National Bus Trader The Magazine of Bus Equipment for the United States and Canada Volume XLVI, No.2

ALWAYS FORWARD

We chose to be inspired by you.

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

The Magazine of Bus Equipment for the United States and Canada

Greyhound’s Historical Fleet for Sale (by Larry Plachno) . . . . . . . .16

Here is the story behind how the Greyhound Historical Fleet originated, how it was used and details on each of the models being offered for sale as well as photos and the asking prices on those buses still available

California Bus Association 48th Annual Convention (by Pat Plodzeen) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

Highlights and photos of the 48th Annual Convention of the California Bus Association that was held at the Omni Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa in Rancho Mirage, California.

Fageol Buses at the Bus Museum (by Dave Millhouser) . . . . . . . . .30 Here is an explanation of the two Fageol buses at the bus museum in Hershey, Pennsylvania The 1924 model was intended more for local transit service while the 1927 Fageol represents the coach version that was used on the highways

The Gift of Being Wrong

(by Dave Millhouser) . . . . . . . . . . 32

Bringing a business back from the pandemic may involve trying out new ideas and hence being wrong. The key point is that it is okay to be wrong as long as you leave yourself a way out.

Equipment News

Megabus.com and Trailways of New York Par tner to Expand Bus Ser vice Throughout New York State

M e g a b u s c o m , o n e o f t h e l a r g e s t b u s c o m p a n i e s i n N o r t h A m e r i c a , h a s announced a new partnership with Trailways of New York, the largest and oldest intercity travel provider in New York and select Canadian cities

This partnership will allow for expanded s e r v i c e o p t i o n s w h i c h w i l l c o n n e c t m o re t h a n 1 0 0 c i t i e s i n c l u d i n g c o n n e c t i n g N e w Yo r k C i t y w i t h 3 9 c i t i e s , A l b a n y w i t h 8 2 c i t i e s , B u ff a l o w i t h s i x c i t i e s , L a k e P l a c i d w i t h 2 3 c i t i e s , R o c h e s t e r w i t h 1 5 c i t i e s , S y r a c u s e w i t h 1 9 c i t i e s a n d To ro n t o w i t h s i x c i t i e s

“The expansion of our network to more than 100 cities throughout New York State i s a n e x c i t i n g o p p o r t u n i t y f o r megabus com,” said Colin Emberson, VP c o m m e r c i a l f o r m e g a b u s c o m “ W e ’ r e pleased to be able to offer our New York customers a wide array of new, convenient travel options as the holidays approach ”

“ B y w o r k i n g c o l l a b o r a t i v e l y w i t h m e g a b u s a n d s e l l i n g o u r p r o d u c t s o n megabus com, Trailways of New York can i n t ro d u c e i t s b r a n d a n d u n i q u e d e s t i n at i o n s t o n e w c u s t o m e r s a c r o s s N o r t h A m e r i c a , ” s a i d A l e x B e r a r d i , d i r e c t o r o f m a r k e t i n g a t Tr a i l w a y s o f N e w Yo r k a n d president of Trailways com “Par tnerships l i k e t h e s e , b e t w e e n t w o s t o r i e d b r a n d s t h a t c o n t ro l t h e e n d - t o - e n d t r a v e l e x p e r ie n c e , a re t h e f u t u re o f g ro u n d t r a n s p o r t at i o n a c ro s s N o r t h A m e r i c a ”

Schedules are now available and tickets c a n b e p u r c h a s e d f o r t r a v e l b e g i n n i n g December 5 at us megabus com

Megabus offers city to city express bus service across Nor th America with fares as low as $1 The safety of customers is their top priority while also offering convenient, cost-effective service In an effort to increase transparency and provide customers with p e a c e o f m i n d , r e a l t i m e t r a c k i n g o n t h e buses has been introduced Customers can now monitor their buses with live departures and arrival times Another key commitment is providing eco-friendly travel and reducing t h e c a r b o n f o o t p r i n t w h e n e v e r p o s s i b l e Buses emit the least carbon dioxide per mile when compared to other vehicles and are

seven times more energy and fuel-efficient than single-occupancy automobiles Buses a re t h re e t i m e s m o re e f fi c i e n t i n re d u c i n g carbon dioxide output when compared to commuter rail and six times more efficient than transit buses

Tr a i l w a y s o f N e w Yo r k ( A d i r o n d a c k , Pine Hill and New York Trailways) operates m o re t h a n 1 5 0 t r i p s p e r d a y t o m o re t h a n 140 destinations in New York, New Jersey a n d C a n a d a T h e l a r g e s t , l o n g e s t c o n t i nu o u s l y o p e r a t i n g i n t e r c i t y b u s c a r r i e r i n N e w Yo r k S t a t e , Tr a i l w a y s o f N e w Yo r k b o a s t s s a f e , a ff o rd a b l e a n d e c o - f r i e n d l y t r a n s p o r t a t i o n

F o r m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n v i s i t o n l i n e a t Trailways com, Trailways ca and on Twitter

MCI Recaps Successful CD/NLA Show in Mar yland

Motor Coach Industries (MCI) recently exhibited at the Chauffeur Driven and National Limousine Association’s Show In addition to meeting with a t t e n d e e s , M C I a l s o announced the delivery of a new J4500 clean diesel coach to Sunny’s Worldwide Chauffeured Transportation

NFI subsidiar y Motor Coach Industries ( M C I ) j o i n e d t h e a n n u a l C h a u ff e u r D r i v e n a n d N a t i o n a l L i m o u s i n e A s s o c i a t i o n ’s (CD/NLA) show as a proud sponsor

D u r i n g t h e s h o w i n M a r y l a n d , a t t e nd e e s h a d t h e o p p o r t u n i t y t o e x p e r i e n c e M C I ’s i n d u s t r y - l e a d i n g J - S e r i e s c o a c h , the J4500 MCI also announced the delive r y o f a n e w J 4 5 0 0 c l e a n - d i e s e l c o a c h t o S u n n y ’s W o r l d w i d e C h a u f f e u r e d Tr a n spor tation, which provides corporate transp o r t a t i o n a n d c h a r t e r s e r v i c e s i n m o r e t h a n 5 5 0 c i t i e s w o r l d w i d e

Trailways of New York will be working with Megabus com to expand bus service throughout New York State. This will serve more than 100 cities with connections to New York City, Albany, Buffalo, Lake Placid, Rochester, Syracuse and Toronto Trailways of New York includes Aidrondack Trailways, Pine Hill Trailways and New York Trailways

N o v a B u s t o P r o v i d e 1 0 0 P e r c e n t

Electric Bus to Lake Placid

Nova Bus, a member of the Volvo Group and a leading Nor th American transit bus manufacturer, is electrified to announce its LFSe+ will be joining the shuttle service of the Lake Placid 2023 FISU World University G a m e s f r o m J a n u a r y 1 2 - 2 2 , 2 0 2 3 T h e LFSe+ is the 40-foot, long-range, 100 percent battery-electric bus model of Nova Bus T h i s p a r t n e r s h i p i s p e r f e c t l y a l i g n e d w i t h Lake Placid 2023 FISU Games’ “Save Wint e r ” s u s t a i n a b i l i t y g o a l s , w h i c h i n c l u d e reducing and mitigating the carbon footprint of the Games

Nova Bus is proud to provide solutions to suppor t the transpor tation sector’s transition to electromobility Thanks to its long driving range and the elimination of all poll u t a n t s a n d g r e e n h o u s e g a s e m i s s i o n s (GHG), the LFSe+ is a first-choice vehicle for sustainable transit The long-range elect r i c b u s t h a t w i l l b e p ro v i d e d t o t h e L a k e Placid Games will run on the shuttle route in the Olympic Village, providing clean air transpor t to all athletes and par ticipants

The FISU World University Games is the largest winter multi-sport collegiate athletic e v e n t i n t h e w o r l d T h e L a k e P l a c i d 2 0 2 3 FISU World University Games will welcome m o re t h a n 1 , 5 0 0 a t h l e t e s f ro m m o re t h a n 50 countries and 600 universities to compete in 12 sports and 86 medal events The World University Games 2023’ sustainability initiatives under the “Together We Can –Save Winter” motto include commitments

to reduce and mitigate the Games’ carbon footprint by incorporating hybrid and electric vehicles to the fleet, such as the Nova Bus LFSe+

T h e a n n o u n c e m e n t w a s m a d e o n December 8 during the Torch Relay stop at t h e N o v a B u s f a c i l i t y i n P l a t t s b u r g h , N e w York

“We want to welcome the Torch Relay to P l a t t s b u r g h , ” s a i d M i c h a e l S C a s h m a n , P l a t t s b u r g h t o w n s u p e r v i s o r “ N o v a B u s ’ commitment to serving the FISU World Univ e r s i t y G a m e s w i t h t h e i r L F S e + b u s l i n e places them on the world stage Well known for producing a premier product and being an innovator in the industr y, they continue to lead the North American market, securing contracts both near and far We are proud to have them serving as Plattsburgh Ambassadors sharing this state-of-the-ar t product made here in our town by a dedicated workf o r c e w h o s h a r e s i n t h e m i s s i o n o f t h e Games This partnership demonstrates our region’s commitment to achieve a more sustainable future ”

“The North Country has a remarkable hist o r y o f h o s t i n g t h e w o r l d i n i n t e r n a t i o n a l sports competitions, with excellent facilities and most impor tantly with enthusiasm and warm hospitality,” says Garry Douglas, president of the North Country Chamber of Commerce “The University Games in Januar y will write a great new chapter in that history, t h a n k s t o y e a r s o f e x p e r i e n c e d p l a n n i n g a n d t h e e x t e n s i v e m o d e r n i z a t i o n o f o u r

region’s winter spor ts venues by the state Happily, that chapter will include par ticipation by our very own Nova Bus, highlighting i t s n e w L F S e + e l e c t r i c b u s e s W e t h a n k Nova Bus for its special commitment and know that everyone in the North Country will show the thousands of inter national visitors heading our way why this is one of the truly s p e c i a l p l a c e s o n e a r t h O n w a r d a n d upward ”

Ashley Walden, executive director of the Adirondack Sports Council, the Organizing C o m m i t t e e o f t h e L a k e P l a c i d 2 0 2 3 F I S U World University Games, said: “Shown an electric bus strengthens our commitment to h o s t i n g t h e m o s t s u s t a i n a b l e F I S U w i n t e r Games and our Save Winter initiatives Additionally, Nova Bus has a large presence in Plattsburgh, and we are proud to highlight and suppor t regional businesses ”

“We want to thank Nova Bus for this great collaboration and are thrilled to know that the world University Games athletes will be using the ‘Powered by Hydro-Québec’ allelectric shuttle bus,” said Serge Abergel, chief operating officer at Hydro-Québec US “We commend the Lake Placid World Univ e r s i t y G a m e s ’ e m p h a s i s o n c l i m a t e a n d sustainability, which is reflective of New York State’s bold climate commitments And are proud, through our reliable renewals energy, to be longstanding par tners in the decarbonization effor t ”

“We are absolutely thrilled about this partn e r s h i p w i t h t h e L a k e P l a c i d 2 0 2 3 F I S U World University Games and to be providing our flagship LFSe+ for the shuttle service,” said Mar tin Larose, president of Nova Bus “This is a unique oppor tunity for us to contribute zero-emission transpor t to a major s p o r t i n g e v e n t , h i g h l i g h t i n g t h e c r i t i c a l i m p o r t a n c e o f fi g h t i n g c l i m a t e c h a n g e t o preserve winter as we know it We are proud o f p l a y i n g o u r p a r t i n t h e t r a n s p o r t a t i o n ecosystem and are excited to participate in t h e s u s t a i n a b i l i t y i n i t i a t i v e s o f t h e s e F I S U Games ”

NFI Receives Orders from San Diego MTS

N F I r e c e n t l y a n n o u n c e d t h a t i t s s u bsidiar y New Flyer received new fir m orders for 41 transit buses with options for up to an a d d i t i o n a l 4 3 2 b u s e s f ro m t h e S a n D i e g o Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) MTS prov i d e s 8 8 m i l l i o n a n n u a l p a s s e n g e r r i d e s across San Diego County and operates one o f t h e c l e a n e s t p u b l i c t r a n s i t fl e e t s i n t h e United States

T h e fi r m o r d e r f o r 2 8 X c e l s i o r ® c o mpressed natural gas (CNG) buses and 13 X c e l s i o r C H A R G E N G ™ b a t t e r y - e l e c t r i c buses will help MTS meet its goal of transitioning to a zero-emission fleet and deliver

Nova Bus will be providing a battery-electric LFSe+ bus for the Lake Placid 2023 FISU Games taking place from January 12-22, 2023 The bus will be running on a shuttle route in the Olympic Village, providing transportation for athletes and participants This was announced during the Torch Relay Stop at the Nova Bus facility in Plattsburgh, New York

on the California Air Resources Board’s Innov a t i v e C l e a n Tr a n s i t re g u l a t i o n , re q u i r i n g agencies to transition to 100 percent ZEB fleets by 2040

Sharon Cooney, MTS chief executive officer, had this to say about the new program: “ M T S a n d N F I h a v e h a d a g re a t w o r k i n g relationship for many years, and we look forward to continuing it with this new contract To meet the demands of transitioning to all z e ro - e m i s s i o n b u s fl e e t s b y 2 0 4 0 w e w i l l n e e d N F I t o s t e p u p i n a b i g w a y A s t h e y continue to improve bus zero-emission technology and per for mance, I’m confident our transition will be successful ”

DC to Provide Free Transit

On December 6, the District of Columbia Council voted unanimously to waive fares for Metrobus rides The new program was expected to star t on or about July 1, 2023 T h e C o u n c i l a l s o e x p a n d e d b u s s e r v i c e around the clock on several of the system’s busiest routes to help those who work late at night and have to rely on Uber or other r i d e s h a r e s e r v i c e s a f t e r M e t r o b u s a n d Metrorail have shut down for the night

T h i s i s n o t s o m e t h i n g n e w i n D C s i n c e f a re s w e re w a i v e d f ro m M a rc h o f 2 0 2 0 t o January of 2021 during the pandemic Passengers boarded through rear doors at this t i m e t o l i m i t c o n t a c t w i t h d r i v e r s R e g u l a r fares on Metrobus and Metrorail are $2

Tr a n s i t p a t ro n a g e h a s b e e n d e c l i n i n g nationwide, prompting several cities to look a t f a re c o l l e c t i o n I n s o m e s i t u a t i o n s , t h e cost of collecting fares exceeds the amount

The District of Columb i a r e c e n t l y v o t e d unanimously to waive f a r e s f o r M e t r o b u s r i d e s T h e n e w p r ogram was expected to t a k e e ff e c t o n J u l y 1 , 2 0 2 3 T h i s p h o t o s h o w s a N e w F l y e r M e t r o b u s i n f r o n t o f Washington

of money collected In the District of Columbia, fares were only bringing in seven percent of total operating costs Kansas City has already gone to free transit on a permanent basis and several other cities, including Denver and Boston, are looking at doing the same

Not ever yone was in favor of this decis i o n S o m e p e o p l e p o i n t e d o u t t h a t t h e homeless were already using the buses and trains as shelters Their concer n is that this would increase with free fares and make the service less attractive to other passengers Peter Van Doren, with Cato Institute, commented that the plan could generate high costs and mixed results He suggested that

m o n e y w o u l d d o m o r e i f i t h e l p e d l o w e r income people buy cars since many cannot use public transit because the fixed routes do not go where they need transpor tation

M u r i e l B o w s e r, m a y o r o f t h e D i s t r i c t o f C o l u m b i a , s u p p o r t e d t h e c o n c e p t o f f re e fares but raised concer ns over the $42 million annually it would cost to fund the program She also suggested that neighboring states should absorb some of these costs H o w e v e r, i t w a s p o i n t e d o u t t h a t a p p ro x imately 85 percent of riders live in the District of Columbia

CVSA Releases 2022 Operation Safe Driver Week Results

During this year’s Operation Safe Driver W e e k , w h i c h w a s J u l y 1 0 - 1 6 , o f fi c e r s i n Canada and the U S pulled over more than 35,000 commercial motor vehicles and passenger vehicles and issued 26,164 warnings and citations to commercial motor vehicle d r i v e r s a n d p a s s e n g e r v e h i c l e d r i v e r s engaging in unsafe driving behaviors, ranging from speeding to distracted driving

S p e e d i n g , w h i c h w a s t h e f o c u s o f t h i s y e a r ’s O p e r a t i o n S a f e D r i v e r W e e k , w a s t h e t o p v i o l a t i o n – i n w a r n i n g s g i v e n a n d citations issued – for both types of drivers O f fi c e r s i s s u e d 8 , 5 8 6 c i t a t i o n s a n d 7 , 2 9 9 w a r n i n g s f o r s p e e d i n g / v i o l a t i n g b a s i c s p e e d l a w / d r i v i n g t o o f a s t f o r c o n d i t i o n s Broken down, that amounts to 2,577 war ni n g s t o c o m m e rc i a l m o t o r v e h i c l e d r i v e r s a n d 4 , 7 2 2 t o p a s s e n g e r v e h i c l e d r i v e r s C i t a t i o n s w e re g i v e n t o 1 , 4 9 0 c o m m e rc i a l motor vehicle drivers and 7,096 passenger v e h i c l e d r i v e r s

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), speeding has played a role in more than a quar ter of traffic deaths – killing nearly 100,000 people

The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System recently ordered 41 transit buses from New Flyer with options for an additional 432 buses included in the initial order are 28 Xcelsior® compressed natural gas (CNG) buses and 13 Xcelsior CHARGe NG™ battery-electric buses San Diego Metropolitan Transit provides 88 million annual passenger rides across San Diego County

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over the past decade In 2020 alone, there were 11,258 speeding-related deaths in the U S In addition, the American Transportation Research Institute’s recently updated “Pred i c t i n g Tr u c k C r a s h I n v o l v e m e n t ” re p o r t found that when a commercial motor vehicle

This chart shows the Commercial Motor Vehicle Warnings and Citations in the United States and Canada during the 2022 Operation Safe Driver Week It is noteworthy that speeding headed the lists of both warnings and citations Next in line were warnings and citations on failure to obey traffic control devices and failure to use a seat belt

d r i v e r re c e i v e s a s p e e d i n g v i o l a t i o n , t h a t increases their likelihood of being involved in a crash by 47 percent According to Transport Canada, speeding/driving too fast was a contributing factor in 25 3 percent of fatal crashes in 2020

In addition, this year, the U S Department of Transportation released its National Roadw a y S a f e t y S t r a t e g y p r i o r i t i z i n g s a f e r s p e e d s T h e s t r a t e g y r e p o r t s t a t e s t h a t speeding may be addressed and discouraged through education and enforcement, which is the goal of Operation Safe Driver Week

Operation Safe Driver Week is a sevend a y, d r i v e r- b e h a v i o r t r a f f i c e n f o r c e m e n t a n d a w a r e n e s s a n d o u t r e a c h a c t i v i t y o f t h e C o m m e r c i a l Ve h i c l e S a f e t y A l l i a n c e (CVSA) CVSA’s law enforcement commun i t y p a r t i c i p a t e s i n t h i s v o l u n t a r y w e e kl o n g c a m p a i g n t o i d e n t i f y u n s a f e d r i v i n g behaviors and target those unsafe drivers f o r i n t e r v e n t i o n a n d e d u c a t i o n i n a n e ff o r t to reduce driver-behavior-caused crashes o n o u r ro a d w a y s

Participating jurisdictions captured date on drier interactions, warnings and citations during Operation Safe Driver Week and submitted that data to CVSA

According to the Federal Motor Carrier S a f e t y A d m i n i s t r a t i o n ’s l a t e s t S e a t B e l t Usage by Commercial Motor Vehicle Drivers Survey, the overall safety-belt usage rate for drivers of medium- and heavy-duty trucks and buses is 86 1 percent For the average p a s s e n g e r v e h i c l e d r i v e r, t h e s e a t - b e l t u s a g e r a t e s w a s 9 0 4 p e r c e n t i n 2 0 2 1 , according to NHTSA However, during Operation Safe Driver Week, failure to wear a seat b e l t w a s t h e s e c o n d - m o s t i s s u e d c i t a t i o n category – with 1,156 citations given to passenger vehicle drivers and 735 to commercial motor vehicle drivers

U s i n g a h a n d - h e l d d e v i c e / t e x t i n g / d i st r a c t e d d r i v i n g w a s a l s o a t o p c i t a t i o n f o r d r i v e r s I t r a n k e d f o u r t h w i t h c o m m e rc i a l motor vehicle drivers, at 239 citations and fifth among passenger vehicle drivers, with 2 5 7 c i t a t i o n s A c c o rd i n g t o N H T S A , d i stracted driving claimed 3,141 lives in 2020 Tr a n s p o r t C a n a d a re p o r t s t h a t d i s t r a c t e d driving was a contributing factor in 22 3 percent of all fatal collisions in 2020

In addition to traffic enforcement, 3,531 motorists were assisted during Operation Safe Driver Week, highlighting law enforcements, commitment to public service and roadway safety Examples of motorist assistance may include an officer helping to fix a flat tire, providing gasoline for a stranded vehicle, checking on someone who may be pulled over, assisting individuals in distress

o r e x p e r i e n c i n g a m e d i c a l e m e r g e n c y, jump-star ting a vehicle, traffic control, etc

FlixBus Moving to Bio-LNG

S h e l l a n d F l i x B u s h a v e e n t e re d i n t o a long-ter m par tnership for the development o f a l t e r n a t i v e f u e l s f o r c o a c h e s t h ro u g h a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) It i s a s t r a t e g i c p a r t n e r s h i p w i t h w h i c h t h e companies want to build the infrastructure needed to make the coach fleet emissionf re e T h e t w o c o m p a n i e s w a n t t o h a v e a t l e a s t 5 0 F l i x B u s c o a c h e s r u n n i n g o n b i oLNG by the end of 2024

The first project under this collaboration focuses on the development and introduction of bio-LNG produced from agricultural residues for the FlixBus coach fleet In addition the companies invest in the development and supply of other alter native fuels such as HVO (hydrogenated vegetable oils), biofuels, hydrogen and electricity for futureoriented long-distance bus services “This collaboration is a milestone for more sustainable mobility and making long-distance coach services emission-free,” says Sönke Kleymann, managing director of euroShell Deutschland GmbH & Co KG

“People want to travel and our mission is to make their travels as sustainable as possible by offering smar t and green mobility solutions Together with Shell we will explore the use of alter native fuels Biogas in part i c u l a r h o l d s g re a t p ro m i s e , a s i t n o t o n l y s i g n i fi c a n t l y re d u c e s C O 2 e m i s s i o n s , b u t also recycles organic waste Our long-term

goal is to become CO2 neutral,” said Fabian Stenger, COO of Flix SE

Electric Buses from Irizar e-Mobility Will be on the Roads of Krakow, Poland

I r i z a r e - m o b i l i t y k e e p s w i n n i n g n e w c l i e n t s i n N o r t h e r n E u r o p e T h e y h a v e signed a contract with the Polish operator M P K K r a k o w ( M i e j s k i e P r z e d s i e b i o r s t w o Komunikacyjne) to supply four 100 percent electric zero-emissions buses The contract has an option to provide three more buses

The order will make Krakow the first Poli s h c i t y t o h a v e I r i z a r e - m o b i l i t y e l e c t r i c buses in their fleet

The model chosen by the operator is the 12-meter-long Irizar ie bus It is a quiet, safe and comfortable bus that will definitely contribute to the energy transition and to reaching the city’s ambitious goals for sustainable mobility

The vehicles, which use in-house Irizar batter y technology, have three doors, one d r i v e r ’s s e a t , 2 6 p a s s e n g e r s e a t s a n d c a p a c i t y f o r t r a n s p o r t i n g 9 1 p a s s e n g e r s T h e y a r e e q u i p p e d w i t h P R M s o l u t i o n s a n d w h e e l c h a i r a re a s t o f a c i l i t a t e a c c e ss i b i l i t y a n d f l u i d m o v e m e n t i n s i d e T h e y c a n b e c h a r g e d u s i n g a b o t t o m - u p p a ntograph or with a Combo 2 charging outlet o n a x l e 1 i n t h e g a r a g e T h e c h a r g e r s w i l l b e s u p p l i e d b y J e m a E n e r g y, a n I r i z a r G ro u p c o m p a n y

FlixBus is working with Shell to have at least 50 FlixBus coaches running on bio-LNG by the end of 2024 The bio-LNG will be produced from agricutlural residues and will significantly reduce CO2 emissions In addition the companies will be working on hydrogenated vegetable oils (HVO), biofuels, hydrogen and electricity for long-distance bus services

Insofar as safety systems, the buses have complete CCTV systems, people counters a n d b l i n d - s p o t c a m e r a s , a m o n g o t h e r things

“ We ’ re v e r y h a p p y t h a t n e x t y e a r p a ssengers in Krakow will be traveling in new Irizar e-mobility electric buses This will be the first electromobility project in Poland for this company We’re looking forward to good c o o p e r a t i o n w i t h I r i z a r e - m o b i l i t y i n t h e f u t u r e , ” s a y s M a r e k G a n c a r c z y k , M P K Krakow spokesperson

“It’s the first time we’re implementing our sustainable mobility solutions in a Polish city and it fills us with pride and satisfaction We hope we can enrich the travel experience of Krakow residents with our electric buses and have a positive impact on their quality of life,” notes Mikel Irizar, commercial manager for Easter n Europe at Irizar e-mobility

In Januar y of this year, residents of the c i t y g o t t h e c h a n c e t o t r a v e l i n a n I r i z a r e-mobility electric bus It was an ie tram that was doing tests in several European cities

This contract is cer tainly a step forward for the Irizar Group’s positioning strategy for providing sustainable mobility solutions in the European market

Alexander Dennis Expands Advanced Mobility with New Enviro200 Deliveries

NFI subsidiary Alexander Dennis recently announced the deliveries of five buses to t h e L o n d o n B o ro u g h o f R e d b r i d g e ’s P a ssenger Transport Service and four buses to Marchants Coaches of Cheltenham – their fi r s t o rd e r s f o r A l e x a n d e r D e n n i s ’ s i n g l edeck Enviro200 buses

These new Alexander Dennis customers join a multitude of transportation companies relying on NFI’s advanced mobility solutions

Province of Nor th Brabant and Arriva Get 64 New-Generation VDL Citeas

In the Nor th Brabant East concession in the Netherlands, Arriva is expanding its fleet with 64 new electric buses from VDL Bus & Coach Arriva is thus responding to the target set by the province of Nor th Brabant of emission-free public transpor t by 2030

To reinforce this commitment, VDL Bus & C o a c h i s s u p p l y i n g A r r i v a w i t h 4 0 n e wgeneration VDL Citeas of type LF-122 and f o u r a r t i c u l a t e d b u s e s o f t y p e L F - 1 8 1 T h e s e v e h i c l e s w i l l m a i n l y b e u s e d f o r public transpor t in the city of Tilburg VDL is also supplying 20 vehicles of type Citea L D - 1 3 5 f o r u s e o n H O V l i n e s b e t w e e n U d e n - V e g h e l - E i n d h o v e n a n d U d e nVe g h e l - D e n B o s c h

“With this expansion of our bus fleet, we a re t a k i n g a n i m p o r t a n t s t e p t o w a rd s o u r z e ro - e m i s s i o n a m b i t i o n s , ” e x p l a i n e d J a n Pieter Been, regional director of Arriva South “As one of the largest public transport operators in the Netherlands, we have a name to uphold We need to lead the way For our travelers, our driver and our clients Which i s w h y w e h a v e s e t o u r s e l v e s t h e g o a l o f being fully carbon-neutral as early as 2027 We will achieve 90 percent of this through

the transition to zero emissions and the last 10 percent by offsetting For example, for t h e p u r p o s e o f o f f s e t t i n g , w e r e c e n t l y planted a forest between Boxtel and Bught ”

T h e p ro v i n c e i s re s p o n s i b l e f o r p u b l i c bus transpor t in Nor th Brabant and has set i t s e l f t h e g o a l o f o p e r a t i n g a c l e a n a n d r e s p o n s i b l e p u b l i c t r a n s p o r t fl e e t w i t h E u ro p e ’s s m a r t e s t a n d m o s t s u s t a i n a b l e

mobility system as its intended destination

Irizar recently signed a contract with MPK Krakow to supply four electric buses for operation in Poland The buses being ordered are the 12-meter ie bus with three doors, 26 passenger seats and a total capacity of 91 passengers There is an option for three more buses on the contract

Alexander Dennis recently announced the delivery of several new single-deck Enviro200 buses Shown are the four buses delivered to Marchants Coaches of Cheltenham There also was an order for five buses delivered to the London Borough of Redbridge’s Passenger Transport Service

D e p u t y S u z a n n e O t t e r s - B r u i j n e n s a i d : “ T h e s e 6 4 b u s e s a r e a n o t h e r b i g s t e p towards the provincial ambition for public transport to be completely emission-free by 2 0 3 0 F e w e r e m i s s i o n s o f p o l l u t a n t s a r e good for Brabant and its people As things stand, by the end of 2023, one in four buses will already be electric, which is good news ”

“Electric buses in Brabant, from Brabant: Sustainability at its best,” says Ard Rombers, managing director VDL Bus & Coach Nede r l a n d “ O u r a m b i t i o n i s t o c o n t r i b u t e t o clean and sustainable public transport With the development of the new generation VDL C i t e a , w e h a v e t a k e n a n o t h e r h u g e s t e p towards this Travelers will experience more comfor t and a quieter jour ney The driver’s working environment has been completely redesigned and designed according to the l a t e s t s t a n d a rd s T h e s e n e w v e h i c l e s w i l l give public transport a fresh and clean look ”

Over the past decade, VDL Bus & Coach has become one of the leading players in Europe in the field of e-mobility Since the introduction of the first Citea SLF-120 Electric in Geneva, during the UITP Mobility & City Tr a n s p o r t e x h i b i t i o n i n 2 0 1 3 V D L B u s & C o a c h h a s f o c u s e d s t r o n g l y o n e l e c t r i c m o b i l i t y B a s e d o n t h e V D L v i s i o n , a b u s concept has been developed that is entirely based on an electric drive train and that is ready for the future, with zero emissions as a matter of course Batteries in the floor, a o n e - p i e c e c o m p o s i t e s i d e w a l l , c l e v e r energy management, a sophisticated clim a t e c o n t r o l s y s t e m a n d a n e r g o n o m i c driver’s environment With these five major innovations, VDL Bus & Coach introduces

t h e n e w g e n e r a t i o n V D L C i t e a p r o d u c t r a n g e , w h i c h c o n s i s t s o f f o u r i m p r o v e d length variants and five types

A l l 6 4 n e w v e h i c l e s f o r A r r i v a a r e e q u i p p e d w i t h C C S C o m b o 2 c h a r g i n g s o c k e t s o n b o t h l e f t a n d r i g h t f o r o p t i m a l charging flexibility at depot locations The

buses also contain ISOI ePM1 filters in the passenger compartment including virus filter, which protects against bacteria In addition, the vehicles have camera monitoring systems instead of conventional mirrors, are fully emission-free and equipped with the innovative climate control system They are also equipped with an AVAS system, ensuri n g o p t i m u m s a f e t y f o r f e l l o w ro a d u s e r s The ergonomic driver environment is set up in ever y bus to provide the driver with maxi m u m s u p p o r t A l l v e h i c l e s a re e q u i p p e d w i t h w o o d p r i n t o n t h e w h e e l a rc h e s a n d c e i l i n g , a n d t h e L E - 1 3 5 H O V b u s e s h a v e additional interior lighting These vehicles a re c h a r a c t e r i z e d b y t h e l a r g e n u m b e r o f luxur y seats fitted with extra-thick seat and b a c k c u s h i o n s , a n d a r e m a i n l y f o r w a r dfacing seats for optimum passenger comf o r t T h e c i t y v e h i c l e s L F - 1 2 2 a n d L F - 1 8 1 are characterized by their good passenger flow, full low-floor design and multi-purpose spaces for disabled users and a buggy or walker area

Seventy-Six MAN Electric Buses for Norway’s Green Capital Oslo

U n i b u s s , o n e o f N o r w a y ’s l a r g e s t b u s companies, has ordered 76 all-electric MAN Lion’s City E buses, the International Bus of the Year 2023, for Oslo For MAN, this is the first e-bus order from Norway and for all partners it is another impor tant step in sustainable mobility The order involves 59 solo and 17 ar ticulated Lion’s City e-buses They will be used in the nor theast and east of Oslo

VDL is supplying the province of North Brabant in the Netherlands and Arriva with 64 new Citea transit buses Arriva will get 40 of the new generation Citea LF-122 buses as well as four articulated LF-181 buses that will operate in Tilburg VDL is also providing 20 Citea LE-135 buses for use on the HOV lines between Uden-Veghel-Eindhoven and Uden-Veghel-Den Bosch

MAN will also provide service and maintenance for the city buses for a period of up to 12 years

Oslo is the green capital of Norway with the highest proportion of electric cars in the world, and trams and ferries are powered by electricity from hydropower “Oslo is to become the world’s first emission-free city by 2030 With emission-free public transport a l re a d y b y t h e e n d o f 2 0 2 3 , a n i m p o r t a n t par t of the job is done New electric buses i n O s l o E a s t m e a n c l e a n e r l o c a l a i r, l e s s noise, better comfor t and reduced greenhouse gas emissions,” states Ruter AS, the local public transpor t authority (PTA) which will operate the buses in Oslo “We are very pleased about our first e-bus order from Norway, which fits seamlessly into a series of orders from Scandinavia – a great success,” says Rudi Kuchta, head of business

U n i t B u s a t M A N Tr u c k & B u s Tw e n t ytwo MAN Lion’s City E are already in service in Malmö, Sweden KEOLIS also ordered a total of 75 Lion’s City 18 E for Sweden last year Of these, 60 ar ticulated e-buses will go to Gothenburg and 15 to Stockholm In addition, 10 Lion’s City 12 E are to be used in the Swedish capital Another order for 12 ar ticulated e-buses from MAN came from Uppsala In addition, the framework agreement with Gamla Uppsala Buss includes an option for a fur ther 65 electric buses Denmark is also relying on the MAN e-bus Resi d e n t s a n d v i s i t o r s t o t h e c a p i t a l C o p e nhagen are chauffeured in 26 MAN Lion’s City 12 E buses Twelve more e-buses were also delivered to Vikingbus in Odder This means

that 38 electric buses are now making their rounds on Danish roads

More efficiency, but also more range, is also promised by the CO2 air conditioning s y s t e m , w h i c h h a s b e e n a v a i l a b l e a s a n option since mid-2022 – and which Unibuss has opted for The new air conditioning system for the Lion’s City E is more environment a l l y - f r i e n d l y a n d a t t h e s a m e t i m e s i g n i ficantly more efficient, which can provide an additional range of up to 25 km

BYD Awarded 64-Unit eBus Order from Nobina in Norway

BYD, the world’s leading manufacturer of new energy vehicles and power batteries, has been awarded a substantial order for electric buses from public transpor t operator, Nobina in Norway The order, placed by Nobina Fleet Norge AS, is for a total of 64 BYD eBuses, with deliver y to Norway in the second quar ter of 2023

T h i s l a t e s t o r d e r i s f o r 4 0 u n i t s o f 1 2meter, low-floor BYD eBuses and 24 units of 15-meter, low-entr y BYD eBuses When delivered next year, they will go into service on Nobina-operated routes in the region of Medre Glomma

B o t h t h e 1 2 - m e t e r, l o w - fl o o r a n d 1 5m e t e r, l o w - e n t r y B Y D e B u s e s o n ro u t e t o N o b i n a i n N o r w a y b e n e fi t f ro m B Y D I ro nPhosphate Batter y technology developed f o r o p t i m i z e d s a f e t y, e n h a n c e d p e r f o rmance and a longer driving range Another k e y a d v a n t a g e i n h e re n t t o t h e s e e B u s e s , is BYD’s unique 6-in-1 controller integrating

t h e e n t i r e e c o s y s t e m o f t h e b u s f o r i m p r o v e d r e l i a b i l i t y a n d h i g h e r l e v e l s o f o p e r a t i o n a l e f fi c i e n c i e s F u r t h e r e f fi c i e ncies are suppor ted by BYD’s Batter y Therm a l M a n a g e m e n t S y s t e m e n h a n c i n g re l ia b i l i t y i n e x t re m e c l i m a t e s , m a k i n g B Y D e B u s e s a p r a c t i c a l o p t i o n f o r N o r w a y ’s v a r y i n g w e a t h e r c o n d i t i o n s

The 12-meter BYD low-floor eBuses offer an impressive range of up to 450 km on a single charge, with the larger 15-meter, lowentry BYD eBuses also demonstrating a similar range performance of 400 km on a single charge, making them operationally efficient for public transpor t operators

N o b i n a h a s m o re t h a n 3 0 0 B Y D p u reelectric buses in service in its fleets, or on order operating in towns and cities across Sweden, Norway and Finland Its commercial relationship with BYD continues to flourish as Nobina’s fleets effective transition to zero-emission electrification Positive customer experiences have been influential in driving repeat orders for BYD pure-electric buses Currently, there are more than 650 BYD e-Buses in service, or on order, across the Nordics, collectively covering 55 million kilometers, reducing CO2 emissions by more than 59,000 tons

E d i s o n Y i n , B Y D r e g i o n a l m a n a g e r N o rd i c s , s a i d : “ We a re d e l i g h t e d t o h a v e d e v e l o p e d s u c h a s o l i d re l a t i o n s h i p w i t h Nobina in Norway, substantiated by this latest eBus order We expect to introduce even more non-polluting BYD e-Buses to Norway providing clean, zero-emission local public transportation BYD’s dedication to environmental protection and core values for sustainability are perfectly aligned with Nobina’s vision for a greener, cleaner future We are c o n fi d e n t t h a t w e c a n w o r k t o g e t h e r t o progress electrification and decarbonization in the Nordics ”

J e n s R å s t e n , fl e e t m a n a g e r a t N o b i n a G r o u p , s a i d : “ W e c o n t i n u e t o g r o w o u r eBus business in the Nordic region, as this o r d e r f o r N o r w a y d e m o n s t r a t e s W e a r e h a p p y w i t h B Y D w h o h a s p ro v e n t o b e a re l i a b l e p a r t n e r ” q

NOTICE

Please make sure we have your email address so you are able to a c c e s s y o u r d i g i t a l e d i t i o n o f N AT I O N A L B U S T R A D E R . E m a i l readers@busmag com or phone the office at (815) 946-2341.

Nobina in Norway has placed an order for 64 BYD e-buses Included in the order are 40 12-meter, low-floor e-buses and 24 15-meter, low-entry e-buses Delivery is expected in the second quarter of 2023 with the buses going on routes in the region of Nedre Glomma

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Bus Equipment People

MCI (Motor Coach Industries)

M o t o r C o a c h I n d u s t r i e s ( M C I ) , a s u bs i d i a r y o f N F I G ro u p I n c ( N F I ) a n d N o r t h A m e r i c a ’s m o t o rc o a c h l e a d e r b a c k e d b y re l i a b l e i n - fi e l d t e c h n i c a l e x p e r t i s e , 2 4 / 7 r o a d s i d e a s s i s t a n c e a n d p a r t s s u p p o r t , re c e n t l y a n n o u n c e d t h a t Thomas Vik h a s joined MCI as private market regional vice president for New and Pre-Owned Coach Sales in the Midwest region

Repor ting directly to Tom Wagner, vice president of Private Sector, Sales, Thomas i s b a s e d i n H u ds o n , W i s c o n s i n and will be respons i b l e f o r M C I coach sales in the M i d w e s t r e g i o n , i n c l u d i n g I l l i n o i s , I n d i a n a , O h i o , M i c h i g a n , K e nt u c k y, Te n n e s s e e and West Virginia

Thomas brings more than 25 years o f e x p e r i e n c e i n n e w b u s i n e s s development, sales strategies, customer relationships, key market expansion, channel partner development and client needs assessment in the motorcoach industr y

Prior to joining MCI, Thomas occupied regional sales manager positions at Daimler C o a c h e s N o r t h A m e r i c a a n d P re v o s t C a r ( U S ) I n c / Vo l v o G r o u p N o r t h A m e r i c a , where Thomas established trusted operator relationships in the Midwest

“Thomas brings a wealth of sales exper i e n c e t o M C I , a n d w e a re e x c i t e d t o w e lc o m e h i m t o o u r t e a m T h o m a s ’ p r o v e n a c c o m p l i s h m e n t s i n t h e t r a n s p o r t a t i o n industry demonstrate his strong commitment to establishing long-lasting and productive r e l a t i o n s h i p s w i t h c u s t o m e r s , ” Wa g n e r Thomas is an accomplished leader whose extensive skillset and talents will help MCI d e l i v e r t h e a t t e n t i o n a n d s e r v i c e o u r n e w a n d p re - o w n e d c u s t o m e r s h a v e c o m e t o expect as we continue to provide reliabilitydriven vehicles and market-leading support to serve our customers ”

Thomas ear ned a Bachelor of Business A d m i n i s t r a t i o n i n M a r k e t i n g f r o m I o w a State University From 2013-2020, Thomas served on the board of directors of the Midw e s t B u s a n d M o t o r c o a c h A s s o c i a t i o n ,

a n d i n 2 0 1 6 , h e s e r v e d a s a n a d v i s o r y b o a rd m e m b e r o f t h e M i n n e s o t a C h a r t e r B u s O p e r a t o r ’s A s s o c i a t i o n

ABC Companies

ABC Companies, a leading provider of motorcoach, transit and specialty passeng e r t r a n s p o r t e q u i p m e n t i n t h e U S a n d C a n a d a , c o n t i n u e s t o d e m o n s t r a t e i t s l e a d e r s h i p i n t h e u s e o f t e c h n o l o g y t o advance the industr y and give customers a competitive advantage Utilizing leading t e c h n o l o g y - b a s e d s o l u t i o n s , A B C C o mp a n i e s h a s a c c e l e r a t e d i n n o v a t i v e s o l utions for the commercial passenger transp o r t a t i o n i n d u s t r y A B C ’s Te c h n i c a l Solutions Team is comprised of engineers, t e c h n i c i a n s a n d s u p p o r t p e r s o n n e l w h o focus on sourcing and providing new and o f t e n u n i q u e t e c h n o l o g i e s t h a t i m p r o v e customer operations and their experience in unexpected and groundbreaking ways

A key resource for ABC customers, the dedicated tech team is also deployed when existing solutions are not functioning or perfor ming to a customers’ needs The rapid growth of this resource for ABC Companies and its customers has resulted in the promotion of Brian Nelson to vice president of Technical Solutions

In his new role, Nelson will be responsible for technical solutions and strategy that will continue to innovate by leveraging new and emerging technologies that can benefit cust o m e r s “ M y d e p a r tm e n t ’s j o b i s s i mple, we are here to serve the needs of our customers and b r i n g b a c k s o l utions, not excuses W e f o c u s o n g e tting resolutions to o u r c u s t o m e r s , a n d a s a d i s t r i b utor, we are not constrained by manufacturer limitations W e t a k e g r e a t p r i d e i n b r i n g i n g t h e v o i c e o f t h e c u s t o m e r t o a l l o f our manufacturers The breadth of our projects and depth of the team, means we can bring solutions to our customers faster and more cost effectively, in a way that is almost impossible to achieve when the customer must personally address a challenge or spec i fi c n e e d t o m a n u f a c t u r e r s a n d s e r v i c e providers ”

A veteran of innovating solutions, Nelson h a s f o c u s e d o n f u l fi l l i n g c u s t o m e r n e e d s through team collaboration and a hands-on a p p ro a c h i n h i s p re v i o u s ro l e s a s a s t a ff engineer and sales engineer Most recently as the engineering director/manager, Nelson led a team of engineers and technicians providing full life cycle project handling to coordinate, validate and deploy best possible solutions based on the problems and details specified by users, clients, as well as market demands

Since 2011, Nelson has been a key contributor to the company’s technical strategy w o r k i n g s e a m l e s s l y i n i n t e rd e p a r t m e n t a l teams he has provided pivotal engineering insights for several major technology projects including:

• T h e i n t r o d u c t i o n o f A B C ’s fi r s t 1 0 0 p e r c e n t b a t t e r y - e l e c t r i c z e r o - e m i s s i o n s vehicles starting with the first diesel to elect r i c m o t o r c o a c h p r o j e c t i n t h e U n i t e d States Soon after this, arrived a variety of EVs Larger motorcoaches such as the Van H o o l T D X 2 5 E d o u b l e - d e c k e r a re c a p a b l e of moving up to 75 riders, both the RDX25E a n d C X 4 5 E m o d e l s a re c u r re n t l y u s e d i n s e r v i c e t h ro u g h o u t t h e U S a n d C a n a d a P o w e re d b y t h e p ro v e n P ro t e r r a e n e r g ydense batter y system, these high-capacity v e h i c l e s o f f e r r a n g e s i n e x c e s s o f 2 6 0 m i l e s b e t w e e n c h a r g e s t h e E V m o t o rcoaches, transit buses, shuttles and vans a r e a l l c o m p a t i b l e w i t h p u b l i c c h a r g i n g i n f r a s t r u c t u r e a n d f e a t u r e a n u m b e r o f unique technology features such as solarpowered auxiliar y systems and regenerat i v e b r a k i n g s y s t e m s t o o p t i m i z e b a t t e r y p e r f o r m a n c e a n d e n e r g y s t o r a g e

A B C ’s o n g o i n g Z e r o - E m i s s i o n s To u r s h o w c a s e s a n d d e m o n s t r a t e s t h e p o w e r and benefits of EVs in service today while e d u c a t i n g s t a k e h o l d e r s a n d l a w m a k e r s about the critical role high-capacity passenger vehicles play in reducing greenhouse emissions in the transportation sector Traveling the countr y utilizing public charging stations, tour stops from Florida, Texas, Virginia, New Jersey, New York to Michigan, Califor nia, Seattle and more, are bringing the future of sustainable, zero-emissions, h i g h - c a p a c i t y p a s s e n g e r t r a v e l t o g r e a t cities nationwide Tour stops include engaging with elected officials and local media to highlight the need to invest in and expand the existing infrastructure system and supp o r t t h e u n i q u e n e e d s o f m e d i u m - a n d heavy-duty vehicles, including high-capacity vehicles like ABC’s Van Hool coaches Learn more about zero emissions tour highlights

Thomas Vik

Brian Nelson

on ABC’s Facebook and other social media pages

“ A B C h a s a c o m m i t m e n t t o p ro v i d i n g o u r c u s t o m e r s w i t h a c o m p e t i t i v e a d v a ntage through innovative technology,” said R o m a n C o r n e l l , p re s i d e n t a n d c h i e f c o mm e rc i a l o f fi c e r, A B C C o m p a n i e s “ Brian’s experience, teamwork, execution on produ c t v i s i o n a n d h i s p a s s i o n f o r s e r v i n g o u r customers is helping us change the future o f o u r i n d u s t r y ”

Daimler

O n O c t o b e r 2 5 , D a i m l e r Tr u c k N o r t h A m e r i c a ( D T N A ) a n n o u n c e d t h a t Angela L e n t z h a s b e e n appointed to chief p e o p l e o f fi c e r ( C P O ) f o r D T N A a n d i t s a f fi l i a t e d c o m p a n i e s i n t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s , C a n a d a , M e x i c o and Australia She a l s o j o i n s D T N A’s O p e r a t i n g C o mm i t t e e ( O P C o m ) , a l o n g w i t h t h e D a i m l e r Tr u c k A G Human Resources OpCom In her role

a s C P O , L e n t z w i l l b e re s p o n s i b l e f o r a l l a s p e c t s o f H u m a n R e s o u rc e s , i n c l u d i n g p e r f o r m a n c e m a n a g e m e n t , l e a r n i n g a n d d e v e l o p m e n t , l a b o r r e l a t i o n s , c o r p o r a t e security and corporate real estate

Lentz b e g a n h e r c a re e r a s a b u y e r i n t h e p u r c h a s i n g d e p a r t m e n t a t D T N A i n 1 9 9 7 P r o g r e s s i n g t h r o u g h r o l e s o f i n c r e a s i n g r e s p o n s i b i l i t y, s h e b e c a m e d i re c t o r o f p ro j e c t c o n t ro l l i n g i n 2 0 1 5 , f o ll o w e d b y d i r e c t o r o f p r o c u r e m e n t f o r m e c h a t ro n i c s a n d M e x i c o t r u c k a n d b u s I n 2 0 2 1 , s h e t o o k o n t h e r o l e o f g e n e r a l m a n a g e r o f a f t e r m a r k e t a n d s t r a t e g i c v a l u e c h a i n a n d t e c h n o l o g y

“ I a m p l e a s e d t o h a v e A n g e l a L e n t z serve in her role of chief people officer Her b r o a d - b a s e d e x p e r i e n c e r a n g i n g f r o m finance to production to aftermarket, extensive leadership experience and rive to get t h i n g s a c ro s s t h e fi n i s h l i n e a re u n q u e st i o n e d a s i s h e r d e d i c a t i o n t o a s s e m b l i n g a team that celebrates diversity,” said John O ’ L e a r y, p r e s i d e n t a n d C E O o f D a i m l e r N o r t h A m e r i c a “ Angela w i l l re p re s e n t t h e o v e r 2 6 , 0 0 0 t a l e n t e d D T N A e m p l o y e e s w h o a re p ro u d t o d e s i g n , b u i l d , s e l l a n d service the commercial vehicles that keep t h e w o r l d m o v i n g ”

Lentz s u c c e e d s E i l e e n F r a c k , w h o w i l l re t i re a f t e r 1 8 y e a r s a t D T N A , a n d b e i n g located full-time in Por tland, Oregon Both moves will be affected on Januar y 1, 2023

Lentz earned a bachelor’s degree in busin e s s m a n a g e m e n t a n d c o m m u n i c a t i o n s from Concordia College

Proterra

Proterra Inc, a leading innovator in commercial vehicle electrification technology, on October 4 announced the appointment of Sara Dadyar as chief people officer effective October 17, 2022

Dadyar brings more than 20 years of people operations and human resources experience to Proterra and joins the company after most recently serving as Execut i v e H R L e a d e r w i t h i n G e n e r a l E l e c t r i c ’s G a s P o w e r b u s i n e s s Previously Dadyar h e l d v a r i o u s H R l e a d e r s h i p r o l e s across GE’s financ i a l s e r v i c e s a n d power businesses A s c h i e f p e o p l e o f fi c e r Dadyar w i l l o v e r s e e a l l w o r k p l a c e and people operations at Proterra, including recruiting, benefits and rewards, organizational and people development, and diversity, equity and inclusion

Dadyar holds a bachelor of arts from the University of Connecticut and a master of sciences in Human Resources Management for m Manhattanville College

“ We ’ re e x c i t e d t o w e l c o m e s o m e w i t h Sara’s s k i l l s e t a n d e x p e r i e n c e t o P ro t e r r a at this impor tant moment in our company’s histor y As commercial vehicle electrification accelerates around the globe, we are s c a l i n g o u r b u s i n e s s t o m e e t t h e o p p o rtunities ahead Sara will play a central role i n a d v a n c i n g o u r m i s s i o n a n d c u l t u re a s w e e n t e r t h i s e x c i t i n g n e w p h a s e f o r o u r c o m p a n y, ” s a i d G a r e t h J o y c e , P r o t e r r a C E O

“ I a m d e l i g h t e d t o j o i n P ro t e r r a a t s u c h an exciting time for both the electric vehicle i n d u s t r y a n d t h e c o m p a n y ’s g ro w t h j o u rn e y I ’ m e x c i t e d a b o u t t h e v i s i o n G a r e t h a n d t h e l e a d e r s h i p t e a m h a v e a l re a d y s e t around building a culture of innovation and delivering for our customers I look forward to suppor ting the organization in driving a t h o u g h t f u l p e o p l e s t r a t e g y t h a t h e l p s u s a c h i e v e o u r i m p o r t a n t m i s s i o n a n d w o r k , ” s a i d Dadyar

Angela Lentz

Sara Dadyar

Greyhound’s Historical Fleet for Sale

by

To w a rd s t h e e n d o f 2 0 2 2 F l i x B u s d e c i d e d t o p u t m o s t o f t h e Greyhound historical bus fleet up for sale Approximately a year earlier, on October 21, 2021, FlixBus had announced its acquisition of Greyhound Lines from First Group, its then current owner First Group has extensive operations in Europe and also other holdings in the United States including First Student, the school bus operation. FlixBus has been growing in Europe in long distance bus operations The company provides online sales and support for many lines while working with bus companies to actually operate routes and schedules.

Michaud Bus Appraisals, LLC was selected to handle the sales. S p i k e M i c h a u d h a d b e e n a c t i v e i n t h e w e l l - k n o w n M i c h a u d B u s Lines in Salem, Massachusetts In more recent years he, assisted by his son Jim who also runs the BusesOnline.com Web site, has been active as a leader in appraising buses and working with many comp a n i e s o n f l e e t s a l e s a n d v a l u a t i o n M o s t o f t h e h i s t o r i c a l f l e e t i s being offered with prices set on individual coaches.

T h e G re y h o u n d H i s t o r i c a l B u s F l e e t h a d a n i n t e re s t i n g o r i g i n b a c k i n t h e 1 9 7 0 s u n d e r t h e d i re c t i o n o f F re d D u n i k o s k i , o n e o f the most respected and liked Greyhound leaders Fred originally s t a r t e d t o w o r k f o r G re y h o u n d a t t h e a g e o f 1 6 b e c a u s e h e w a s t o o y o u n g t o e n l i s t i n t h e m i l i t a r y f o r Wo r l d Wa r I I H e w a s e m p l o y e d a s a c l e r k a n d t y p i s t i n t h e d i s p a t c h o ff i c e o f C e n t r a l G re y h o u n d L i n e s i n N e w Yo r k w h i c h w a s t h e n l o c a t e d i n a s h o p i n L o n g I s l a n d C i t y

In 1942, Fred turned 17 and was able to enlist in the Marine Corps He had an impressive military record starting with being assigned to the battleship Texas and participating in the Normandy invasion of Europe. Later he served in the Pacific and was involved in the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa After returning to civilian life, Fred returned to the Greyhound office and shop in Long Island City He became the administrative assistant to the supervisor of drivers for both Central Greyhound Lines of New York and New England Greyhound Lines One of Fred’s friends introduced him to his kid sister, Rita All of them had attended the same schools on Long Island. Fred married Rita, starting a marriage that would last until his passing 64 years later

Fred’s abilities were noted by Greyhound management and he soon began moving up the ladder In 1949 he was promoted to dispatcher and in the early 1950s he was dispatching for Pennsylvania Greyhound Lines and working at the Pennsylvania Greyhound Lines station on 34th Street in Manhattan What may have started his intere s t i n h i s t o r i c a l b u s e s c a m e i n 1 9 5 4 w h e n t h e f i r s t S c e n i c r u i s e r s arrived at Greyhound Fred was the dispatcher on duty for the first Scenicruiser dispatched by Greyhound, a run from New York City to Miami The bus was Pennsylvania Greyhound Lines P-5446 which carried serial number PD4501-001, the first production Scenicruiser

In the following years Fred continued to move up the Greyhound ladder and into corporate management In September of 1956, Fred became superintendent and terminal manager at Albany, New York. October of 1969 found Fred at Greyhound headquarters in Chicago

For some people, their first encounter with the Greyhound Historical Fleet came in 1979 at the first Bus Bash in Beaver Meadows, Pennsylvania at Baran Transit Lines Greyhound graciously brought the newly-restored Mack to the event and put it on display This photo was taken during the bus parade of that event by Robert Redden. NBT ARCHIVES

Larry Plachno

with the title of system-wide director of transportation for Greyhound Lines A meeting shortly after his arrival in Chicago set the stage for developments that would lead to the historical fleet.

Fred was called into the office of Chairman of the Board G Trautman and President of the corporation Ray Shaffer As someone who had come up through the ranks, Fred was asked what he thought was needed to improve the bus line. Fred suggested that the fleet was too old and the company should be buying 400 new buses each year instead of only 200 At that time the company was selling about 200 used buses annually. Fred was challenged that if he could increase used bus sales to 400 per year, the company would then buy 400 new coaches Fred accepted that challenge, put in a toll-free phone line, got an advertising budget and amazed everyone by selling 416 buses

In May of 1970, Fred was upgraded to system wide vice president for transportation and in August of 1971 moved to Greyhound Corporation’s new headquarters building in Phoenix In April of 1976 Greyhound began looking to sell used coaches outside the United States. In

particular, they were trying to avoid letting the unique Scenicruisers end up in other domestic fleets There was little success with this so Fred ended up selling used Scenicruisers along with other coaches from the Greyhound fleet It is somehow coincidental that the first two Scenicruisers sold by Greyhound were purchased by Spike Michaud and ended up as buses 181 and 182 in the fleet of Michaud Bus Lines

It all started when Fred found PD4501-001 on the list of Scenicruisers to be sold He undoubtedly remembered his involvement in sending it out the first time when he was a dispatcher in New York City. Fred told his staff that he was reluctant to turn loose of 001. W h i l e o t h e r S c e n i c ru i s e r s w e re i n b e t t e r s h a p e , t h e d e c i s i o n w a s made to hang on to 001 It was sent to Miami for restoration work that started what became the Greyhound Historical Fleet

Based on available information, it appears that the second historical bus was the 1931 Mack It was restored and was shown by Greyhound at the first Bus Bash in 1979 in Beaver Meadows, Pennsylvania. Both the Mack and the Scenicruiser were displayed at the

C r e d i t f o r o r i g i n a l l y c r e a t i n g t h e G r e yhound Historical Fleet g o e s t o F r e d Dunikoski, one of the m o s t l o v e d a n d r e s p e c t e d l e a d e r s a t G r e y h o u n d . F a c e d w i t h s e l l i n g t h e f i r s t p r o d u c t i o n S c e n ic r u i s e r, F r e d d e c i d e d t o k e e p i t , a n d i t became the first bus in t h e H i s t o r i c a l F l e e t Fred and his wife Rita a r e a p p r o p r i a t e l y s h o w n h e r e i n t h e f r o n t s e a t o f a S c e n ic r u i s e r i n 2 0 1 0 a t a Scenicruiser gathering in Texas. NBT.

This Greyhound publicity photo was taken on May 1, 1982, the opening day of the Knoxville World’s Fair By this time the Yellow Coach 743 and ACFBrill had joined the Historical Fleet. Greyhound sometimes provided drivers in period uniforms: Sam McConnell with the Mack, Jim Bowen with the 743 and Emory Hysell with the Brill NBT ARCHIVES

ABA Baltimore Marketplace in December of 1980 The historic fleet continued to grow by adding coaches newer than the Scenicruiser from the Greyhound fleet. These were typically selected for appearance and condition rather than by serial number Older coaches were acquired from other sources, restored and painted in Greyhound colors While there were larger collections of historic buses, the Greyhound Historical Fleet not only showed a high state of restoration but the coaches were also in operating condition.

Fred Dunikoski was promoted to the top in 1983 as the president and chief executive officer of Greyhound Lines. This ended in December of 1986 when Greyhound Corp decided to concentrate on other activities including meat packing and soap by announcing it was selling Greyhound Lines to an investor group headed by Fred Currey of Dallas The Historical Fleet was included in the sale The bankruptcy of Greyhound Lines in 1990 prompted the sale of some of the historical units, particularly duplicates, but the bulk of the historical fleet remained intact It appears that the sale of Greyhound Lines ended efforts to expand the historic fleet. It is interesting that while a Scenicruiser was included, the MC-6 and MC-12 were not While original plans most likely included both the PD4104 and PD4106 models, neither survives in the current historical fleet

In the following years, Greyhound Lines went through additional ownership changes with Laidlaw, First Group and now FlixBus The Historical Fleet survived and some of the coaches were put on display at various events and shows. What was probably the biggest project of all was Greyhound’s 100th anniversary celebration Commemorating the start of Greyhound in 1914 when Carl Eric Wickman began running a Hupmobile between Hibbing and Alice in Minnesota, the company organized a nationwide tour Running from east to west across the United States from May through December, Greyhound had both a North and South tour stopping at major cities In addition

to several of the historic coaches, modern coaches and historic items were on display

This brings us up to current times First Group had been under pressure from stockholders to divest itself of Greyhound Lines. The result was that on October 21, 2021 FlixMobility announced that it had acquired Greyhound Lines Founded in 2013 in Germany, the company manages an extensive long distance bus network in Europe a s w e l l a s s o m e r a i l o p e r a t i o n s u n d e r t h e F l i x B u s a n d F l i x Tr a i n brands Prior to the acquisition, Michaud Bus Appraisals was hired to appraise the entire Greyhound fleet including the Historical Fleet. T h i s w a s n o t t h e f i r s t t i m e t h a t M i c h a u d B u s A p p r a i s a l s h a d appraised these buses

In late 2022, FlixBus made the decision to sell seven of the eight vehicles in the Greyhound Historical Fleet. They elected to retain the 1914 Hupmobile since Greyhound traces its heritage back to Hibbing, Minnesota that year Carl Eric Wickman took a new Hupmobile that had not been sold and used it to start a bus route from Alice to Hibbing, Minnesota An interesting side note is that what was then Alice is Hibbing today because the town was moved to allow access to iron ore using open pit mining Today’s Greyhound Museum is located on that original route

It w a s n ot u n e x p e ct e d t h a t Mi ch a u d Bu s Ap p r a i sa l s LLC w a s s e l e c t e d t o h a n d l e t h e s a l e o f t h e h i s t o r i c a l f l e e t F o u n d e r S p i k e Michaud is a well-known bus expert. His son, Jim, represents the fourth generation of family members in the bus business Jim’s greatgrandfather, Mike Michaud, founded a bus company in 1914, the same year that Greyhound was founded

Information offered indicates that every one of these buses have been restored to museum-like quality both inside and out All are

Taken on May 4, 1985, this photo looks into the Greyhound Shop at Dallas, Texas By this time the PD4151 Silverside had joined the Historical Fleet Over the years parts of the Historical Fleet were usually housed at different locations TOM LANGFORD

as close to original as possible including running gear and drivetrain All of the buses run and drive They participated in the Greyhound 100th Anniversary tours in 2014 that crossed the United States. They were a huge hit everywhere they stopped and drew large crowds

Jim Michaud commented: “We are extremely familiar with these particular antiques and have a long history of not only appraising antique buses, but restoring several ourselves over the years. It made sense for us to represent these buses for sale ” Jim went on to say: “Although we are sad to see these buses go up for sale, it is an honor to represent them and to make sure they go to the proper buyers who will preserve them for generations to come “ Asking prices have been placed on the individual coaches and additional details can be found in listings on BusesOnline com Following are some details on the individual coaches presented in chronological order

1931 Mack BK Parlor Coach

Many people are not aware that the Mack Brothers built buses before they built trucks. Their Model BK to a large extent represented a new and higher level of development in conventional buses Replaci n g t h e M a c k A L c h a s s i s , t h e n e w B K w a s i n t ro d u c e d i n 1 9 2 9 I t b o a s t e d b e t t e r b r a k e s a n d a n e w a n d l a rg

g i n e P o w e

b y Mack’s largest engine, an inline six-cylinder 525 cubic inch gasoline engine, it was reportedly capable of speeds of up to 70 miles per hour The BK provided seating for up to 33 passengers in seats with window curtains and had a fancy rear end that was designed to imitate the styling of a railroad observation car.

The Mack BK remained in production for five years while 544 buses were built All of them were purchased by Greyhound This model might have remained in production longer, but the Depression years cut into ridership and bus sales. However, the Mack BK became a major part of the Greyhound fleet in the 1930s On some occasions when this bus was put on display, Greyhound provided a driver in a period uniform to show off the coach and answer questions. The asking price for the Mack BK is $225,000

1937 Yellow Coach Model 743

John D Hertz began building vehicles in 1910 under the Yellow Cab name and established Yellow Coach in 1923 to build buses. Gen-

eral Motors took over Yellow Coach in the late 1920s and moved operations to Pontiac, Michigan. By 1930, Greyhound was buying and operating Yellow Coaches

The Yellow Coach Models 719 and 743 represent a major change in the bus industry to rear engines, underfloor luggage compartments and integral construction Around 1929, Dwight E Austin developed integral construction for the Pickwick Nite Coach because it was impossible to do what he wanted with a chassis While Pickwick failed to continue production into the Depression years, Austin was

Greyhound’s bankruptcy in 1990 prompted the sale of the extra buses in the Historical Fleet. The 743 with two-and-one seating that had been used to provide the power train for the restored Yellow Coach went to Alex Lock in California He sold this coach later and it has been restored ALEX LOCK

The 1931 Mack BK is the oldest bus in the Greyhound Historical Fleet It represents one of the best examples of conventional (front engine) highway buses of that era Indications are that it was the second bus selected for the Greyhound Historical Fleet NBT ARCHIVES

hired by General Motors and put to work developing a new rear engine integral coach with underfloor luggage that was introduced as the Model 719 Super Coach in 1934 This was later upgraded to the Model 743 that offered Detroit Diesel’s new 6-71 inline diesel engine

Fred Dunikoski wanted a Yellow Coach Model 743 in the historical fleet and related what he went through He started by finding a 743 that had been converted to two-and-one seating. He continued looking and found a former Northland Greyhound 743 at Black Hills Stages in Nebraska After that, a third 743 was acquired to be used for parts to restore the 743 acquired from Black Hills Stages The Yellow Coach 743 became the flagship of the Greyhound fleet until the new Silversides design came along. With bus production curtailed d u r i n g t h e w a r y e a r s , t h e 7 4 3 w a s e s s e n t i a l l y a m a j o r p a r t o f t h e Greyhound fleet through World War II until the arrival of the new Silversides after the war. The asking price on the Model 743 is $75,000.

743

The cockpit area of the Mack was state-of-the-art in 1931 but certainly lacks what drivers expect today. However, these Macks often drove for long distances over unimproved roads before the interstate highways were built MICHAUD BUS APPRAISALS

One of the more interesting features of the Mack BK was the rear end It was designed to look much like a railroad observation car. That rack on the roof was for luggage since the Mack had no underfloor luggage compartments MICHAUD BUS APPRAISALS

The

Yellow Coach was an improved version of the earlier 719 model and offered an optional diesel engine It brought coach design up to a new level with underfloor luggage compartments and integral construction These buses were the backbone of the Greyhound fleet during World War II and were eventually replaced with the post-war Silverside buses.

MICHAUD BUS APPRAISALS

The Yellow Coach 743 offered a comfortable interior for passengers and even provided some overhead parcel rack space While it had no restroom, passengers were pleased that their luggage was now carried in underfloor compartments rather than on the roof. MICHAUD BUS APPRAISALS.

The cockpit area of the Yellow Coach 743 contained the usual clutch and floor mounted stick shift. It was unusual by modern standards with minimal gauges and push-pull switches along the front dash. Note the crank on the side for opening the driver ’s window MICHAUD BUS APPRAISALS

1947 GM PD4151 Silversides

Yellow Coach introduced its Silversides design in the late 1930s as the replacement for the Model 743 Production during the war was limited because the assembly line in Pontiac was used to make amphibious Ducks for the military Production resumed after the war under the General Motors name but was again hampered by a major strike from November of 1945 through the end of March, 1946

In common with most other bus operators, Greyhound struggled through the war years with increased ridership, an aging fleet and little or no new coaches In 1947, Greyhound placed an order with GM for 2,000 Silversides coaches to rejuvenate its fleet. It was reporte d l y t h e l a rg e s t b u s o rd e r e v e r p l a c e d W h i l e m o s t o f t h e o rd e r involved the PD3751 model, there were some of the newer PD4151 model This was a special model for Greyhound with four additional seats

While additional orders for following “41” models were placed with General Motors, the Silversides effectively served as the flagship model of the Greyhound fleet for many years. Noteworthy features included the reliable inline 6-71 diesel engine and an air clutch with a column-mounted shift handle This model developed a reputation

for durability and being a very solid coach, sometimes compared to a Sherman Tank This member of the Historical Fleet has already been spoken for by the Pacific Bus Museum As of December, 2022 they are gathering together donations to pay for it.

1948 ACF Brill Model IC-41

Greyhound began moving to Yellow Coach buses around 1930 but did buy from other manufacturers for special applications For e x a m p l e , l i n e s w i t h l i g h t e r p a t ro n a g e d i d n o t re q u i re t h e l a rg e r coaches Hence, some smaller coaches including the Gar Wood, Aerocoach, FitzJohn and even the small Flxible Clipper were brought into the Greyhound fleet. In order to modernize its fleet quickly after the war, Greyhound turned to the ACF Brill Model IC-41

American Car and Foundry expanded into the bus business with the acquisition of Fageol Motors of Kent, Ohio and J G Brill Company of Philadelphia. Fageol had been founded by the Fageol Brothers in 1916 in Oakland, California and had built coaches including the popular Safety Coach introduced in 1921 Brill was the largest builder of streetcars and was moving into the bus business. After the war the company built a series of Brill transit buses both gas and electric trolleys The IC41 model was the company’s most popular post-war intercity coach

PACIFIC BUS MUSEJM

The cockpit area of the Silverside continued with the push-pull switches on the dash of the previous models However, its defining feature was the column-mounted shift lever and the air-assist clutch that provided a unique sound in operation MICHAUD BUS APPRAISALS

The Silverside coaches provided comfortable seating for passengers along with larger overhead parcel racks that were occasionally known to provide beds for sleeping children. These coaches were important in the fleet until the arrival of the Scenicruisers MICHAUD BUS APPRAISALS

In spite of its unique features it was purchased and operated by many bus companies including Greyhound and Trailways

Although being the standard 35 feet long and 96 inches wide, the Model IC-41 had some features that were different than other coaches The passenger door was located behind the front axle and was operated by air from a knob on the dash As a result, there was a passenger seat in front of the door and to the right of the driver at the front of the coach. What was probably the biggest difference is that the IC41 was powered by an underfloor Hall-Scott Model 190 gasoline engine This overhead cam engine had a huge displacement of 779 cubic inches and offered a great deal of power. On the negative side, the underfloor engine limited luggage space On the positive side, it could push those buses to 80 miles per hour or more Unfortunately, fuel consumption was rarely better than three miles per gallon Some say that the IC-41 originated the phrase “ it will pass everything but a gas station.” The asking price on the Brill is $85,000.

1954 GM PD4501 Scenicruiser

T h e S c e n i c ru i s e r i s o b v i o u s l y t h e s t a r o f t h e h i s t o r i c f l e e t . I n a d d i t i o n t o b e i n g t h e c o a c h t h a t s t a r t e d t h e G re y h o u n d H i s t o r i c

Fleet, it represents the first production unit of the model generally c o n s i d e re d t o b e t h e m o s t i c o n i c A m e r i c a n c o a c h H a v i n g b e e n unable to replace its aging fleet during the war, Greyhound placed a re c o rd o rd e r f o r S i l v e r s i d e c o a c h e s a n d t h e n s e t a b o u t i n 1 9 4 7 l o o k i n g f o r a n e w m o d e l f o r t h e f u t u re T h i s l e d t o t h e d o u b l edeck GX-1 or Highway Traveler that was impressive but considered t o o r a d i c a l

In 1949 General Motors built a prototype GX-2 that was a decka n d - a - h a l f d e s i g n w i t h a l e n g t h o f 4 0 f e e t A t t h a t t i m e p r i o r t o i n t e r s t a t e h i g h w a y s t h e s t a t e s c o n t r o l l e d v e h i c l e d i m e n s i o n s Hence, the GX-2 was brought to state capitols to foster legislation a p p ro v i n g t h e 4 0 - f o o t l e n g t h T h e n e w t e c h n o l o g y f ro m t h e G X2 w e n t i n t o d e v e l o p i n g t h e 3 5 - f o o t G M P D 4 1 0 4 t h a t w a s i n t rod u c e d i n 1 9 5 3 a n d t h e n e w S c e n i c ru i s e r t h a t w a s b u i l t f o r G re yh o u n d s t a r t i n g i n 1 9 5 4

Jim Michaud comments: “Obviously, the PD4501 has extreme significance as it has serial number PD4501-001 It is the very first one off the production line and has remained in Greyhound’s fleet its entire life There is no other bus that is more iconic and represents the bus industry better than the Greyhound Scenicruiser There are a few out there today that have undergone significant restorations that are on par with “001,” and each of those restorations were well over one million dollars. But they still do not have the significance or history of being the first production model ”

A total of 1,000 production Scenicruiser coaches were built from 1954 to 1956 They all went to Greyhound and became the new flagship model of the fleet Since 2,000 PD4104 coaches were also added at this time, the Greyhound fleet was highly modernized and given a new appearance An attempt to replace the Scenicruiser with the 102-inch wide MCI MC-6 model was not successful because of the width Hence, the MCI MC-7 model was the effective replacement for the Scenicruisers in the Greyhound fleet

As late as the gasoline crunch of 1973, half of the Scenicruiser fleet was still operating for Greyhound Some of them racked up more than three million miles before being sold to other bus companies. By 1978, all of them had left Greyhound except for the preserved 001 and two units in San Francisco that were out of service. The asking price on the Scenicruiser is $980,000

1968 MCI MC-7

Some people have asked about the gap between the Scenicruiser and the MCI MC-7 It has been suggested that initial plans called for adding a PD4104 or PD4106 to the Historic Fleet, but they were not retained While the MCI MC-6 was an exclusive model for

Grey-

The ACF-Brill IC-41 coaches were different from the Yellow Coaches in several ways. The air-operated passenger door was located behind the front axle and made room for a passenger seat to the right of the driver An underfloor Hall-Scott engine provided a high operating speed but was notorious for requiring fuel. MICHAUD BUS APPRAISALS

The cockpit area of the Brill looked substantially different than the Yellow Coaches. While faster, the Brills had less underfloor storage space because of their underfloor engine. MICHAUD BUS APPRAISALS

The seat to the right of the driver on the Brills accommodated two passengers. In the center of the dash is the knob for the air-operated control for opening and closing the door. MICHAUD BUS APPRAISALS

Shown

To a large extent, the Scenicruiser represents the queen of the Historical Fleet It required many years of development and brought the coach industry up to the 40-foot length. Originally built with dual 4-71 diesel engines, the Scenicruisers were later updated to a single 8V-71 engine MICHAUD BUS APPRAISALS

For many of us, the MC-7 moves up into a more modern era. It effectively w

a length of 40 feet The MC-7 was the model that effectively replaced the Scenicruiser in the Greyhound fleet. MICHAUD BUS APPRAISALS.

The cockpit area of the Scenicruiser was similar to the PD4104 in using toggle switches and a meaningful side panel. Like the rest of the fleet, the Scenicruiser in the Historial Fleet had been converted to the 8V-71 engine MICHAUD BUS APPRAISALS.

The cockpit area of the MC-7 brings us into a more modern area. This was the last model in the Greyhound fleet with a clutch and mechanical transmission. MICHAUD BUS APPRAISALS.

here is the GM builder ’s plate on the historical Scenicruiser that shows it as PD4501-001, the first production Scenicruiser. This makes it the first off the line of the model that has become an iconic part of the bus industry. MICHAUD BUS APPRAISALS.

The interior of the MC-7 brings us back to the era of blue festival seating and the baby powder smell from the restroom chemicals from the rear restroom. MICHAUD BUS APPRAISALS.

hound, it had only a limited production run and hence was never a big factor in the fleet so it was not included in the Historic Fleet It was the MC-7 that effectively replaced the Scenicruisers

Greyhound began switching to buying MCI coaches with the 35foot MC-5 that was introduced in 1963 The MC-7 model built upon this basic design but had a length of 40 feet, three axles and a raised passenger level to increase luggage capacity Like the PD4106 and MC-5, it was powered with the Detroit Diesel 8V-71 engine. The first MC-7 delivered to Greyhound had skirting over the bogie axle and was lettered “Scenicruiser ” Subsequent coaches were lettered “Super 7 Scenicruiser” to carry on the Scenicruiser name but differentiate the new MCI.

The MC-7 started production in 1968 and remained in production until 1973 When it entered the Greyhound fleet, the MC-7 effectively took over as the Flagship model although some of the Scenicruisers were still around for another decade. It also marked the end of purchasing 35-foot coaches for the fleet Greyhound became the largest operator of the MC-7 model and during the last year of production, Greyhound began ordering MC-7 coaches with automatic transmissions With the introduction of the MC-8 model in 1974 the MC-7 was replaced as the flagship of the Greyhound fleet The MC-7 in the Historical Fleet has already been sold and will be going into a fleet that is active doing movie work

1984 TMC/MCI MC-9

N e w e s t o f t h e c o a c h e s i n t h e G re y h o u n d H i s t o r i c a l F l e e t i s a n M C - 9 T h e M C I M C - 9 m o d e l w a s i n t r o d u c e d i n l a t e 1 9 7 8 I t replaced the MC-8 in the MCI product line and effectively became t h e f l a g s h i p o f t h e G r e y h o u n d f l e e t w h e n p u r c h a s e d b y G re y h o u n d I t i s n o t e w o r t h y t h a t w h e n M C I d i s c o n t i n u e d t h e i r 3 5 - f o o t M C - 5 C m o d e l i n 1 9 8 0 , t h e M C - 9 b e c a m e t h e o n l y M C I model in production until the introduction of the new “A” model i n 1 9 8 4 .

Effectively an updated MC-8, the MC-9 was very popular with many coach operators. In spite of the fact that MCI offered newer models, the MC-9 remained in regular production until 1990 – a span of nearly a dozen years July of 1989 saw MCI offer a Special Edition of the MC-9 that featured a special interior and an attractive price When regular production ended in 1990, a total of 9,513 units had been built.This set a new American coach production record, bypassing the 5,065 GM PD4104 coaches that had been built over a span of eight years

Also noteworthy about this particular coach is that it was built in Roswell, New Mexico The gasoline shortage of 1972 and 1973 increased sales at MCI and prompted the opening of an additional manufacturing plant at Transportation Manufacturing Corporation in Roswell, New Mexico. Although initially intended to produce coaches for Greyhound, Roswell built coaches for other companies This MC-9 was built there in 1984 The asking price on the MC-9 is $55,000.

MICHAUD BUS APPRAISALS

Historical Fleet Notes

Why did the Greyhound Historical Fleet end with the MC-9? The most obvious answer is that Greyhound Corp announced that it was divesting itself of Greyhound Lines in late 1986. The new owners probably had little chance to make decisions on this before financial p ro b l e m s a p p e a re d a n d t h e y w e re f o rc e d i n t o b a n k ru p t c y A f t e r Greyhound Lines was back on its feet again, it became very conservative and starting buying the MC-12 model, effectively an updated MC-9 It was somewhat of an anachronism since it continued with the 40-foot length and 96-inch width while the industry was moving t o 4 5 f e e t a n d 1 0 2 i n c h e s T h e H i s t o r i c a l F l e e t n e v e r d i d d e v e l o p beyond the MC-9.

Additional information and photos of the coaches can be found on BusesOnline.com. Michaud Bus Appraisals has indicated that they are accepting offers from those that are interested in acquiring one of these coaches from the Greyhound Historic Fleet For more information on these buses contact Jim Michaud at (603) 679-2800 or Jim@BusAppraiser com

T h e M C - 9 b e c a m e t h e m o s t p o p u l a r o f t h e M C I 4 0 - f o o t m o d e l s a n d remained in production for an unusually long time. They served as the flagship model in the Greyhound fleet for many years It is noteworthy that the MC-9 in the Historical Fleet was built at Roswell.

The cockpit area of the MC-9 was somewhat modernized from earlier 40foot coaches but retained the toggle switches and side panel What is noteworthy is that this is the first model in the Historical Fleet without a clutch and stick shift MICHAUD BUS APPRAISALS

Newer upholstery and larger windows give the MC-9 interior a brighter appearance than the older coaches Passengers can still take advantage of overhead parcel racks and a rear restroom. The transition and increased amenities from the past are obvious MICHAUD BUS APPRAISALS

Help the Pacific Bus Museum Acquir e a Silverside

The Pacific Bus Museum, www pacbus org is an all volunteer, non-profit, 501(c)3 organization that is dedicated to preser ving the hist o r y o f b u s t r a n s p o r t a t i o n T h e m u s e u m , located in Fremont, Califor nia, was recently notified of a once in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire a restored and operable bus that was par t of Gre yhound Lines’ Histor ic Bus fleet

The new owners of Greyhound have made a decision to liquidate the company’s Historic B u s F l e e t i n t h e c o m i n g m o n t h s T h e s e a r e museum quality buses that were restored back to their original condition by Greyhound starting in the 1980s. The Pacific Bus Museum has s u b m i t t e d a b i d f o r G r e y h o u n d ’s G e n e r a l Motors, model PD 4151 “Silverside” #1947 and t h e m u s e u m h a s b e e n n o t i fi e d t h a t o u r b i d was accepted This bus would be a significant a d d i t i o n t o t h e mu s e u m ’s b u s fl e e t a n d t h i s par ticular “Silver side”, which has ties to the San Francisco Bay Area, was one of the last 20 “Silver sides” still operated b y Gre yhound at the end of 1971 This bus should need little to n o re s t o ra t i ve wo rk u n l i ke a nu m b e r o f t h e museum’s previously acquired buses.

Your help is needed for donations towards this bus purchase that can become part of the l e g a c y o f t h e P B M T h e m u s e u m h a s e s t a blished a program that allows people to have naming r ights to the all the seats on the bus If you donate at a certain level, you can choose a seat, and a metal plaque with your name will b e a f fi x e d t o t h e s e a t fo re ve r Yo u c a n e ve n m a k e i t a m e m o r i a l t o a f a m i l y m e m b e r o r fr iend Here’s how it works, there are 5 levels of giving and the highest donation received for e a ch le ve l is a llowe d fir st pick of th e 41 passenger seats and also the driver’s seat The sooner you donate the better your chances to ge t a s e a t yo u d e s i re . We we l c o m e n o n - s e a t donations in any amount

Levels:

1 “ D r i ve r ’s s e a t ” – A m i n i m u m d o n a t i o n o f $10,000 00, for a plaque on the dashboard

2 . “ H e y d r i v e r ” – A m i n i m u m d o n a t i o n o f $5,000 00, for seats in fir st rows

3 “Are we there Yet” A minimum donation of $1,000 00, for seats back a few rows

4 “It’s cold in here” A minimum donation of $750 00, for seats a few rows from the back

5 “Always room in the back of the bus” A minimum donation of $500 00, for the remaining rear seats

Your donations for the “Silver side” can be your chance to preser ve something tangible for the present and for future visitor s to have some histor y of those who made it all possible

YE S! I want to help the Pacific Bus Museum acquire Greyhound’s “Silverside” #1947. I am enclosing a donation for this acquisition. Donor’s Name: Address: City: State/Zip: Email: Phone: p $10,000 p $5,000 p $1,000 p $750 p $500 p Other For a Seat Level donation ($500 or more) check this box p Total amount enclosed: $

(Please make checks/money or ders payable to Pacific Bus Museum)

To donate online go to: www.pacbus.org then click on the Donate Now link In the “Enter Bus # here” box enter Silverside 1947 For infor mation regarding seat availability ($500 or more) email the museum at info@pacbus org

Please mail your check/money order together with this for m to: Pacific Bus Museum, 1947 Silverside, P.O. Box 601105, Sacramento, CA 95860-1105

Donations should be r eceived by January 31, 2023

The Pacific Bus Museum is a Califor nia non-profit organization under section 501 (c) (3) of the tax code

California Bus Association

48th Annual Convention

West Coast operators attended valuable business sessions, networked with colleagues and enjoyed the O m n i R a n c h o L a s P a l m a s R e s o r t & S p a amenities during the California Bus Association (CBA) Annual Convention and Trade Show October 23-26 in Rancho Mirage, Cali f o r n i a . T h e 4 8 t h a n n u a l e v e n t a d d re s s e d driver recruitment challenges, California Air Resources Board rules and the feasibility of battery-electric fleets, along with other topics aimed at increasing members’ operational success in 2023 and beyond.

Manufacturers and suppliers to the motorcoach industry showcased their latest innovations and sponsored many of the sessions,

dining experiences and award ceremonies

T h e c o n v e n t i o n , w h i c h h a d a “ We s t w a rd Expansion” theme, once again attracted operators from Nevada, Colorado, Washington, Arizona and Utah as well as California.

“We want operators from out-of-state to share in our expertise and have the chance to get involved,” said Vickie Cole, CBA presi d e n t a n d c o - o w n e r o f A m e r i c a n S t a g e Tours, Concord, California “There is great p o t e n t i a l f o r C B A t o h e l p o p e r a t o r s i n a l l neighboring states, especially those without a n a s s o c i a t i o n o f t h e i r o w n , ” a d d e d M i k e Waters, service delivery director with Coach USA/Megabus and chair of the CBA Convention Planning Committee “CBA has the

capacity to do more with Vicki Bowman as our executive director and a resource channel to legislators in those states on matters of interest to the industry ”

Waters’ lifelong career in the motorcoach industry began in 1967, when he was hired as a teen to help maintain his uncle’s San Francisco bus fleet Later, he established his own charter company, the former Pacific Coast Bus S e r v i c e , i n t h e s a m e c i t y, a n d n o w Wa t e r s applies his experience to the greater good of the industry. “CBA’s organizational power and expanded membership will provide a rich environment for suppliers,” he said “We aim to benefit OEMs with a robust membership and vibrant West Coast marketplace,

California Bus Association’s 48th Annual Convention was held at the Omni Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa in Rancho Mirage, California. The event attracted bus operators from California as well as neighboring states and included industry suppliers, meetings and awards presentations Prevost was this year ’s corporate convention sponsor and displayed a 2022 H3-45 equipped with a Volvo D13 engine and Cloud One seats.

Ar tic le and photos cour tesy of Pat Plodzeen

because CBA depends on and appreciates their support to keep us going strong ”

Prevost, the manufacturer of the H3-45 and X3-45 touring coaches, partnered with C B A a s t h i s y e a r ’ s c o r p o r a t e c o n v e n t i o n sponsor

“We applaud the important work CBA is doing to represent and advocate for motorcoach operators, strengthening their presence westward and keeping members up to date on legislation affecting the industry,” said Tom Crowl, Prevost national parts director, who spoke at the Prevost-sponsored October 25 luncheon. “We look forward to working together with CBA in the coming year and being part of this outstanding organization ”

Show floor exhibits, sponsored events and more Prevost displayed a 2022 H3-45 equipped w i t h Vo l v o D 1 3 e n g i n e a n d i t s e x c l u s i v e Cloud One Seats. Executive sponsor partners MCI exhibited CBA member Ebmeyer Charters’ clean-diesel MCI J4500 and ABC Companies showcased its CX 45 model. CBA reco g n i z e d a l l c o n t r i b u t i n g a n d s u p p o r t i n g p a r t n e r s a n d e v e n t s p o n s o r s w i t h o n - s i t e recognition and promotion across all social media platforms

ABA President and CEO Peter Pantuso and UMA President Scott Michael presented national industry updates.

CBA’s general session brought together M C I ’ s B r e n t M a i t l a n d a n d A B C ’ s B r y a n O’Connell for a panel discussion on electrification infrastructure. Both MCI and ABC offer battery-electric coaches with models

already in operation providing commuter shuttle service in the Bay Area

“The purpose of CBA’s convention is to h e l p m e m b e r s f i n d s o l u t i o n s , ” s a i d C o l e , who is working with Waters and other CBA members to get an exception to California A i r R e s o u rc e s B o a rd ’ s p ro p o s e d ru l e s o n battery-electric vehicle regulation “We are working on getting our message to CARB and having a voice on behalf of our industry about the feasibility of electric vehicles fulfilling charging and luggage requirements on long-distance tour and charter trips ”

Other educational sessions covered driv e r re c ru i t m e n t a n d re t e n t i o n , i n s u r a n c e issues, California regulatory compliance and bus safety laws.

K e y n o t e s p e a k e r E r i c M c E l v e n n y, a Marine Corps veteran, became an Ironman Paralympian after losing one of his legs in Iraq McElvenny used his story as an example of how to triumph in difficult circumstances The Pittsburgh resident’s inspiring presentation, “From the Military to the Fini s h L i n e a n d t h e H a b i t s We C a n U s e t o Embrace Life’s Challenges,” touched on how g r i t a n d re s i l i e n c e c a n h e l p y o u re v e r s e a feeling of defeat

Awards

Recognizing excellence among its members, CBA honored Carreras Tours as Opera t o r o f t h e Ye a r a n d M a r c e l o P a c h e c o o f Santa Barbara Airbus with the MCI-sponsored Maintenance Technician of the Year Award Lancer-sponsored Driver of the Year Awards were presented to Cinnamon Langs of VIA Trailways in the large operator category and Josephine P Lal of Starks Enterprises Transportation in the small operator category

Next year ’s CBA annual convention will b e h e l d a t S i l v e r L e g a c y R e s o r t i n R e n o , Nevada, November 4-7, 2023

Members and prospective members are a l s o i n v i t e d t o j o i n t h e a s s o c i a t i o n f o r i t s a n n u a l m a i n t e n a n c e s e m i n a r w h i c h w i l l i n c l u d e a v e n d o r s h o w c a s e , F e b r u a r y 2 8 t h ro u g h M a rc h 1 , 2 0 2 3 , i n H a y w a rd , C a li f o r n i a “ We ’ re a l w a y s l o o k i n g a t w h a t ’ s a r o u n d t h e c o r n e r a n d f i n d i n g w a y s t o b e n e f i t f ro m m e m b e r s h i p i n C B A

” C o l e s a i d ”

,

Lancer Insurance sponsored the annual California Bus Association Driver of the Year award. Here, Dan Tomlinson and Steven O’Shea of Lancer Insurance present the Driver of the Year Award for Large Operators to Cinnamon Langs of VIA Adventure Trailways.

MCI sponsored the annual California Bus Association Maintenance Technician of the Year Award. Tom Wagner, MCI vice president, presents the Maintenance Technician of the Year Award to Marcelo Pacheco of Santa Barbara Airbus On the right, holding the plaque of past award winners, is Samantha Onnen, CEO of Santa Barbara Airbus.

WHY YOU NEED TO ATTEND:

NO OTHER SHOW allows operators and non-exhibiting suppliers to attend for free

NO OTHER SHOW will showcase the newest innovations in the world of bus, motorcoach and school bus industries

NO OTHER SHOW creates this kind of environment where business relations grow and prosper

NO OTHER SHOW gives you access to so many new prospects in one place

NO OTHER SHOW provides the latest trends in your market

F a g e o l B u s e s a t t h e B u s M u s e u m

y 1 9 2 1 b u s t r a n s p o r t a t i o n i n t h e U S w a s g ro w i n g a n d p o i s e d f o r g re a tn e s s A l l i t l a c k e d w a s – a b u s

From 1900 when Mack mounted seats on a truck chassis, through the beginnings of G r e y h o u n d t h a t u s e d 1 9 1 4 H u p m o b i l e , buses were wood bodies mounted on truck

While not up to modern standards, the Fageol dash was simple but had several gauges and switches. A manual transmission was standard. The fire extinguisher was probably not original equipment

o r a u t o m o b i l e c h a s s i s ( o r j u s t j a m p a c k e d c a r s ) E n t e r t h e F a g e o l b ro t h e r s w h o h a d been manufacturing trucks, cars and farm tractors in Oakland, California.

Even the company that became Greyhound operated the Fageol Safety Coach. This Fageol Safety Coach was about to leave Hibbing, Minnesota, the birthplace of Greyhound, for a run east to Duluth

The older of the two Fageols at the bus museum is this 1924 “Streetcar” model. It was designed primarily for local service to replace lighter streetcar lines or extend routes where it was not practical to extend the streetcar tracks This 1924 Fageol came from Peninsula Charter Lines in California and reportedly originally operated for the Pacific Electric Railway.

by Dave Millhouser

Photos courtesy of the Museum and Randy Wilcox

In 1921 they became the first to build a “complete” bus Fageol designed a chassis that had a wide track and low center of gravity making it resistant to rolling and easier to enter and exit. It had special springs and a x l e s t h a t i m p ro v e d r i d e a n d h a n d l i n g a s w e l l a s p o w e r f u l h y d r a u l i c b r a k i n g T h e innovative “low floor” concept is a precursor t o m o d e r n t r a n s i t b u s e s A l t h o u g h e a r l y examples had multiple side doors, Fageols rapidly evolved into the center aisle configuration that we use today

F a g e o l m o u n t e d t h e i r o w n s p e c i a l l y designed bus bodies on it, and were early adopters of optional air brakes and steel bodies Renamed the “Safety Coach” they were a leap forward in the safety and comfort of p a s s e n g e r t r a n s p o r t a t i o n . T h e re a re o n l y f o u r e x a m p l e s o f t h e s e g r o u n d b r e a k i n g buses known to exist, and the Museum of Bus Transportation/AACA Museum in Hers h e y, P e n n s y l v a n i a h a s t w o o f t h e m i n i t s historic fleet.

Fageol built a number of body styles The “ P a r l o r ” t y p e w a s u s e d o n i n t e rc i t y ru n s , a n d f e a t u re d a n i n t e r i o r l u x u r i o u s f o r t h e times The Museum’s 1927 model, acquired and donated by the late Dick Maguire, came from Empire Lines in Spokane Washington We r n e r R o s e n q u i s t , w h o o w n e d E m p i re , h a d p u r c h a s e d t h e c o a c h f r o m t h e A u t o Interurban Company when they were sold to Greyhound.

Fageol offered, at the time, both Waukesha and Hall Scott engines This bus is powered by a Hall Scott six-cylinder that developed approximately 90 horsepower at 2200 rpm Parlor coaches stored luggage in rear compartments or on overhead roof racks

F a g e o l a l s o b u i l t a “ S t r e e t c a r ” b o d y, which was the precursor to modern transit buses, with a different configuration of seat, entrance door, etc It was meant to replace

streetcars on routes where it was not pract i c a l t o l a y t r a c k s T h e M u s e u m ’ s 1 9 2 4 Fageol is an example of this model and was donated by Peninsula Charter lines of East Palo Alto, California. It is reported to have originally operated for Pacific Electric Railw a y o f L o s A n g e l e s I n i t i a l l y p o w e re d b y a Hall Scott four-cylinder engine, that was replaced, somewhere in its long service life, by a Hercules

I n a d d i t i o n t o t h e O a k l a n d , C a l i f o r n i a plant, some Fageols were built under license in Kent, Ohio Production records are scant and incomplete, but Fageol built a wide variety of specialty coaches, including sightseers a n d d o u b l e - d e c k s A p p r o x i m a t e l y 2 , 5 0 0

Fageol buses were completed in the decade between 1922 and 1932 by the Oakland and Kent plants

In late 1925, American Car and Foundry ( t h e n a r a i l c a r m a n u f a c t u r e r ) b o u g h t Fageol’s Ohio facility, and began building buses that evolved into the ACF Brill Brill was a major trolley car builder and developed into a prominent coach and bus builder from the 1930s through the early 1950s Their major plant was in Philadelphia.

In 1927 the Fageol brothers left the company to form Twin Coach and began manu f a c t u r i n g i n K e n t , O h i o Tw i n ( c l e v e r l y named after a drive train using two engines to compensate for the lack of power in contemporary engines) built transit and trolley b u s e s a s w e l l a s s m a l l d e l i v e r y v e h i c l e s until it was bought by the Flxible company in 1955

Following the departure of the brothers, leadership of the Fageol fell to its president, L H Bill After it fell into receivership during the Great Depression in 1938, T A Peterm a n p u rc h a s e d F a g e o l ’ s O a k l a n d f a c t o r y and inventory In 1939 he built the first Peterbilt truck Now part of PACCAR, Peterbilt r e m a i n s , t o t h i s d a y, a h i g h l y r e s p e c t e d builder of heavy-duty trucks

While these buses seem quaint by mode r n s t a n d a r d s , t h e y w e r e a g i a n t s t e p i n transportation safety, reliability and comfort. S u p e r i o r b r a k i n g , s u s p e n s i o n , d u r a b i l i t y and stability all had dramatic affects on the state of the art in bus building.

The two Fageol’s in the Museum’s historic fleet represent that leap forward in front e n g i n e b u s d e s i g n I t t o o k m o r e t h a n a decade for technology to advance enough to allow the building of coaches with the rear diesel engines, underfloor baggage storage and air conditioning that we take for granted today

The 1927 Fageol in the museum’s collection operated for Auto Interurban Company until they were purchased by Greyhound. It was then acquired by Empire Lines in Spokane, Washington and came to the museum via Dick Maguire of Capital Trailways This bus represents the coach version of the Fageol that was geared for longer routes.

Iwas wrong.

Wallowing astern of a commercial fishing boat tied up in Gloucester harbor, I yelled up t o t h e c a p t a i n t h a t a l l t h re e p ro p s w e re i n good shape He had asked me to dive under the boat, and look for dinged blades. “Great,” Tommy laughed, “but the boat only has two ” Harbor water is murky, but hang on, this is a compound error.

J u m p i n g i n t o t h e h a r b o r, i t h a d n o t occurred to me that planning on how to exit the water might be important Wrong There

The Gift of Being Wrong

by Dave Millhouser

were no ladders on the boat, or the dock. As we age some of us finally stumble on our real t a l e n t s , a n d a f t e r d e c a d e s o f s e a r c h i n g , I finally recognized mine.

“

The gift of being

”

wrong

Looking back on life, I was sure of all sorts of things, and many turned out to be wrong. Aging refines your “Bull Poopy Filter,” and it becomes marginally easier to anticipate or m i t i g a t e m i s t a k e s . T h e t r i c k t o “ c r e a t i v e wrongness” is timing, the ability to recognize that an act or idea is doo-doo, and limp away from it. Ego complicates things by pointing o u t w e m a y l o o k s i l l y, a n d m o t i v a t i o n a l

speakers remind us that if we persist we can do anything Horsefeathers!

T h e y c a n j u m p o ff a c l i ff a n d f l a p l i k e a hummingbird, but willing themselves to fly is not gonna end well I would still be under the dock if I had not admitted folly, cried like a baby and begged Tommy to drag me out

The ability to be wrong is freeing In our business it takes the form of trying all sorts o f n e w s e r v i c e s , i d e a s a n d e q u i p m e n t , b u t always with the caveat that they might fail Many new ideas were “wrong” before they became right, timing counts. If our ego is willing to step back, we can try lots of things If

Many if not most bus operations find themselves in a new reality following the pandemic While some of the old ways may still work, companies are looking around to find new and better ways of doing things. In looking for alternatives, you may have to accept being wrong. MCI.

they fail, stagger away and look for better mistakes Edison made 6,000 attempts before inventing a practical light bulb.

Timing is critical when bailing out, then starting the search for new mistakes A reas o n a b l e f u l c ru m i s t o l i s t e n w h e n a v o i c e in your head begins screaming, “What the h e l l w a s I t h i n k i n g ? T h o s e d o u b l e - d e c k a r t i c u l a t e d c o a c h e s o n t h e K u m q u a t t o P o d u n k e x p re s s ro u t e a re n o t c a s h f l o wing ” Here we enter murky waters (harbor p u n i n t e n d e d ) I f y o u p a i d a b a z i l l i o n bucks for those jewels and there is no altern a t i v e u s e o r m a r k e t f o r t h e m , y o u a re i n P o o p i e C i t y.

T h e a r t o f b e i n g w ro n g b o i l s d o w n t o t w o t h i n g s . L a s t ( b u t c r i t i c a l ) i s k n o w i n g h o w t o e x i t B e f o re l e a p i n g i n , m a k e s u re y o u c a n g e t o u t w i t h o u t d r o w n i n g We s h o u l d b e w r o n g s o m e t i m e s , b u t i t i s i m p o r t a n t t o s u r v i v e u n t i l w e a r e r i g h t T h e re i s a r i g h t w a y t o b e w ro n g .

Next to last – listen when that voice yells, “What the hell was I thinking?” Stifle your ego, and start looking for your bussy version o f To m m y L i v e t o m e s s u p a n o t h e r d a y When you are waffling refer back to “stifle your ego ” It is better to be successful than “important.” Trust me – harbor water really stinks, get out when the time is right

If we are not wrong sometimes, we are not trying Two of Johnny Unitas’ first three

In looking for new ways to do things, it may be a good idea to look to staff, customers and other bus operators for ideas You may not get it right on the first try; even the best of inventors found many dead-ends before being successful It does help to leave yourself a way out if things do not go well. STARTUPSTOCKPHOTO

p ro p a s s e s w e re i n t e rc e p t i o n s B a b e R u t h often struck out If you are always right, you will likely flop.

You may feel that this concept is not useful in business, but in marriage it never fails. “I was wrong” works miracles Trust me If

you want to guarantee bliss, just add “Dear” as in, “I was wrong, Dear ”

It took a lifetime to become good at being wrong Susan says that another of my gifts is “Nothing.” Apparently I am really good at that, too q

The best bus models were not created on the firs try. They came about after things were tried and then replaced by better. Moving forward is admitting that we can do better than in the past ABC COMPANIES

Sur vival and Pr osperityby

Making Public Transportation Work Part 3: Feeder Service

Continuing with this series describing critical “missing pieces” of an operable public transit network (see https://transalt com/article/making-public-transportation-work-part1-alternative-work-schedules/ and https:// transalt.com/article/making-public-transportation-work-part-2-park-and-ride-lots/), this installment overviews yet another essential component of public transportation that has gone largely missing for decades: Feeder Service

In limited contexts, some feeder service s t i l l e x i s t s . T h e m o s t c o m m o n a n d v i s i b l e remnant is service to airports – provided by a v a r i e t y o f m o d e s i n c l u d i n g t a x i s , t r a n sp o r t a t i o n n e t w o r k c o m p a n i e s ( w h i c h s m o t h e r a l m o s t e v e r y t h i n g e l s e o n a c c e s s roads in front of most or many airports’ termi n a l s) , p e r son a l a u t omob i l e s ( “ vi si t or s” dropping off or picking up airport passengers typically comprise about a third of the p e r s o n a l o c c u p a n c y v e h i c l e s t r a v e l i n g t o and from airports), an occasional bus and a n o c c a s i o n a l s h a re d - r i d e s h u t t l e s e r v i c e , like SuperShuttle.

The other common form of feeder service is the use of fixed route buses to serve pass e n g e r r a i l s t a t i o n s . T h e m o s t e f fi c i e n t o f these are the bus lines running in Manhattan o n t h e e a s t - w e s t “ c ro s s - s t re e t s ” o n w h i c h subway stations are largely located, as well as more circuitous and random services in the other boroughs, and in many other major cities whose transit systems recover far less than 35 percent of their operating costs from passenger fares, as does New York City (the nation’s highest) Yet vehicles feeding bus stops seem nowhere to be found – other than where rare park-and-ride lots are located The major exception is feet – and the occasional skate board, wheelchair or bicycle, as well as e-bikes and e-scooters, many stored in municipal racks often near bus stops

Precursors and Simplicity

To even older transit professionals with long memories, the origin of feeder service is obscure. Feeder service actually began as a “ d e m o n s t r a t i o n p ro j e c t ” f u n d e d b y t h e Urban Mass Transportation Administration (the forerunner of what is now the Federal Transit Administration) in 1969 known as ”The Haddonfield Experiment ” The project

director (and possibly the creator of the concept) was Eldon Zeigler

When it hit the streets, this service was k n o w n a s t h e H a d d o n fi e l d D i a l - A - R i d e –and likely the first U S service ever named a dial-a-ride Unlike decades of dial-a-ride programs that followed, UMTA’s project did not provide one-to-one (exclusive ride) or b a re l y - m a n y - t o - f e w ( s h a re d r i d e ) s e r v i c e transporting elderly and/or disabled individuals unable to use fixed route transit to travel to or from their destinations. Instead, the mostly-one-to-many (in the a m peak p e r i o d ) o r m a n y - t o - o n e ( i n t h e p m p e a k period), curb-to-curb Haddonfield Dial-ARide transported commuters in this southern New Jersey suburb to a nearby rail station on the Lindenwold Line – a passenger rail line that mostly transported commuters to and from their jobs in nearby Philadelphia.

I do not know all the trip reservation and scheduling specifics, but I suspect that most riders traveled regularly, Monday through Friday, and rode on what is still known (in t h e p a r a t r a n s i t w o r l d ) a s “ s u b s c r i p t i o n service” (or as “standing rides”) If you were on the list, you only had to call to cancel a trip Otherwise, you were regularly picked u p a n d d ro p p e d o ff w i t h o u t a p h o n e c a l l “Occasional riders” had to call for a pick-up or (in the p.m. period) a drop-off, and these pick-ups and drop-offs were inserted into existing schedules as minor deviations along the paths of the mostly subscription-serviceoriented vehicles.

As a scheduling matter, running such a s y s t e m w a s a s n a p c o m p a r e d t o t h e v a s t majority of stupidly-run paratransit systems of today The schedule was largely a “skeleton” of regular riders into which occasional riders were inserted, as noted Interestingly, this is how I designed the City of Los Angeles’ VALTRANS paratransit system to operate in 1982 – although no paratransit system o r N E M T s y s t e m I h a v e e v e r h e a r d o f o r know of has operated this way since – a pity since it is so much more efficient Instead, robots (i e , software) combine a core of sub-

scription riders with pre-scheduled immediate-response riders and effectively schedule every one of both types of trips largely independently every single day Even while same-day reservations can be honored (as per the ADA) to fill gaps in schedules and increase efficiency, no paratransit system I know of accommodates them as a means of discouraging usage of the system altogether. These would-be riders simply schedule their trips another time, efficiency be damned

Regardless, as a largely-subscription service, one can understand how simple it was – e v e n w i t h o u t a n y r o b o t s – t o o p e r a t e a feeder system like the Haddonfield Dial-ARide. Of course, without robots, live reservation clerks and schedulers were needed to operate such a system As a subscription service which few riders had to call, and a scheduling process that only involved inserting occasional riders into existing schedules, few schedulers were needed They did not need to be highly-skilled Besides, this was 1969, and the start of the U.S. Jobs Elimination Program (JEP) lay a few years away In terms of the early “Nixon years,” employing live earthlings to run a transportation system – and both reduce traffic and reduce subsidies for passenger rail systems – made complete sense Plus, two years earlier, with the creation of USDOT, what operating subsides that were required were paid for partly with federal tax dollars – just as 80 percent of the capital costs of every transit system was covered with federal funds when UMTA was created in 1964 (initially within the former Department of Housing and Urban Develo p m e n t – a s p a r t o f P r e s i d e n t J o h n s o n ’ s “Model Cities Program”)

Hijacking and Squandering

Transportation planners sometimes classify modes or services into three roles: Onet o - o n e , m a n y - t o - o n e ( o r o n e - t o - m a n y ) o r many-to-many As the simplest examples:

• Taxis, limousines and TNCs provide oneto-one service

• S h u t t l e s e r v i c e s p ro v i d e m a n y - t o - o n e service

• B u s e s a n d ( e s p e c i a l l y ) t r a i n s p r o v i d e many-to-many service

The Haddonfield Dial-A-Ride provided o n e - t o - m a n y t r i p s ( d u r i n g t h e a m p e a k p e r i o d ) o r m a n y - t o - o n e t r i p s ( d u r i n g t h e p . m . p e a k p e r i o d ) – w h e re e a c h v e h i c l e ’ s passengers accessed or left a rail station at one end of their trips As a heavily-ridden

Ned Einstein

T h e o r i g i n o f f e e d e r service is obscure.

Sur vival and Pr osperity

“ s u b s c r i p t i o n s e r v i c e , ” t h e H a d d o n fi e l d D i a l - A - R i d e w a s f a r m o r e e f fi c i e n t t h a n t h o s e “ s h a re d - r i d e ” p a r a t r a n s i t s e r v i c e s t h a t o p e r a t e t o d a y – m o s t o f w h i c h , i n truth, provide mostly exclusive rides. Yet, w h i l e t h e H a d d o n fi e l d D i a l - A - R i d e w a s h i g h l y - s u c c e s s f u l , s i m i l a r f e e d e r s e r v i c e s not only disappeared, but the concept was e ff e c t i v e l y h i j a c k e d b y s h a re d - r i d e p a r at r a n s i t s e r v i c e s f o r e l d e r l y a n d d i s a b l e d individuals (“General public” paratransit systems also operate in low density areas ) When the Americans with Disabilities Act ( A D A ) w a s p ro m u l g a t e d i n 1 9 9 1 , e l d e r l y i n d i v i d u a l s w h o w e r e n o t a l s o d i s a b l e d w e r e e l i m i n a t e d f r o m t h e m i x , a n d t h e extraordinary efficiency of a few pre-ADA D i a l - A - R i d e s y s t e m s ( l i k e t h a t i n Tu l s a , O k l a h o m a ) v a n i s h e d f ro m t h e l a n d s c a p e When robots replaced live earthlings in the e a r l y 1 9 9 0 s , t h e e f fi c i e n c y o f s h a re d - r i d e s e r v i c e d i m i n i s h e d e v e n m o re , s u c h t h a t m a n y m o r e t r i p s w e r e p r o v i d e d o n a n exclusive-ride basis – essentially limousine s e r v i c e f o r t h e d i s a b l e d .

C o n s i s t e n t w i t h t h e d e c l i n e i n m o s t modes of public transportation in the United S t a t e s , a n d t h e r e p l a c e m e n t o f l o w - c o s t services with those experiencing outrageous c o s t s ( l i k e A M T R A K s e r v i c e i n m o s t a r e a s o f t h e c o u n t r y [ s e e h t t p s : / / t r a n s a l t . c o m / a r t i c l e / c o v i d - 1 9shenanigans-and-liability-part-2-makingmoney-by-compromising-health/]), feedert o - b u s s e r v i c e s n e a r l y v a n i s h e d w h i l e similarly-structured paratransit and NEMT services with embarrassing efficiency (often or mostly providing exclusive rides) proliferated Particularly as brokers exploded into the field, NEMT service increasingly began to provide mostly exclusive rides (In one lawsuit I was engaged in, the driver testified that she had never provided a shared ride; many accessible vehicles have room for only one wheelchair )

In simple terms, the near-disappearance of feeder-to-bus service is merely another e l e m e n t o f t h e c o l l a p s e o f t h e o v e r a l l U S p u b l i c t r a n s p o r t a t i o n n e t w o r k , a n d t h e e x t r a o rd i n a r y c o r r u p t i o n a n d w a s t e t h a t i n c r e a s i n g l y d o m i n a t e m o r e a n d m o r e modes

Taxpayers and Tolerance

Installment after installment in this series, the point remains that we either have a public transportation system that works and that is affordable, or we smother in traffic that wastes billions of hours of our time and billions of dollars of our money Until teleportation arrives – which Quantum theory actually suggests may someday be possible – we h a v e t o t r a v e l t o a n d f r o m b u s a n d t r a i n stops

e i t h e r h a v e a p u b l i c transportation system that w o r k s a n d t h a t i s a ff o rda b l e , o r w e s m o t h e r i n traffic that wastes billions o f h o u r s o f o u r t i m e a n d b i l l i o n s o f d o l l a r s o f o u r money.

If we do not have a bus stop or train station within a quarter mile of almost every s p o t i n t o w n ( I a c t u a l l y d e s i g n e d a fi x e d route system that came close to this in southern California in 1983), we must find a way to get people to those places where a bus can re a s o n a b l y ( a n d s a f e l y ) s t o p T h i s m e a n s either these riders must drive someplace not t o o f a r a w a y w h e re t h e y c a n p a r k b e f o re s t e p p i n g o n t h e b u s o r t r a i n ( s e e P a r t 2 o f t h i s s e r i e s : h t t p s : / / t r a n s a l t c o m / a r t i c l e / making-public-transportation-work-part-2park-and-ride-lots/ ), or something else is going to have to take them to these stops and drop them off (and pick them up at the stops, reversing the process, in the afternoon)

Both these alternatives – frankly, the only alternatives that exist for supporting public transportation service in the cities, and diminishing traffic to tolerable levels – also assume that these commuter-bus riders can navigate quickly and affordably at the higher-density ends of their trips Unfortunately, this is also becoming less and less possible. As noted, the highest-performing urban transit system in the nation is the NYCTA – covering 35 percent of its operating costs from farebox revenues. (Remember: 80 percent of the vehicles, a n d o t h e r c a p i t a l c o s t s , p a i d f o r w i t h F TA funds, are not even included in this equation ) In Los Angeles, this percentage is nine The two years before COVID-19 emerged, transit ridership decreased, nationally, by about 10 p e r c e n t A y e a r b e f o r e C O V I D e m e r g e d , K a n s a s C i t y ’ s t r a n s i t a g e n c y ( K C ATA ) –whose “operating ratio” was less than that of Los Angeles County’s – abandoned bus fares altogether, as the cost of collecting and processing the fares exceeded the fares themselves.

This dynamic is not the same as all but live music becoming free, and merely screwing musicians out of royalties. That is merely institutionalized theft where both the perpetrators and victims lie in the private sector Providing free bus service costs taxpayers r e a l m o n e y. T h e q u e s t i o n i s : H o w m u c h longer are taxpayers going to put up with t h e s e t re n d s ? A re t a x p a y e r s l i k e l y t o a d d

public transit to the welfare system? Keep i n m i n d t h a t , u n l i k e p ro g r a m s l i k e S o c i a l Security (which have no economies of scale –a l t h o u g h p a y r o l l d e d u c t i o n s c o u l d b e increased for those paying into the system), a n d M e d i C a r e ( u n t i l r e c e n t l y, w h o l e s a l e c o s t s o f t h e m e d i c i n e s c o u l d n o t e v e n b e negotiated), the costs of public transportation are almost entirely the result of corruption and waste This reality is a bitter irony for the nation that invented trains, automobiles and airplanes

Common sense suggests that exclusiveride service – taxis, limousines and TNC (like Uber & Lyft) – are too costly for most people to use for feeder service This is especially true as our residences move further and further away from clusters of work destinations (mostly cities). Parallel to this, these modes are increasingly too costly as the distribution of wealth makes such services less and less a ff o rd a b l e t o m o re a n d m o re p e o p l e w h o need them. Compounding this further, those individuals who increasingly cannot afford them are more and more often those indiv i d u a l s w h o c a n n o t w o r k “ re m o t e l y ” b u t w h o , i n s t e a d , m u s t a c t u a l l y t r a v e l t o a n d from their jobs

Existential or Redeemable

In recent years, the misnomer “existential threat” was hackneyed to death Frankly, the concept is oxymoron: If something is existential, it is not a threat It is the future’s reality

L i k e s o m a n y t h i n g s m a n y A m e r i c a n s l o n g f o r – i n c l u d i n g a re t u r n t o t h e W h i t e Christmas-flavored world of Bing Crosby, or simple conveniences like telephones that fi t t h e c o n t o u r s o f o n e ’ s f a c e – t h e f a l s e promise of “seamless transportation” (the i l l u s o r y c l i c h é o f t r a n s i t i n d u s t r y b u re a ucrats) seems to be fading and further away. Over the past decades, our institutions (like public utilities commissions) have destroyed the potential of new modes like SuperShuttle (see https://transalt.com/article/bad-regulations-and-worse-responses-part-2-therise-fall-and-transformation-of-supershutt l e / ) A l l t y p e a n d m a n n e r o f i n s t i t u t i o n s have failed to prevent new modes that decimated traditional modes that were doing fine (see https://transalt com/article/badre g u l a t i o n s - a n d - w o r s e - re s p o n s e s - p a r t - 3i n v a s i o n - o f - t h e - t n c s / , https://transalt com/article/bad-regula-

We

A r e t a x p a y e r s l i k e l y t o a d d p u b l i c t r a n s i t t o t h e welfare system?

tions-and-worse-responses-part-4-judicialh e r o i s m / , h t t p s : / / t r a n s a l t c o m / a r t i c l e / b a d - r e g u l a t i o n s - a n d - w o r s er e s p o n s e s - p a r t - 5 - e x e c u t i v e - b r a n c hr e s p o n s e s / , h t t p s : / / t r a n s a l t . c o m / a r t i c l e / b a d - r e g u l a t i o n s - a n d - w o r s eresponses-part-6-industry-and-associationresponses/ and https://transalt com/article/bad-regulations-and-worse-responses-p art-7-conclusions/

O t h e r m o d e s l i k e A M T R A K s p r e a d COVID-19 (see https://transalt.com/article/covid-19-shenanigans-and-liability-part2 - m a k i n g - m o n e y - b y - c o m p r o m i s i n gh e a l t h / ) w h i l e o u r c o m m e r c i a l a i r l i n e i n d u s t r y s p re a d d i s ru p t i o n a n d i n c o n v enience as its contribution of transportation corruption (see https://transalt com/artic l e / e x p a n d i n g - t h e - m o d e - s p l i t - d i v i d i n gl i n e - p a r t - 1 - e x p o n e n t i a l - a i r l i n e - i n d u s t r ycorruption/)

In response to this eulogy of failures, the m o t o rc o a c h i n d u s t r y h a s d o n e n o t h i n g –even while NATIONAL BUS TRADER outlined a complete strategy for realizing new opportunities (see https://transalt com/article/ survival-and-prosperity-part-1-magic-corridors/ and https://transalt com/article/

survival-and-prosperity-part-3-the-gainsof-winning-the-cost-of-failure/ -- including a detailed vision of the vehicles needed (see https://transalt com/article/survival-andp ro s p e r i t y - p a r t - 2 - t h e - m a g i c - c o a c h / ) a n d t h e c o n c e p t s f o r d e p l o y i n g t h e m ( s e e https://transalt com/article/survival-andprosperity-part-4-service-concepts/)

Is the U S public transportation system redeemable? I doubt it Public transit was rescued as recently as 1964 and 1967 – while 10 years after operating assistance was introduced, passenger fare recovery ratios had s h r u n k t o 5 0 p e r c e n t Tr a n s i t r i d e r s h i p declined by 10 percent during the two years preceding COVID-19 (as noted). TNCs have decimated the taxi industry, and are already penetrating the school bus, transit, motorc o a c h a n d p a r a t r a n s i t s e c t o r s M o r e a n d more service is contracted out to companies paying drivers (often 1099 workers) starvation wages, and thinning management to a

skeleton of its former self. Trains are derailing on straightaways in stations No need to even discuss the deterioration of the infrastructure upon which these modes travel

There is a saying that one begins to grow old when his or her dreams turn into regrets Otherwise, there is a small silver lining We will soon have nice memories.

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

Newport Aquarium, Newport, Kentucky – Photo by Newport Aquarium

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

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

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

Ark Encounter, Williamstown, Kentucky – Photo by Ark Encounter

I n s p i t e o f t h e t r a d i t i o n a l s m a l l w i ndows, the interior of the 1931 Mack BK is relatively bright because of orange seat covers. Note the overhead parcel r a c k s a n d t h e c u r t a i n s b e t w e e n t h e windows. This bus is now more than 90 years old and still running

Photographs

H e r e w e a r e l o o k i n g f o r w a r d f r o m t h e rear of the 1948 ACF-Brill IC-41. What is obvious is that the passengers were provided with a pocket on the seat ahead for personal items. The parcel racks can also be seen overhead.

Here are two photos from Michaud Bus Appraisals showing interiors of two of the Greyhound Historical Fleet buses that did not make it into the article.

“ 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 Is it possible to follow the control

A Unfortunately, this is a long story Let me s e e i f I c a n s i m p l i f y t h i s t o s o m e e x t e n t W h e n G e n e r a l M o t o r s a c q u i r e d Ye l l o w Coach, they moved operations to Pontiac, M i c h i g a n b u t t h e Ye l l o w C o a c h n a m e remained until World War II The assembly line was shut down during par t of the war years and used for the assembly of amphibious ducks for the militar y All GM coaches and “Old Look” transit buses were built at Pontiac

T h i s c o n t i n u e d u n t i l 1 9 5 9 w h e n G M i n t roduced their “New Look” design for the larger m o d e l s a l t h o u g h t h e “ O l d L o o k ” s t y l e remained for a while with the shor ter transit b u s e s T h e G M a n d F l x i b l e “ N e w L o o k ” models soon became the most popular transit buses in the industry In 1972, GM started building transit buses for the Canadian mark e t a t G M ’s D i e s e l D i v i s i o n i n L o n d o n , O n t a r i o T h i s f a c i l i t y h a d p re v i o u s l y b u i l t diesel locomotives

The years of the 70s were an awkward time f o r t h e b u s i n d u s t r y b e c a u s e t h e U r b a n Mass Transportation Administration (UMTA) was moving towards developing the Transb u s , a n i m p r o v e d t r a n s i t b u s H o w e v e r, specifications were changed several times This prolonged the project and made things difficult for the bus manufacturers Seeking t o o ff e r a n e w m o d e l t o re p l a c e t h e “ N e w Look” design and bridge the gap until the Transbus was finalized, GM developed its RTS (Rapid Transit Series) model with simplified modular construction

The Curious Coachowner

The RTS was modular in five-foot segments

L o n g B e a c h t o o k d e l i v e r y o f t h e fi r s t p roduction units from Pontiac in 1977 Meanwhile, the Transbus proved to be unworka b l e A m o n g o t h e r t h i n g s , i t s l o w - fl o o r design required new and different components As a result, the RTS soon went on to become the most popular transit model in t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s P r o m p t e d b y a m a j o r order from Montreal, Canadian “New Look” transit production moved in 1979 to a new location at Ste Eustache, just nor thwest of Montreal

After trying to develop a new modular coach design, GM gave up and ended coach production in 1980 In 1982-83 Ste Eustache m a d e t h e t r a n s i t i o n f ro m t h e “ N e w L o o k ” design to the Classic design transit bus

I n D e c e m b e r o f 1 9 8 6 , G r e y h o u n d C o r p announced it was selling Greyhound Lines to a group of investors headed by Fred Currey in Dallas, Texas At this point the corporation elected to expand into bus production and purchased the bus manufacturing operations from General Motors

T h e RT S b u s p ro d u c t i o n l i n e w a s m o v e d from Pontiac to Roswell, New Mexico Here, m a n u f a c t u r i n g o f t h e R T S l i n e r e s u m e d under the MCI name They also took over t h e e x i s t i n g b u s b u i l d i n g f a c i l i t y a t S t Eustache, Quebec, near Montreal

Production continued at both facilities for several years under the MCI name In the early 1990s the St Eustache facility faced c l o s u r e b e c a u s e o f d e c l i n i n g o r d e r s Novabus was founded in 1993 to save the company and jobs for Quebec It took over the St Eustache facility from what was then Dial Corporation

Novabus announced their new low-floor LFS series transit bus, and the first one was delivered from St Eustache in 1997 Volvo took par tial ownership of Novabus in 1998 and c o m p l e t e o w n e r s h i p i n 2 0 0 4 Tr a n s i t b u s production continues at St Eustache under t h e N o v a b u s n a m e T h e p ro d u c t l i n e h a s been expanded and battery-electric buses are now being produced

M e a n w h i l e t h e R T S p r o d u c t i o n l i n e i n Roswell, New Mexico came under the ownership of Millenium Transit Services in 2003 I believe that there was at least one major order While the RTS was a good bus, it suff e re d f ro m i t s h i g h l e v e l d e s i g n w h e n t h e

industry was moving to low-floor buses Following sales attempts and exhibits at some trade shows, Millenium Transit Services was closed in 2009

Q With recent talk about the Greyhound Historical Fleet, does anyone know when the various models were added to the Historical Fleet?

–– Reader in Illinois

A Unfor tunately, we have never seen any documents with this information, but we can p a r t i a l l y p u t t h i s t o g e t h e r b a s e d o n w h a t infor mation we do have

W e d o k n o w t h a t G r e y h o u n d L i n e s attempted to sell the Scenicruisers outside of the United States in 1976 They apparently h a d l i t t l e s u c c e s s w i t h t h a t a n d m o v e d t o selling the Scenicruisers domestically When P D 4 5 0 1 - 0 0 1 c a m e u p f o r s a l e , F r e d D u n i k o s k i h e l d o n t o i t a n d t h e n s e n t i t t o M i a m i f o r r e s t o r a t i o n T h i s w o u l d h a v e star ted the Greyhound Historic Fleet

It appears that the next coach was the Mack 1 9 3 1 B K T h i s s h o w e d u p a t t h e fi r s t B u s B a s h a t B a r a n ’s Tr a n s i t L i n e s i n B e a v e r Meadows, Pennsylvania in 1979

The next two coaches added to the Historical Fleet were most likely the 1937 Yellow Coach 743 Supercoach and the 1948 ACF I C - 4 1 B r i l l T h e s e w e r e o n d i s p l a y i n Knoxville in 1982

B a s e d o n i n f o r m a t i o n f ro m D u n i k o s k i , w e k n o w t h a t t h e 7 4 3 i n t h e H i s t o r i c a l F l e e t came from Black Hills Stages However, two other 743 coaches were purchased to prov i d e p a r t s f o r t h e re s t o r a t i o n We b e l i e v e that one of these extra 743 coaches went to Alex Lock in Califor nia in 1990

The last of the older coaches added to the Historical Fleet was probably the 1947 General Motors PD4151 We know that it was in the fleet by 1985, but we are not sure of the exact year

B o t h t h e 1 9 6 8 M C - 7 a n d t h e 1 9 8 4 M C - 9 were added at later dates Since Greyhound L i n e s a n d t h e h i s t o r i c a l fl e e t w e n t t o n e w owners in 1987, it is likely that at least the M C - 9 w a s a d d e d t o t h e H i s t o r i c a l F l e e t under the new ownership

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

or ownership of what was originally GM bus production to current owners?

–– Reader in Ontario

BACK ISSUES

EVERY ISSUE IS NEW UNTIL YOU HAVE READ IT!

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

While they last, the following back issues are available Issues beginning with June, 1979 thru c u r r e n t a r e $ 3 – U S , $ 4 5 0 – C a n a d a a n d $ 5 –International (US) each postpaid

Several issues are already “out of print,” hence we suggest that you indicate second choices We r e s e r v e t h e r i g h t t o r e f u n d m o n e y i f i s s u e s requested are no longer available

q Vol II, No 7 June, 1979

q Vol II, No 10 September, 1979

q Vol III, No 4 March, 1980

q Vol III, No 5 April, 1980

q Vol III, No 6 May, 1980

q Vol. III, No. 9 August, 1980

q Vol III, No 10 September, 1980

q Vol. III, No. 12 November, 1980

q Vol IV, No 5 April, 1981

q Vol. IV, No. 6 May, 1981

q Vol IV, No 7 June, 1981

q Vol. IV, No. 9 August, 1981

q Vol IV, No 10 September, 1981

q Vol. IV, No. 11 October, 1981

q Vol V, No 2 January, 1982

q Vol. V, No. 3 February, 1982 q Vol V, No 6 May, 1982 q Vol V, No 11 October, 1982

q Vol V, No 12 November, 1982

q Vol VI, No 2 January, 1983

q Vol VI, No 5 April, 1983

q Vol VI, No 7 June, 1983

q Vol. VI, No. 9 August, 1983

q Vol VI, No 10 September, 1983

q Vol. VI, No. 11 October, 1983

q Vol VI, No 12 November, 1983

q Vol. VII, No. 5 April, 1984

q Vol VII, No 9 August, 1984

q Vol. VII, No. 10 September, 1984

q Vol VII, No 11 October, 1984

q Vol. VII, No. 12 November, 1984

q Vol VIII, No 2 January, 1985

q Vol. VIII, No. 4 March, 1985

q Vol VIII, No 6 May, 1985

q Vol VIII, No 7 June, 1985

q Vol VIII, No 8 July, 1985

q Vol VIII, No 10 September, 1985

q Vol VIII, No 12 November, 1985

q Vol IX, No 5 April, 1986

q Vol. IX, No. 6 May, 1986

q Vol IX, No 8 July, 1986

q Vol. IX, No. 9 August, 1986

q Vol IX, No 10 September, 1986

q Vol. IX, No. 12 November, 1986

q Vol X, No 2 January, 1987

q Vol. X, No. 4 March, 1987

q Vol X, No 5 April, 1987

q Vol. X, No. 6 May, 1987

q Vol X, No 9 August, 1987

q Vol X, No 10 September, 1987

q Vol X, No 11 October, 1987

q Vol X, No 12 November, 1987

q Vol XI, No 2 January, 1988

q Vol XI, No 3 February, 1988

q Vol. XI, No. 4 March, 1988

q Vol XI, No 5 April, 1988

q Vol. XI, No. 6 May, 1988

q Vol XI, No 11 October, 1988

q Vol. XI, No. 12 November, 1988

q Vol XII, No 2 January, 1989

q Vol. XII, No. 3 February, 1989

q Vol XII, No 4 March, 1989

q Vol. XII, No. 5 April, 1989

q Vol XII, No 6 May, 1989

q Vol. XII, No. 7 June, 1989

q Vol XII, No 10 September, 1989

q Vol XII, No 11 October, 1989

q Vol XIII, No 2 January, 1990

q Vol XIII, No 4 March, 1990

q Vol XIII, No 6 May, 1990

q Vol XIII, No 5 April, 1990

q Vol. XIII, No. 7 June, 1990

q Vol XIII, No 8 July, 1990

q Vol. XIII, No. 10 September, 1990

q Vol XIV, No 2 January, 1991

q Vol XIV, No 4 March, 1991

q Vol XIV, No 7 June, 1991

q Vol XIV, No 10 September, 1991

q Vol. XIV, No. 11 October, 1991

q Vol XIV, No 12 November, 1991

q Vol. XV, No. 2 January, 1992

q Vol XV, No 3 February, 1992

q Vol. XV, No. 4 March, 1992

q Vol XV, No 6 May, 1992

q Vol. XV, No. 7 June, 1992

q Vol XV, No 8 July, 1992

q Vol. XV, No. 9 August, 1992

q Vol XV, No 10 September, 1992

q Vol. XVI, No. 7 June, 1993

q Vol XVI, No 11 October, 1993

q Vol XVI, No 12 November, 1993

q Vol XVII, No 2 January, 1994

q Vol XVII, No 3 February, 1994

q Vol XVII, No 4 March, 1994

q Vol XVII, No 6 May, 1994

q Vol. XVII, No. 7 June, 1994

q Vol XVII, No 10 September, 1994

q Vol. XVII, No. 11 October, 1994

q Vol XVII, No 12 November, 1994

q Vol. XVIII, No. 2 January, 1995

q Vol XVIII, No 3 February, 1995

q Vol. XVIII, No. 4 March, 1995

q Vol XVIII, No 6 May, 1995

q Vol. XVIII, No. 7 June, 1995

q Vol XVIII, No 8 July, 1995

q Vol. XIX, No. 2 January, 1996

q Vol XIX, No 3 February, 1996

q Vol XIX, No 4 March, 1996

q Vol XIX, No 8 July, 1996

q Vol XIX, No 11 October, 1996

q Vol XIX, No 12 November, 1996

q Vol XX, No 2 January, 1997

q Vol. XX, No. 5 April, 1997

q Vol XX, No 6 May, 1997

q Vol. XX, No. 6 May, 1997

q Vol XX, No 7 June, 1997

q Vol. XX, No. 8 July, 1997

q Vol XX, No 9 August, 1997

q Vol. XX, No. 10 September, 1997

q Vol XX, No 12 November, 1997

q Vol. XXI, No. 2 January, 1998

q Vol XXI, No 3 February, 1998

q Vol XXI, No 5 April, 1998

q Vol XXI, No 7 June, 1998

q Vol XXI, No 8 July, 1998

q Vol XXI, No 9 August, 1998

q Vol XXI, No 10 September, 1998

q Vol. XXII, No. 2 January, 1999

q Vol XXII, No 4 March, 1999

q Vol. XXII, No. 5 April, 1999

q Vol XXII, No 6 May, 1999

q Vol. XXII, No. 7 June, 1999

q Vol XXII, No 8 July, 1999

q Vol. XXII, No. 9 August, 1999

q Vol XXII, No 10 September, 1999

q Vol. XXII, No. 11 October, 1999

q Vol XXII, No 12 November, 1999

q Vol. XXIII, No. 2 January, 2000

q Vol XXIII, No 3 February, 2000

q Vol XXIII, No 4 March, 2000

q Vol XXIII, No 5 April, 2000

q Vol XXIII, No 6 May, 2000

q Vol XXIII, No 7 June, 2000

q Vol XXIII, No 8 July, 2000

q Vol. XXIII, No.9 August, 2000

q Vol XXIII, No 10 September, 2000

q Vol. XXIII, No.11 October, 2000

q Vol XXIII, No 12 November, 2000

q Vol. XXIV, No.3 February, 2001

q Vol XXIV, No 4 March, 2001

q Vol. XXIV, No.5 April, 2001

q Vol XXIV, No 6 May, 2001

q Vol. XXIV, No.7 June, 2001

q Vol XXIV, No 9 August, 2001

q Vol. XXIV, No.10 September, 2001

q Vol XXIV, No 11 October, 2001

q Vol XXIV, No 12 November, 2001

q Vol XXV, No 2 January, 2002

q Vol XXV, No 3 February, 2002

q Vol. XXV, No. 4 March, 2002

q Vol. XXV, No. 5 April, 2002

q Vol XXV, No 6 May, 2002

q Vol XXV, No 8 July, 2002

q Vol XXV, No 9 August, 2002

q Vol XXV, No 11 October, 2002

q Vol. XXVI, No. 4 March, 2003

q Vol. XXVI, No. 6 May, 2003

q Vol XXVI, No 7 June, 2003

q Vol XXVI, No 8 July, 2003

q Vol XXVI, No 9 August, 2003

q Vol XXVI, No 10 September, 2003

q Vol XXVI, No 11 October, 2003

q Vol. XXVI, No. 12 November, 2003

q Vol. XXVII, No. 2 January, 2004

q Vol XXVII, No 3 February, 2004

q Vol XXVII, No 4 March, 2004

q Vol XXVII, No 5 April, 2004

q Vol XXVII, No 8 July, 2004

q Vol. XXVII, No. 9 August, 2004

q Vol. XXVII, No. 10 September, 2004

q Vol XXVII, No 11 October, 2004

q Vol XXVII, No 12 November, 2004

q Vol XXVIII, No 2 January, 2005

q Vol XXVIII, No 3 February, 2005

q Vol. XXVIII, No. 4 March, 2005

q Vol. XXVIII, No. 5 April, 2005

q Vol. XXVIII, No. 6 May, 2005

q Vol XXVIII, No 7 June, 2005

q Vol XXVIII, No 9 August, 2005

q Vol XXVIII, No 10 September, 2005

q Vol XXVIII, No 11 October, 2005

q Vol. XXVIII, No. 12 November, 2005

q Vol. XXVIV, No. 2 January, 2006

q Vol XXVIV, No 3 February, 2006

q Vol XXVIV, No 4 March, 2006

q Vol XXVIV, No 5 April, 2006

q Vol XXVIV, No 6 May, 2006

q Vol. XXVIV, No. 7 June, 2006

q Vol. XXVIV, No. 8 July, 2006

q Vol XXVIV, No 9 August, 2006

q Vol XXVIV, No 10 September, 2006

q Vol XXVIV, No 11 October, 2006

q Vol XXVIV, No 12 November, 2006

q Vol. XXX, No. 1 December, 2006

q Vol. XXX, No. 2 January, 2007

q Vol XXX, No 3 February, 2007

q Vol XXX, No 4 March, 2007

q Vol XXX, No 5 April, 2007

q Vol XXX, No 6 May, 2007

q Vol. XXX, No. 7 June, 2007

q Vol. XXX, No. 8 July, 2007

q Vol XXX, No 9 August, 2007

q Vol XXX, No 10 September, 2007

q Vol XXX No 11 October, 2007

q Vol XXX, No 12 November, 2007

q Vol. XXXI, No. 1 December, 2007

q Vol. XXXI, No. 2 January, 2008

q Vol. XXXI, No. 3 February, 2008

q Vol XXXI, No 4 March, 2008

q Vol XXXI, No 5 April, 2008

q Vol XXXI, No 6 May, 2008

q Vol XXXI, No 7 June, 2008

q Vol. XXXI, No. 8 July, 2008

q Vol. XXXI, No. 9 August, 2008

q Vol XXXI, No 10 September, 2008

q Vol XXXI, No 11 October, 2008

q Vol XXXI, No 12 November, 2008

q Vol XXXII, No 1 December, 2008

q Vol. XXXII, No. 2 January, 2009

q Vol. XXXII, No. 3 February, 2009

q Vol XXXII, No 4 March, 2009

q Vol XXXII, No 5 April, 2009

q Vol XXXII, No 6 May, 2009

q Vol XXXII, No 7 June, 2009

q Vol. XXXII, No. 8 July, 2009

q Vol. XXXII, No. 9 August, 2009

q Vol XXXII, No 10 September, 2009

q Vol XXXII, No 11 October, 2009

q Vol XXXII, No 12 November, 2009

q Vol XXXIII, No 1 December, 2009

q Vol. XXXIII, No. 2 January, 2010

q Vol. XXXIII, No. 3 February, 2010

q Vol XXXIII, No 4 March, 2010

q Vol XXXIII, No 5 April, 2010

q Vol XXXIII, No 6 May, 2010

q Vol XXXIII, No 7 June, 2010

q Vol XXXIII, No 8 July, 2010

q Vol. XXXIII, No. 9 August, 2010

q Vol XXXIII, No 10 September, 2010

q Vol. XXXIII, No. 11 October, 2010

q Vol XXXIII, No 12 November, 2010

q Vol. XXXIV, No. 1 December, 2010

q Vol XXXIV, No 2 January, 2011

q Vol. XXXIV, No. 3 February, 2011

q Vol XXXIV, No 4 March, 2011

q Vol. XXXIV, No. 5 April, 2011

q Vol XXXIV, No 6 May, 2011

q Vol. XXXIV, No. 7 June, 2011

q Vol XXXIV, No 8 July, 2011

q Vol XXXIV, No 9 August, 2011

q Vol XXXIV, No 10 September, 2011

q Vol XXXIV, No 11 October, 2011

q Vol XXXIV, No 12 November, 2011

q Vol XXXV, No 1 December, 2011

q Vol. XXXV, No. 2 January, 2012

q Vol XXXV, No 3 February, 2012

q Vol. XXXV, No. 4 March, 2012

q Vol XXXV, No 5 April, 2012

q Vol. XXXV, No. 6 May, 2012

q Vol XXXV, No 7 June, 2012

q Vol. XXXV, No. 8 July, 2012

q Vol XXXV, No 9 August, 2012

q

Vol XXXV, No 10 September, 2012

q Vol XXXV, No 11 October, 2012

q Vol XXXV, No 12 November, 2012

q Vol XXXVI, No 1 December, 2012

q Vol. XXXVI, No. 2 January, 2013

q Vol XXXVI, No 3 February, 2013

q Vol. XXXVI, No. 4 March, 2013

q Vol XXXVI, No 5 April, 2013

q Vol. XXXVI, No. 6 May, 2013

q Vol XXXVI, No 7 June, 2013

q Vol. XXXVI, No. 8 July, 2013

q Vol XXXVI, No 9 August, 2013

q Vol. XXXVI, No. 10 September, 2013

q Vol XXXVI, No 11 October, 2013

q Vol. XXXVI, No. 12 November, 2013

q Vol XXXVII, No 1 December, 2013

q Vol XXXVII, No 2 January, 2014

q Vol XXXVII, No 3 February, 2014

q Vol XXXVII, No 4 March, 2014

q Vol XXXVII, No 5 April, 2014

q Vol XXXVII, No 6 May, 2014

q Vol. XXXVII, No. 7 June, 2014

q Vol XXXVII, No 8 July, 2014

q Vol. XXXVII, No. 9 August, 2014

q Vol XXXVII, No 10 September, 2014

q Vol. XXXVII, No. 11 October, 2014

q Vol XXXVII, No 12 November, 2014

q Vol. XXXVIII, No. 1 December, 2014

q Vol XXXVIII, No 2 January, 2015

q Vol. XXXVIII, No. 3 February, 2015

q Vol XXXVIII, No 4 March, 2015

q Vol. XXXVIII, No. 5 April, 2015

q Vol XXXVIII, No 6 May, 2015

q Vol XXXVIII, No 7 June, 2015

q Vol XXXVIII, No 8 July, 2015

q Vol XXXVIII, No 9 August, 2015

q Vol XXXVIII, No 10 September, 2015

q Vol XXXVIII, No 11 October, 2015

q Vol. XXXVIII, No. 12 November, 2015

q Vol XXXIX, No 1 December, 2015

q Vol. XXXIX, No. 2 January, 2016

q Vol XXXIX, No 3 February, 2016

q Vol. XXXIX, No. 4 March, 2016

q Vol XXXIX, No 5 April, 2016

q Vol. XXXIX, No. 6 May, 2016

q Vol XXXIX, No 7 June, 2016

q Vol. XXXIX, No. 8 July, 2016

q Vol XXXIX, No 9 August, 2016

q Vol XXXIX, No 10 September, 2016

q Vol XXXIX, No 11 October, 2016

q Vol XXXIX, No 12 November, 2016

q Vol XL, No 1 December, 2016

q Vol XL, No 2 January, 2017

q Vol XL, No 3 February, 2017

q Vol XL, No 4 March, 2017

q Vol. XXXX, No. 5 April, 2017

q Vol XXXX, No 6 May, 2017

• UMA Motorcoach Expo in St Louis

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

• Rochester City Lines Still Making, Preserving and Celebrating History

q Vol XXXX, No 7 June, 2017

• Industry History From UMA Shows – Installment I

• Extended Service Protection on Your Bus Fleet

• Bus History on a Wall

q Vol XXXX, No 8 July, 2017

• Vicinity – A Mid-Size Bus Success Story

• Prevost Conversion Shells for All Types of Coaches

• The Bus Accident in Red Lion, Delaware

q Vol. XXXX, No. 9 August, 2017

• “J” is for Jackpot with the 2018 J4500

• Industry History from UMA Shows – Installment II

• Book Review

q Vol. XXXX, No. 10 September, 2017

• Propane Continues to be Clean and Economical

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

• Industry History from UMA Shows – Installment III

q Vol XXXX, No 11 October, 2017

• ABC & Van Hool Celebrate 30 Years

• Taking a Venture in Norfolk

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

q Vol XXXX, No 12 November, 2017

• MCI Reliability Rally 2017

• BusCon 2017 in Indianapolis

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

q Vol. XXXXI, No. 1 December, 2017

• Complete Coach Works and the Carson Heritage

• The Busboys Vintage Bus Rally in Evansville, Indiana

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

• Re-Energizing the North American Diecast Model Bus Scene

q Vol XXXXI, No 2 January, 2018

• Prevost Again Moves Ahead in Support, Service and Parts

• New 2018 J4500 Highlights Busy Season for MCI

• Common Rail Technology and the GHG17 Volvo Engine

q Vol. XXXXI, No. 3 February, 2018

• Walking the Irizar Assembly Line in Ormaiztegi

• Busworld 2017 in Belgium

q Vol XXXXI, No 4 March, 2018

• UMA Motorcoach Expo 2018i

• Van Hool to Build Buses in Eastern Tennessee

• The New MCI D45 CRT LE

q Vol XXXXI, No 5 April, 2018

• Charging Ahead with Electric Buses

• Holiday Tours Puts Customers First

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

q Vol XXXXI, No 6 May, 2018

• The CHTC HT45 amd HT35 Coaches

• The Pacific Bus Museum – From Hobby to Formal Museum

• Twenty Tips on Hiring Bus Drivers

• Van Hool Builds Bus Factoryin Morristown, Tennessee

q Vol. XXXXI, No. 7 June, 2018

• MCI Academy Wins Fans Across Industry

• Where are the Buses Built? #1

• The Campaign Bus for the President of the Philippines

• The Penn Highway Transit Company

q Vol. XXXXI, No. 8 July, 2018

• Farber Continues Custom Coach Traditions

• Prevost’s New Flat Floor Slide-Outs

• Liberty Coach Busch Bus

q Vol XXXXI, No 9 August, 2018

• ZF Components for Electric Buses

• Museum of Bus Transportation Spring Fling Open House Success

• “Friends” of the NJ Heritage Center Takes Eight 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

q Vol XXXXII, No 9 August, 2019

• NFI Group Acquires Alexander Dennis

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

• Book Review – Chicago Motor Coach

q Vol. XXXXII, No. 10 September, 2019

• The 2019 Spring Fling in Hershey

• Congestion Pricing May Affect Bus Operators

• In the Beginning – The Bus Industry Prior to Regulation in 1935

q Vol XXXXII, No 11 October, 2019

• Proterra Launches Proterra Powered™ Vehicle Electrification Solutions for Commercial Fleets

• Bendix Tech Tips: Avoiding the “Gotchas”

• The “Shorty” Flxibles of Pikes Peak

q Vol XXXXII, No 12 November, 2019

• 30 Years of Foxy Travel & FTI Coach

• Fleet Graphics is an Art at ABC Companies

• MCI debuts 2020 model line-up with a SNEAK PREVIEW of the battery-electric D45 CRTe LE CHARGE at Bay Area Reliability Symposium on October 1

q Vol XXXXIII, No 1 December, 2019

• Temsa’s Redesigned TS 30

• BusCon 2019 in Indianapolis

• Hammond Transportation

q Vol XXXXIII, No 2 January, 2020

• Anchor Transportation – 30 Years and Counting in a Growing Nashville

• David Thomas Tours and Their Short Temsa Coaches

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

q Vol XXXXIII, No 3 February, 2020

• Busworld 2019 in Brussels, Part I

• Heroes’ Honeymoon

• Philadelphia to New York Every Half Hour

q Vol XXXXIII, No 4 March, 2020

• Busworld 2019 in Brussels, Part II

• The Changing Bus Industry

q Vol XXXXIII, No 5 April, 2020

• ABA Marketplace 2020 in Omaha

• Procedure and Liability After a Collision with an Automated Vehicle

• Impaired Drivers

q Vol. XXXXIII, No. 6 May, 2020

• Bringing Back the Bus Industry

• Bus Industry Suggestions from Shriver Insurance

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

• UMA Motorcoach Expo 2020 in Nashville

• Bus Preservation After the Merger

q Vol XXXXIII, No 7 June, 2020

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

• Time to Think Tours

• Motorcoaches Rolling for Awareness

q Vol XXXXIII, No 8 July, 2020

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

• A Tribute to Kirwan Elmers and Custom Coach Corporation

• RiverLandings Motorcoach Resort, Where True Luxury Reaches New Heights

q Vol. XXXXIII, No. 9 August, 2020

• The Evolving MCI Product Line

• The Impact of COVID-19 on the Transportation Ecosystem

• Marijuana and Drivers

q Vol XXXXIII, No 10 September, 2020

• New Coach Review

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

• Can Bus Operators Change to Survive?

q Vol XXXXIII, No 11 October, 2020

• Getting People Back on the Buses

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

• Didn’t See That Coming

• The Eucharistic Congress in Chicago

q Vol XXXXIII, No 12 November, 2020

• How Temsa Developed Their Programmable Electric Bus

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

• Talk’s Cheap – Let’s Play

q Vol XXXXIV, No 1 December, 2020

• Keolis Moves People

• Are Mergers the Answer?

• A Lesson from the Sea – Time to Choose a Strategy

• Now is Not the Time to Skip on Bus Maintenance

• The Small Business Reorganization Act – A New Option in Bankruptcy

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BUSES WANTED

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14

NOTICES

Visit our 40+ vintage bus collection most saturday mornings at lakewood NJ Bus terminal Join: Friends NJ transport Heritage Center ($30 annually) see/learn: www friendsnjthc org I

NOTICE

Please make sure we have your email address so you are able to a c c e s s y o u r d i g i t a l e d i t i o n o f N at i o N a l B u s t r a d e r e m a i l readers@busmag.com or phone the office at (815) 946-2341

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