r i o , C a n a d a near Lake Erie
“Our classic transit bus continues to grow our backlog, illustrating why we continue to serve as the dominant Canadian supplier in the mid-sized, heavy-duty bus market with longstanding blue chip customer relationships across Nor th America,” said William Trainer, founder and chief executive officer o f Vi c i n i t y M o t o r C o r p “ P a r t n e r s h i p s w i t h c o m m u n i t i e s s u c h a s S i m c o e C o u n t y a re important, helping to fulfill their current transit needs as they target efficiency opportunities a n d p r i o r i t i z e f u t u re p ro j e c t s t h a t re d u c e energy and greenhouse gas emissions for their public transpor tation systems
“We look forward to working closely with Simcoe County again to deliver these vehic l e s i n t h e c o m i n g y e a r O u r g o a l i s t o improve the quality of public transit to the half million citizens of Simcoe while concurrently reducing operating costs for its transit o p e r a t o r s , c re a t i n g s u s t a i n a b l e v a l u e f o r both our shareholders and their communities,” concluded Trainer
Vicinity Motor Corp is a Nor th American supplier of electric vehicles for both public and commercial enterprise use The company leverages a dealer network and close relationships with world-class manufacturing partners to supply its flagship electric, CNG and clean-diesel Vicinity buses, as well as t h e V M C 1 2 0 0 e l e c t r i c t r u c k t o t h e t r a n s i t and industrial markets For more information visit www vicinitymotorcorp com
19 Alexander Dennis Enviro400EV to Upgrade Transdev Blazefield’s Iconic Route 36
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 August 24 announced that Transdev Blazefield has ordered 19 next-generation Alexand e r D e n n i s b a t t e r y - e l e c t r i c d o u b l e - d e c k buses for The Harrogate Bus Company
The new Alexander Dennis Enviro400EV a re p a r t - f u n d e d b y t h e U K G o v e r n m e n t ’s Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) scheme following a successful bid by Transdev’s par tners, Nor th Yorkshire Council
T h e y w i l l e n t e r s e r v i c e i n s p r i n g 2 0 2 4 on route 36, connecting Ripon, Harrogate and Leeds The new Enviro400EV will cont i n u e t h i s s e r v i c e ’s t r a d i t i o n o f p i o n e e r i n g i n n o v a t i o n w i t h t h e i r z e r o - e m i s s i o n c r ed e n t i a l s a n d a b e s p o k e s p e c i f i c a t i o n d e s i g n e d t o f u r t h e r e n h a n c e c u s t o m e r s ’ j o u r n e y e x p e r i e n c e
Transdev Blazefield Managing Director H e n r i R o h a r d s a i d : “ W e ’ r e d e l i g h t e d t o launch our depot and bus electrification project It is an important evolution in the quality a n d s u s t a i n a b i l i t y o f o u r n e t w o r k i n a n d a ro u n d o u r h o m e t o w n o f H a r ro g a t e T h e project has been made possible thanks to t h e s i g n i fi c a n t s u p p o r t f r o m t h e g o v e r nment’s ZEBRA fund
“ H i g h e r p o w e r o u t p u t d e l i v e r e d b y t o d a y ’s n e w g e n e r a t i o n b a t t e r i e s m e a n s each bus can go fur ther between chargeups – and to make sure we provide a reliable s e r v i c e , o u r b u s e s w i l l a l s o h a v e t o p - u p charges at Harrogate Bus Station, as they will travel further in a day than the maximum range achievable by fully electric buses ”
The Enviro400EV for Transdev Blazefield are fitted with roof-mounted charging rails that allow their future-proof 472kWh Alexander Dennis batter y system to be topped up from pantographs installed at the bus stat i o n T h e b u s e s w i l l a l s o b e n e fi t f ro m t h e power reserves of the heavy-duty version o f t h e Vo i t h E l e c t r i c a l D r i v e S y s t e m w h e n running at higher speeds on the interurban stretches of the route
Alexander Dennis National Sales Manager Marie Connell said: “We’re thrilled to be a par t of Transdev Blazefield’s electrification project with this order for our nextg e n e r a t i o n E n v i r o 4 0 0 E V z e r o - e m i s s i o n double-decker Yorkshire’s iconic route 36 will once again be setting standards with a stunning new fleet of electric buses
To celebrate its 25th anniversary in Mexico, Volvo Buses has introduced its new LUMINUS electric city bus The bus is manufactured at the Volvo Buses plant in Tultitlán, Mexico and is available in lengths from 9 7 to 13 meters LUMINUS uses Volvo BZL technology and is available with different battery configurations
“Transdev will benefit from whole-vehicle AD24 after market suppor t including spare par ts, mobile technicians and our Training Academy We’re further enhancing this with the introduction of fully digital manuals which will transform the way Transdev’s team members will be able to access exper t infor mation on their new fleet ”
Transdev Blazefield has ordered 19 Alexander Dennis double-deck battery-electric buses for the Harrogate Bus Company They are expected to enter service in the spring of 2024 on a route connecting Ripon, Harrogate and Leeds The Enviro400EV buses will have roof-mounted charging rails that allow them to be recharged from pantographs at the bus station
Volvo Buses in Mexico is celebrating its 25th anniversar y by launching a fully elect r i c c i t y b u s T h e e n t i r e b u s i s m a n u f a ct u r e d l o c a l l y a t t h e Vo l v o B u s e s p l a n t i n Tultitlán, Mexico, and it represents the most sustainable solution for urban transpor t in M e x i c o T h e n e w L U M I N U S e l e c t r i c b u s is based on proven Volvo BZL technology and comes in different lengths from 7 7 to 1 3 m e t e r s
Volvo Buses is at the forefront of the transformation towards electric city- and intercity passenger transpor t, configuring specific solutions in close collaboration with each of the cities involved and each of its customers This includes everything from efficient electric buses to infrastructure and project implementation
“ Vo l v o B u s e s ’ e x t e n s i v e e x p e r i e n c e i n t h e M e x i c a n m a r k e t e n s u re s t h a t w e c a n p ro v i d e c u s t o m e r s w i t h a c o m p re h e n s i v e s o l u t i o n t h a t g o e s b e y o n d j u s t e l e c t r i c b u s e s , ” s a i d R a f a e l K i s e l , p r e s i d e n t o f Vo l v o G ro u p M e x i c o “ We a re i n v o l v e d i n the planning and dimensioning proceses, taking into consideration the requirements o f e a c h ro u t e a n d t y p e o f o p e r a t i o n We s u p p l y t h e b u s e s a n d t h e c h a r g i n g i n f r as t r u c t u re a n d p ro v i d e s e r v i c e s a n d s p a re p a r t s f o r b o t h , a s w e l l a s f i n a n c i n g f o r t h e e n t i re s y s t e m ”
With its new LUMINUS electric bus, Volvo B u s e s g u a r a n t e e s c o n t i n u o u s o p e r a t i o n ,
the best total cost of ownership and full support during the useful life of the bus In addition, Volvo Buses is the only brand to have developed a circularity model that will allow the batteries to be used for other purposes at the end of their useful life in the buses, which endorses Volvo Buses’ commitment to the environment and society “Volvo Buses will continue to invest in research and development for its portfolio of zero emission projects and we will go on expanding our aftersales service network throughout Mexico,” said Kisel
The new LUMINUS is based on proven Vo l v o B Z L t e c h n o l o g y a n d c o m e s i n d i ff e r e n t l e n g t h s f r o m 9 7 t o 1 3 m e t e r s , a s well as batter y configurations ranging from 2 8 0 t o 4 7 0 k W h , w i t h t h e b a t t e r y p a c k p o s i t i o n e d t o m a k e t h e b e s t u s e o f a l l t h e i n t e r i o r s p a c e T h i s s u s t a i n a b l e t r a n s p o r t s o l u t i o n h a s p r e d i c t i v e s a f e t y s y s t e m s , s u c h a s p e d e s t r i a n a n d c y c l i s t d e t e c t i o n , a n d s p e e d l i m i t a d j u s t m e n t s b y t h e Z o n e M a n a g e m e n t s y s t e m I n a d d i t i o n , w i t h i t s l o w e n t r a n c e a n d t h e w i d e s t c e n t r a l d o o r o n t h e m a r k e t , i t g u a r a n t e e s u n i v e r s a l a c c e s s a n d e f f i c i e n c y i n a s c e n t s a n d d e s c e n t s W i t h t h i s e l e c t r i c b u s , Vo l v o Buses also offers the ultimate travel exper i e n c e f o r p a s s e n g e r s , p r o v i d i n g t h e m w i t h c o m f o r t a b l e , s p a c i o u s i n t e r i o r s a n d m o r e e n j o y a b l e j o u r n e y s w i t h w i r e l e s s Inter net and USB por ts for mobile devices
Roy McCar thy Coaches Gets
Plaxton 72-Seat Leopard Coach
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 independent global bus manufacturers, recently a n n o u n c e d t h a t i t h a s d e l i v e r e d a h i g hcapacity Plaxton Leopard to Roy McCar thy Coaches
T h e 1 2 8 - m e t e r c o a c h i s fi t t e d w i t h 7 2 seats in a 3+2 arrangement, making it ideal f o r s c h o o l b u s e s a n d h i re s I t m e e t s P S V
A c c e s s i b i l i t y R e g u l a t i o n s ( P S VA R ) w i t h a s i d e - m o u n t e d l i f t S e a t s o n q u i c k - re l e a s e t r a c k i n g c a n b e m o v e d a s i d e fl e x i b l y t o make room for wheelchairs
Drivers will also find it easy to load luggage into the underfloor lockers, which have been fitted with parallel-lift doors
Roy McCar thy Coaches has been operating coaches from its base in Macclesfield since 1971 Nine of its 11 coaches are Plaxton Panther or Plaxton Leopard vehicles that the company bought new in the last seven years Like the latest addition, they are all built on Volvo B8R chassis
Max McCar thy, who is par t of the thirdgeneration of McCarthys running the family business, welcomed the new coach: “As a s m a l l o p e r a t o r s e r v i n g a w i d e r a n g e o f clients, we really benefit from Plaxton’s ability to tailor vehicles to our requirements This means that we can have a diverse fleet that allows us to respond to different operational n e e d s w i t h o u t s a c r i fi c i n g t h e b e n e fi t s o f standardization This latest Plaxton Leopard is a great fur ther example of this, giving us our highest seating capacity yet with room for 72 passengers ”
Alexander Dennis Regional Sales Manager Lee Salt said: “It’s a privilege to cont i n u e t o w o r k w i t h t h e M c C a r t h y f a m i l y a s their supplier of choice and I’m delighted to see yet another of our Plaxton coaches in the distinctive Roy McCarthy Coaches livery, which always heralds the arrival of a smar t and well-kept coach ”
Van Hool, an independent manufacturer of buses, coaches and industrial vehicles, has signed a contract with Qbuzz (Netherlands) for the supply of 54 batter y-electric b u s e s o f t h e m o d e l Va n H o o l A 1 5 L E E T h e s e b u s e s w i l l b e u s e d b y Q b u z z f o r r e g i o n a l p a s s e n g e r t r a n s p o r t i n t h e provinces of Groningen and Drenthe as from the last quar ter of 2024
F i l i p Va n H o o l , C E O a t Va n H o o l , s a i d : “ T h i s o r d e r c o n f i r m s t h e c o n f i d e n c e Q b u z z h a s i n Va n H o o l Q b u z z p re v i o u s l y o rd e re d n i n e Va n H o o l A s t ro m e g a T D X 2 7 d o u b l e - d e c k e r s a n d 3 0 h y d ro g e n b u s e s f o r u s e i n r e g u l a r p a s s e n g e r t r a n s p o r t This order is another impor tant benchmark f o r Va n H o o l a n d i s u n d e n i a b l e p r o o f o f t h e t e c h n o l o g i c a l k n o w l e d g e c e n t e r w e h a v e b u i l t u p h e re i n K o n i n g s h o o i k t ( L i e r ) o v e r t h e y e a r s C o n t i n u o u s i n v e s t m e n t i s m a d e i n r e s e a r c h a n d d e v e l o p m e n t o f n e w p r o d u c t s W e b u i l d t h e p r o t o t y p e s , pre-series and high-value-added vehicles h e re a n d t h e s e a re a l m o s t a l w a y s t a i l o rmade to the customer’s requirements We a re d e l i g h t e d t o c o n t r i b u t e t o t h e f u r t h e r greening of Qbuzz’s bus fleet in the Nor the r n N e t h e r l a n d s ”
Q b u z z i s re p l a c i n g i t s e x i s t i n g fl e e t o f Q l i n e r b u s e s w i t h t h i s 1 0 0 p e rc e n t z e roemission, batter y-electric Van Hool bus
D i r k H u z e l i n g , b i d m a n a g e r a t Q b u z z b v , explains why they chose Van Hool as the supplier for these unique vehicles: “We were facing a major challenge when opting to replace our current fleet of Qliner buses, which have amply proved their wor th We d e fi n i t e l y w a n t e d t o g o g re e n a n d s o t h e
t i n g arrangement Based in Macclesfield,
comp a n y o p e r a t e s n i n e P l a x t o n P a n t h e r o r Plaxton Leopard buses
option of a 100 percent zero-emission bus was quickly floated Because of the specifi c i t y o f t h e Q l i n e r n e t w o r k i n G ro n i n g e nDrenth and its longer-distance, intercity connections and high average speed, we opted f o r t h e l o n g 1 5 - m e t e r b u s e s w i t h 5 5 c o mfor table seats for passengers and a large working radius After a thorough evaluation of the market, we opted for Van Hool, with whom we have already put a number of new
vehicles into the existing public transpor t network in recent years ”
Because of the intercity journeys that are under taken, passengers will spend longer i n t h e b u s , s o w e o p t e d f o r c o m f o r t a b l e coach seats equipped with seat belts, USB charging points, footrests and folding tables Passengers can stow their luggage in the luggage racks All buses will be equipped
with mirror cameras for the driver and three monitors for route information for passengers as well as having a manual wheelchair ramp to allow access for disabled people
Van Hool is a Belgian independent manufacturer of buses, coaches and industrial vehicles, based in Koningshooikt Founded i n 1 9 4 7 , t h e c o m p a n y c e l e b r a t e d i t s 7 5 t h a n n i v e r s a r y i n 2 0 2 2 T h e v a s t m a j o r i t y o f their products are destined for Europe and N o r t h A m e r i c a Va n H o o l h a s m o r e t h a n 2,500 employees worldwide, most of them at its production sites in Koningshooikt (Belgium) and Skopje (nor ther n Macedonia)
BYD-Alexander Dennis Par tnership Celebrates
1,500th Electric Bus
B Y D U K a n d A l e x a n d e r D e n n i s j o i n t l y announced on August 7 that their par tnership has officially handed over its 1,500th e l e c t r i c b u s , a B Y D - A l e x a n d e r D e n n i s Enviro200EV for Go-Ahead London
B Y D i s a g l o b a l l e a d e r i n b a t t e r i e s , energy management and electric mobility Alexander Dennis, the UK’s largest bus and coach manufacturer, is a subsidiary of leading independent global bus manufacturer NFI Group Inc
T h e 1 , 5 0 0 t h B Y D - A l e x a n d e r D e n n i s e l e c t r i c b u s i s o n e o f n e a r l y 3 0 0 j o i n i n g G o - A h e a d L o n d o n t h i s y e a r f o r ro u t e s i n t h e c a p i t a l A l l o c a t e d t o M e r t o n G a r a g e w i t h f l e e t n u m b e r S E e 1 9 9 , i t h a s b e e n i n s e r v i c e o n Tr a n s p o r t f o r L o n d o n r o u t e s
1 6 3 a n d 1 6 4 s i n c e M a y I t h a s n o w b e e n o ff i c i a l l y h a n d e d o v e r t o G o - A h e a d L o nd o n ’s m a n a g i n g t e a m b y re p re s e n t a t i v e s o f B Y D a n d A l e x a n d e r D e n n i s i n a s m a l l c e l e b r a t i o n a t t h e d e p o t
Frank Thorpe, managing director, BYD UK; Richard Harrington, engineering director, The Go-Ahead Group; Neil Gladstone, n a t i o n a l a c c o u n t m a n a g e r f o r L o n d o n , Alexander Dennis, and David Cutts, mana g i n g d i re c t o r, G o A h e a d L o n d o n , c e l eb r a t e t h e 1 5 0 0 t h B Y D - A l e x a n d e r D e n n i s e l e c t r i c b u s
Go-Ahead is London’s largest bus company and the UK’s most experienced operator of electric buses It has worked closely with BYD and Alexander Dennis since 2016, when it took deliver y of 51 Enviro200EV for i t s g l o b a l l y re c o g n i z e d a n d m u l t i - a w a rdw i n n i n g Wa t e r l o o s i t e , w h i c h w a s t h e fi r s t bus depot in Europe to be fully conver ted to electric operation
With a total of 577 Enviro200EV singled e c k e r s a n d E n v i ro 4 0 0 E V d o u b l e - d e c ke r s d e l i v e re d o r o n o rd e r, G o - A h e a d L o nd o n i s t h e p a r t n
r
h i
l a r g e s t s i n g l e c u s t o m e r
B Y D U K M a n a g i n g D i r e c t o r F r a n k Thorpe said: “This is a significant handover for all involved and Go-Ahead London is to be applauded for its commitment to electric bus fleets, setting an excellent precedent for eco-friendly public bus services Climate change is upon us, and Go-Ahead London is showing customers that it is taking proact i v e s t e p s t o a d d re s s t h i s T h e d e l i v e r y o f 1,500 electric buses clearly reflects the benefits of zero-emission electric bus operations and the role they play in reducing carbon pollution in our towns and cities BYD has been dedicated to electric bus innovation f o r o v e r a d e c a d e , a n d w e a re p ro u d t h a t our pioneering technology is contributing to the success of our electric bus par tners h i p w i t h A l e x a n d e r D e n n i s i n t h e U K Together, we have been delighted to support Go-Ahead London with its electric bus fleet requirements ”
A l e x a n d e r D e n n i s ’s N a t i o n a l A c c o u n t Manager for London Neil Gladstone, commented: “It is testament to the success of our innovative partnership with BYD that we are now handing over the 1,500th electric b u s T h i s m i l e s t o n e w o u l d n o t h a v e b e e n possible without the commitment from operators such as Go-Ahead London Richard Harrington and his team have consistently led the industry by showing what is possible, f r o m t h e fi r s t e l e c t r i c b u s d e p o t t h r o u g h opportunity charging to the current fast pace of zero-emission bus rollout ”
David Cutts, Go-Ahead London managi n g d i r e c t o r, s a i d : “ T h e p i o n e e r B Y D -
Alexander Dennis buses at Waterloo quickly demonstrated zero emission was viable for the capital and immediately proved popular with passengers, drivers and engineers It i s fi t t i n g t h a t t h e 1 , 5 0 0 t h B Y D - A l e x a n d e r Dennis electric bus was delivered to us and is providing clean public transport for users i n t h e M o r d e n , R a y n e s P a r k , S u t t o n a n d Wimbledon areas on routes 163 and 164 My congratulations to all involved in this success stor y, including Transpor t for London, whose vision is delivering cleaner air across o u r c i t y I a l s o p a y t r i b u t e t o R i c h a rd H a rrington for his outstanding leadership in this area for over a decade ”
Harrington, engineering director at The Go-Ahead Group and head of its ZE Centre of Excellence, added: “BYD and Alexander Dennis deserve credit for creating what has proved to be a very popular product across the capital and elsewhere This has enabled Go-Ahead London to make good progress in decarbonizing its vehicles and by the end of this year it is scheduled to operate approximately 600 EVs, around a quarter of its overall bus fleet ”
Over the past seven years, the combination of BYD’s reliable batter y technology and Alexander Dennis’s exper tise in body design and specification, have paved the way for the large-scale adoption of batter yelectric buses in the United Kingdom
The single-deck Enviro200EV is available in a choice of four lengths ranging from 9 6 meters to 12 meters, while the double-deck
Turbus from Chile has received 58 new Marcopolo Generation
buses
Fifteen of the buses will have 12 sleeper seats on the lower level and 48 semi-sleeper seats on the upper level Turbus has been in business 75 years and has a fleet of 800 vehicles and a staff of 7,000 that includes 3,000 drivers
Enviro400EV is available in two versions at 1 0 3 m e t e r s a n d 1 0 8 m e t e r s T h e y h a v e found favor with operators large and small in a variety of operating environments ranging from busy city services to rural routes and staff shuttles BYD-Alexander Dennis electric buses have also been sold to Ireland and New Zealand
Turbus, one of the most traditional transport operators in Chile with 75 years of exper i e n c e , h a s a c q u i r e d 5 8 n e w M a r c o p o l o Generation 8 Paradiso 1800 double-decker buses This is one of the largest DD sales i n a s i n g l e l o t t o t h e f o re i g n m a r k e t i n t h e company’s histor y
“ Tu r b u s h a s b e e n a p a r t n e r f o r m o r e than 50 years and is incorporating the first G e n e r a t i o n 8 u n i t s i n t o i t s f l e e t T h e s u cc e s s a c h i e v e d b y t h e G 8 m o d e l s i s t r u l y r e m a r k a b l e a n d e n c o u r a g e s u s t o c o ntinue working to always offer the ver y best t o o u r c u s t o m e r s , i n c re a s i n g s a f e t y, c o mf o r t a n d o p e r a t i o n a l e ff i c i e n c y, ” e m p h as i z e d J o s é L u i z M o r a e s G o e s , d i re c t o r o f i n t e r n a t i o n a l a n d c o m m e rc i a l o p e r a t i o n s a t M a rc o p o l o
The 58 new Paradiso G8 1800 DD buses will be delivered between September and N o v e m b e r o f t h i s y e a r t o b e u s e d o n a service route between various cities in Chile The vehicles, all 14 meters long, will have M e rc e d e s - B e n z 0 5 0 0 c h a s s i s ( 2 4 u n i t s ) a n d S c a n i a c h a s s i s ( 3 4 u n i t s ) a n d w i l l b e produced in two configurations, with capacities for 32 and 60 passengers
F i f t e e n u n i t s w i l l h a v e 1 2 s l e e p e r s e a t s on the lower floor and 20 sleeper seats on t h e u p p e r f l o o r a n d 4 3 b u s e s w i l l h a v e 1 2 s l e e p e r s e a t s o n t h e l o w e r f l o o r a n d 4 8 s e m i - s l e e p e r s e a t s o n t h e u p p e r f l o o r, a l l w i t h U S B s o c k e t s a n d s e a t b e l t s e n s o r s T h e v e h i c l e s w i l l b e e q u i p p e d w i t h a n a i r c o n d i t i o n i n g s y s t e m w i t h u l t r a v i o l e t l i g h t f o r d i s i n f e c t i o n a n d h e a t i n g , s t r e a m i n g , Wi-Fi, individual monitors on the lower floor a n d t h re e f o l d i n g m o n i t o r s o n t h e u p p e r f l o o r ( o n l y t h e 4 3 v e h i c l e s w i t h s e m is l e e p e r s e a t s ) , c h r o m o t h e r a p y l i g h t i n g , e x t e r n a l l i g h t i n g b e l o w t h e w i n d o w s , re f r i g e r a t o r, l i q u i d h e a t e r a n d t o i l e t
Turbus has been a Marcopolo customer since the 1970s and in 1991 acquired the 60,000th unit from the Brazilian manufact u re r W i t h 7 5 y e a r s o f e x p e r i e n c e i n p a ss e n g e r t r a n s p o r t t h r o u g h o u t C h i l e , t h e C h i l e a n o p e r a t o r h a s a fl e e t o f m o re t h a n 8 0 0 v e h i c l e s a n d h a s m o r e t h a n 7 , 0 0 0 employees, of which about 3,000 are drivers, per for med about 2,000 daily services and t r a n s p o r t s 2 3 m i l l i o n p e o p l e t o a b o u t 1 5 0 destinations ever y year q
Museum of Bus Transpor tation
T h e m u s e u m ’s b o a r d o f d i r e c t o r s recently announced that MOBT fleet mana g e r R a n d y W i l c o x h a s b e e n n a m e d a W i l l i a m H S m i t h F e l l o w F e l l o w s a re i n d iv i d u a l s w h o h a v e p r o v i d e d o u t s t a n d i n g s e r v i c e t o t h e m u s e u m t h r o u g h a w i d e r a n g e o f e n d e a v o r s F o r t h i s a c c o m p l i s hm e n t , Wilcox w a s i n d u c t e d i n t o t h e 2 0 2 3 c l a s s o f W i l l i a m H S m i t h F e l l o w s a t t h e N i g h t a t t h e M u s e u m e v e n t , O c t o b e r 3
Wilcox has a long, distinguished career i n t h e m o t o rc o a c h i n d u s t r y S t a r t i n g a s a mechanic, he quickly rose to maintenance management, and t h e n s w i t c h e d t o s a l e s , w h e r e h e h a s b e e n h i g h l y r e g a r d e d a n d s u c c e s s f u l W i t h t h i s e x p e r i e n c e , Wilcox b r i n g s t h e museum a unique skill set, combining t e c h n i c a l k n o w le d g e , s k i l l s a n d volunteer mentorship in maintaining t h e fl e e t o f h i s t o r i c buses
F o r m o r e t h a n 4 0 y e a r s , W i l c o x h a s e x c e l l e d i n b u i l d i n g a n d m a i n t a i n i n g re l ationships with the bus industr y, bus preserv a t i o n c o l l e c t o r s a n d e n t h u s i a s t s H e h e l p e d t o c re a t e a n i n f o r m a l n e t w o r k t h a t s h a r e s k n o w l e d g e a n d p a r t s w i t h t h o s e invested in preserving and promoting bus h i s t o r y
Complete Coach Works
C o m p l e t e C o a c h W o r k s ( C C W ) , t h e n a t i o n ’s l e a d i n g b u s r e m a n u f a c t u r e r, a n n o u n c e d o n J u l y 2 6 t h a t e f f e c t i v e
A u g u s t 1 , 2 0 2 3 P a t r i c k S c u l l y w a s a p p o i n t e d a s c h i e f c o m m e rc i a l o ff i c e r f o r t h e c o r p o r a t i o n
“ We a re e c s t a t i c t o h a v e Patrick Scully j o i n o u r t e a m t o l e a d t h e s a l e s a n d m a rketing side of the organization Having his b a c k g ro u n d , e x p e r i e n c e a n d k n o w l e d g e o n o u r t e a m w i l l a l l o w C C W, S h u t t l e B u s L e a s i n g a n d Tr a n s i t S a l e s I n t e r n a t i o n a l t o c o n t i n u e t o g ro w i n t h e m a r k e t a n d c o nt i n u e o u r h i s t o r y o f p ro v i d i n g t h e h i g h e s t l e v e l o f s e r v i c e t o c u s t o m e r b a s e , ” s a i d D a l e C a r s o n , p r e s i d e n t o f C C W “ W e ’ v e been considering this move for some time a n d n o w i s t h e p e r f e c t t i m e f o r t h i s a d d it i o n t o o u r c o m p a n y ”
S c u l l y w i l l j o i n B r a d l e y C a r s o n ( C O O ) a n d M I c h a e l D o m i n i c i ( C F O ) a s s e n i o r l e a d e r s o f t h e o r g a n i z a t i o n r e s p o n s i b l e f o r g u i d i n g t h e o r g an i z a t i o n f o r t h e future
“ I h a v e k n o w n CCW and the Carson family for over 30 years and it’s an honor to be able to j o i n a c o m p a n y I h a v e h e l d t h e u t m o s t respect for in the manner in which they have served and represented themselves in the market,” commented Scully “I look forward to continuing to develop transportation solutions for the bus and coach market that CCW has exhibited since its inception ”
C o m p l e t e C o a c h W o r k s , h e a d q u a rtered in Riverside, Califor nia, is the largest b u s r e m a n u f a c t u r i n g a n d r e h a b i l i t a t i o n c o m p a n y i n t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s w i t h m o re t h a n 3 4 y e a r s i n t h e t r a n s p o r t a t i o n i n d u str y A pioneer in the field of alter native fuel a n d h y b r i d v e h i c l e t e c h n o l o g y, C C W h a s a l w a y s w o r k e d t o p ro v i d e c l e a n v e h i c l e s t h ro u g h i n n o v a t i v e d e s i g n a n d e n g i n e e ring, and it unveiled the world’s first remanu f a c t u r e d a l l - e l e c t r i c , b a t t e r y - p o w e r e d b u s i n 2 0 1 2 F o r j o b s o f a n y s i z e , C C W ’s t e a m o f m o re t h a n 3 5 0 e x p e r t s p ro v i d e s c u t t i n g - e d g e p r o d u c t s a n d e x c e p t i o n a l c u s t o m e r s e r v i c e
In 2021, Complete Coach Works, along with Shuttle Bus Leasing, Transit Sales International and D/T Carson Enterprises, whollyowned subsidiaries of Carson Capital Corp , transitioned to an Employee Stock Ownership Corporation q
In 2023, Peter Pan Bus Lines celebrated its 9 0 t h A n n i v e r s a r y. T h i s i s a n a m a z i n g achievement and worthy of special note O n e o f t h e b e t t e r - k n o w n a n d b e t t e rr e s p e c t e d b u s o p e r a t i o n s i n t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s , P e t e r P a n B u s L i n e s c o m b i n e s t h e attributes of an immigrant heritage, a history of scheduled service and continued owners h i p b y t h e f o u n d i n g f a m i l y n o w m o v i n g into its fourth generation.
Over the years the Picknelly family has diversified into other business enterprises However, Peter Pan Bus Lines continues to be one of the best known and most respected bus operations in the nation and a leader in the bus industry It has also amassed some i m p r e s s i v e s a f e t y a w a r d s . H e r e i s a n updated company review that incorporates some information from older articles with newer updates and information
The Family Heritage
T h e s t o r y b e h i n d P e t e r P a n B u s L i n e s s t a r t s i n P i c a re l l i , I t a l y, i n t h e p ro v i n c e o f Av e l l i n o T h i s s m a l l c o m m u n i t y o f a b o u t 4,000 is located about 30 miles east of Naples Carmine Picariello, the son of a subsistence farmer, was drafted into military service in 1885 where he learned road construction and utility work When he returned to his homet o w n a f t e r h i s m i l i t a r y s e r v i c e , P i c a r i e l l o found poor economic conditions and a lack o f j o b s I n o r d e r t o s u p p o r t h i s f a m i l y, P i c a r i e l l o d e c i d e d t o c o m e t o t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s . H i s m i l i t a r y e x p e r i e n c e w i t h ro a d construction and utility work got him a position with the Department of Public Works in East Orange, New Jersey
In 1899, Picariello was able to bring his wife and two sons to the United States Three more children were born It is an interesting r e m i n d e r o f t h o s e t i m e s t h a t C a r m i n e c h a n g e d t h e f a m i l y n a m e t o P i c k n e l l y t o
sound more American. The names of the children were Americanized at the same time S o m e o f t h e c h i l d r e n l a t e r c h a n g e d t h e spelling of their name to “Picknally,” because it appeared to be more Irish In those years it was easier to get employment with an Irish name than a name that sounded Italian
Carmine died unexpectedly in 1907 and his son, Peter C , who was then only 15 years old, took over responsibility for the family F a m i l y t r a d i t i o n h o l d s t h a t P e t e r C . g o t involved with motor transportation because
of his father ’s background with roads. Initially, he was employed as a chauffeur Then, i n 1 9 1 9 , P e t e r C w a s a b l e t o b u y i n t o t h e association running a route along Central Avenue from East Orange to Newark In late 1925, Peter C. along with three other Italian bus operators sold their vehicles and route medallions to Public Service of New Jersey and then moved to Springfield, Massachusetts to start a new bus company
Interstate Buses Corp. was created in 1926 with the operating authority for an initial
route from Hartford, Connecticut to Provid e n c e , R h o d e I s l a n d P e t e r C n o t o n l y served as president of the new company but also obtained operating rights for an additional route to Albany, New York In spite of t h e f a c t t h a t t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s w a s i n t h e midst of the Great Depression, Peter C sold out his share of the partnership in 1932 to strike out on his own
The Interstate Buses Company continued to operate and was eventually merged into Bonanza Bus Lines It is noteworthy that in 2003, Peter Pan Bus Lines acquired Bonanza.
In 1933, Peter C purchased the Yellow Cab Air Line that was based in Springfield, M a s s a c h u s e t t s I t o p e r a t e d a s o m e w h a t round about route that started in Northampt o n , n o r t h o f S p r i n g f i e l d , t h e n o p e r a t e d south to Springfield and turned southeast through Stafford Springs, Connecticut where the route turned northeast to Boston
A f t e r a c q u i s i t i o n , P e t e r C . n a m e d t h e n e w c o m p a n y P e t e r P a n B u s L i n e s a f t e r t h e m a i n c h a r a c t e r i n t h e S i r J a m e s Matthew Barrie classic about the boy who l i v e d i n N e v e r l a n d a n d re f u s e d t o g ro w u p F a m i l y t r a d i t i o n h e l d t h a t t w o o f P e t e r ’ s c h i l d re n – J a n e t a n d P e t e r L . J r. –b o r e a r e s e m b l a n c e t o t h e c h a r a c t e r s o f We n d y a n d P e t e r P a n i n t h e b o o k .
I n i t i a l l y, t h e o p e r a t i o n w a s s o m e w h a t o f a s t r u g g l e b e c a u s e t h e r o u n d a b o u t r o u t e , t h e n o n c o n v e n t i o n a l r o a d s , t o o k more than 31⁄2 hours to drive The company charged only $3.50 for a round trip, which was a bargain in depression years, but the extra travel time worked against the comp a n y f l o u r i s h i n g F i n a l l y, a f t e r o p e r a t i n g f o r a f e w y e a r s , P e t e r P a n w o n a p p ro v a l from the State of Massachusetts to operate d i r e c t l y f r o m S p r i n g f i e l d t o B o s t o n v i a R o u t e 2 0 T h i s re d u c e d t r a v e l t i m e t o 2 1⁄2 hours and made the operation more pract i c a l a n d v i a b l e
This was somewhat of a turning point in t h e c o m p a n y ’ s h i s t o r y A s t h e n u m b e r o f passengers increased, the company was able to expand and run more buses As the need for more staff evolved, various family members joined the company. Bill Picknelly, the younger brother of Peter C , became the first m a i n t e n a n c e g a r a g e s u p e r v i s o r i n 1 9 4 2 After World War II, Bill’s son Carmen took over supervision of Peter Pan’s maintenance and became a legend in the industry. Carmen’s son Tom continues the family tradit i o n a s s e n i o r v i c e p re s i d e n t s u p e r v i s i n g g a r a g e l o c a t i o n s u n t i l h i s d e a t h i n 2 0 2 1 . Tom’s son Joe is now the senior director of maintenance and one of the fourth generation of the family to enter the business
Another new addition to the staff came under tragic circumstances Bill Picknelly, who had been serving as operations mana g e r, u n e x p e c t e d l y p a s s e d a w a y i n 1 9 4 8 leaving a serious gap in the company admin-
istration Peter L Picknelly, the son of Peter C , w h o w a s 1 8 y e a r s o l d a n d h a d b e e n attending Northwestern University, “temporarily” left school and returned to Springf i e l d t o f i l l t h e v o i d l e f t b y h i s u n c l e H e never did return to college but did become a legend in the bus industry
When the new Massachusetts Turnpike opened in 1957, Peter Pan obtained operati n g a u t h o r i t y o v e r i t . T h i s c u t t r a v e l t i m e from Springfield to Boston to less than two hours – essentially equivalent to private cars a n d f a s t e r t h a n t r a i n s . T h e c o m p a n y a l s o expanded into other routes By 1963 Peter Pan had reached a new milestone The company was now running 28 buses and annual sales exceeded $1 million for the first time
Peter L Picknelly
P e t e r C . P i c k n e l l y, w h o h a d f o u n d e d Peter Pan Bus Lines in 1933 and managed it
since then, passed away in January of 1964
His 33-year-old son, Peter L , then took over as the second generation managing the company Fortunately for all concerned Peter L had stepped into the company in 1948 when his uncle passed away and hence had several years experience in management In addition to being a guy who liked buses, Peter L was very good at thinking outside of the b o x a n d m o v i n g i n t o n e w d i re c t i o n s H e steered the company to charters and tours and then began to acquire companies outside of the bus business and purchase real e s t a t e T h i s h e l p e d p u t t h e c o m p a n y i n a strong financial position
H i s f i r s t e ff o r t s i n t h i s d i re c t i o n c a m e almost immediately because of the 1964-65 World’s Fair in New York City. The Peter Pan World Travel Service, a travel and tour divis i o n w a s c r e a t e d D u e t o t h e m o d e r a t e mileage involved, Peter Pan was able to offer one-day tours to the fair with all expenses included. In following decades, several busin e s s e s w e re p u rc h a s e d a n d a d d e d t o t h e family holdings These included Camfour, a sporting goods distributor, and Belt Technologies, a manufacturer of metal belts The Picknelly family also became involved with insurance and bus leasing
A s t h e c o m p a n y e x p a n d e d , i t n e e d e d more space. An early move in this direction was made in 1958 when Peter Pan acquired t h e o l d Tr o l l e y B a r n I t w a s b u i l t i n 1 8 9 7 when the Springfield Street Railway Company changed over from horse cars to electric trolley cars. At that time the company was operating 27 buses and had run out of room at their previous location For many years the building was used for both a bus g a r a g e a n d c o r p o r a t e o f f i c e Yo u r e d i t o r noted that some of the old trolley wire hangers remained overhead for many years
A major turning point for the company came in 1969 with the opening of a new and m o d e r n t e r m i n a l a t 1 7 7 6 M a i n S t r e e t i n Springfield. In addition to serving as the prim a r y b u s t e r m i n a l f o r S p r i n g f i e l d , i t a l s o housed the Peter Pan corporate offices and f l e e t m a i n t e n a n c e f a c i l i t i e s . I t c r e a t e d a “first” by combining Greyhound and Trailw a y s o p e r a t i o n s w i t h P e t e r P a n s i n c e t h e building was owned by neither major carrier
It might be noted that the “new” terminal remained in full operation for about 48 years a n d c o n t i n u e s t o s e r v e a s a m a i n t e n a n c e facility. In 2005 it was officially renamed the Peter L Picknelly Transportation Center In 1980-82 the old Trolley Barn was renovated. It was then used by Coach Builders, Inc , a Peter Pan affiliate that specialized in rebuilding and refurbishing buses.
Peter Pan Bus Lines was not the only bus operation of the Picknelly family. A company called Travel Time operated school buses in
1969 was a major turning point for the company when their new and modern terminal opened at 1776 Main Street in Springfield. In addition to serving as the primary bus terminal for Springfield, it also provided space for the Peter Pan company office and maintenance facilities Both Greyhound and Trailways used this Peter Pan terminal
the Springfield area and eventually transported 17,000 students daily on 600 buses. U S B u s w a s a c o a c h o p e r a t i o n b a s e d i n Wa s h i n g t o n , D C i n t h e 1 9 7 0 s a n d 1 9 8 0 s P e t e r L. P i ck n a l l y w a s a l so i n vol ve d w i t h S u n s h i n e B u s L i n e s i n F l o r i d a a n d V I P
A major expansion came in 1985 with the acquisition of Trailways of New England. Peter Pan extended service over these routes
and came into the New York City market for the first time. The company was now running 1 5 0 b u s e s a n d h a d a s t a f f o f 5 0 0 F u r t h e r expansion came in the 1990s when Peter Pan acquired American Coach Lines in Washington, D C , opened a office and maintenance facility there, and expanded service to Washington, D C , Baltimore and Philadelphia
This lead to “fare wars” with Greyhound, the operator that had previously dominated
Peter Pan purchased its last GM coach in 1973 and moved to buying from MCI in 1974 with the new MC-8 model. Since then, they have continued to purchase MCI coaches for the Peter Pan fleet. In 1983, this MCI MC-9 with whitewall tires carried special lettering to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the company.
that market At one point the fare from New York to DC dropped to $5 while the newspapers covered the excitement. In 1999, Peter P a n a n d G re y h o u n d d e c i d e d t o s e t a s i d e t h e i r d i f f e r e n c e s a n d w o r k e d o u t a p o o l agreement that would last for 18 years and a l s o i n c l u d e d j o i n t s e r v i c e u n d e r t h e B o l t and Yo names for a period of time. It might be noted that in 1998, Peter Pan was still very much a scheduled service operation That y e a r 8 2 p e r c e n t o f t h e c o m p a n y r e v e n u e c a m e f ro m s c h e d u l e d s e r v i c e , 1 3 p e rc e n t from charters and tours and the last five percent from other sources
A major turning point came in 1993 when Peter L Picknelly acquired Monarch Place in downtown Springfield Built in 1986 at a cost of $110 million, the 25-story building w a s t h e t a l l e s t f r e e - s t a n d i n g b u i l d i n g between Boston and Albany, New York It housed an office tower plus a 324-room Sheraton Hotel It soon became a major factor in the renaissance of downtown Springfield. 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 M o n a rc h Place was built where the Springfield bus service operated by Peter Pan Bus Lines was located when Peter C Picknelly purchased the company in 1933
To s o m e e x t e n t i t c a n b e s a i d t h a t Monarch Place completed the transition of P e t e r L ’ s s o n , P e t e r A P i c k n e l l y i n t o b u s c o m p a n y m a n a g e m e n t O n h i s 2 1 s t b i r t hday in 1980, Peter A. was named vice presi d e n t o f P e t e r P a n B u s L i n e s H e t h e n b e c a m e p re s i d e n t i n 1 9 8 4 a t 2 5 y e a r s o l d I n 1 9 9 1 , P e t e r A b e c a m e p r e s i d e n t a n d CEO when his father, Peter L , assumed the t i t l e o f c h a i r m a n . A f t e r t h e a c q u i s i t i o n o f M o n a rc h P l a c e , P e t e r L m o v e d h i s o ff i c e there and concentrated on the building and o t h e r f a m i l y b u s i n e s s , l e a v i n g P e t e r A . t o ru n t h e b u s c o m p a n y
In addition to having an excellent reputation as an astute businessman, Peter L was
extremely active in local affairs and invested heavily into his local community, primarily benefiting the youth in his area At his 70th birthday celebration, when the family asked Peter L. to look back and name what he considered t o b e h is major accomp lish men t s, the first two items he mentioned were serving in the Army during the Korean War and becoming the youngest counselor and voted “Best Counselor” by his peers at the Boy’s Club summer camp when he was only 15 1⁄2 years old
Peter L Picknelly unexpectedly passed away in 2004 while on a vacation trip to Portugal Long acknowledged as an industry leader, Peter L had been honored over the
In June of 2003, Peter Pan purchased five bus companies from Coach USA in the New England area that effectively doubled the size of the company. Included were Bonanza Bus Lines, Pawtuxet Valley Lines, Arrow Lines, Connecticut Coach USA and Maine Line The acquisition of Bonanza Bus Line was somewhat prophetic because the founder of Peter Pan sold out his interest in Interstate Buses years earlier and that was later merged into Bonanza Bus Lines
years with countless appointments, directorships and chairmanships in transportation.
Peter A. Picknelly and Continued Expansion
Another major expansion came in June of 2003 when Peter Pan reached an agreement with Coach USA to purchase five bus c o m p a n i e s i n t h e N e w E n g l a n d a re a t h a t Coach USA had acquired in 1998 and 1999 Included were Bonanza Bus Lines and Pawt u x e t Va l l e y L i n e s , b o t h b a s e d i n R h o d e Island Arrow Lines was based in East Hartford, Milford and Waterford, Connecticut Coach USA was based in Boston while Main Line was located in Portland, Maine
This acquisition effectively doubled the s i z e o f P e t e r P a n B u s L i n e s a n d a d d e d a p p ro x i m a t e l y 1 7 5 b u s e s t o t h e f l e e t a n d increased the workforce from approximately 750 to around 1,500 The fleet now amounted to more than 300 buses. Apparently because it did not operate scheduled service, in early 2004 Peter Pan sold the Maine Line operat i o n i n P o r t l a n d t o C y r B u s L i n e i n O l d Town, Maine A few years later, Cyr Bus Line sold this company to another local operator in Portland
For the first time since its founding, Peter P a n B u s L i n e s w a s ru n b y s o m e o n e o t h e r than a member of the Picknelly family. On May 15, 2012, Brian R Stefano stepped in as the new president and CFO A 23-year veteran with Peter Pan, Stefano was a graduate o f We s t e r n N e w E n g l a n d C o l l e g e w i t h degrees in accounting and business administration. Peter A. Picknelly assumed the title o f c h a i r m a n a n d c h i e f e x e c u t i v e o ff i c e r, a
position that had remained vacant since the passing of his father in 2004
I n 2 0 1 0 , P e t e r P a n w a s t h e f i r s t m a j o r bus carrier to offer reserved seating on certain routes. Initially, these were routes conn e c t i n g N e w Yo r k C i t y w i t h H a r t f o r d , Philadelphia, Washington D C and Boston, M a s s a c h u s e t t s . I n 2 0 1 3 , t h i s p ro g r a m w a s expanded to include all scheduled service This allowed Peter Pan passengers to purc h a s e a t i c k e t i n a d v a n c e a n d h a v e a reserved seat Those passengers who were n o t s u r e o f t h e i r d e p a r t u r e t i m e o r d a t e
Another new Peter Pan innovation added in 2013 was the “Locate My Bus” Web page on the Peter Pan Web site Based on Saucon G P S t e c h n o
t h e E s t i m a t e d Ti m e o f Arrival for the next bus was shown for each stop served by Peter Pan Major Peter Pan terminals would also show this information and it was freely available to other terminals.
Two purchases were made in 2014 A new garage was opened in Rocky Hill, Connectic u t j u s t s o u t h o f H a r t f o r d L o c a t e d n e a r Interstate 91, this facility would help support
Peter Pan operations in the Hartford area
That same year the Student Prince and Fort Restaurant with a German-American menu and a location in downtown Springfield was a c q u i r e d . T h i s i s l o c a t e d n e a r I - 9 1 a n d
M o n a rc h P l a c e , t h e o ff i c e / h o t e l c o m p l e x and tallest building in Springfield that was acquired in 1993.
A u n i q u e a n n i v e r s a r y t o o k p l a c e o n
A u g u s t 11 , 2 0 1 4 w h e n B r i d g e s t o n e announced the 75th anniversary of their tire leasing agreement with Peter Pan It was on A u g u s t 11 , 1 9 3 9 t h a t P e t e r P a n a g re e d t o lease tires from Firestone for three 10-passenger Chevrolet buses and five 19-passeng e r B e c k b u s e s o n a c o s t - p e r - m i l e b a s i s While the agreement remained, it was obvio u s t h a t t h e f l e e t h a d g ro w n a l i t t l e s i n c e then In 2015, the company partnered with online Web sites to sell tickets on Peter Pan buses These included Wanderu, Busbuds and Gotobus
T h e re w e re s e v e r a l n e w p ro g r a m s a n d improvements in 2016 Included was a new Web site as well as a dynamic pricing model and a loyalty program with perks Service to Cape Cod was also expanded at this time
The year 2017 marked two major changes for Peter Pan. The first was an end to the 18y e a r p o o l w i t h G r e y h o u n d P e t e r P a n ’ s expansion of service into New York City and Washington, D.C. in the 1990s prompted a fare war with Greyhound This was eventually resolved by pooling services over certain routes and even joint service under different n a m e s O t h e r i m p ro v e m e n t s a t t h i s t i m e involved establishing new selling locations in Boston, Philadelphia, D C , Baltimore and downtown Providence Paperless boarding
w a s i n s t i t u t e d s y s t e m - w i d e a n d a l o w e s t price was guaranteed
T h e s e c o n d m a j o r c h a n g e m a r k e d t h e start of the move from the old Peter Pan Bus Terminal when bus operations were transferred to Union Station The old terminal, located at 1776 Main Street, opened in 1969. It combined Greyhound and Trailways service under one roof and served as the center of bus operations, as well as Peter Pan bus maintenance and corporate headquarters O n J u n e 2 5 , 2 0 1 8 , t h e P e t e r P a n c o r p o r a t e offices moved from the old terminal to the t h i rd f l o o r o f t h e n e w l y - re n o v a t e d U n i o n S t a t i o n . T h i s l e a v e s t h e b u s m a i n t e n a n c e operations remaining at the old terminal
In addition to bus operations, the Picknelly family has acquired several non-bus b u s i n e s s e s T h e s e i n c l u d e C a m f o u r - a w h o l e s a l e s p o r t i n g g o o d s d i s t r i b u t i o n company, Hill Country - a wholesale sporti n g g o o d s d i s t r i b u t o r b a s e d i n Te x a s , B e l t Technologies - high performance conveyor b e l t s y s t e m s , C e n t u r y Wo o d w o r k i n g ,
Architectural Windows and Doors, Duval P re c i s i o n G r i n d i n g , P M P A i r - p ro v i d i n g p r i v a t e e x e c u t i v e j e t s e r v i c e s , O p a l R e a l Estate Group - Property Development and Management and The Student Prince/The F o r t - a n 8 0 - y e a r o l d l a n d m a r k G e r m a nA m e r i c a n r e s t a u r a n t T h e f a m i l y n o w owns a total of seven restaurants with two m o r e u n d e r c o n s t r u c t i o n . A d d i t i o n a l l y, t h e f a m i l y i s a l s o i n v o l v e d i n s e v e r a l c a n n a b i s d i s p e n s a r i e s
Peter Pan either hosted or co-hosted four different Bus Bash events. These included 1982 at U.S. Bus in Tuxedo, Maryland; in 1987 with Peter Pan in Springfield, Massachusetts; in 1996 joined with Gold Star Line to host a Bus Bash in Tuxedo, Maryland and 2001 saw Peter Pan again host a Bush Bash in Springfield. Shown here are some of the buses often seen at these events.
A total of four different Bus Bash events were either hosted or co-hosted by Peter Pan B u s L i n e s a n d a ff i l i a t e s Yo u r e d i t o r t h o roughly enjoyed working with Peter L. Picknelly on these events While he was an outstanding businessman, it was obvious that
In 2017 Peter Pan moved operations from the former terminal at 1776 Main Street to the nearby renovated Union Station Combining the old with the new created a multi-model terminal shared by Peter Pan, other bus companies, Amtrak and other rail operations. In 2018, Peter Pan’s corporate office moved to the third floor of the Union Station complex
h e w e n t o u t o f h i s w a y f o r b u s e s a n d b u s people Until today, this list of four Bus Bash events stands as the all-time record for one sponsor
T h e f o u r t h B u s B a s h w a s h e l d i n M a y o f 1 9 8 2 a t t h e U S B u s f a c i l i t y i n Tu x e d o , Maryland just outside of Washington, D C
P e t e r P a n B u s L i n e s h o s t e d t h e 1 4 t h B u s Bash in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1987
I n 1 9 9 6 , P e t e r P a n B u s L i n e s j o i n e d w i t h
G o l d L i n e t o h o s t a B u s B a s h i n Tu x e d o , M a r y l a n d t h a t i n c l u d e d a t o u r o f Wa s hi n g t o n , D . C . M a y o f 2 0 0 1 s a w P e t e r P a n Bus Lines host a Bus Bash in its home town o f S p r i n g f i e l d , M a s s a c h u s e t t s T h i s i n c l u d e d a l o o k a t s o m e o f t h e f i r s t J 4 5 0 0 c o a c h e s i n r e g u l a r s e r v i c e a n d a r i d e o n t h e n e w Ti n k e r B e l l e b o a t .
I think it is appropriate to mention that o v e r t h e y e a r s , P e t e r L . P i c k n e l l y w a s re s p o n s i b l e f o r p re s e r v i n g a n d re s t o r i n g s o m e h i s t o r i c a l v e h i c l e s t h a t w e r e d i sp l a y e d a t B u s B a s h e s a n d o t h e r c o m m un i t y e v e n t s N o t e w o r t h y w a s a h i s t o r i c a l Buick that carried the early company paint scheme and represented the fleet when the company was founded in 1933 Next came a 1 9 4 9 G M P D 2 9 0 3 t h a t w a s b e a u t i f u l l y r e s t o r e d a n d c a r r i e d t h e p o s t - w a r b l a c k a n d w h i t e p a i n t s c h e m e o f P e t e r P a n B u s L i n e s . M o r e r e c e n t l y, C o a c h B u i l d e r s r e s t o r e d a 1 9 3 9 G M F u t u r l i n e r t h a t w a s o r i g i n a l l y u s e d f o r a m o b i l e G M s h o w i n t h a t e r a
We will continue the Peter Pan story with the second and final part that starts with notes on the Peter Pan fleet and follows activities and events through to 2023. q
National Bus Trader / October, 2023
by Larry Plachno
We have recently had several inquiries about our old National Motor Bus Museum and about the 1995 concern over conflicting names I know that parts of this information were p u b l i s h e d i n B o b R e d d e n ’ s I n t e r n a t i o n a l B u s C o l l e c t o r N e w s l e t t e r decades ago We never did much with it in NATIONAL BUS TRADER because it might sound somewhat like an autobiography
However, because of increasing interest we decided to dig back into the archives to see what we could find Most of this information goes back more than 50 years to the 1960s and much of the following text was originally written in the 1990s but never published If you want to follow along, this will give you the story behind the first non-profit bus museum Strangely enough, the story starts with the abandonment of two interurban electric railways and was thwarted by the war in Vietnam.
1963 witnessed the abandonment of two transportation lines in the greater Chicago area. The first, and arguably more important, took place on January 21 when the Chicago, North Shore & Milwau-
kee Railway abandoned all service This electric interurban railway operated hourly service between Chicago and Milwaukee with commuter service on the main line as well as on a branch line to Libertyville and Mundelein. Unlike most rail and bus abandonments, it e n d e d u p q u i t t i n g w h i l e r u n n i n g “ f u l l t i l t ” w i t h h o u r l y s e r v i c e b e t w e e n C h i c a g o a n d M i l w a u k e e p l u s a d d i t i o n a l l o c a l s e r v i c e between Chicago and either Waukegan or Mundelein.
Some of us began pondering the possibility of replacing portions of the interurban commuter rail service with buses. While the main line between Chicago and Milwaukee was still served by Greyhound, there were several commuter stops, including Mundelein, that had no alternative service
Only a few months later, Gold Star Line discontinued all of their
e r n s u b u r b o f C h i c a g o , m a k i n g t h i s s o m e w h a t o f a “ c ro s s t o w n ” l i n e . U n t i l v e r y re c e n t l y, t h e t e r r i t o r y b e t w e e n t h e s e t w o c o m m unities was sparsely settled Rail service was discontinued in 1923, a t l e a s t p a r t l y b e c a u s e o f t h e I l l i n o i s C e n t r a l R a i l ro a d g r a d e s e pa r a t i o n p ro j e c t a t M a t t e s o n , I l l i n o i s . T h i s n e c e s s i t a t e d e x p e n s i v e c h a n g e s t o t h e J o l i e t & E a s t e r n b r i d g e c ro s s i n g a t t h a t p o i n t t h a t m a n a g e m e n t f e l t w a s n o t j u s t i f i e d
Gold Star Line was based in Frankfort, Illinois, one of few communities between Joliet and Chicago Heights with substantial population. Operations essentially followed U S 30 (also known as Lincoln Highway) between the two communities although some trips continued east across the Indiana state line to Hammond. The company was owned by Ray Warning The Warning family also had interests in Warning Chevrolet in Frankfort and in a local school bus operation
At the end, service operated on a two-hour headway using a small fleet of wartime Ford Transit buses that were already more than 15 years old I never did ride the regular service, but I image it must have been interesting, particularly in the winter months Those little “cracker box” Fords probably ran “flat out” on this rural federal highway and there was precious little heat for passengers in the winter
The Omnibus Society of America, a bus hobbiest organization based in Chicago, decided to charter one of Gold Star ’s Fords for a
“final run ” As a result, several of us filled up most of the seats on a Ford. We were given bus #138, which had originally been built in 1945 for Schappi Bus Lines, a company that had operated in Chicago’s south suburbs The fan trip expectedly covered the regular route to the bus terminal in Joliet as well as the bus garage.
S o m e o f u s w h o w e re i n t e re s t e d i n t h e l i t t l e F o rd Tr a n s i t g o t together and began talking about it As a result, three of us elected to purchase Gold Star Line #138 I was only 19 years old at that time and this was my first bus.
The complexities of the situation are not without their humor Since Frankfort was now without public transportation, and since none of us involved with the Ford owned an automobile, some way had to be found to get to Frankfort to pick up our “new” bus What w e e n d e d u p d o i n g w a s t o t a k e a C h i c a g o , R o c k I s l a n d & P a c i fi c commuter train to Mokena, Illinois, and then we walked five miles on back roads to reach the garage in Frankfort.
In spite of my age, I was quickly installed as the official bus driver of the group. In retrospect, it appears that the reason for my “appointment” was that I had been driving newspaper trucks ever since I got my driver ’s license and was the only member of the group to have driven anything larger than an automobile
We i n i t i a l l y s e l e c t e d t h e n a m e “ S k o k i e Va l l e y L i n e s ” f o r o u r g rou p a n d op e r a t i on Th i s w a s t h e n a me of t h e a re a b e t w e e n Li be r t y v i l l e a n d t h e n o r t h s i d e o f C h i c a g o t h a t h a d f o r m e r l y b e e n s e r v e d b y t h e re c e n t l y a b a n d o n e d N o r t h S h o re L i n e i n t e ru r b a n . I t re fl e c t e d o u r p o s s i b l e i n t e re s t i n a c o m m e rc i a l b u s l i n e i n t h a t a re a I n f a c t , f o l l o w i n g a f e w d a y s p a r k e d a l o n g t h e c u r b a t m y h o m e t o m y m o t h e r ’ s d i s m a y, t h e b u s f o u n d a p e r m a n e n t h o m e at a truck repair shop in Libertyville, Illinois, not far from the aband o n e d i n t e ru r b a n l i n e .
In spite of the new name of our group and the storage location for the Ford, nothing ever developed in the area of commercial operations at that time Some transportation tokens were minted with the name “Skokie Valley Lines” for potential future use, but they ended up being used for fares for fan trips with the bus.
A few years later, at the end of the decade, some of the other people d i d p u t t o g e t h e r a p l a n t o o p e r a t e c o m m u t e r b u s s e r v i c e f r o m
Mundelein to the Milwaukee Road commuter rail station in Libertyville They not only had a route and a proposed schedule but also eventually adopted a pet name for the project – “LSMFT ” Ostensibly “Libertyville, Suburban Mundelein Fast Transit,” the letters also reflected the catch line in a Lucky Strike cigarette commercial of that
This concept reached the stage of a presentation to the village fathers at Libertyville I got involved with this briefly by borrowing a TGH3102 for the occasion and driving the village fathers over the proposed route However, it appears that the group and the village never got together because nothing ever developed from it. Although, a local school bus operator did run some similar commuter service in later years
While movement in the direction of a commercial bus line declined, Skokie Valley Lines became very active with bus fan trips over the next three years. The first, and possibly one of the most noteworthy, came the following January of 1964 when Des Moines, Iowa, discontinued trolley bus service Accompanied by a few faithful bus fans, I drove Ford transit #138 to Des Moines where we had chartered a trolley bus to make one last run under the wire It was on this trip through the snow-covered hills of Iowa that I decided that, in the future, any bus I owned would have heat and a restroom, and any other equipment was negotiable For the most part, I have kept to that resolution
In May of 1964, I assisted in the movement of Cleveland Transit #874, the last trolley bus to run in Cleveland, to Johnstown, Pennsylvania I had earlier participated in the last run in Cleveland operated by another organization Later, I was able to charter and ride #874 in Johnstown. August of that year saw Skokie Valley Lines charter Pullman trolley bus #410 in Milwaukee It was the last trolley bus in the fleet with Westinghouse electrical equipment
The Skokie Valley Lines group chartered two last trolley bus runs in 1965 First to go was Columbus, Ohio, and the local company did things right with a final trolley bus decorated with black ribbons and black wreaths On June 20, the group was in Milwaukee where w e c h a r t e re d P u l l m a n t ro l l e y b u s # 3 5 0 f o r a fi n a l ru n . W h e n w e pulled into the barn, they shut down the power for the last time
Later that year, in October we had an interesting trip on a new bus operation founded by Bill McCreary known as Tri-State Coach Lines that operated between northern Indiana and O’Hare Airport We rode on a PD4103 and stopped in at the Gary Transit garage to see the old PD4151s they operated in charter service Bill’s father had owned Bluebird Bus Lines operating between Chicago and the southwest suburbs and was earlier involved with Leyden Motor Coach in the northwest suburbs In later years the Tri-State operation went to the Shoup family that operated Cardinal Bus Lines in Middlebury, Indiana.
This group had been particularly interested in first runs and last runs We discovered that Chicago Helicopter Airways would discontinue their scheduled helicopter service between Chicago O’Hare International Airport, Midway airport and some service to down-
town Meigs Field and Gary, Indiana on December 31, 1965 While others were getting high for the holiday, I got high on the helicopters and became the last revenue passenger between O’Hare and Midway.
Several things happened in or by 1966 that ended up sparking the start of the bus museum. Late summer of 1966 saw the last of the larger fan trips sponsored by Skokie Valley Lines This time we used three buses in the fleet of the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) and they were driven by my younger brother, Ronald, who was driving for the Chicago Transit Authority while going to college
At about this time our group started to take an increasing interest in equipment The people from the Omnibus Society of America acquired TD4501-001, which was built in 1939 and technically was the first of the “old look” GMC transits Then, ex-Cleveland trolley bus #874 came back from Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and was operated in Chicago It was originally built for Providence before coming to Cleveland I rode this bus in Cleveland, Johnstown and Chicago It would later go to the railroad museum at Union, Illinois, and probably set some type of record as a “boomer” trolley bus Another member of our group acquired a small “old look” transit bus that was left over from the recent creation of the Bi-State Transit Authority in St. Louis, Missouri.
By this time our parking area in Libertyville was starting to look like a bus museum I had just graduated from college at the end of the school year in early June Since I had more time, I was able to follow up on the museum theme. Skokie Valley Lines was incorporated in Illinois on June 13, 1966 as a non-for-profit corporation Approximately three months later, on September 20, the name of the corporation was officially changed to “Skokie Valley Lines – Operating Transportation Museum ”
Our next step was to apply for IRS 501(c)(3) status so that donations would be tax deductible The IRS had some concern over the name of the corporation so another trip was made to the Illinois Secretary of State On December 2, 1966, the name of the corporation was officially changed to the “National Motor Bus Museum, Inc ” Wi
status by the IRS While there were already several railroad museums in existence in 1967, we were told that the National Motor Bus Museum was the only non-profit bus museum with IRS 501(c)(3) status at that time. Hence, when the historians write the history of the American bus industry, you can mention that I founded the first bus museum with federal non-profit status
Shortly after obtaining the tax-deductible status from the IRS, three buses were donated to the National Motor Bus Museum by The Transport Company in Milwaukee. The first of these was #350, the Pullman trolley bus built in July of 1948 It was the last trolley
bus to operate in Milwaukee since it served on the Skokie Valley Lines fan trip on June 20, 1965.
The second bus was #1197, a GMC “old look” TD4007 (serial 243) built in 1945. It was originally built for Indianapolis and came to Milwaukee in 1959 It was a good running bus, but I remember it having the old style transmission with the old lubrication
The third bus from Milwaukee was #891, a 34SW Twin Coach built in February of 1947. It carried serial number 001 and hence was most likely the first 34SW built For those who do not know, the “34” represented nominal passenger capacity and hence was a relatively short bus while the “W” suffix indicated a wide body, presumably 102 inches or thereabouts Some people suggested that the 34SW was wider than it was long That was certainly not the case but the extra width combined with a short length tended to give that impression
Other acquisitions were being considered at this time. We went out to look at an ACF-Brill IC37/41 owned by Central West Motor
States While the price was reasonable and the coach was in good operating condition, we decided against adding it to our collection. We were also looking at an ex-North Shore Line White transit bus that had gone to the Waukegan, Illinois, transit operation Although it carried a reasonable price was in good operating condition, it was not added to the museum collection
I think it can be safely said that the National Motor Bus Museum was a victim of the Vietnam War By way of background, I had originally started in transportation publishing while still in high school and continued a small publication while I was in college Hostilities in Vietnam began to flare up at this time and our Uncle Sam began to draft people to serve in the military. Having graduated from college, I was no longer draft exempt and eventually received my invitation to join the troops
In retrospect, this was somewhat unexpected I had tried to enlist in the past but could not pass the physical because of past medical problems and my very flat feet Apparently, the physical requirements for being
Seeking more practical bus experience, your author worked for Valley Transit and Coach Travel Unlimited of Justice, Illinois supervising the garage, training drivers and managing the scheduled service. In addition to school buses, the company ran a suburban transit route and several coaches.
drafted are less than for enlisting. I ended up being assigned to an Army hospital where I did paperwork, helped returning injured Vietnam soldiers get a GED, served briefly as a pharmacist and then replaced a Major in running the admissions office before returning to civilian life.
There was no secret that the money used by the National Motor Bus Museum to pay for insurance, fuel and acquisitions had mostly c o m e f ro m m y o w n p o c k e t Wi t h m y a b r u p t d e p a r t u re f ro m t h e scene, none of the other individuals involved with the museum were w i l l i n g t o s t e p u p a n d p ro v i d e t h e t i m e a n d m o n e y t o k e e p t h e museum going in my absence Hence, it simply came apart
F o r t u n a t e l y, m o s t o f t h e e q u i p m e n t w a s s a v e d i n o n e w a y o r another Most of the buses acquired by members of the Omnibus S o c i e t y o f A m e r i c a e v e n t u a l l y e n d e d u p a t t h e I l l i n o i s R a i l w a y Museum in Union, Illinois The Ford transit went to a man on the north side of Chicago who converted it to a motor home.
T h e t h r e e b u s e s f r o m M i l w a u k e e w e r e t a k e n t o t h e t r o l l e y museum at East Troy, Wisconsin, where they languished for several years gathering rust However, all three of them eventually fell into private hands Due to a major effort by Milwaukee bus people spearheaded by Russell Schultz, the #350 was moved to Dayton The #1197
Glenview Bus Company of Glenview, Illinois operated school buses, a few coaches and several suburban transit routes These little GM transits were typical on most of their transit routes. It was one of these buses that was borrowed to show the proposed Mundelein commuter shuttle to the Libertyville village fathers
While the magazine office was located in Delavan, Wisconsin, we founded and ran Wisconsin Illinois Stages. We acquired a route from Chicago to Wisconsin and then Greyhound gave us their route to Madison While the company ran a regular bus tour program, it did not run a substantial number of charters.
went to John King of Elkhorn, Wisconsin, who has restored it. The #891 went to a Milwaukee-based bus group and was stored near Wind Lake, Wisconsin By the time I got back from the service, the buses had been dispersed and there was nothing left of the collection.
After my return to civilian life, I tried to get some more operating experience to enable me to move back into transportation publishing P r i o r t o b e i n g d r a f t e d , I w o r k e d f o r G l e n v i e w B u s C o m p a n y i n Chicago’s northern suburbs. After returning, I worked for Valley Transit of Justice, Illinois and Coach Travel Unlimited supervising the garage, training drivers and managing the scheduled service However, as a disabled American veteran I found it difficult to work f o r o t h e r s s o I s t a r t e d m o v i n g t o w a rd s b e i n g s e l f - e m p l o y e d a n d returning to publishing
From there, I worked for the communities of Woodridge and Bolingbrook, Illinois and founded and managed a commuter bus service to the nearby railroad stations After that we created Executive Commuter Coach and ran commuters in and out of Chicago in coaches from the southwest suburbs.
NATIONAL BUS TRADER was founded in late 1977 as a monthly bus equipment publication Since my degree is in English with minors in Geography and Philosophy, my plans had been to get back into transportation publishing. Bus people selling used buses wanted a m o re f re q u e n t p u b l i c a t i o n s i n c e t h e c u r re n t b u s m a g a z i n e s o n l y came out six times a year Within a year NATIONAL BUS TRADER had moved into slick paper and color printing. In 1979 we also started publishing BUS TOURS MAGAZINE for bus tour planners
I n re t ro s p e c t i t m i g h t b e n o t e d t h a t t h e n a m e N AT I O N A L B U S TRADER was intentional to continue using the National name with related operations. There were also plans to use the National name on future things
We then moved the publishing operation to southern Wisconsin to get out of the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) area For a hobby, I purchased the old Cardinal interstate route from Central West Motor Stages that ran from Chicago to southern Wisconsin and it became the start of our Wisconsin Illinois Stages Inc I changed the route and schedule to serve a local academy and we soon found ourselves running second sections Then, Greyhound went on strike and gave us their route from southern Wisconsin to Madison My hobby grew to where we needed more buses and staff.
1985 saw us selling our commercial bus operations because they were taking too much time and effort. We then moved to our current location in rural Polo, Illinois and built an office for NATIONAL BUS
TRADER After selling the bus operations, we had more time for other things We began thinking again of doing more with a bus museum We now had 12 acres of property plus a large pole barn that could house six to eight buses. In addition, more property was being offered to us While several individuals and operating companies had preserved historical buses and coaches, there was still no formal bus museum with a real public display building.
We spent substantial time discussing options and drew up plans for two museums One would be a reborn National Motor Bus Museum that would preserve buses and display them to the public The second would be a National Bus Trader Museum of photos and paper or historical items from our archives In addition to a large number of photos and color slides, this collection also includes substantial trolley and interurban photos and material as well as some old aviation items.
During our planning, it quickly became obvious that both staff and money were needed to do a good job with the museums It was t h e l a c k o f s t a ff a n d m o n e y t h a t p a u s e d t h e N a t i o n a l M o t o r B u s Museum when I was drafted. We were going to go ahead with reviving the National Motor Bus Museum and had picked our former garage manager from Wisconsin Illinois Stages to organize and manage it. He asked us to give him a little time to help Pat Nelson bring in buses from the Pat Famos factory in Zagreb, Yugoslavia For those
who do not know, Pat Nelson brought in the original LAG coaches under his Sabre name and was fairly successful Unfortunately, our former garage manager ended up with a serious medical problem and passed away, thereby putting this project on hold
The National Bus Trader Museum is still being considered because we have a substantial amount of photos and material However, as time goes on we are looking more at making it digital rather than physical This could be a reality in the future when more time and money become available
We applauded when a group in the Northeast began talking about developing a professional bus museum in the 1990s Maybe they could accomplish what we had put off However, we soon began getting calls and letters that we initially could not understand It became obvious that in spite of all of the words in the English language, someone at the new bus museum wanted to use the same word we had used to identify our bus museum in 1966, our bus magazine in 1977 and other pending projects.
We originally spoke with Fred Lehrer, the brother of media personality Jim Lehrer who was helping gather support for this new museum, and then sent a long letter to Dick Maguire who was spearheading the new museum. The result is that cooler heads prevailed. They changed their name to the Museum of Bus Transportation to avoid these conflicts We were later told that the individual who insisted on using the conflicting word was banned from membership in the museum.
There are two comments to end this story One is that the museum name ended up being of only brief importance anyway since the bus museum recently merged with the AACAM (Antique Automobile Collectors Association Museum) in Hershey, Pennsylvania and hence they no longer operate under their own corporate name
The second is that the bus museum management did accomplish what I and others hoped they would do They have acquired and preserved a number of historical buses and have many of them on display to the public in the very professional and attractive AACAM building in Hershey, Pennsylvania
NATIONAL BUS TRADER continues to applaud and support this group We also support the other non-profit groups and museums and encourage them to send in more information and news releases that we can share with our readers q
"Television won't last because people w i l l s o o n g e t t i re d o f s t a r i n g a t a p l y w o o d b o x e v e r y n i g h t , " s a i d Movie Producer Darryl Zanuck.
Forecasting the future is tricky If you want to have some fun, enter “failed predictions” i n t o y o u r G o o g l e b r o w s e r a n d s e e w h a t shows up.
Early in my bussy career it was an article of faith that our parents (the Greatest Genera t i o n ) w o u l d s o o n r e t i r e a n d s p e n d t h e i r golden years touring the country they had built – in motorcoaches. Since it was a given,
why bother with marketing, particularly in a regulated industry?
A couple of generations later we still cling to the prediction that somehow the NEXT generation will feel the urge to ride in buses We have been safe, fuel efficient and green, all good things, but apparently not good enough to make the public plop into our seats in the numbers we hoped for
Sometimes it feels like we are surrounded. Te c h n o l o g y, m u c h o f i t m a n d a t o r y, m a k e s coaches costly We scramble to avoid being s w a m p e d b y w a v e s o f r e g u l a t i o n , u s i n g energy just to stay afloat A substantial per-
centage of the population considers us their last choice in transportation, and we can not attract and retain enough good drivers
W h e n G e n e r a l To n y M c A u l i ff w a s s u rro u n d e d d u r i n g t h e B a t t l e o f t h e B u l g e h e told his troops, “We have the greatest opport u n i t y e v e r p re s e n t e d t o a n a r m y We c a n attack in any direction we choose."
A bus and motorcoach industry sales summit certainly advanced us in one important direction Any product or service, no matter how good, needs to be sold Having said that, one of our biggest weaknesses is perception. Since World War II we have largely been unable
to convince the public of the true value of our service Once we manage that, margins can rise to reasonable levels, we will find it easier to attract quality drivers and the public will choose us over other options.
As usual, I offer no actual solution, but am willing to predict that if we do not move that way, we will continue to flounder Re-regulation, whether dejure or defacto is not an answer. Either would shrink the size of the industry, benefiting a few larger carriers, and driving passengers to other forms of transp o r t a t i o n ( F o r t h o s e k e e p i n g s c o re – t w o Latin words and a pun in a single paragraph)
Whatever we do will not involve a national marketing campaign We would likely be looking at about $3 million. The total number of motorcoaches in the U S is just north of 30,000 If operators would just contribute $100 per bus – oops, that is not going to happen, and the $3 million would be a one shot deal
I am willing to predict that assuming that the next generation will gravitate towards bus transportation will fail. Gravity will not w o r k , w e n e e d t o s o m e h o w p u l l t h e m i n Jargon has not succeeded – just calling them “motorcoaches” rather than buses has not moved the needle
I f w e c a n n o t a f f o r d a f r o n t a l a t t a c k , maybe a bit of guerrilla marketing is in order Include sales skills and morale boosting in driver training? Product placement? Carefully constructed and targeted advertising? Obviously some of us are more successful
Predicting the future is never easy Back in 1943 Thomas Watson predicted there is a world market for maybe five computers. The reality is that today there are more computers than automobiles and the technology has also evolved into phones and watches EXPRESSWRITERS FROM PIXABAY
than others, what are the good guys doing? If you have ideas – get them out there
We dare not fall into the trap of thinking we own existing customers Many, particularly in scheduled service, may not have other alternatives in transportation – now If we take them for granted, treat them poorly, then when they do have choices; we lose
T h o m a s Wa t s o n ( f o r m e r c h a i r m a n o f IBM) was a really smart guy, but in 1943 he decided to coast when a bit of action was in order, "I think there is a world market for maybe five computers "
While ridership has improved substantially since the pandemic, the bus industry is still a long way from where it would like to be By the third quarter of 2023, bus tours have come back nicely, scheduled service has made progress and charters are starting to come back. But, getting drivers to park their cars and take the bus has proven to be illusive MCI
Lately, the phrase “the first time in our n a t i o n ’ s h i s t o r y ” h a s b e e n u t t e r e d a l o t T h e s e “ fi r s t s ” a r e r a r e l y a c k n o w l e d g e d when the event is not of mainstream interest I t i s r a r e l y a c k n o w l e d g e d e v e n w h e n i t morphs into a huge, household phenomen o n T h i s u p - a n d - c o m i n g p h e n o m e n o n –congestion pricing – may soon become one of those events.
blypersons refused to contribute the state’s share of the funding
Unbeknownst to most Americans, and even most transportation professionals, this was not this concept’s first initiative In the late 1970s, USDOT offered a million dollars to any city in the country willing to launch such a program – a program that had proven i t s e l f s u c c e s s f u l i n s i g n i fi c a n t l y re d u c i n g t r a f fi c i n S i n g a p o re N o t a s i n g l e U S c i t y stepped forward, and this approach began c o l l e c t i n g d u s t . I t re c e n t l y s p r u n g t o l i f e again, with new New York City Mayor Eric A d a m ’ s a n n o u n c e m e n t t h a t h e w o u l d launch such a program in mid- or late-2024
now be assessed a toll between $9 and $23 d u r i n g p e a k h o u r s N i g h t o w l s t r a v e l i n g between midnight and 4 a m – where barely a w h i ff o f t r a f fi c e x i s t s a n y w h e re i n N e w York City – can expect discounts of up to 50 percent Clearly, equity considerations have n o t c l e a r l y b e e n t h o u g h t t h ro u g h A g a i n , t h i s i s a t r a f fi c re d u c t i o n / re v e n u e r a i s i n g scheme.
U n f o r t u n a t e l y, w i t h o u t m a n y o t h e r much-needed changes, congestion pricing may quickly fizzle into a minor, historic footnote (as it has been for most of the past 50 years) However, if it succeeds – which it will if accompanied by the other changes needed to make it work – congestion pricing may a f f e c t a d r a m a t i c i m p r o v e m e n t i n t r a f fi c reduction in one of our nation’s most-cong e s t e d s u b a r e a s : L o w e r M a n h a t t a n . I f i t w o r k s i n t h e h e a r t o f N e w Yo r k C i t y, t h i s success will create a major opportunity for the motorcoach industry in that city – and a preview of its opportunities in other cities.
I f s o , p e r h a p s o u r i n d u s t r y w i l l n o t s q u a n d e r i t , a s i t t e n d s t o d o w i t h m o s t opportunities (see https://transalt.com/ a r t i c l e / s u r v i v a l - a n d - p r o s p e r i t y - p a r t - 1magic-corridors/ and https://transalt com/ article/survival-and-prosperity-part-2-themagic-coach/) – although, in fairness, the crude foundation for sleeper buses was actually introduced decades ago, by Eagle, and possibly a couple other OEMs They were never fully developed and quickly forgotten, even while more and more commercial airlines are providing flights of 30 or 40 miles
History Repeating Itself?
N e a r l y a d e c a d e a n d t w o m a y o r s a g o , f o r m e r N e w Yo r k C i t y M a y o r B l o o m b e rg tried to initiate congestion pricing in Lower Manhattan. He failed to “kiss enough butts” in Albany, and the offended upstate assem-
As one might expect, there was resistance to this program this time around as well Yet from a different source This time, the resistance came mostly from motorists (and their re p re s e n t a t i v e s ) i n N o r t h J e r s e y, w e s t e r n Connecticut, three of the city’s five boroughs (Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island) and eastern Long Islanders. This is because operators of vehicles originating in these areas w e r e a l r e a d y p a y i n g s t e e p f e e s t o p a s s through various tunnels (Holland Tunnel, Lincoln Tunnel, Queens Midtown Tunnel) o r b r i d g e s ( e g , G e o rg e Wa s h i n g t o n , Ve rrazano Narrows, Throgs Neck, Henry Hudson, Cross Bay Veterans Memorial, Whitestone, Robert F. Kennedy, Marine Parkway, Bayonne, Goethals, Outerbridge Crossing)
T h e r e a r e a f e w “ l o n g - c u t s ” f o r s o m e motorists wishing to avoid these tolls. For example, one can enter Manhattan, fare-free, from the Bronx Those motorists from Connecticut who wish to exit Route 95 prematurely and meander through the Bronx can enter northern Manhattan toll-free – at the c o s t o f m o re g a s a n d m o re t i m e C ro s s i n g bridges across the Hudson further upstate costs less (crossing the Mario Cuomo Memorial Bridge [formerly the Tappan Zee Bridge] costs $5 25 while crossing the NewburghBeacon, Bear Mountain, Mid-Hudson, Rip Va n Wi n k l e a n d K i n g s t o n - R h i n e c l i ff c o s t $1 55) Further upstate, crossing the Hudson is toll-free So too are most bridges in Utah a n d Wy o m i n g C ro s s i n g i n t o M a n h a t t a n without paying a toll only works for a handful of metropolitan area motorists
A l re a d y p a y i n g h i g h t o l l s , m o s t c o mmuters destined for Manhattan below 60th Street (59th Street is the southern border of Central Park) were furious that they would
Finally, resistance is actually coming from a federal lawsuit filed by the State of New Jersey – another irony of unfairness and corruption from a State that, last year, received a n $ 11 8 b i l l i o n g r a n t f r o m t h e N e w York/New Jersey Port Authority (likely with F TA “ p a s s - t h ro u g h ” f u n d s ) t o w i d e n t h e expanse of lanes on the New Jersey side of the Holland Tunnel – another handout to a l o n g ro w o f r i c h l a n d o w n e r s t h a t w i l l n o t add a tail light of additional capacity to the tunnel
A year ago, Washington, D C was planning to implement fare-free transit this past July 1 – a plan adopted unanimously by the c i t y c o u n c i l ( s u c h a s i t i s i n a c i t y w i t h n o C o n g r e s s i o n a l r e p r e s e n t a t i o n ) To d a y, months after the targeted start-date for the p ro g r a m , re g u l a r t r a n s i t f a re s a re s t i l l $ 2 , while fares for express buses are $4 25 Insofar as Manhattan’s mobility future – and the 20 percent reduction in traffic “estimated” ( w h i c h I c o n s i d e r a n i l l u s i o n , a n d a w i l d e x a g g e r a t i o n w i t h o u t t h e a d d i t i o n a l e l ements cited below) – remains to be seen
As with most things in public transportation, numerous promising programs have never emerged. Historically, this is hardly a surprise For NATIONAL BUS TRADER, I just completed a seven-installment series identifying most of the key elements that would make public transportation work – elements that were highly touted a half-century ago but which largely (and quickly) fell by the w a y s i d e a s t h e y e a r s d r i f t e d b y, t r a f fi c increased and transit ridership began plummeting radically – declining by 10 percent a y e a r d u r i n g t h e t w o y e a r s p r e c e d i n g COVID-19, and still not nearly recovered in m o s t u r b a n a r e a s ( s e e h t t p s : / / transalt com/article/making-public-transp o r t a t i o n - w o r k - p a r t - 1 - a l t e r n a t i v e - w o r ks c h e d u l e s / ; h t t p s : / / t r a n s a l t c o m / article/making-public-transportation-workp a r t - 2 - p a r k - a n d - r i d e - l o t s / ; h t t p s : / / transalt com/article/making-public-trans-
C o n g e s t i o n p r i c i n g m a y quickly fizzle into a minor, historic footnote
p o r t a t i o n - w o r k - p a r t - 3 - f e e d e r - s e r v i c e / ; https://transalt com/article/making-publ i c - t r a n s p o r t a t i o n - w o r k - p a r t - 4 - s y s t e md e s i g n - a n d - n e t w o r k s / ; h t t p s : / / t r a n s a l t com/article/making-public-transportationw o r k - p a r t - 5 - r i d e s h a r i n g / a n d h t t p s : / / transalt com/article/making-public-transp o r t a t i o n - w o r k - p a r t - 6 - h i g h - o c c u p a n c yvehicle-lanes/).
To be fair to New York City, it formerly recovered 35 percent of its fares from farebox revenue. (The next highest was Washington, D C , at 25 percent; it was 13 percent in San Francisco – many of whose streets are now practically bare of any vehicles – and nine p e rc e n t i n L o s A n g e l e s . A t e i g h t p e rc e n t , Kansas City abandoned fares altogether four or five years ago) Still, parts of Lower Manhattan can come to a standstill during rush hour. The skinny peninsula contains only about 15 north-south streets below Central Park – and two of those are West Side Highw a y / H e n r y H u d s o n P a r k w a y a n d F D R Drive (a freeway without any traffic signals). Below 59th Street, Broadway now runs only northbound At the same time, Lower Manhattan is cross-crossed by roughly a dozen subway lines, as well as service to Penn Station and Grand Central Station by several passenger rail lines from New Jersey Transit, PATH, the Long Island Railroad and three M e t r o N o r t h l i n e s r u n n i n g n o r t h i n t o Westchester County – in addition to a number of AMTRAK lines Plenty of convenient transit is available – almost The failure of ridership to materialize lies in the absence of elements needed to accompany these services – without which, they fall short The congestion pricing experiment will like fail as well without these same elements.
T h i s i s p a r t i c u l a r l y t r u e a s t h e e n t i r e “ windfall” of congestion pricing revenue will drop into the lap of the New York City Transportation Authority – an entity I have helped sue 37 times for the consequences of flagrant safety deficiencies, and which does n o t p o s s e s s a s i n g l e b u s l i n e t h a t r u n s re m o t e l y o n s c h e d u l e d u r i n g e i t h e r r u s h hour, and most of which do not even run on s c h e d u l e d u r i n g t h e “ b a s e p e r i o d ” T h e counter-innovation I had witnessed during my 23 years residing and working in the city (all but the last two in Lower Manhattan) does not portend well for an intelligible use o f t h e re v e n u e t h a t c o n g e s t i o n p r i c i n g i s likely to bring in
At the same time, new Mayor Adams has done some radically-innovative things that run against the grain of U S economic traditions in the past half century Among them w a s t h e r e i n t r o d u c t i o n o f t r a f fi c c o p s ( a l t h o u g h t h e o r i g i n s o f t h i s c o n t r i b u t i n g solution may have begun during the waning years of former Mayor DeBlasio’s term) –
i n c l u d i n g a d e c e n t n u m b e r o f t h e m deployed even in the boroughs In contrast, the most-respected New York City medium (The New Yorker) has characterized Mayor Adams as a virtual playboy, many of whose closest friends are ex-convicts I tend to disregard much of this criticism, most of which is tangential, superficial, personal and stylistic. Still, can this individual handle a beast like the NYCTA? Can he provide the other elements that are needed to make congestion pricing succeed?
Key Supplementary Elements: To Be or Not to Be
BRIDGE AND TUNNEL FEES FOR MOTORCOACHES. I have railed against this counterproductive practice before I began writing f o r N AT I O N A L B U S T R A D E R i n 2 0 0 0 A 5 7passenger motorcoach replaces roughly 50 personal vehicles (given the typical ridership level of about 1 1 passengers per vehicle) –while less then twice one’s length in a slowmoving traffic stream If one wishes to eliminate traffic – keep in mind that motorcoach p a s s e n g e r s p a y f a re s – o n e c a n o n l y a s k : “How stupid can one be?” This issue is less n o t i c e a b l e i n N e w Yo r k C i t y s i n c e t h e N Y C TA o p e r a t e s r o u g h l y 1 , 5 0 0 commuter/express coaches (decades ago, they were operated by five related private subsidiaries) which, as public sector-operated vehicles, do not pay bridge or tunnel fees Otherwise, the stupidity of this practice speaks for itself Or perhaps it speaks to the i m p o t e n c e o f t h e m o t o rc o a c h l o b b y C a n M a y o r A d a m s p u t a s t o p t o t h e p r a c t i c e ? Will it even be brought to his attention? We shall see
R EGRESSIVE PARKING L OT C HARGES. It costs roughly $70 to $80 a day to park for a f u l l d a y i n m u c h o f L o w e r M a n h a t t a n –although one might pay as little as $59 if he or she parks for less than 90 minutes. The problem is not the prices They have had little or no impact on traffic or the usage of any public transportation mode This is because it costs the same to park a car driven by a Sumo wrestler traveling alone than to park a car filled with 27 clowns Traffic congestion would change completely – and give congestion pricing a boost – if, say, it cost a vehicle operated by single driver $150 a day to park, one with two passengers $95, one with a trio $40, and one with four or more occupants zero. These are extremes, of course, and only illustrative A more moderatelys c a l e d a n d m o r e -
would absolutely produce results. (To my knowledge, no city has ever tried such an a p p r o a c h ) S u c h a n a p p r o a c h s h o u l d b e demonstrated, at different break-points, and gradually tweaked to produce the highest personal vehicle occupancy The downside, of course, is that ridesharing would become a substitute for using transit To the degree this is an issue, it could be mitigated by more moderately-scaled, full-car discounts combined with a spate of transit improvements and parallel discounts for transit and motorcoach usage. S I G N A G E A N D M A R K I N G S I w a s n e v e r treated to a study of the wasted mileage, and suspect it would comprise only a percent or two One unfamiliar with destinations (particularly in commercial parts of New York City) add mileage to their travel, since few buildings of any type contain numbers Similarly, few intersections contain street signs (indicating both streets) on all four corners With limited parking, and far-more-limited o n - s t re e t p a r k i n g , n a v i g a t i n g w i t h o n e ’ s phone only provides an approximation of one’s destination With buildings with enormous depth and little width, one’s phone’s announcement that “You’ve Arrived” has limited value, especially when coupled with parking that may be blocks away Cabbies are a bit better at finding destinations than TNC drivers (Uber, Lyft, etc ) without their phones I find it disappointing that no New York decision-maker has ever addressed this obvious shortcoming.
C a b b i e s a re a b i t b e t t e r a t fi n d i n g d e s t i n a t i o n s than TNC drivers.
B U S T E R M I N A L S A N D Z O N I N G N Y C ’ s traffic problems are directly related to, and d e r i v e d f r o m , t a l l b u i l d i n g s c o n t i n u a l l y replaced by taller ones, and new tall buildings where there used to be none In the early 2010s, there were roughly 2,500 residential units (most of the tall ones in Battery Park) below Wall Street – while 7,500 were under construction The implications of this single statistic are staggering Perhaps one may be unable to curtail greed. The traffic implications can be mitigated, to a degree, by zoning that requires certain buildings (particularly on corner lots) to devote their bottom floors t o b u s t e r m i n a l s . ( N e w J e r s e y Tr a n s i t d i d this decades ago in its Newark, New Jersey bus terminal )
50-to-one tradeoff offered by a motorcoach compared to a personal vehicle should be s t re t c h e d f a r b e y o n d e l i m i n a t i n g m o t o rcoach tolls One soaring and greatly-ignored need is for more (and, ideally, free) parking p l a c e s f o r m o t o rc o a c h e s – a p ro b l e m t h a t worsened around the turn of the century as parking beneath FDR Drive near the South Street Seaport was eliminated (oddly, nearly the same time as the Fulton Fish Market was relocated from this Lower Manhattan venue t o B r o o k l y n ) Ye t t h e F i s h M a r k e t w a s a trucking destination; the South Street Seap o r t r e m a i n s a t o u r i s t a t t r a c t i o n M a n y m o t o rc o a c h e s t h a t u s e d t o p a r k h e re n o w must deadhead 60 or 70 blocks to mid-town locations on or near 11th and 12th Avenues in “Hell’s Kitchen ”
FIRST-CLASS COMPARTMENTS These have been present on subways in Paris and other cities for decades Frankly, those wishing to s e c u re a s e a t ( a n d i t s m a n y b e n e fi t s ) w i l l g l a d l y p a y m o re f o r t h i s p r i v i l e g e A t t h e s a m e t i m e , w i t h m i n i m a l e n f o rc e m e n t , i t would isolate these passengers from the regular passengers, including many standees. T h e r e i s n o n e e d t o l i m i t t h i s p r a c t i c e t o trains Frankly, existing technology could e a s i l y a c c o m m o d a t e re a r- d o o r b o a rd i n g
First-class passengers could ride in the rear – w h e re t h e b u m p i e r r i d e b e h i n d t h e re a r axles would be less dangerous to seated pass e n g e r s t h a n t o s t a n d e e s ( O f c o u r s e , t h e M TA’ s t i g h t s c h e d u l e s w o u l d h a v e t o b e eliminated so that they do not lead to safety compromises like buses pulling away before passengers reach a point of seating or securem e n t ( s e e h t t p s : / / t r a n s a l t . c o m / article/safety-compromises-part-8-boardi n g - a n d - a l i g h t i n g / a n d h t t p s : / / s a f e t ycompromises com/ ) With poorly-designed a n d u n d e r - d e s i g n a t e d f a r e s , s u c h a n approach would translate into lower total farebox revenue Intelligibly-designed firstclass fares would yield a bonanza Plus, it would make the following innovation far more feasible
L O W- I N C O M E C E RT I F I C AT I O N I n p l a nn i n g j a rg o n , “ f a re e l a s t i c i t y ” v a r i e s w i t h income As an example, the rich may resent h i g h e r f a re s , b u t t h e y c a n e a s i l y a ff o rd t o p a y t h e m I n re t u r n , t h e w a y t o e l i m i n a t e many non-transit trips, and thin out traffic, is to get more people of every income level onto public transportation Fares need not
be non-existent. They can be lower for those who struggle to afford them This differentiation makes far more sense than lowering f a r e s f o r i n r e t u r n f o r g r e a t e r u s a g e ( i e , weekly or monthly passes) – a pure gimmick that doubtfully has any impact on the frequency of ridership If properly-scaled (e g , those on welfare who might qualify for one class of lower fares are as easy to identify as those who are disabled), ridership and revenue would actually increase from improvements in equity What a novel idea for a supposedly free country.
INCREASED FLEET SIZE While “working remotely” has likely had an impact on the decline of transit ridership (which, again, b e g a n b e f o re C O V I D - 1 9 s t ru c k ) , m u c h o r most of it had to do with the decline in the quality of public transportation service As buses and trains are cleaned and disinfected v i r t u a l l y e v e r y n i g h t , d r i v e r s c o n v e r s e sparsely with passengers, and the mostlyu n s e c u r e d w h e e l c h a i r u s e r s c o m p r i s e a small percentage of transit riders (and few train users), the worst characteristic of transit s e r v i c e i s i t s s e v e re l y t i g h t s c h e d u l e s t h a t dominate routes in most major cities, and which are their worst in the largest of these c i t i e s ( s e e h t t p s : / / t r a n s a l t c o m / article/tight-schedules-part-3-fixed-routetransit-service-2/) Missed connections are more the rule than the exception. The first t h i n g t h a t m u s t b e d o n e t o re d u c e t r a f fi c (while not sacrificing capacity) – and to make congestion pricing work – is to add vehicles
Because New York City is laced with subway lines that cannot reasonably be moved, the task of modifying bus routes is both more limited and less complex than in most cities. Manhattan’s urban form, in particular, lends i t s e l f t o w h a t I t e r m a u s e r- c e n t r i c s y s t e m (i e , one need not know how to read a schedule to make sense of it): A core of intersecting s u b w a y l i n e s a n d f e e d e r s e r v i c e s v i a “ c ro s s t o w n b u s e s ” T h i s a l re a d y - e x i s t i n g configuration comprises two elements I cove re d i n p re v i o u s N AT I O N A L B U S T R A D E R articles that are rare in transit service (see https://transalt com/article/making-public-transportation-work-part-3-feeder-serv i c e / a n d h t t p s : / / t r a n s a l t . c o m / article/making-public-transportation-workpart-4-system-design-and-networks/) The c i t y ’ s f o r m e r 3 5 p e rc e n t o p e r a t i n g r a t i o i s evidence of this design – even while this stat i s t i c i n c o r p o r a t e s r i d e r s h i p i n f o u r o t h e r boroughs with a far-less-streamlined “urban form
hattan is now “dead” by 10 p.m. There is no n e e d f o r p a s s e n g e r r a i l s e r v i c e t o o p e r a t e b e t w e e n 2 a n d 6 a m w h e n b u s e s c o u l d operate on the identical routes – and both enhance security and increase ridership by serving more stops The general lower ridership during these hours would also translate into fewer stops in other places Subway stops are all “mandatory” stops, while in the outer segments of many routes during this part of the “owl” period, few or no passengers alight from an entire outbound train at many stops. Buses would run more slowly. Not unreasonably more slowly, – since there is virtually no traffic anywhere during these hours Plus, technology like “signal preemption” devices could bias the green time of m a n y t r a f fi c s i g n a l s i n f a v o r o f b u s e s –whereas it has little impact in near gridlock, d a y t i m e t r a f fi c a n d w o u l d b e p o l i t i c a l l y infeasible.
T I O N O F L I V E PA S S E N G E R A S S I S TA N C E A s n o t e d , M a y o r A d a m s h a s a l re a d y b ro k e n t h e h a l f - c e n t u r y - t r a d i t i o n o f r e p l a c i n g e m p l o y e e s w i t h r o b o t s b y i n t ro d u c i n g t r a ff i c c o p s R i d e r s h i p , p a rticularly during the night and owl periods, would follow increases in live security personnel Instead of focusing the city’s innovation of fare collection robots (does scann i n g o n e ’ s f a r e c a r d – a t e c h n o l o g y t h a t often does not even function – really speed u p t h e t i m e i t t a k e s t o f e e d p a s s e n g e r s through a turnstile? Do sidewalk-installed t i c k e t i s s u a n c e m a c h i n e s r e a l l y i n c r e a s e boarding time – now that drivers must coll e c t t h e r e c e i p t s ( i n s t e a d o f p a s s e n g e r s s w i p i n g o r i n s e r t i n g t h e i r f a re c a rd s ? ) O f c o u r s e n o t
K i o s k s w i t h l i v e s t a f f should be re-opened.
T h e s e d e v i c e s a re s u b t l e t i e s o f w a s t e , d e l u s i o n a n d c o r ru p t i o n . T h e y s h o u l d b e e l i m i n a t e d K i o s k s w i t h l i v e s t a ff s h o u l d b e re - o p e n e d S u b w a y p l a t f o r m s s h o u l d c o n t a i n l a w e n f o r c e m e n t a n d c u s t o m e r a s s i s t a n c e p e r s o n n e l . ( D u r i n g t h e b r i e f m o m e n t s u c h s t a f f w e r e p r e s e n t o n s u bway platforms – immediately after 9-1-1 –t h e y w e r e s w a r m e d b y p a s s e n g e r s w i t h i n f o r m a t i o n r e q u e s t s . ) T h e c o s t o f t h e s e a d d i t i o n s s h o u l d e a s i l y b e o f f s e t b y t h e ridership increases they generate As a notu n i m p o r t a n t b o n u s , t h e s c o re s o f p a s s e ng e r s h o v e d t o t h e i r d e a t h s o f f r a i l p l a tf o r m s e a c h y e a r w o u l d l i k e l y d e c r e a s e s i g n i f i c a n t l y A p o l i c e m e n w i t h a n i g h ts t i c k u t t e r i n g “ S t a n d b a c k ! ” i s f a r m o r e effective than such an announcement comi n g f ro m a l o u d s p e a k e r
One soaring and greatlyignored need is for more parking places for motorcoaches.
REPLACEMENT OF SHORT- AND MEDIUMD I S TA N C E F L I G H T S W I T H C O A C H E S I c o vered this innovation in a previous NATIONAL B U S T R A D E R i n s t a l l m e n t ( s e e https://transalt.com/article/survival-andp ro s p e r i t y - p a r t - 1 - m a g i c - c o r r i d o r s / a n d https://transalt com/article/survival-andprosperity-part-2-the-magic-coach/) Fewer t r i p s t o a i r p o r t s w o u l d t h i n o u t t r a f fi c o n selected segments of many major freeways to and from these venues
ALTERNATIVE WORK SCHEDULES. As also c o v e r e d i n a p r e v i o u s N AT I O N A L B U S TRADER article (see https://transalt com/ article/making-public-transportation-workpart-1-alternative-work-schedules/), most workers need not work “9 to 5 ” If there is any proof of this, it came when COVID-19 caused a significant percentage of workers to work “remotely.” This reality was further cemented into proof as this trend continued long after all those masks went into the bottom drawer What is likely either necessary or helpful is that certain (occasionally all) workers overlap This reality has illuminated the feasibility of alternative work schedules to a degree that was unimaginable when this concept was formally introduced by USDOT i n t h e m i d - 1 9 7 0 s ( B e f o r e t h e n , i t w a s r e f e r r e d t o , o c c a s i o n a l l y, a s “ s t a g g e r e d hours ”) In the transportation arena, spreading out the “peak periods” of travel necessarily thins out traffic
B A R G A I N I N G F O R F U N D S F O R I N N O VATION AND SUCCESS. Since the beginning of operating assistance in 1967, cities like New Yo r k C i t y h a v e a l w a y s re c e i v e d l e s s t h a n their share of these funds with respect to the number of public transportation users they support (Frankly, these users should include m o t o r c o a c h p a s s e n g e r s ) T h i s n e e d s t o change Since more and more people continue to move to urban areas (there are some exceptions: Detroit, Washington, D C and Los Angeles have experienced outmigration for decades), our cities must work Frankly, I am a supporter of the creation of new cities – which numerous countries, rich and poor, have done for decades (witness Brasilia and Tel Aviv – both of which [until recently] were their nation’s capitals.
America does no such thing America has o n e l e s s d i ff e re n c e - m a k i n g c h o i c e T h e s e cities also contain a disproportionate number of representatives at the federal level –particularly in the House of Representatives, w h i c h a l l o c a t e s f u n d s T h e re i s n o re a s o n why the receipt of operating assistance cannot be skewed to reward those cities whose decision-makers contribute the most to cert a i n a c c o m p l i s h m e n t s – l i k e m a k i n g t h e i r cities more livable by reducing levels of traffi c , i m p r o v i n g t h e i r a i r q u a l i t y a n d b y increasing the percentage of transit ridership
c o v e r e d b y f a r e s . O n e w o u l d b e h a r dpressed to develop a more-productive rationale for the allocation of public transportation funds among cities
Such an idea need not reduce funding to rural areas The fact that public transportation costs more in rural areas is irrelevant –s i m p l y b e c a u s e w e n e e d ru r a l a re a s . A s a s t a r t i n g p o i n t , t h i s i s l a rg e l y b e c a u s e w e need to grow things A close second is that m a n y i n d u s t r i e s r e q u i r e a g r e a t d e a l o f s p a c e . A t h i rd i s t h a t w e n e e d t o p re s e r v e forests and other treasures of land use that w e t a k e f o r g r a n t e d – a n d o n a n d o n We have also failed to adapt public transportation to such areas where, for example, subsidized car-sharing would cost a fraction of the costs of traditional public transportation
O n e b u s l i n e i n N e w J e r s e y – n o t e x a c t l y Wyoming – transports less than one passenger per hour This must stop Instead, such a venue should be rewarded for replacing such waste with alternative forms of movement.
Stealing the subtitle from seven previous NATIONAL BUS TRADER installments, these notions – only a quick selection of the most obvious and likely among the most productive – are not merely elements that would make congestion pricing work better. They would make public transportation in general work better They would make their cities more livable, and travel into and out of them more tolerable.
These suggestions are not “thinking outside the box ” There is no box in public transp o r t a t i o n . T h e r e i s o n l y t i m e a n d s p a c e . Tr a n s p o r t a t i o n p l a n n i n g i s n o t h i n g m o re than moving these two things around, ideally in coordination with one another At the lower end of the speed spectrum in which w e re s i d e , w e c a n n o t t r a n s l a t e s p a c e i n t o t i m e – a s o n e c a n a s h e o r s h e t r a v e l s a t a s p e e d g r e a t e r t h a n t h e s p e e d o f l i g h t –b e y o n d w h i c h p o i n t t i m e a c t u a l l y m o v e s backwards; this was proven, mathematically, in 1905 (Please excuse this particular author from explaining the theory of relativity in o n e s e n t e n c e . ) We c a n m a n a g e t i m e a n d space in our slower-moving environment
As always (or almost always), the motorcoach community cannot expect its umbrella organizations to exert pressure on local gove r n m e n t s A c o n s i d e r a b l e n u m b e r o f p r i -
v a t e l y - o w n e d m o t o rc o a c h c a r r i e r s s e r v e N e w Yo r k C i t y A t t h i s r a r e m o m e n t o f change, as the concept of congestion pricing is being refined, the motorcoach community must make its weight felt – not only by the v o l u m e o f i t s p re s e n c e , b u t b y f o rc e f u l l y sharing its ideas
It took one major city’s mayor nearly 50 years to schedule the implementation of congestion pricing It would benefit the entire c o u n t r y – a n d t h e e n t i re c o u n t r y ’ s m o t o rcoach industry – if this one city can make it w o r k I d e a s s p re a d s l o w l y, a n d o f t e n d i e before birth Proof spreads rapidly, and generally survives We would be wise to encourage this dynamic.
The opinions expressed in this article are that of the author and do not necessarily represent the opinions of National Bus Trader, Inc. or its staff and management q
Ned Einstein is the president of Transportation Alternatives (www.transalt.com [1]), a 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
The fact that public transp o r t a t i o n c o s t s m o r e i n rural areas is irrelevant.
The motorcoach community must make its weight felt.
Number 298 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 is happening with the Proterra bankruptcy?
–– Several Readers
A On August 7, Proterra voluntarily filed for p r o t e c t i o n u n d e r C h a p t e r 1 1 o f t h e U S Bankruptcy code The company indicated that they intend to operate in the ordinar y course of business as it moves through the bankruptcy process One source has indicated that Proterra’s stock was up to $26 38 in Januar y of 2021, but it now has slumped to about seven cents
Proterra has three primary lines of business
The first was building battery-electric transit buses that star ted in 2010 Since then they have expanded into (2) batteries and electric p o w e r s y s t e m s t h a t t h e y s e l l t o o t h e r b u s manufacturers and (3) high-power charging systems and software services
In recent years, Proterra has been putting more emphasis on the batteries and charging systems than on bus building In early 2023, Proterra tried to sell its bus building o p e r a t i o n s W h i l e 2 6 p o t e n t i a l b u y e r s showed interest, none of them submitted a b i d f o r t h e o p e r a t i o n Av a i l a b l e n u m b e r s indicate that Proterra did build 199 transit buses in 2022, but most were smaller orders for several different companies
A complaint was filed on September 1 in the U S District Cour t for the Nor ther n District of Califor nia It suggests that the company and its executives misled investors as far back as 2021 It is too early to guess where this will go
Par t of the problem is that transit agencies that have buses on order from Proterra may
not be able to deter mine the status of their orders ABQ Ride in Albuquerque has five P ro t e r r a e l e c t r i c b u s e s a l re a d y i n s e r v i c e b u t h a s o r d e r e d 2 0 m o r e w i t h e x p e c t e d delivery by 2026 This is not the first electric bus problem for Albuquerque Back in 2017, t h e y o rd e re d 1 8 e l e c t r i c b u s e s f ro m B Y D but later sued BYD because of missed delivery deadlines and problems with the buses
S E P TA i n P h i l a d e l p h i a m a y h a v e a n e v e n worse problem They purchased 25 electric buses from Proterra but removed them from service in January of 2020 because of problems including cracks in the frames SEPTA had been negotiating with Proterra to repair t h e b u s e s , b u t t h e b a n k r u p t c y fi l i n g n o w makes things uncer tain
N o t n e c e s s a r i l y r e l a t e d b u t n o t e w o r t h y because of its timing was a recent decision b y N o v a B u s I n J u n e o f 2 0 2 3 , N o v a B u s announced that they would no longer build t r a n s i t b u s e s f o r U S m a r k e t s a f t e r 2 0 2 5 This was possibly surprising because Nova Bus has the support of their parent company, Volvo In addition, Nova Bus built buses in Plattsburg, New York that gave them a major advantage in winning contracts for buses built with New York State funds Nova Bus said that the market had not been profitable and they have suffered years of losses
Q. What do you know about autonomous taxis in San Francisco?
–– Midwest Transit Operator
A The city gover nment in San Francisco has allowed the operation of robotaxis that i s b e i n g q u e s t i o n e d b y s e v e r a l p e o p l e O p e r a t o r s i n c l u d e C r u i s e , c o n t r o l l e d b y G e n e r a l M o t o r s , a n d Wa y m o , o w n e d b y Google parent company Alphabet
San Francisco’s fire chief has said that the robotaxis are “not ready for primetime ” Several incidents were cited where the robotaxis were obstructing fire engines and blocking roads Just prior to publication, there was a n o t h e r i n c i d e n t w h e r e a r o b o t a x i w e n t through an intersection and hit a fire truck on its way to an emergency
O t h e r re p o r t s s u g g e s t t h a t t h e ro b o t a x i s h a v e i d l e d i n t h e m i d s t o f a s h o o t i n g a n d were blocking streets and firehouse driveways At midyear, the California Department of Motor Vehicles had logged nearly 70 collision reports involving autonomous vehicles T h i s i n c l u d e d a n i n c i d e n t i n M a y w h e re a
dog was struck and killed by a Waymo vehicle
What is interesting is that some San Francisco citizens have started to fight back An activist group known as Safe Street Rebel has figured out how to immobilize the robotaxis without har ming them Apparently, if you put an ordinary traffic cone on the hood of the vehicle, it gets confused and stands still until someone comes to help it
This group looks for robotaxis without passengers If not stopped, they may jump in f ro n t o f t h e m t o f o rc e t h e m t o s t o p T h e n , they simply place a traffic cone on the hood of the vehicle in a procedure they call “coni n g ” T h e ro b o t a x i t h e n f re e z e s u n t i l h e l p arrives
Q . W h y i s C E R T S f u n d i n g b a c k i n t h e news?
A T h e C o ro n a v i r u s E c o n o m i c R e l i e f f o r Transpor tation Services (CERTS) program w a s a f e d e r a l p r o g r a m t o p r o v i d e g r a n t money to bus and passenger boat operators who suffered losses during the pandemic
O r i g i n a l l y, t h e g r a n t m o n e y w a s t a x a b l e , which mitigated much of its benefit
Effor ts have been ongoing to retroactively make the CERTS money non-taxable The latest bill is H R 3510 that was introduced o n M a y 1 8 I f i t p a s s e s , i t w i l l m a k e t h e CERTS grants retroactively non-taxable and allow recipients to modify their 2021 income tax filings
Q I a m n o l o n g e r r e c e i v i n g r e n e w a l notices for National Bus Trader?
–– Several Readers
A I n o rd e r t o i n c re a s e re a d e r s h i p o f t h e digital edition and increase response for our adver tisers, NATIONAL BUS TRADER is now a v a i l a b l e w i t h o u t c h a r g e S i m p l y g o t o www busmag com, click on Digital Edition and then click on the cover of the issue you wish to read
N o t e t h a t s e v e r a l o f t h e a d s h a v e h y p e rl i n k s t o t a k e y o u t o t h e a d v e r t i s e r ’s We b site You can also print pages and archive t h e i s s u e
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
Here are more photos from the Pacific Bus Museum Open House on August 20 in Fremont, California
Above: Four of the coaches on display included the former Red Bull hospitality bus Scenicruiser, the museum’s restored GM PD4501 Scenicruiser #8005, the GM PD 4151 Silversides #1947 recently acquired from the Greyhound historical fleet by the museum, and the privately-owned Southeastern Greyhound Lines IC-41 recently acquired from the Greyhound historical fleet. Below: This line of historical transit buses included a TDH4512 from Valley Transit in Santa Clara, ex-San Jose City Lines #6512, a privately-owned and restored TDH4519 “New Look” and a Twin Coach that came from AC Transit
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q Vol. XL, No. 2 January, 2017
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q Vol. XL, No. 4 March, 2017
q Vol XXXX, No 5 April, 2017
q Vol. XXXX, No. 6 May, 2017
• UMA Motorcoach Expo in St Louis
• The Prize-Winning Aerocoach at the Museum of Bus Transportation
• Rochester City Lines Still Making, Preserving and Celebrating History
q Vol XXXX, No 7 June, 2017
• Industry History From UMA Shows – Installment I
• Extended Service Protection on Your Bus Fleet
• Bus History on a Wall
q Vol XXXX, No 8 July, 2017
• Vicinity – A Mid-Size Bus Success Story
• Prevost Conversion Shells for All Types of Coaches
• The Bus Accident in Red Lion, Delaware
q Vol XXXX, No 9 August, 2017
• “J” is for Jackpot with the 2018 J4500
• Industry History from UMA Shows – Installment II
• Book Review
q Vol XXXX, No 10 September, 2017
• Propane Continues to be Clean and Economical
• H&L Charter – The Best Comes in Small Packages
• Industry History from UMA Shows – Installment III
q Vol XXXX, No 11 October, 2017
• ABC & Van Hool Celebrate 30 Years
• Taking a Venture in Norfolk
•The Five “No’s” You Must Overcome to Sell Your Bus Business
q Vol. XXXX, No. 12 November, 2017
• MCI Reliability Rally 2017
• BusCon 2017 in Indianapolis
• Exit Planning Becoming More Complicated for Family-Owned Bus Businesses
q Vol XXXXI, No 1 December, 2017
• Complete Coach Works and the Carson Heritage
• The Busboys Vintage Bus Rally in Evansville, Indiana
• Virginia’s Commonwealth Coach and Trolley Museum Ravaged by Fire
• Re-Energizing the North American Diecast Model Bus Scene
q Vol XXXXI, No 2 January, 2018
• Prevost Again Moves Ahead in Support, Service and Parts
• New 2018 J4500 Highlights Busy Season for MCI
• Common Rail Technology and the GHG17 Volvo Engine
q Vol XXXXI, No 3 February, 2018
• Walking the Irizar Assembly Line in Ormaiztegi
• Busworld 2017 in Belgium
q Vol. XXXXI, No. 4 March, 2018
• UMA Motorcoach Expo 2018i
• Van Hool to Build Buses in Eastern Tennessee
• The New MCI D45 CRT LE
q Vol. XXXXI, No. 5 April, 2018
• Charging Ahead with Electric Buses
• Holiday Tours Puts Customers First
• How Chicago’s “Party Bus” Ordinance is Affecting Bus Tourism
q Vol. XXXXI, No. 6 May, 2018
• The CHTC HT45 amd HT35 Coaches
• The Pacific Bus Museum – From Hobby to Formal Museum
• Twenty Tips on Hiring Bus Drivers
• Van Hool Builds Bus Factoryin Morristown, Tennessee
q Vol XXXXI, No 7 June, 2018
• MCI Academy Wins Fans Across Industry
• Where are the Buses Built? #1
• The Campaign Bus for the President of the Philippines
• The Penn Highway Transit Company
q Vol XXXXI, No 8 July, 2018
• Farber Continues Custom Coach Traditions
• Prevost’s New Flat Floor Slide-Outs
• Liberty Coach Busch Bus
q Vol. XXXXI, No. 9 August, 2018
• ZF Components for Electric Buses
• Museum of Bus Transportation Spring Fling Open House Success
• “Friends” of the NJ Heritage Center Takes Eight Vintage Coaches to the 2018 MOBT Spring Fling
q Vol. XXXXI, No. 10 September, 2018
• Van Hool’s CX35 – Small in Size, Big in Quality
• Diecast Model Buses Impress in a Big Way
• Master ’s Transportation – Where to go to increase your fleet quickly or temporarily
q Vol XXXXI, No 11 October, 2018
• ZF Technology Day in Friedrichshafen
• MCI’s 2018 Reliability Rally
• How Will Autonomous Cars Impact the Bus Industry?
q Vol XXXXI, No 12 November, 2018
• Peter Pan Celebrates 85 Years on the Road
• Clean Up Your Fleet with a Bitimec Wash-Bot
q Vol. XXXXII, No. 1 December, 2018
• Prevost Unveils New Features and New Possibility on the Volvo 9700 at UMA Expo
• MCI’s New J3500 – Small in Size, Big in Features
• The e GO Mover – Filling a Gap in Transportation with ZF Technology
• Giving Buses a Second Life at Complete Coach Works
q Vol XXXXII, No 2 January, 2019
• BusCon 2018 in Indianapolis
• Panorama Tours Keeps Things in the Family
• How Will Demand or Congestion Toll Pricing Impact Bus Operations?
q Vol XXXXII, No 3 February, 2019
• Test Driving the New Electric MCI J4500e CHARGE
• Stagecoach Group Sells Coach USA and Coach Canada
• The Story of the Australian Scenicruiser
q Vol. XXXXII, No. 4 March, 2019
• UMA 2019 Motorcoach Expo in Fort Lauderdale
• Angel Tours Celebrates 20 Years
• The Saga of #5496, a 1937 Yellow Coach Model 733
q Vol. XXXXII, No. 5 April, 2019
• Buses at the 2019 ABA Marketplace in Louisville
• Are Pre-Owned Coach Sales Declining?
• The Six Levels of Autonomous Vehicles
q Vol XXXXII, No 6 May, 2019
• Temsa North America Inc – Temsa’s Increased Support for the American Market
• MCI Launches Motorcoach Technician Apprenticeship Program
• 2019 Spring Fling Announced
q Vol XXXXII, No 7 June, 2019
• Looking Beyond the Driver Shortage to Demography and the Global Economy
• Are the Reasons for Coach Seat Belts Changing?
• The Passengers Left Behind – Take the Accessible Information Test
q Vol XXXXII, No 8 July, 2019
• Prevost Motorhome Expo
• Featherlite Luxury Coaches
• Emerald Luxury Coaches Unveils First H3-45
Conversions
• Ten Things to Consider When Choosing a Luxury RV
q Vol XXXXII, No 9 August, 2019
• NFI Group Acquires Alexander Dennis
• Getting the Glow – Take a look inside the “New Look” of Liberty
• Book Review – Chicago Motor Coach
q Vol XXXXII, No 10 September, 2019
• The 2019 Spring Fling in Hershey
• Congestion Pricing May Affect Bus Operators
• In the Beginning – The Bus Industry Prior to Regulation in 1935
q Vol. XXXXII, No. 11 October, 2019
• Proterra Launches Proterra Powered™ Vehicle Electrification Solutions for Commercial Fleets
• Bendix Tech Tips: Avoiding the “Gotchas”
• The “Shorty” Flxibles of Pikes Peak
q Vol XXXXII, No 12 November, 2019
• 30 Years of Foxy Travel & FTI Coach
• Fleet Graphics is an Art at ABC Companies
• MCI debuts 2020 model line-up with a SNEAK PREVIEW of the battery-electric D45 CRTe LE CHARGE at Bay Area Reliability Symposium on October 1
q Vol. XXXXIII, No. 1 December, 2019
• Temsa’s Redesigned TS 30
• BusCon 2019 in Indianapolis
• Hammond Transportation
q Vol. XXXXIII, No. 2 January, 2020
• Anchor Transportation – 30 Years and Counting in a Growing Nashville
• David Thomas Tours and Their Short Temsa Coaches
• Museum of Bus Transportation to Merge with Antique Automobile Club of America Museum
q Vol XXXXIII, No 3 February, 2020
• Busworld 2019 in Brussels, Part I
• Heroes’ Honeymoon
• Philadelphia to New York Every Half Hour
q Vol XXXXIII, No 4 March, 2020
• Busworld 2019 in Brussels, Part II
• The Changing Bus Industry
q Vol. XXXXIII, No. 5 April, 2020
• ABA Marketplace 2020 in Omaha
• Procedure and Liability After a Collision with an Automated Vehicle
• Impaired Drivers
q Vol XXXXIII, No 6 May, 2020
• Bringing Back the Bus Industry
• Bus Industry Suggestions from Shriver Insurance
• What Can Bus Companies Do To Reduce Insurance Costs During COVID-19?
• UMA Motorcoach Expo 2020 in Nashville
• Bus Preservation After the Merger
q Vol XXXXIII, No 7 June, 2020
• Grants, Loans and Programs to Help Transportation Companies Survive COVID-19 Business Disruption
• Time to Think Tours
• Motorcoaches Rolling for Awareness
q Vol. XXXXIII, No. 8 July, 2020
• What the IATR and Transportation Regulators are Doing to Respond to the COVID-19 Pandemic
• A Tribute to Kirwan Elmers and Custom Coach Corporation
• RiverLandings Motorcoach Resort, Where True Luxury Reaches New Heights
q Vol XXXXIII, No 9 August, 2020
• The Evolving MCI Product Line
• The Impact of COVID-19 on the Transportation Ecosystem
• Marijuana and Drivers
q Vol XXXXIII, No 10 September, 2020
• New Coach Review
• Seven Simple Steps to Show Your Customers You Are Open for Business
• Can Bus Operators Change to Survive?
q Vol. XXXXIII, No. 11 October, 2020
• Getting People Back on the Buses
• 10 Easy Ways to Update Your Web Site During COVID-19
• Didn’t See That Coming
• The Eucharistic Congress in Chicago
q Vol XXXXIII, No 12 November, 2020
• How Temsa Developed Their Programmable Electric Bus
• Can Bus Companies Get to and Survive in the “New Normal?”
• Talk’s Cheap – Let’s Play
q Vol XXXXIV, No 1 December, 2020
• Keolis Moves People
• Are Mergers the Answer?
• A Lesson from the Sea – Time to Choose a Strategy
• Now is Not the Time to Skip on Bus Maintenance
• The Small Business Reorganization Act – A New Option in Bankruptcy
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
6 – MOTOR HOMES FOR SALE
MCi MC5a ’67 (shell) 8V-71, 4-speed For sale to highest bidder Call (928) 358-6415 or (505) 713-9242 in aZ I
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 e v e l e r s , t w o a i r c o n d i t i o n e r s , 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
Please mention National Bus Trader when answering adver tisers
10 – PARTS AND EQUIPMENT
6V-92t detroit diesel engine Fresh overhaul in storage spent $4,700 Make offer Phone (815) 262-0587 in il
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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
