BUSRide June / July 2017

JUNE / JULY | 2017

BUSRIDE.COM $5.00

The 2018

J4500

by MCI p14

Preparing for the ELD mandate p10 Onboard data transmission made easy Coach Tours manages with busHive p 27

inside

p17

European leading technology Proven reliability

www.irizar.com

Irizar, among the leading coach and bus manufacturers in the world ----------------------------------------------------------------------INA Bus Sales 5410 Cameron Street, Suite 101 Las Vegas, Nevada 89118 office 702.431.0707 www.inabussales.com

Backup Camera Wireless Destination Signs OBNSS (On Board Next Stop Sign)

Diagnostics

AVA AVL

Real Time Emergency & Passenger Information

Infotainment

Cloud Training Videos

JUNE / JULY 2017 CONTENTS

14 busride.com

COVER STORY Official BUSRide Field Test: The 2018 J4500 by MCI 14 Featuring all-new space and aesthetic considerations, MCI’s newest vehicle means exciting changes for operators and passengers

FEATURES Official BUSRide Roundtable Discussion: Preparing for the ELD mandate

10

Experts from Continental Commercial Vehicles & Aftermarket, GPS Insight, ISE Fleet Services, Saucon Technologies, Teletrac Navman and Zonar Systems offer insight on the ELD mandate and how operators must prepare now

Official BUSRide Roundtable Discussion: After-sale support 18 We spoke with representatives from CH Bus Sales, MCI, Prevost and REV Bus Group about the many residual services their companies provide for customers who have purchased vehicles

27

Official BUSRide Field Test: Coach Tours manages charters with busHive 27 Using state-of-the-art, motorcoach-driven software, this Connecticut-based operator quickly and accurately manages charters with the click of a button

By Richard Tackett

DEPARTMENTS 7 UPDATE 34 DELIVERIES

COLUMNS 6

DAVID HUBBARD

17 THE CONNECTED BUS

Paola Realpozo 21 SECURITY AND SURVEILLANCE

By Steven Winnefeld

24 THE INTERNATIONAL REPORT

26 EQUAL ACCESS

35 INSURANCE BASICS

By Cliff Anderson

4

By Doug Jack

23 PASSENGER INFORMATION SYSTEMS

BUSRIDE | JUNE / JULY . 2017

By Ryan Lamb

By Tim O’Bryan busride.com

100s OF LOCATIONS, 1,000s OF TECHNICIANS

Nationwide bus maintenance for REV customers.

Introducing the REV / Ryder Maintenance program, REV Group’s unwavering commitment to deliver a five-star nationwide bus maintenance program through hundreds of Ryder service locations throughout the United States. The best bus brands just got better.

Learn more at www.revgroup.com/revryder or call 1-844-473-8287 to schedule service.

OUR VEHICLES CONNECT AND PROTECT P E O P L E A R O U N D T H E W O R L D E V E R Y D AY. www.revgroup.com

DAVID HUBBARD

Bill Luke looks back on unusual small vehicles I am always pleased when Bill Luke chimes in. However, I was especially delighted when I found Bill’s kind letter and signed complimentary copy of his newest book, Sedan Buses and Other Unusual Small Vehicles in Passenger Service, on my desk in April.

I am pleased to report that the founder of BUSRide, noted author and industry friend is barreling into his 90s, researching, amassing and assembling photos and literature for his publications that preserve the rich and storied history of buses and coaches operating in North America.

Bill only had one small request: that I offer a few comments if I found it interesting enough to rate a review. My only question is Where do I start?

Speaking as somewhat of a newcomer to the past century of buses and coaches, my first thought is that this is the story of original vehicles, belonging to father and grandfathers. It’s the story of pioneers that launched small companies, which later generations have grown into modern operations, running the newest luxury buses and coaches.

Bill and co-author Linda L. Metler, with photo assistance from Bob Jenson, have dug deep in an exhaustive effort to give full due to these relics that date back to the early 1900s; the companies that built them and those determined operators who strove to provide basic “bare bones” transportation.

Each of the over 100 historic photographs trace steps in the evolution from converted stretched-sedan buses to early mini-vans and cutaways. They’re all classics built with good intent, but they’re not without a few dinosaurs — at least by modern standards.

Bill and Linda offer this rare opportunity for bus operators to become better acquainted with their ancestors; from the industry whence they came. I have to imagine this book will find a special place on enthusiasts’ bookshelves.

Sedan Buses and Other Unusual Small Vehicles in Passenger Service is available for $26 by writing or calling: Willliam A. Luke; P.O. Box 10676; Spokane, WA 99209; (509) 328-2494.

David Hubbard Associate Publisher BUSRide Magazine

6

BUSRIDE | JUNE / JULY . 2017

busride.com VOL. 53 • NO. 5 Richard Tackett

Editor in Chief rtackett@busride.com David Hubbard

Associate Publisher dhubbard@busride.com Steve Gamble

Art Director sgamble@busride.com Joyce Guzowski

Assistant Editor jguzowski@busride.com Judi Victor

CEO & Publisher Director of Sales jvfly@busride.com Mitch Larson

Business Manager mlarson@busride.com Blair McCarty

Sr. Sales and Marketing Coordinator bmccarty@busride.com Hollie Broadbent

Marketing & Sales Associate hbroadbent@busride.com

A publication of:

BUSRide Magazine 4742 North 24th Street, STE 340 Phoenix, Arizona 85016 Phone: (602) 265-7600 Fax: (602) 277-7588 www.busride.com BUSRide™ Magazine is published eight times annually by Power Trade Media, a division of The Producers, Inc., 4742 N. 24th Street, Ste. 340, Phoenix, AZ 85016. Subscription rates for nonqualified subscribers, single issue prices and pricing for reprints of 100 or more are available from: info@busride.com. All articles in BUSRide™ Magazine are copyrighted and may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the express written permission of the publisher. Copyright 2017 by Power Trade Media. No advertisement, sponsorship or description or reference to a product or service will be deemed an endorsement by Power Trade Media, and no warranty is made or implied. Information is obtained from sources the editors believe reliable, accurate and timely, but is not guaranteed, and Power Trade Media is not responsible for errors or omissions. Opinions expressed in BUSRide™ Magazine are not necessarily those of the publisher or sponsors or advertisers. Content addressing legal, tax and other technical issues is not intended as professional advice and cannot be relied on as such; readers should consult with their own professional advisors.

busride.com

UPDATE

Rather than solely detect traffic, the Living Lab will focus on predicting traffic flows and plans to enhance safety. The university’s current work focuses on the problems of vehicle perception, navigation control, path planning and vehicle-to-vehicle as well as vehicle-to-infrastructure research.

The Spirit of Independence by ARBOC Specialty Vehicles

ARBOC releases Ford Spirit of Independence ARBOC Specialty Vehicles recently released the first Ford Spirit of Independence (SOI), a 23-foot bus built on the fuel-efficient Ford Transit T350 Cutaway chassis.

The Ford Spirit of Independence touts a 96-inch width and a flat floor design that allows stress-free maneuverability for up to 15 ambulatory and five wheelchair passengers.

“The ARBOC Spirit of Independence on the Ford Transit utilizes the same ‘semi-monocoque’ framing that is used on our Promaster chassis, which successfully passed Altoona in the four-year 100,000 mile category,” said Barry Hines, vice president of engineering.

Use of this vehicle is ideal in the assisted living market, as nonemergency medical transport, for religious organizations, or as a hotel shuttle. The large passenger windows and superior headroom ensure a comfortable, spacious ride for all occupants.

“The design allows simple yet robust lightweight construction, maximizing capacity,” Hines said. “This bus features two-by-two seating with the ability to package a wide range of seating and ADAcompliant arrangements including up to five wheelchair positions, I/O Controls multiplexing, and a wide 35-inch clear opening entrance. The Spirit of Independence on the Ford Transit is available today to meet your small bus needs including both private and FTAfunded contracts.”

ABA Foundation: Motorcoach manufacturing sales continue steady growth

The American Bus Association Foundation (ABAF) released the first quarter 2017 Motorcoach Builder Survey in late April. Based on surveys of the major motorcoach manufacturers that sell vehicles in the United States and Canada, motorcoach sales from the participating manufacturers remained virtually unchanged over the prior year to a total of 803 units (547 new coaches and 256 pre-owned coaches).

“Last year, especially the fourth quarter, was very strong for motorcoach sales,” said ABA Foundation President Peter Pantuso. “We are seeing the same trend for 2017. The industry continues to grow and we have seen an upward trajectory with sales over the past few years since the end of the recession.”

Sales for the first quarter were dominated by private sales of new 45foot motorcoaches, which saw an 18.5 percent increase over the same period in 2016. The less than 45-foot sales saw a slight decrease in the first quarter but are expected to pick up as the year progresses.

“We did see an increase in bigger buses this quarter, which is always a good sign for group travel,” Pantuso said. “While the quarter over quarter remained unchanged, the first quarter is usually a slower period for sales, but we expect sales of all sizes of coaches to pick up through the year.”

Proterra begins first autonomous bus program in U.S. Proterra announced in May that the company is initiating the industry’s first autonomous bus program with the University of Nevada, Reno and its Living Lab Coalition partners that includes the Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County (RTC), the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles, the Nevada Governor’s Office for Economic Development, Fraunhofer Institute for Transportation and Infrastructure Systems IVI, and the cities of Reno, Sparks and Carson City, NV. This program represents Proterra and the partners’ commitment to technology leadership and to establishing safer mobility solutions that will help build public confidence in the safety of eventual autonomous mass transit.

Unlike other programs to date, this autonomous vehicle pilot will deal with real road conditions from the perspective of public transit systems, and emphasize the most challenging aspects related to mass transportation, which include dense and dynamic environments, degraded conditions, and a need for swift emergency response. The pilot will also explore a new set of robotic perception algorithms that are required to address these conditions, and focus on tight cues from multi-modal sensors and new multi-modal localization and mapping.

LATS recently hosted a celebration for 15 years of partnership with McDonald Transit

LATS celebrates 15 years with McDonald Transit

In recognition of 15 years of service, the Lawton Area Transit System (LATS) of Oklahoma hosted a week-long anniversary celebration April 24-29, 2017, to recognize the transit system’s contribution to community life. The schedule of daily events included a safety program, a free ride day, a food drive, and prize giveaways.

LATS officially went into operation in April 2002. Lawton, which is located 87 miles southwest of Oklahoma City, has an estimated population of 97,000 permanent residents. In its first month of operation, LATS transported more than 12,000 riders and today ridership has grown to more than 30,000 riders per month. busride.com | BUSRIDE

7

UPDATE

MCI hires new Rocky Mountain pre-owned coach regional manager Motor Coach Industries (MCI) continues to expand its pre-owned coach sales force, adding Jason Rounsaville as Rocky Mountain pre-owned coach regional manager.

Rounsaville was formerly a sales manager with a large Northern California motorcoach charter operator’s pre-owned vehicle sales operation and at A to Z Bus Sales in Sacramento, CA. At MCI, Rounsaville will be responsible for customers in Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Jason Rounsaville Wyoming, Idaho, Montana and Alaska. He reports to Mitch Guralnick, vice president of MCI Pre-Owned Sales.

MCI will offer pre-owned inventory at the new MCI Sales and Service center opening this fall in the San Francisco Bay Area.

ARBOC promotes Ami Sailor and Brad Doane ARBOC Specialty Vehicles recently announced its selection of Ami Sailor as marketing manager.

Sailor has been a part of ARBOC Specialty Vehicles for 12 years. She has worked in various positions during her employment, with the majority Ami Sailor of the time spent as a purchasing agent. In 2016, she began designing paint and graphics schematics for ARBOC in addition

to her purchasing responsibilities.

Sailor’s new role will strengthen ARBOC Specialty Vehicles, LLC in advertising and updating various resources on a timely basis.

Brad Doane is joining the purchasing department at ARBOC as a result of his knowledge and dedication. He has been a key part of the ARBOC team for five years.

Doane began his journey with ARBOC in 2012 Brad Doane as a welder. He was quickly promoted to a quality control position. In 2015, he transferred out of quality to be a head receiver.

ABC Companies appoints SVP of sales for western region ABC Companies recently announced the appointment of Bryan O’Connell to the position of senior vice president (SVP) sales for ABC’s western region. As the new SVP for the industryleading transportation solutions provider, O’Connell brings decades of transportationrelated expertise to the position.

In his new role with ABC, O’Connell will be responsible for the day-to-day supervision and management for all of the western region’s Bryan O’Connell sales-related activities that impact financial performance, operational performance, new business development and inventory management, as well as ongoing development and relationship management of new and existing customer accounts.

FREE BUSRide WEBINAR:

SaaS in Transportation: What Does it Mean for Your Agency?

Date: Wednesday, August 16, 2017 Time: 8 am PT / 10 am CST / 11 am ET Users of this webinar will learn about: • Understanding the value of Software as a Service (SaaS) • Vertical integration within SaaS • Leveraging your data in a SaaS model REGISTER NOW http://bit.ly/genfarewebinar

8

BUSRIDE | JUNE / JULY . 2017

busride.com

UPDATE

Stat-X expands sales team Fireaway Inc., makers of Stat-X fire suppression products, recently announced the addition of William (Bill) Taylor to its sales team as regional vice president of sales, northwest region.

Taylor will be responsible for all sales and support activities needed to grow the Stat-X presence and market share. The newly established northwest sales region includes the states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, the northern part California, Alaska, and Hawaii as well as British Columbia in Canada.

Baldwin and Lyons, Inc. announces rebrand of insurance subsidiaries Baldwin & Lyons announced the rebranding of its subsidiaries, including Protective Insurance Company, Sagamore Insurance Company and Protective Specialty Insurance Company. Protective, Sagamore and Protective Specialty will now all exist under one brand, Protective Insurance. To mark this occasion, Protective is also debuting a new logo—the first logo change since the company’s founding.

The rebranding will simplify and streamline operations across the companies, allowing Protective to better manage multiple product lines and deliver greater sales and service flexibility. Distribution clients will also have the advantage of being able to leverage the Protective brand within the transportation industry.

marketing. Other activities included playing transit-related charades and participating in mock interviews for a position of their choice at the transit agency. This was Palm Tran’s first time hosting this program which is endorsed by the School District.

RATP Dev/McDonald Transit Associates selected to manage Tyler, TX, transit service McDonald Transit Associates, was awarded the contract to manage Tyler Transit, the transit services for the city of Tyler, TX. The City Council selected RATP Dev through a national competitive process. Contract services began earlier in May, and will cover an initial period of five years with five additional one-year renewal options. RATP Dev has appointed Vera Matthews, former general manager of the Hernando County, FL, transit system, to serve as Tyler Transit’s new general manager.

Under the terms of the contract, RATP Dev will directly supervise Tyler Transit’s daily operations for their fixed-route and paratransit systems. RATP Dev will also assist the city with the hiring of new staff and fleet maintenance, as well as oversee training, scheduling, employee relations, and grant management, including assisting with the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) regular reviews.

Tyler, TX is RATP Dev’s second contract in eastern Texas, and its seventh in the entire state, which includes transit systems in Arlington, Austin, Fort Worth, Longview, Lubbock, MidlandOdessa, and Waco.

ALWAYS DRIVEN. Experience #TheDaveyDifference

Student’s art becomes Palm Tran bus wrap Alexander Blackwood of Palm Beach County, FL, did not expect to wake up on February 2, 2017, and become a published artist.

Blackwood participated in Palm Tran’s “Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day” program. Artwork he drew during a “design a bus” activity was voted best design by the other students present.

“I thought about the sunset, and how people might like to see it on a bus, and then I drew it,” said Blackwood, a fifth-grade student at Western Academy Charter School. Blackwood has a passion for learning about science and the solar system. He is preparing to transition to middle school in his school’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) program. His future plans include becoming an astronaut and solving the ozone layer problem.

Palm Tran’s Executive Director Clinton B. Forbes was so impressed with the effort put into the design, he decided to showcase the artwork on a real bus. Blackwood’s bus wrap design, covering an entire full side of bus 1105, now serves Route 63 which travels via Lake Worth Rd. from Wellington to Lake Worth.

During the program, Blackwood and other students spent oneon-one time with their mother or father before touring Palm Tran’s facility. The students boarded a bus to learn how it operates, and visited a nearby bus stop to learn about infrastructure, signage and

• New and Used Bus Sales • Short and Long Term Leasing • Vehicle Graphics

www.daveycoach.com/busride

1.800.873.1856

• Parts and Service

busride.com | BUSRIDE

9

Preparing for the ELD mandate BUSRide spoke with experts in the transportation industry to hear their thoughts the rapidly approaching deadline for motorcoach operators to install Electronic Logging Devices (ELD) on December 18, 2017. This roundtable discussion featured the following panelists: Chris Nelson – vice president – ISE Fleet Services Fred Fakkema – vice president, compliance – Zonar Systems James McCarthy – VDO Roadlog ELD marketing manager – Continental Commercial Vehicles & Aftermarket John Gaither – ELD product specialist – GPS Insight Michael McDonal – product director, regulatory compliance – Saucon Technologies Sid Nair – senior director, transport practice – Teletrac Navman

Which bus and coach drivers are affected by the ELD regulation?

Chris Nelson: According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), the ELD rule applies to most motor carriers and drivers who are required to maintain a record of duty status per part 395.8A. The rule applies to commercial buses as well as trucks and to Canada and Mexico domicile drivers. The rule does allow some limits and exemptions to the ELD mandate.

Fred Fakkema: The simple answer is this: if you’re currently recording driver hours on paper, you need to transition to ELDs. There are exceptions, like the 100-mile radius rule for short haul but, other than those cases, you need an ELD. Michael McDonal: People have to realize that Hours of Service (HOS) rules are not changing - just the manner in which we are recording them. The biggest change within that is on paper logs we’re held to a 15-minute increment to be able to show our time, whereas with ELDs we’ll be measuring down to the second.

What resources can operators use to figure out which of their drivers are required to comply with the ELD mandate?

James McCarthy: We really have to refer back to the regulation.

In the motorcoach industry, we find that people are pretty up to speed with regulation. That is going to dictate who needs to operate with an ELD. There are resources out there that they can hire to get some insight into that. We are more than willing and able to help them. They really need to dive into the regulation and get some education there to begin with.

How can operators can simplify the search for an ELD? McDonal: There’s the testing protocol that FMCSA recommends but it’s not required for the self-certification process. I would ask the vendor about what testing protocols they used before they did their self-certification. Within ELDs, there is a lot of data componentry 10

BUSRIDE | JUNE / JULY . 2017

that makes the ELD valid, especially information coming from the engine. What other subsidiary data and what other types of offerings will that company have to go along with it?

One of the things that ties in with electronic logs is an electronic DVIR and, in the motorcoach company, other types of technology can partner within the ELD framework. The hardware that’s installed on a bus can pair with other software in the industry to include video passenger counting, ticket sales and other data points.

John Gaither: As they undertake making a choice, we advise operators first to trust the facts and their own research, but also trust their gut. Choose a vendor that you trust for whatever reasons that you think are applicable to your business. We recommend that you look for a vendor with an established track record of business longevity, profitability, and service to the industry. Ask yourself if your vendor would be able to survive this initial period of high demand. Will they be there to help you years later? Things of this nature go well beyond the rule itself and the certification, and we believe are valid criteria for choosing a vendor partner that you expect support you for a number of years.

What constitutes an FMCSA-certified ELD vendor? What should operators be looking for in a vendor, and what questions and cost benefit considerations should they be considering in their search?

Fakkema: You can go to the FMCSA website and look to see who’s self-certified or claims to be, and the operator needs to make sure they review the information that’s provided to see whether or not they followed appropriate procedures for testing.

Nelson: The certification on the FMCSA’s website is fairly easy to do. It is a self-certification process. Currently, there is no one on the FMCSA side that is there to monitor and either back up or deny someone’s claim that they’re compliant. Qualifying the vendor up front, even before getting into certification, is important because, as an example, if a vendor solution has not held up to an FMCSA’s audit, that’s huge. As you know, there are a lot of new vendors on the FMCSA- certified site that have never been through a regulation change. When there is a change in the rules, many vendors have not lived through that. Many of them have not been through an FMCSA audit. So a lot of their data could come into question.

Operators should ask how long a vendor has been involved in the HOS field. Most of the vendors in the space today are telematics providers, not necessarily HOS providers. They don’t have that background or they have not partnered with someone that does.

Asking how long they have been doing this - not just telematics, but the HOS side- really gives a good indication.

If the vendor’s not on the FMCSA-certified site, it is important to ask them what their path is to ELD compliance. Most vendors today are just simply saying, “We’ll get there, don’t worry about it.” If they’re reputable they will provide a detailed plan as to how they’re going to get there and what they’re going to provide. Maybe it’s a phased approach, features that become available. That way it’s proven that they’re headed in the right direction. There’s a lot of up-front work that someone must do before you get into the features and before you get into being certified. You want to make sure that you’re not wasting your time down the road by choosing a nonreputable vendor.

Sid Nair: Talking about it is beyond just the certification, it’s your overall value proposition – what is the vendor bringing to the table? I think a couple of questions you should ask alongside, “How long have you been doing HOS?” are: “Do you know what an ECM (Electronic Control Module) means, or can you connect to a J-bus?

Can get data out of that vehicle?”

The other easy thing you can do as a user is go to the selfcertification website and download the user guides. It’s an easy way busride.com

to review what a customer user experience is going to be. The very clear difference with the mandate now is that drivers have a lot of burden on what they do. Downloading a user guide would be a good start toward showing how drivers can get used to it.

What are the supporting documents and/or requirements that this regulation is going to mandate?

McDonal: With the current regulation paper logs require up to 10 forms of supporting documentation. With the new regulation it goes down to eight. One of the things that I like to tell people about, that FMCSA just announced in December, was that there is always going to be a period when a driver is using both paper and electronic logs as they’re training in to that system. FMCSA has determined that even if drivers are still using the paper log as the enforceable log, the electronic log can be used as a supporting document on the vehicle since it is there and available.

Gaither: One of the more interesting and new experiences that operators may have when they move from paper to electronic logs refers to hiding information. One of the requirements of these systems, for a long time actually, is that any time that vehicle moves a driving event will be created and it must be assigned to the appropriate driver. If, for whatever reason, that’s not happening, then during a compliance review a trained review officer will typically look for unassigned driving activity as evidence the fleet is managing those occurrences in a responsible manner.

When training new customers, we recommend that they pay close attention to driver training, because those issues are very minor when drivers are trained and operating the systems properly. But if they do occur, it’s diligence on the part of the fleet, the administrator, and operator in the safety compliance department to assign that activity to the appropriate driver and then to train them to use the system.

These steps are evidence that they’ve taken a proactive approach to compliance. A compliance review officer will find unassigned activities very quickly.

How can operators most effectively plan the transition for their fleet, which has no AOBRD, to ELD? Fakkema: In working with the vendor that they’ve selected, I think the training will be the most important part. Any time you’re introducing technology there will be road bumps and a learning curve that they’ll have to get used to. Once the vehicle goes in motion you have that drive event. They’re going from using paper and having a 15-minute interval, to a second, because the drive event picks up right away. Their timing is going to be a little bit different, and they’re going to have to get used to the device that they’re going to be utilizing.

You will have to find somebody that will be the go-to person, who has some experience in technology or likes technology and has started to utilize the system. This person can be a trainer and a supporter for the transition into the ELD. You’ll have to understand the backend, as well. It’s so important for the backend to be utilized appropriately, whether it’s for an audit or just to manage drivers and vehicles in the locations.

Make sure you have the equipment and installs ready at the same time, and that it coordinates with the training, so that you don’t have a driver jumping in the vehicle without the proper training trying to use an ELD. How can you effectively plan transitioning from AOBRD to ELD? McCarthy: Really look at the partner that you’ve chosen and do a little bit of homework before you even get started. Make sure that if you are working with an AOBRD vendor you ask questions about their path to ELD, and get an understanding of the hidden pitfalls. Do you have a

technology that is a simple software flash to ELD or are you purchasing new hardware? If it is a hardware change, how do you support that hardware change? What are the installation requirements? How is this going to impact you in terms of down time? It starts with a vendor and due diligence in making sure that you’re asking the right questions of the vendor. That way you’re not caught in a transition point where they aren’t rolling out ELD in the same timeline as you would like for your fleet, or at a time when you don’t have the resources and the capital to do a full hardware change two or three years into it.

If you have an established vendor, it’s about calling up that vendor and getting an understanding of their path to ELD. Then you have to make the determination if you want to stay with that vendor or start with a new vendor. If you do that little bit of research and ask the right questions, you should be able to align with a partner that carries the ball for you.

Nair: I think the biggest point to make here is that change is hard and change management is harder. One of the things that you should think about as an operating company, is having a champion within the organization that understands the concept of ELD, and how they can corral the different entities within your own organization. It could be maintenance, it could be the driver team, it could be the dispatcher team, it could be somebody else. Who is that single point of expertise?

That will help you transition. It doesn’t matter if you’re transitioning between paper to ELD or AOBRD to ELD, helping manage that change across the people, the process, and the technology is going to be critical. Ensuring that there’s a single point of contact in your own organization, that will absolutely leverage the broader vendor that you’re working with to make sure they have the set of knowledge there to help you out as well.

What are the different FMCSA-permitted interfaces for the ELD mandate that our operators might be working with?

Nelson: As far as wireless devices, FMCSA talks about how portable ELDs must be mounted in a fixed position during the commercial motor vehicle operation and visible to the driver from a normal seated driving position. Most of this information would be found in the ELD mandate section 395.22G. Additionally, if the provider is using a smartphone or a wireless device as an ELD, it must meet all malfunction and diagnostic requirements. The reason why that is important is because many people that are bringing what we call a BYOD, or bring your own device, solution. It’s not always a managed system. For example, it might not have the capability to show malfunction indicators or show diagnostic requirements.

In the industry, for smartphones, we hear concerns around leaving your phone in the window of your vehicle where the heat or cold hits it and it doesn’t operate. If the driver leaves it at home, if it breaks, if the battery is dead - there are a litany of concerns and issues around that.

Some companies have done very well and put in managed systems to help with that. If you’re going to head in that direction you have got to make sure that you do your research on the devices and how it’s going to work within your organization, and determine whether it’s going to be something helpful or hurtful.

What are the best practices to enact change in terms of company culture that promote a team effort with drivers – rather than the feeling that they are being constantly monitored?

McDonal: Training is the key to it. Drivers are simply the first round of training because after we train our drivers we have to train our dispatchers and our operational people. What are they going to do with all the data that is going to be streaming in, not just from hours of service but from a fleet management perspective?

After that we must train our charter personnel, the people busride.com | BUSRIDE

11

that are taking the orders as they come into the company. Every company I’ve dealt with has had to make some type of operational modification to trips that they’ve been doing for a long time.

Then finally we must educate our customers. What companies are finding out is about all the extras that their drivers have been doing that they haven’t been compensated for. We’ve been doing the same sports team for 10 years and it seems like every away trip that they have there’s an athlete on the bus that has a family member that lives close by and we go to their house for a pool party or for dinner. It’s not on the itinerary or it’s not on the driver’s logbook, but it will be now.

Nelson: One of the things that we’ve put in place with our folks is talking to them about creating a detailed implementation road map.

Of course, this should include day one activities and who owns what tasks. It should also include target dates for completion to help keep the team focused. The level of complexity of an implementation is going to help determine whether or not there are five to 500 tasks.

We also look at some proven techniques, communicate early and often, and create a day in the life of a driver showing today versus tomorrow, so you can demonstrate how things are going to change for the driver.

This will help illustrate how the driver’s lives are potentially going to change for the better. We recommend bringing the ELD vendor in to your organization and make them feel like part of the team.

Having them outside of the situation makes them feel like they’re not invited and that usually doesn’t fare very well. The best thing to do is create a network of driver ambassadors that believe ELD is going to help so that they can talk to the other drivers and make them more true believers.

The last thing that I can think of that we concentrate on is not only the culture from the management, but creating an implementation team that includes people from every realm.

Whether it’s maintenance, whether it’s safety, operations- everyone comes together and operates as a team as far as implementation goes. It helps keep the message consistent and easy across the board and makes things go a lot smoother. Those are some of the things that we do.

Nair: Culture starts with this question: why are we here? If you think about that as a business, and safety is not inherently part of the culture, it should be. We know that fatigue contributes to one out of five accidents. We know that ELDs are one way to solve that problem.

Making that part of your DNA is important.

Creating a communication model is important. The part that we don’t talk about often is the net bottom line benefit to the organization when you get an ELD. You save money by being more effective. You save money by being more compliant. You save money by having a better CSA score. Can you start incentivizing your team?

Can you start incentivizing your drivers? Can you start incentivizing your dispatchers? Use that to help promote that adoption as well.

Fakkema: It takes a long time to change culture inside an organization. The main point is that, effective December of this year, you must use an ELD. There’s not an option, that has to be what’s done.

It helps to take that mandate and look at the positive things that the ELD will do for the drivers, such as save time. They don’t have to stop and sit and try to remember where they were, what they’ve done or where they’ve driven, it’s all done for them. Once they get used to the electronic logs, 98 percent of the time drivers don’t want to get

rid of them because they like them. Focus on that positive. Brass tacks is that you have to use it starting the end of this year and I don’t think operators should lose sight of that. They should share that message and show the benefits of ELD over the negative aspects of it.

McCarthy: The one thing, again, you have to harp on is being positive. You need to start early, adopt early, and be positive about it.

We’ve had fleets that have decided to go the negative route and use it as a penalty. They think, “We’re going to outfit our worst drivers on it and get them in line and then we’ll roll it out to the rest of the company.” It’s looked at as a negative thing. It just perpetuates what the buzz in the industry is, that these things are going to make you less efficient, cost you more money and ultimately not be a benefit.

Stay positive, get this technology in early and the culture will carry.

Gaither: My experience with electronic driver log implementations began in 1991. I’ve done this for a long time and I’ve had an opportunity to observe how some fleets were more successful in making those changes than others. Having a culture of compliance and dedication and having a person at the very top who believes that safety and compliance are interlinked is extremely important.

Having a person who culturally believes that compliance to the “Nth degree” is just as important as anything else in running a successful business. Making that transition is often a reflection of the ownership of the company right on down the line. Having that anchor person in the company that everybody knows they can turn to, who is technology proficient and understands the systems, is important to the success of it.

We find that in passenger-carrying fleets there are many drivers that are often part-time drivers who have second jobs. They have a unique challenge in that they have to create hours of service records away from vehicles. They have to have a way to do that. The ELD vendor needs to be accommodating to that environment that’s commonly found in passenger carrying companies. Those drivers that don’t drive every day need to be able to remember how to use a device on those days that they are driving. Therefore, an easy-to-use interface becomes more critical.

We recommend that a go-to person be available to drivers at all times. This person is often the project lead or systems administrator for the ELD project and is often the HOS Compliance Director or a person with similar responsibilities. This person should understand the benefits that accrue to drivers as a by-product of ELDs – always having accurate logs; gaining available drive time over the course of the work week; less stressful and quicker road-side inspections; less paperwork, etc. This person should be able to communicate these benefits clearly and back it up with examples of drivers who have learned the system and are using it daily. We also recommend that a small team of senior drivers be designated as trainers and support resources for the other drivers. Drivers can relate to these driver/ trainers without worrying so much what a management person might think if these questions are asked of a supervisor.

My recommendation to any passenger-carrying customer is do not wait. Start now. Get serious. The estimates are that between 2 and 3 million vehicles of all types will need to be equipped with ELD technology and in place, trained and operating on December 18. It’s a massive requirement for the entire fleet industry. We anticipate that in the second half of this year the demand, the strain on the entire industry, to adequately supply this technology and the training, support and installation resources to accomplish this on the benefit of our customers, is going to be nothing short of a tidal wave. It’s going to be massive.

Create a network of driver ambassadors, and make them true believers.

12

BUSRIDE | JUNE / JULY . 2017

busride.com

GREAT BRANDS THINK ALIKE.

WHERE CUSTOM BUILT

MEETS LOW FLOOR. With Spirit of Liberty, ARBOC has ushered in a new era in bus accessibility. This new medium duty model offers industry-leading low-floor technology that is 100% step-free. With a purpose built chassis from Freightliner Custom Chassis, Spirit of Liberty features 30% lighter hybrid composite construction that translates into a 6% gain in fuel economy. ARBOC busses also give you access to FCCC 24/7 factory support and the largest nationwide service network. When you factor in the real cost of ownership, Spirit of Liberty delivers unbeatable quality at a tremendous value.

REAL COST OF OWNERSHIP™

FUEL EFFICIENCY The custom, purpose built XBA chassis combines with lightweight construction to lead the way in fuel efficiency that translates into enhanced profitability.

SAFETY

QUALITY

UPTIME

From heavy-duty braking to maneuverability, ergonomics and step free access – driver safety is our top priority.

As part of the Daimler family, FCCC chassis are developed with legendary resources for design, engineering and manufacturing processes.

With 24/7 factory support and the largest nationwide service network, issues are quickly resolved to keep your fleet on the road.

1-800-545-8831 | FcccBus.com | arbocsv.com For ordering details, contact your local dealer.

Specifications are subject to change without notice. Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation is registered to ISO 9001:2008 and ISO 14001:2004. Copyright ©2016 Daimler Trucks North America LLC. All rights reserved. Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation is a subsidiary of Daimler Trucks North America LLC, a Daimler company.

O F F I C I A L

BUSRide Field Test:

{ The 2018 }

Featuring all-new space and aesthetic considerations, MCI’s newest vehicle means exciting changes for operators and passengers

In 2015,

New Flyer Industries’ acquisition of Motor Coach Industries (MCI), triggered ambitious projects throughout the largest motor coach builder in North America, including landmark efforts by the MCI design and engineering team and BMW Designworks USA to optimize the interior of the J4500, MCI’s flagship vehicle.

Now, MCI’s 2018 J4500 is ready for its grand debut.

According to Brent Maitland, MCI vice president of marketing and product planning, MCI’s new mission is big, impactful projects intended to instantly resonate with the dynamic motor coach market and future MCI customers. Based off key feedback from current and prospective MCI buyers, the MCI team centered their attention on interior space maximization and ambiance for the industry’s bestselling coach.

14

BUSRIDE | JUNE / JULY . 2017

Competitive analysis showed the J4500 already had near best-inclass usable floor space. However, to accommodate 60 passengers with ample legroom to meet MCI’s standards (a minimum of 28 inches, hip to knee), MCI’s design engineers looked for a new approach.

“We knew we wanted to maximize the interior space of the coach, because leg room is such a premium passenger comfort, and it’s also a revenue-generating opportunity,” Maitland says. “At the same time, we wanted to update the J4500’s interior in terms of appearance and lighting.”

So, MCI launched two J4500 projects to improve the interior of the vehicle: • Interior Space Maximization Project: With a goal to improve revenuegenerating cabin space, the MCI team worked to increase usable floor space to allow for 60-passenger seating configurations, and busride.com

for more even curbside and roadside seat spacing based on a 56-passenger layout.

• Interior Enhancement Project: The J4500 was already a beloved vehicle in terms of passenger comfort and appeal, but the team sought to do more with the 2018 model. The result was a significant upgrade to seating, trim and lighting that would allow for striking product differentiation for tour and charter operators. There was another desired audience, too — drivers. MCI streamlined the stand-alone systems in the driver’s cockpit to provide a more, attractive, intuitive and functional environment.

The quest for space The Interior space maximization project began in an unconventional location — at the back of the coach, specifically the lavatory and the nearby air-filtration system.

MCI’s designers and engineers reset the layout of these two features with significant benefits. The new roomier lavatory setup offers easier access. The more efficient compact air-filtration system also creates an even quieter ride.

The J4500’s air filter previously sat at shoulder height between the lavatory and the rearmost seat. Ducting ran from above the roadside transom window across the top of the vehicle and down into the air filter. The team redesigned this entire layout, moving the air intake duct down 4.5 feet, to just above the belt line of the coach. This spacesaving approach allowed the team to reorient the lavatory, and slide the last row of seats rearward by 20 inches.

“That leads to a better utilization of floor space that we’re going to be able to bring out to the customers,” Maitland says. “They’ll either be able to use that for improved leg room with more seats or galley space that they can promote. That can add up to significant revenue for operators looking to attract more passengers.”

The new, simplified air intake system and filter has another benefit — lower air restriction than its previous design, therefore providing better engine performance. The new Optair hybrid filter system from Cummins includes a standard centrifugal pre-cleaner to remove dust and water, defining a new standard in engine air intake cleanliness. Lowering the intake grill also results in an even quieter interior and a significantly better utilization of interior passenger revenue-generating space.

This reconfiguration created the opportunity to redesign the J4500’s lavatory, increasing volume by 22 percent and floor space by 28 percent.

These positive changes to the lavatory and air-filtration system enabled a spacious new floor layout for the rest of the cabin, increasing curbside hip-to-knee room by over 1-inch per seat and thereby allowing for comfortable, 60-passenger seating.

The new J4500 interior design now features at least 15 inches more usable floor space than its closest competing models, Maitland says.

Add that to the latest thin-back passenger seats from Kiel North America or AMAYA-ASTRON, provide at least a half-inch of legroom more than the vehicle’s closest competitors.

One more positive enhancement to the 2018 J4500 emerged from the lavatory and air-intake redesign. Passengers seated in the last two back seats will now have substantially better view. Moving the air-intake vent allowed for a 500 percent increase in the transom window size, as well as an option for a first ever rear window for an MCI J4500 coach.

“The rear window is going to be a welcome aesthetic for certain operators,” Maitland says. “Because of other changes made to the structure, we were able to incorporate this optional feature and improve the passenger experience.”

Luke Busskohl, chief operating officer of Arrow Stage Lines, Omaha, NE, runs a mixed fleet where the majority of his vehicles are MCI. Arrow’s fleet of over 250 motor coaches operates in 13 locations nationwide, and he thinks the new 2018 J4500’s introduction of rear window is a very big deal.

“When riders get on the coach, they immediately notice the openness generated by the windows and lighting,” Busskohl says.

“It’s a great new feature which adds quite a bit of visibility and space to the interior.”

Better looks, better profitability Moving to the rest of the interior, MCI worked with longtime partner BMW Designworks, to create a cabin aesthetic to match the 2018 J4500’s more roomy, comfortable layout. Passengers were the primary focus, but the team wanted to do something for drivers, too.

After all, quality equipment can help attract and retain quality drivers, which play a vital role in passenger safety and satisfaction.

For the interior enhancements, the 2018 J4500 offers three specifications: MCI’s Preferred Spec, the well-equipped stock unit; MCI’s HighSpec, which includes pre-determined option package upgrades for trim, seating and lighting; and Customer Spec, where customers can tailor the coach to suit their needs. These trim levels all have colorcoordinated interior themes, and MCI will still give buyers their preferred fabrics, with Amaya A-220, GT or Kiel 2050 seating.

“Because branding is so critical, we are always sure to allow customers to choose for themselves, whether it’s for fabrics, trims or interior lighting,” Maitland says. “We’re finding that operators

Featuring at least 15 inches more usable floor space than its closest competitors, the J4500’s new passenger cabin’s sleek design is inspired by the airline industry.

The driver’s area features increased legroom, a toe kick, improved visibility over the dash and a new, integrated high-definition instrument panel with on-screen information and key system diagnostics for the driver.

busride.com | BUSRIDE

15

like easy solutions to customize a coach for their various customers.

Increasingly, that’s a really important aspect of an operator’s purchasing decision.”

MCI’s 2018 design team went beyond color and comfort to create a sleek, new interior appearance inspired by the airline industry. Indirect LED ceiling lights and spotlights are now standard to create a modern lighting atmosphere for passengers. This indirect lighting — combined with the new rear window space — opens the cabin even more. Storage also got a makeover. Parcel racks now have an improved latch design and new door and surface-finish options to match specific customer design expectations. The parcel racks are now integrated with the J4500’s front interior cap for a cleaner look. Even the windshield blinds, crucial for daytime driving, have been redesigned with a new scissor style mechanism that allows them to recess into the front cap, eliminating exposed guide rods and improving the panoramic views for passengers.

But what passengers will notice the most are the striking enhancements to MCI’s trademark spiral stairway. As pictured, MCI improved stepwell visibility with right and left entryway white lighting and, as a high-spec option, added RGB (red, blue and green) lamps that can be programed to light up the stepwell and the cabin in a color to suit the customer and are coordinated with the cabin lighting.

The result is a dramatic entry to the coach.

Using these colors or combinations thereof, operators can choose between red, green, blue, yellow, magenta, cyan and white lighting in the entryway and passenger cabin. All lighting throughout the coach is dimmable, and MCI can still accommodate customized colors through programming. A much-appreciated feature is the “Clean” button, which illuminates all interior lighting to the brightest setting to facilitate coach cleaning.

On the entryway itself, for the High-Spec trim level, MCI added handrail lighting, right- and left-entryway lighting and step-tread lighting based on the RGB color scheme available throughout the coach, from entry to interior.

Terry Fischer, president of Transportation Charter Services (TCS), Orange, CA, says customizable lighting has become a very attractive feature and a significant factor in his vehicle decision-making. “ We’re big on customizing our interiors and customizing the coach to suit our brand,” Fischer says. “On previous models, we worked with MCI to customize the vehicle lighting to suit our colors and branding. With the customizable lighting now available on higher specs, it’s quite a ‘wow’ factor. I haven’t seen any of the other manufacturers doing anything like this.”

Finishing touches Trim and flooring selections are available in wood-grained and carbon fiber that nicely accompany well-appointed packages named Blues, Lounge and Tech, each which their own attractive colorway.

Likewise, visually striking surface options for the parcel rack doors offer a modern matte finish which hides fingerprints.

Additional standalone options on the 2018 J4500 besides the aforementioned new rear window include an entrance-area LED “puddle light” with customizable logo and a tempered glass roof hatch. White LED step nose lighting, window lighting and entrancearea handrail lighting can also be added to a preferred spec coach.

Customers may continue to select MCI approved seat models, fabric, flooring and sublimated panels outside of the new interior color theme and Preferred/High-Spec packages.

As for the drivers, MCI has introduced an updated driver’s dash with a new, integrated instrument panel for reduced driver distraction. It features a high-definition, 12-inch Thin-Film-Transistor (TFT) LCD instrument panel from Continental and A/V and HVAC displays from REI. The new cockpit also has improved visibility over the dash hood, increased driver legroom and a toe kick.

16

BUSRIDE | JUNE / JULY . 2017

The new J4500 stairways feature improved visibility and RGB lamps that coordinate with cabin lighting.

Maitland says that, together, the new dash and entryway have best-in-class functionality, ergonomics and aesthetics. Drivers will know this cockpit was designed around them.

Orders are open MCI began its first customer showings in June, and plans on making its first customer sales demos available by August. Peter Pan Bus Lines, Springfield, MA, runs an MCI-exclusive fleet of 250 motor coaches in the Northeastern U.S., and its company leadership was very impressed by the new 2018 J4500 layout redesign.

“We tested every different seat model MCI offers, and we were able to check the legroom out in all instances. We’ve chosen to go with the increased capacity, moving from 54 to 56 passengers,” says Peter Picknelly, chairman and CEO of Peter Pan Bus Lines. “It adds two passengers to what we normally buy, and still provides added legroom. That’s two more seats in our business but, for the life of the coach, that’s a significant amount of revenue.”

Tom Picknally, senior vice-president of maintenance at Peter Pan, adds that the Peter Pan team was blown-away by how much customers will notice the changes to the vehicle.

“We like it a lot,” he says. “We came away, after seeing the new coach, really keyed in on the customer-facing appeal this new vehicle has.”

Despite the dramatic upgrades, Maitland says that MCI was careful about changing anything drastically. The new J4500, he says, fits in perfectly with the MCI family of motor coaches.

“From design to development, our engineers focused hard on evolving the J4500, while not outdating previous models,” he says.

“We want there to still be a lot of familiarity for J4500 owners and their customers. That’s very important to us.”

Credit goes to the MCI design and engineering team that worked hard to make these changes fit in nicely with previous J4500 models, while still creating a model that’s ahead of its time in so many ways. busride.com

THE CONNECTED BUS

Onboard operational data transmission – made easy and efficient

By Paola Realpozo Until recently, transmitting operational data from vehicles to a central database was a matter of timing and necessity – buses leave for the day, collect data through various onboard sensors and applications, then offload the data to a back-office server upon returning to the garage via the local Wi-Fi network, when available.

In many cases, mechanics or transportation personnel retrieve the data manually from each bus.

Reliable, always-on connectivity onboard buses can enable onboard applications to deliver business value by delivering data just in time to back office business applications in cloud. With the advent of true connectivity, not only for onboard passengers but across an entire transportation enterprise, operators and agencies can now leverage technology, and transmit data from vehicle to server in a much more cost- and time-efficient manner. Data which is time sensitive, and necessary for the day’s operations, can be handled in real time, while less timely data can be stored and uploaded at day’s end. All of this is possible without needing to wait for a bus to return to its depot, or having a technician go to the bus to retrieve and process data.

Generating business value through Actionable Data Operational data is only useful when businesses can act upon it or extract real value from it - when it is actionable. Depending on the nature and purpose of the data, it can be used to take local actions in real time or send to back office to power analytics and/or trigger business behavior.

The actionable operational data is not limited to what is collected through OBD-II, but also includes other data such as location from GPS, impact, acceleration/deceleration from accelerometer and gyro, driver on-duty and off-duty log from the electronic logging device (ELD). It’s any data that’s useful to understanding if the vehicle is operating efficiently or how safe driver and passengers are.

Actionable data onboard the vehicle – Operational data is collected, stored, and processed locally for a real time action onboard the vehicle. The Fog or edge computing architecture allows hosting applications locally on-board to process data and act without having to send the data to the back office (or cloud).

Actionable data at the back office – Operational data is collected, sent to the cloud, and processed by the back-office server for an action outside the vehicle. Data can be transmitted to the cloud or back office in real time for immediate action, or offloaded to the cloud when a Wi-Fi network is available, for future use.

Different types of data are generated at different frequencies, with varying levels of urgency for it to be processed. Not all data that is generated is needed for certain applications– for example, it’s not very useful to have a gyroscope recording data every millisecond if the driving behavior chances every 5 seconds, for example. The same can be said for video surveillance systems – live streaming data to a central location every few seconds or minute doesn’t translate to an efficient use of time or bandwidth that is available via a cellular connection, for instance.

Alternatively, depending on the application, real-time or near real-time analysis may be required, either locally at the edge of the network, or at the cloud. Examples of applications onboard buses include video surveillance systems and engine diagnostics.

Onboard video surveillance system: Though the data isn’t always uploading, it is always available in the future for investigation. Always store massive amount of data in the hard drive, aboard the vehicle.

Depending on the circumstances, operators can configure the system to send snippets of data back to the cloud or push live stream. Some buses may take days to go back to the depot, and offloading footage can take a long time. In that instance, a driver can trigger some action so that the system adds a bookmark to the footage for future review, or real-time streaming for an emergency. It’s not an all-or-nothing prospect – transmit data based on need and situation.

Onboard engine diagnostics: If we do remote condition monitoring, the diagnostics system can send notifications or alerts to the cloud when certain conditions are met. With the data available in the cloud, a maintenance technician can review the engine’s status and travel to the location with the right tools and parts for the job. If the repair will take a long time, a new bus can be sent to take care of the riders.

In some cases, the action can be proactive, and not wait until bus breaks down.

For the operator, this system infrastructure translates to operational gains made by having data for real-time or near realtime decision-making; and time and cost savings derived from not having to wait days or waste manpower to retrieve data. All the gains and savings are eventually transferred to customers through better service and safer rides.

At LILEE Systems, we are unique in how we provide connectivity, security, segmentation (isolation) and end-to-end quality of service to on-board devices. There’s no need to “touch” the on-board network every time a new device or service is deployed.

Our remote device is powerful enough to handle throughput needs of revenue-generating passenger services and essential operational services – even when they are combined on to same gateway – reducing operational expenses. We deploy operational applications such as onboard diagnostics to monitor engine performance; GPS and gyroscopes for driver behavior; ELD for compliance; and employee badge readers for security; along with passenger Wi-Fi and NVR applications The fog computing platform is flexible with integrated computing and storage to deploy intelligent on-board applications. Applications can transmit critical operational data in real-time from the bus to the back-office server (cloud or company data center) while storing massive amounts of data to be upload when the depot Wi-Fi is available, saving on LTE costs.

It’s not an all-or-nothing prospect – transmit data based on need and situation.

With LILEE’s open platform and end to end solution bus operators can provide superior customer experience and achieve efficiency through optimization and predictive maintenance by connecting and remotely monitoring bus sensors and applications.

Paola Realpozo is director of rail strategy at LILEE Systems. LILEE Systems provides solutions for passenger connectivity, and a range of other broadband solutions, including on-board entertainment and advertising, surveillance and security, fleet management, and positive train control.

Visit www.lileesystems.com for more information.

busride.com | BUSRIDE

17

AFTER-SALE SUPPORT BUSRide recently spoke with various motorcoach providers to discover what after-sale support means to them, and how they ensure that they are fulfilling customer service needs. Panelists include:

Duane Geiger – president and CEO – CH Bus Sales Kevin Dawson – vice president, parts sales & business development – Prevost Scott Robertson – director, product management – Motor Coach Industries (MCI) Todd Pocobello – director of product services – REV Bus Group

Tell us what “after-sale support” means to your company.

Duane Geiger: There is an old saying that the salesperson sells an operator the first bus, but the after-sales support team will sell the second, and the third, etc. Our team knows the importance of quality service. In just 5 short years, CH Bus Sales has grown from a team of four people to over 60 employees and most of those positions revolve around after-sales support in parts, warranty, technical assistance, and maintenance. Our technicians, mechanics, and warranty teams are well-trained with the expertise to service not only the TEMSA product, but all other makes and models currently in the industry.

Todd Pocobello: It means life-cycle relationships. This is where the value of the product purchased becomes realized. It’s support to not only put the vehicle into service, but to keep it in service.

Kevin Dawson: After sale service and support means providing the best level of customer service, satisfaction and support throughout customer life cycle / vehicle ownership. It means going above and beyond regardless of warranty status or out of warranty status.

Customers drive our business, thus we remain focused on these fundamentals each day.

Scott Robertson: From the moment a coach leaves the factory, we do anything and everything to keep that asset moving people for its lifetime. Our aftermarket support organization actively supports our more than 28,000 motorcoaches currently in service in North America.

What levels of aftermarket service and support do you provide?

Geiger: CH Bus has four full service locations located in Orlando, FL, Dallas-Fort Worth, TX, Pine Brook, NJ, and Burlingame, CA. Customers are able to order parts from any of the four locations. We fully stock Temsa parts at all of our locations in the U.S. We also stock other OE parts at a competitive price. As of June 2017, we have opened our online parts store where customers can order parts online. It is a user-friendly website where each customer will have their own separate accounts where they can track past orders and maintain their own address book if they have multiple locations for parts shipments.

We pride ourselves on offering 24/7 support for all of our customers.

When customers call after-hours to our 24/7 number, they will reach an actual person who is trained to help on technical-related issues.

Pocobello: REV is extremely focused on providing solutions to customers with technical documentation, training materials for operators and technicians, live telephone assistance, access to parts solutions and the best preventive maintenance plans available in the industry.

18

BUSRIDE | JUNE / JULY . 2017

Dawson: There are not “levels” per say, only one level – Prevost Delight program coupled with a focus on “we go above and beyond.”

We do provide a wide range of services including but not limited to parts sales, service repair, mobile service, technical support and technical training.

Robertson: At MCI, we provide parts support, technical support, and training. Training is offered on a customer’s site, online, and at our Aftermarket Headquarters in Louisville, KY. In Louisville, we have nearly 400,000 feet of space which houses: our primary parts distribution (which is enhanced by our nine regional locations); our 24/7 technical call center which includes ERSA – Emergency RoadSide Assistance, warranty processing, parts ordering and lookup services; and our National Training Center, which includes MCI Academy, and MCI’s online Learning Management System support. We also have an MCI Companion App that gives coach operators fast access to support, mobile access to publications, drivers’ guides and videos, routes to the nearest MCI location, parts promotions and one-touch MCI support calling.

Does after-sale support have an effect on your pricing? If so, how?

Geiger: After-sale support is a cost function of supporting our product. As a dealer with integrity, we feel it is our responsibility to provide the ultimate support to all of our customers. We could markup the cost of the coach in order to balance the cost of service, but we don’t. We are continuing to build our team (as seen in the full-service facility expansions) and ensure our mechanics, technicians, parts teams, and warranty departments are well-trained and knowledgeable, so that we meet the needs of the customer, the first time.

Pocobello: Top quality after-sales support builds the value into the customer’s purchase and decreases the total cost of ownership. This can allow for minimizing price concessions in other areas.

Dawson: Aftersales support does not affect pricing, rather the opposite. We continue to drive pricing by market forces and market acceptance. Providing the best level of customer service, coupled with market competitive pricing, ensures future success for our customers.

Robertson: We must be market-competitive with our prices, but we do rely on parts and coach sales to fund many of the extra support services, that are above and beyond what an operator would get from a local parts distributor.

We believe that we add value by offering a breadth of OEM quality product that is competitively priced. We only succeed if we prove this value to customers and earn their loyalty. busride.com

We are always working to give motorcoach operators optimal savings and new tools to keep fleets running strong. We offer free standard shipping on parts for orders of all sizes. No minimum order is required.

How do you ensure that your customers don’t have issues with parts availability?

Geiger: It’s important that our inventory management processes are up-to-date and monitored closely. We work carefully to find the balance between having a right amount of inventory versus an over or under stock situation. However, if you’re going to err you want to do so in favor of the customer. What will keep them moving?

It’s important that our entire organization is committed to keeping our operators moving. Unfortunately, there are times where we may not have something that’s needed by an operator. How we respond to that situation is just as important as trying to ensure we have it to begin with.

Pocobello: We have been focused on utilizing many common parts, components and materials wherever possible. This helps control any potential obsolescence in the products we sell. We also have created PDCs throughout the country to help minimize transportation times between the coasts.

Dawson: We acknowledge we cannot provide every part, however we have a formal review process to identify faster moving components within our service network and ensure we stock accordingly. Parts stocking for both fast moving and slow moving parts are monitored by forecasted consumption vs. actual consumption of materials. Our Distribution Centers house slow moving components, while our service centers (13) warehouse mainly fast moving components. Our customers have the ability to look within materials warehouses and determine which location has their materials and where materials will be coming from. We are also monitoring components causing the vehicle(s) to be placed out of service and review stocking baselines accordingly, thus we fix a problem for a bus down and also for future demand.

Robertson: We work very hard on parts availability at MCI. The company has made significant investments in inventory to ensure the most critical parts are on-hand and available for quick delivery.

We would prefer that we have everything on the shelf but that’s not always the case. When we’re out of stock on a critical item, we have a team of people that meets daily to look at every option to take care of a waiting customer. We will literally scour the earth looking for a part for our customer. Every day a coach is waiting for a part is dollars out of an owner’s pocket. We appreciate that and try to act as if that was our own money. We’ve recently purchased a new inventory management tool that should help move availability to never before seen levels at MCI. What levels of customization do you offer for customers who need to fulfill specific needs?

Geiger: CH Bus Sales always strives to accommodate any customer requests, no matter what point they are in, in the buying process. If a customer requests a customized vehicle specification, we work promptly with the factory to make that happen.

Pocobello: We pride ourselves in the development of robust business practices, but we also have the individual ability within our unique brands to provide customized solutions to practically anything that a customer could desire. We focus on the solution our customer needs, rather than attempting to provide business the way it’s always been done.

Dawson: Customization is dependent on need and corresponding complexity of request. We have the ability to create custom parts and parts kitting solutions, however custom solutions are evaluated based upon ability to sell within our market segments.

Robertson: Every accident is literally a custom parts order. Many times we will tailor a solution giving the repair shop only what they need to complete the job. We’ve also been known to help customers with fleet wide retrofits. We are the OEM, so most of the time we are updating a fleet with technology that is available on later model coaches. Many times these activities lead to the creation of a kit that we will market to other operators that may have similar needs.

Can you give us an example (or several) of extreme special needs requests your company was able to meet for a customer – after the sale?

Geiger: There have been occasions where we have taken a part from a new coach to ensure that our operator(s) kept their coaches moving.

One such instance involved a component that had been shipped to us incorrectly by a supplier. We removed the component from a new coach on our lot but our customer was able to get back on the road.

Our Service Department has made runs during the business day and after hours to assist customers at theme parks, on the side of the road, and even at an operator’s garage. This doesn’t include the work that our Field Technicians have performed for customers in the same types of situations.

Pocobello: While I cannot think of particular events, we treat every customer’s need as a special need and we want to perform to an extreme level, even when extreme measures are not required.

Dawson: Recently we had a customer whose vehicle was damaged by one of their operators; they damaged the side of their bus on the street side. Prevost parts pulled the side vehicle skin out of production spare materials. Prevost aftersales support sent tooling to the customer location and trained personnel to install the side skin. This is one example of many where we go above and beyond.

Robertson: MCI’s Emergency Roadside Assistance (ERSA) is hands down the best source for customers to get service 24/7. In coach-down situations, our service locator available on the MCI Companion App, or from the MCI website, identifies all service locations available in any pinpointed location. We created the list from our own call center data base to provide our customers with the best options. The complete list includes more than 1,800 service suppliers. The list includes six MCI Service Centers, as well as Cummins coach-friendly support network, Detroit Diesel and Caterpillar locations. Only by working together in a seamless and responsive way with our parts and technical support teams, can we be effective at this.

Is there a “statute of limitations” on after-sales support for your customers? In other words, how long after the sale do you keep supporting the customer?

Geiger: Definitely not. Just as we strive to accommodate special requests, we strive to offer the best service to all of our customers, whether they have one of our coaches or 50 of them. We have customers that are still running the first coach(es) they bought from us, 2010 – 2012 models, and we continue to work with them on parts and service.

Overall, the operator’s support of our product has been so appreciated over these last five and a half years.

Pocobello: We believe in customers for life. No matter the age of your REV Vehicle, you can always count on our REV Solutions Team to provide technical support as long as you operate our buses.

Dawson: There are legal requirements which govern parts manufacturing that we adhere to. Warranty coverage is also welldefined and can vary by product line and or contract. There is no statute of limitations for technical support of our products.

Robertson: If it’s an MCI or Setra, we will support it, period. When a coach gets to be 15 years and older, some parts become difficult to source, but it’s our job to give the customer options at the best value to keep their coach on the road. busride.com | BUSRIDE

19

MCI ITY L I B A RELI LLY RA 2017

SAVE THE DATE

GET ENLIGHTENED

See What’s New At Our Reliability Rally

July 13 Thursday, MCI Blackwood,NJ

July 25 Tuesday, MCI Winter Garden,FL You and your staff are invited to our one-day Reliability Rally events this summer and fall at a location near you. Check out and test-drive our newest coaches and enjoy food, prizes and amazing discounts and deals.

August 3 Thursday, MCI Des Plaines, IL

September 7 Thursday, MCI Dallas, TX

MCI’s sales, service and support teams will be onsite, along with supplier partners, for a day you won’t want to miss!

September 21 Thursday, MCI Los Alamitos, CA

October 19 Thursday, Big Rig Collision, Calgary, AB

November 14 Tuesday, MCI Hayward, CA (San Francisco Bay Area Grand Opening)

PLATINUM SPONSORS TM

To register visit mcicoach.com/rally

A New Flyer company

SECURITY & SURVEILLANCE

Preparation creates successful surveillance system installs

By Steven Winnefeld Installing a new camera surveillance system on a fleet of buses or motorcoaches is a complicated and often stressful endeavor. Not only is it difficult to find enough downtime to get the equipment on vehicles, but new systems and software must be learned. However, with some preparation and clear communication with your camera system vendor, the process can go smoothly, the system will be more effective, and future maintenance can actually be simplified and reduced.

Plan equipment locations and cabling for each vehicle Typically during a camera system installation, the locations and angles of the cameras is the aspect that receives the most attention.

However, all of the equipment, including the digital video recorder (DVR), wireless bridges, battery backups, and most importantly, the cabling should be considered carefully. With fleets consisting of multiple vehicle models from different manufacturers, each should be considered individually, as vehicle bulkheads and hard points may differ considerably.

Create a detailed schematic for each vehicle that includes the installed locations of the recorder, camera, all accessories, and all cable routes. Planning this out in detail in collaboration with your system vendor beforehand will provide a guide for everyone to follow and keep every installation uniform. You want to minimize the holes drilled into vehicle panels and assure proper functioning by planning the routes cables travel along a vehicle’s chassis. Proper slack or tension for camera cables is extremely important. Loose cables cause a potential hazard if they interact with moving vehicle parts. Cables run too tight will break connectors and kinks can cause poor connectivity. Space is often at a premium in bus radio boxes; make sure the cables do not obstruct access to any removable hard drives or cooling fan vents.

Conduct a proper site survey for wireless installations Wireless downloading is becoming an increasingly popular option for larger transit agencies looking to simplify and automate the collection and storage of recorded video. Typically, as a bus returns to the maintenance facility, a wireless bridge connected to the buses’ DVR communicates to access points connected to the video management system (VMS). The position of these access points installed in and around your facility is critically important to the proper operation of these systems. If the signal between the vehicles and access points is poor or obstructed, critical video can be missed and you will spend countless hours troubleshooting poor connections.

Existing network infrastructure and potential network expansions to accommodate these access points should be carefully studied and your camera system vendor should be very familiar with networking, data communication, and all of the associated equipment and tools. For larger agencies, or those with multiple facilities, consider contracting with an outside networking specialist who can conduct the site survey.

A thorough site survey before hardware is installed will minimize network troubleshooting and ensure interference is eliminated.

Create and maintain useful documentation The schematics, diagrams, installation and user guides for every component of the system should be carefully labeled, organized, cataloged, saved, and backed up.

For each vehicle, save a camera and equipment plan. For example, after each camera system is installed, Safety Vision Field Technicians run the DVR for several minutes, operate each connected equipment sensor, and take screenshots of the view from every camera. This ensures the system is operating correctly and provides a frame of reference for adjusting cameras in the future. During large installations, equipment checks may be skipped in the interest of time, but taking a few minutes now can save hours in the future.

Take screenshots of network configurations as well. Jason Donat, Safety Vision service manager and frequent collaborator in maintaining client wireless installations, recommends keeping detailed spreadsheets that include the IP addresses and network activity of all connected equipment. This provides a checklist to ensure optimal network operation on a regular basis. Jason also utilizes detailed maps of the facility created during the site survey. Use screenshots from Google Maps or similar programs to get an accurate picture of the installation and label them to make locating potential issues easy.

Included in the documentation should be saved configuration files for both vehicle recorders and wireless equipment. Most new DVRs, such as Safety Vision’s RoadRecorder® and Observer™ series include the ability to export configuration files to an attached thumb drive.

These files can then be saved for both backup and to be copied onto multiple vehicles. They can be critically important in the future when the recorder requires firmware updates, which might reset the configuration to factory defaults.

Have your staff observe the installation and ask questions Finally, after all of the planning is complete and the installations have begun, your responsibilities are not complete. Many agencies may take a “hands off” approach or get out of a vendor’s way during the install.

This is a mistake! Ensure maintenance personnel are present during hardware installations to observe the process.

The same goes for software. Make sure VMS operators are familiar with the functionality of the software and don’t be afraid to ask plenty of questions. Agency network administrators should be present to help with wireless installations, guide installers to the locations of servers, and advise on security protocols.

To complete these preparatory goals, communication with your vendors is key. Organize frequent planning meetings and ensure channels are open for everyone to communicate questions and concerns. While hectic and complicated, taking a little extra time during the camera system installation can save a lot of time and frustration in the future.

Steven Winnefeld is the documentation specialist for Safety Vision, LLC, a pioneer in mobile video surveillance systems. Safety Vision prides itself on its institutional knowledge. Visit Safety Vision at www.safetyvision.com.

busride.com | BUSRIDE

21

BUSES & BUSES & BUSES +TECHNOLOGY+NETWORKING+EDUCATION

SEPTEMBER 11-13, 2017 INDIANA CONVENTION CENTER INDIANAPOLIS

REGISTER NOW!

BusConExpo.com • (800) 576-8788

For exhibiting inquiries, contact James.Blue@Bobit.com or call (310) 533-2449.

Brought to you by

“INFOtransit”: The future of onboard communications

By Cliff Anderson

Travelers need current information communication Bus passengers need to know the current status of their trip information- when their bus will arrive at their stop/depot, what stops and connections are on their route, unexpected delays or emergencies due to traffic, weather, mechanical issues, accidents, etc. A passenger information system is no longer just a “nice thing to have”, but rather a critical customer service communication tool to instill confidence that passengers will get to where they need to be- reliably, safely, and ontime! Also, not every traveler is going to have a fully-charged mobile phone with the transit agency’s mobile app already discovered and downloaded before their trip begins. Printed timetable schedules can quickly become outdated or unreliable and nobody wants to stand around wondering if their bus arrived early, if it is late, or if it will come at all!

The future’s technology today Today’s mass transit buses typically have a GPS tracker installed that enables the transit agency (TA) to see on an automated vehicle location “virtual map” exactly where each active vehicle (asset) is at on each route. Arrival prediction software algorithms account for traffic and weather variables to accurately predict when each bus will arrive. By feeding this information to Luminator’s INFOtransit onboard passenger information system (and fixed digital stationary signs) every traveler can be updated in real-time of their current trip information. If a service disruption occurs, the TA can send out a quick update to inform all passengers of the impact and available rescheduling alternatives.

Much more than just passenger ‘infotainment’ By now you’ve likely heard that vibrant, high definition onboard infotainment screens can be very impressive visually and are a great revenue generating platform for advertising. Local business owners will pay to draw in traffic from nearby bus routes for lunch, shopping, sporting events, and other activities. Customized advertising content (pictures, video, graphics, text,…) can be easily created, edited, and uploaded then triggered for display based on time or location at the

As you can see, a passenger infotainment system is a robust, multi-faceted information communication tool. Keeping all passengers informed, safe, and entertained, while creating a return on equipment investment is easily within the grasp of transit agencies today and in the future.

precisely targeted moment (for example- just prior to the nearest stop to the advertiser’s business location). Public safety and policy messaging can also be displayed by the TA for the benefit of new riders. Announcements can also be made audibly for riders with vision impairment or other disabilities in compliance with US DOT ADA regulations. Text to speech data conversion enables the streamed content to be converted to almost any language needed.

As shown in the diagram, onboard CCTV camera systems, rear view cameras, voice annunciation systems, and other onboard equipment can also be integrated with the passenger infotainment system. This provides a comprehensive network of services to ensure the safety of passengers, drivers, and property as well as real-time information updates and enhanced ridership experience.

Wireless communication devices also enable system diagnostics reporting back to the TA for preventive maintenance and remote troubleshooting.

Cliff Anderson is marketing manager for Luminator Technology Group, a provider of mass transit destination signs, on board infotainment and passenger information systems. Visit www.ltgglobal.com.

busride.com | BUSRIDE

23

THE INTERNATIONAL REPORT

Variety spices FIAA Bus and Coach Expo in Madrid The biennial FIAA bus and coach exhibition held in May at the Parque Ferial Juan Carlos Center in Madrid.

Spain has always relied quite heavily on tourism; not only travelers from Northern Europe seeking a few weeks in the sun, but increasingly more visitors from around the world.

Recent terrorist events in Turkey, Egypt and Tunisia have hit tourism industries very hard, but have proved a major boost for Spanish resorts. Inbound tourism is up strongly and that has increased demand for luxury coaches, as most people arrive on low-cost airlines.

Traditionally, Spanish vehicles consisted of chassis made by one manufacturer and bodywork built A low-entry Mercedes-Benz Sprinter conversion by car-bus.net. by one of many domestic builders.

With the five major builders, Iveco, MAN, Mercedes-Benz, Scania and Volvo contesting equally, the bus and coach market throughout Europe is unusual.

In recent years, the first three have strongly promoted their own complete products, that are built in countries like the Czech Republic and Turkey where labor costs are much lower. This puts pressure on the domestic bodybuilders. Some went out of business during the tough years following the global financial downturn.

Ayats all-electric double-decker bus for city sightseeing.

The city bus market is becoming Note the folding roof. increasingly conscious of engine emissions and pollution. Spain consists of coastal regions and a high central plateau. Madrid is in the middle of Spain and can suffer heavily from pollution. The city’s transit authority, EMT, now favors buses running on compressed natural gas (CNG). They also run noticeably quieter.

There is also strong interest in all-electric buses. Poland’s Solaris exhibited its Urbino Electric, which a jury of specialist journalists from each Vectia offers the Veris electric bus with fast of 22 European countries named overhead charging. as the coveted “European Bus of the Year 2017.”

By Doug Jack

24

BUSRIDE | JUNE / JULY . 2017

Solaris offers a complete electric range of vehicles with sufficient battery capacity for a full day’s operation to those that require fast charging at each end of a route.

Where maximum passenger capacity is important, opportunity charging takes fewer batteries, and saves considerable weight.

Irizar had a large and impressive booth, showing three coaches of different heights and specifications, and one all-electric i2e city bus, a low-entry hybrid suburban bus and a hybrid interurban coach with a Cummins ISBe 6-cylinder engine. The segment for interurban coaches is quite large in Spain, and this model offers strong potential savings in fuel consumption.

Irizar has bought land near its main factory and is currently fitting out a plant with capacity to build two electric buses per day.

Irizar hopes to be in full operation by the first quarter of 2018 — an ambitious target, but the company is used to building for a wide variety of products.

Jose Manuel Orcasita, CEO, said Irizar’s output would increase this year, expecting to build more than 3,000 luxury coaches in combinations of their own integral line and bodies-on-chassis.

Ayats, a smaller Spanish builder, has largely made the transition from building body-on-chassis to making its own complete integral products.

Its most interesting vehicle was a double-decker allelectric bus designed for city sightseeing. It features an open top with the addition of a sliding fabric roof that can be pulled forward in harsh weather.

Electric traction is ideal for city sightseeing. The buses run relatively slowly through some of the most sensitive areas of old cities where noise and pollution are serious problems. With daily mileage relatively low, the buses can operate using smaller batteries and still offer a full day’s range.

Based in Galicia, the northwest region of Spain, Castrosua is the main domestic builder of city bus bodywork. The company is currently working with Scania to supply 80 CNG buses to EMT Madrid. Castrosua has also formed Veris, a joint venture with CAF, an important tram and train builder, to build hybrid and all-electric city buses. Examples of both types were on exhibit.

Salvador Caetano, the principal bus and coach builder in Portugal, has been working on electric traction for several years. An attractive 40-foot full low-floor electric bus confirmed that demonstrations in Lisbon were successful.

Caetano builds airside transfer buses for the Cobus consortium, which enjoy a very high share of the European market and are strong sales in other parts of the world.

These normally use a front-wheel drive power pack and a small Mercedes-Benz diesel engine. The busride.com

THE INTERNATIONAL REPORT

company has also been carrying out experiments with electric drive. Airside vehicles are a logical application for electricity as they operate with low mileage within a confined area and are easily recharged between duties.

Daimler promotes both its Mercedes-Benz and Setra brands in Spain. Setra has loyal customers in the important intercity market using models up to 45-feet. Rail connections cross country in Spain are poor and coaches are often the best alternative.

Mercedes-Benz offers the German-built Citaro city bus with diesel or CNG engines, also the Turkish-built Tourismo coach range. The company also has a factory in Northern Spain to build chassis not just for Spain but for a number of other markets, including North Africa.

Volvo has had a strong presence in Spain for many years. Their main activities have been in interurban and luxury coaches, working with local builders, especially Sunsundegui. More recently, they have successfully promoted their hybrid city buses and many are in service, especially around Madrid.

Volvo sprung a surprise by introducing its 8600 coach, built in its plant in India. Markets in France, Italy and Spain have demand for competitively-priced low deck coaches used principally for school transport, but also suitable for excursion traffic on weekends and in school vacation periods. The Indian coach was stylish, well-finished, and powered by a Volvo engine developed in India- but meeting full European emission standards.

Sunsundegui, recently restructured following financial difficulties, works closely with Volvo in several export markets, and has a strong position in interurban buses that link Madrid with neighboring satellite towns.

Iveco has a strong position in Spain, operating a major truck plant near Madrid’s main airport. The company more recently has tended to offer complete vehicles built in its factories in France and the

Czech Republic. One of its exhibits was a 40-foot all-electric city bus from Heuliez, its French subsidiary.

At least one similar bus is already on demonstration with RATP, the principal operator in France. The agency has set an ambitious target to have 80 percent of the fleet of 4,500 vehicles all-electric, and the other 20 percent ultra low emission possibly using biogas by 2025.

In a rather unusual twist, RATP CEO, Elisabeth Borse, is the newly-appointed Minister of Transport in the new Macron Government of France, which might well stimulate growth for allelectric buses in France.

With some of the major manufacturers offering complete vehicles, local bodybuilders have had to specialize, offering vehicles that the big boys will not build.

Beulas, a family-owned company based in the northeast of Spain, is the best of the local builders. Their range includes double-decker bodywork as well as an over-deck design in which the driver and guide occupy the lower level beneath a full-length upper deck.

This design offers cavernous luggage capacity and superb visibility for passengers. Beulas can also build more standard bodies and is very good at customizing interiors.

The overall impression was a well-organized exhibition and a more confident domestic industry.

If there is an adverse comment, it was a surprise that FIAA took place in May when many of the coach operators were fully occupied at the start of the summer season and could not take time out to come to Madrid.

Doug Jack is with Transport Resources in the United Kingdom.

Trusted For Decades

Our family of companies offer a vast array of solutions for the transportation industry. For over 70 years we have served customers across the United States.

CompleteCoach.com

TransitSales.com

800.BUS.SALE

ZepsDrive.com

ShuttleBusLeasing.com

busride.com | BUSRIDE

25

Approach low-floor in tiers Accessibility

Investment

By Ryan Lamb

W

hen paratransit operators’ interest and desire for lowfloor accessible transit runs high, and “would if only they could” work them into the fleet, they are often hesitant to make the investment strictly as a matter of price. It’s a lot to pay to essentially carry the same number of passengers, they reason, as the cost of the vehicle goes up exponentially for kneeling functionality and a ramp in the entry.

In face of this, I think it’s important to explain why low-floor paratransit buses, when looked at from a tiered accessibility approach, don’t have as many barriers to entry as some operators might think. This aims to resolve the issues for why agencies feel unable to move toward improved paratransit accessibility for one reason or another; whether it is a matter of price, or one of durability of the features available.

Building off the existing Champion bus low-floor platform, we have taken a new approach that incorporates unique combinations of low-floor and accessibility components at various price points. Given the “all or nothing” approach to accessible vehicles that has existed for years, these options in combination have not been available for agencies until now.

While this approach does not start with the epitome of paratransit service, it is low-floor access nonetheless. With clear-cut choices for the operator, the accessibility of the vehicle only gets better as the price of the vehicle increases.

Entry-level low-floor accessibility The most basic combination is a converted low floor chassis with a one-step entry and a wheelchair lift in place of a more expensive wheelchair ramp. A low floor vehicle with a wheelchair lift only raises passengers 18 inches which, by comparison, is safer than lifting them up to the height of a high-floor paratransit bus. Champion Bus calls this model the LF Shuttle.

Rather than an accessibility ramp at the entry door, the entry area has been leveled out into one wide step, 27 inches deep. Passengers using a walker can step onto the bus with greater stability, then step up into the lowered floor of the bus.

26

BUSRIDE | JUNE / JULY . 2017

Shuttle to Transport When we then add an entry ramp to the low-floor converted chassis, the vehicle rises a bit in in price, but also in comfort and quality for passengers using mobility aids. At Champion, we call vehicles at this tier and above the LF Transport.

Scaling up the LF Transport lowered floor paratransit bus with greater accessibility features, additional options include a kneeling suspension system, to decrease the entry step in height as well as the ramp angle for even greater accessibility.

At Champion, a REV Group brand, we think it’s important to offer both a 96- or 102-inch wide bus body; the same as an intercity bus, on each of the lowered floor combinations available. For the passenger, the extra width essentially duplicates the standard transit bus experience with a spacious maneuverable interior.

We see a lot of opportunities for this multi-level accessibility model in shuttle-type applications, such as parking lot and airport transportation companies, churches and retirement communities.

The main idea is to appeal to those that have always shown interest in the low-floor concept, but have also remained conscious of its price tag.

The intent of every agency when complying with ADA should be to make sure every passenger is viewed as “just another passenger.”

Preserving a sense of dignity can be as simple as making it easier for someone to get on and off the bus.

Working from this menu of accessibility options, we feel bus operators now stand a better chance of “getting in the game” and providing better paratransit service. Each combination of features brings an operator one step closer to totally-equal access in a market that appreciates anyone’s extra effort.

Accessibility in increments may prove to be a way to scale the wall, instead of just standing hopelessly before it.

Ryan Lamb serves as national director of sales for REV Bus Group.

Visit www.revgroup.com for more information.

Ryan Lamb serves as national director of sales for REV Bus Group.

Visit www.revgroup.com for more information.

busride.com

O F F I C I A L

BUSRide Field Test:

COACH TOURS manages charters with busHive busride.com | BUSRIDE

27

O F F I C I A L

BUSRide Field Test:

COACH TOURS manages charters with busHive

By Richard Tackett

Attending the United Motorcoach Association (UMA) EXPO in 2013 proved to be extremely fortuitous for the three owners of Brookfield, CT, tour bus operator Coach Tours. Ira Steinberg, Michael Neustadt and Kelli Simmons’ growing company had been managing reservations and tour quotes by handwritten bookkeeping and were searching for a solution to streamline that process.

At the time, Coach Tours managed reservations in a notebook – recording one day’s worth of client reservations per page.

After implementing busHive, Coach Tours saw an immediate improvements in its charter quoting.

28

BUSRIDE | JUNE / JULY . 2017

busride.com

busHive’s PC Miler Integration automatically calculates time and mileage for charter quoting.

Coach Tours currently operates 20 motorcoaches out of Brookfield, CT.

“We also had a large file cabinet filled with probably thousands of handwritten quotes,” says Trent Dwyer, operations manager at Coach Tours. “It was alphabetical, and it was sometimes very difficult to locate a quote. If someone originally booked under a group name, but called back using an individual’s name, it was a chore to coordinate.

We needed a system that would streamline tour quoting as well as client organization.”

Walking the floor at the conference, the trio of owners met Brian Mann, director of sales at busHive Software, who described the exact system they were looking for – an all-in-one quoting, scheduling, itinerary, invoicing and financial reporting program tailored specifically for motorcoach operators.

“Though the owners met with a few other companies, busHive was the most willing to work with what we were looking for, and the software promised to be very user-friendly,” Dwyer says.

Steinberg and Simmons founded Coach Tours in 1984 with only a few buses. Neustadt joined three years later and today the company’s fleet stands at 20 deluxe motorcoaches. The company serves New York and Connecticut clientele, delivering motorcoach rentals with services to 48 states and Canada.

At the time of the owners’ initial meeting with busHive, Coach Tours was running 22 motorcoaches – a situation which made the need for busHive’s services even more immediate.

busHive busHive, which began as Easybus in 1997, aims to streamline workflows and recordkeeping across the entire charter process – from the initial quote, to confirmations and contracts, generating driver itineraries, billing and invoicing.

As Mann explains, “When an on operator gets inquiries for quotes, busHive calculates mileage and expected trip duration, then generates a charter price at the operator’s current billing rates. Previously, Coach Tours would use Prophecy (a truck mileage program) to manually calculate quotes using Excel spreadsheets, which was a timeexhaustive process.”

Once a customer books a charter, busHive automatically generates confirmations for the operator. The software customizes contracts’ unique policies, terms and conditions, specifically for Coach Tours.

The system has a built in, fully-integrated dispatching and scheduling estimate, color coded by vehicle. With the click of a button, Coach Tours staff can view a calendar and quickly see what equipment they have available each day. This prevents overbooking, and allows the operator to easily adjust rates for high-demand days.

“Once they do assign a driver and vehicle, our system displays what drivers and what vehicles are available on each day with color coordination,” Mann says. “So, if a driver’s in ‘red,’ that driver may already be driving that day. Alternatively, they may be a part-time driver, they may have requested that day off, or they may go into overtime – there’s a variety of different customizable filters. It allows dispatch and management to efficiently monitor overtime hours, prevent drivers from violating hours-of-service regulations and to prevent reservation conflicts for drivers and vehicles.”

Installation and integration busHive’s support team integrated its software at the Coach Tours operation using its traditional four-step implementation process: installation, data import, configuration and training.

The first step – simply enough – involved workstation-by-workstation installations of the busHive software.

Next, busHive gathered Coach Tours’ work requirements and imported the operation’s local data into the system – customer names, phone numbers, addresses and emails; as well as vehicle and driver information. busride.com | BUSRIDE

29

busHive’s dispatch calendar easily displays vehicle & driver availability.

busHive’s configuration phase involves customizing the program to suit Coach Tours. Support staff imports personalized quotes and confirmations, invoices, billing rates and preferred dispatch display information into the system, tailored specifically to Coach Tours.

Finally, busHive handles training based on responsibility. Most training was handled over the phone and web, but busHive can conduct on-site training as necessary.

Mann describes a thoughtful approach: “For dispatch staff who don’t handle quoting or billing, training sessions focused on using the program to see driver availability, tracking personnel hours, and other tailored areas, likewise, those in the billing department receive training on generating quotes, filtering billing rates and sending out invoices.”

“There were some growing pains, as some of the people in our office are not the most technologically savvy,” Dwyer admits. “busHive was very good at working with us. If we ever had part of the system which didn’t work correctly, or didn’t work the way we wanted it to, they were very quick at helping us to make changes.”

For example, Coach Tours differentiates pricing structures for single day and overnight trips. Because of this, the system didn’t originally know that a two-day trip merited a different minimum price – resulting in quotes that were much lower than they should be. Dwyer says that busHive was proactive about correcting the issue and customizing the system to fit Coach Tours’ pricing.

Mann describes the average implementation as a 30 to 90-day time-frame depending on whether custom development and reporting is required.

Benefits and results Dwyer believes Coach Tours’ reservations, quotes and dispatch and dispatch saw immediate benefits from the busHive system. No longer handling quotes and booking by hand, the system allows the dispatch department to automatically generate most items.

“With busHive, when we change a reservation over to an ordered trip, we use the system to assign a driver, then print a 30

BUSRIDE | JUNE / JULY . 2017

quote and itinerary and send it to the customer,” he explains. “It significantly reduced the time needed for scheduling and it also protects us from double-booking or over-booking a driver, as the systems automatically generated hours of service alerts.”

Furthermore, because Coach Tours’ three owners are very involved in the company’s day-to-day operations, Dwyer says the new motorcoach and charter management system has greatly freed up their time.

“The system lightened everyone’s workload, so there’s much less stress about daily operations, scheduling and dispatching drivers.”

Coach Tours’ improved system means much more responsiveness to customer needs. Whereas staff previously had to run trip modifications through the dated MS-DOS operating system, then print and mail the new quotes and schedules on a periodic basis. Now, Coach Tours sales staff can change a trip within seconds, then instantly send new information to a customer for review and feedback.

Dwyer also believes that the busHive system has greatly enhanced Coach Tours’ pricing accuracy, because it automatically generates mileage based on exact pick-up and drop-off addresses: “The system acts as a failsafe because customer invoices show exact locations and times instead of generalized information.”

Moving forward “We certainly don’t have to be worried about expansion,” Dwyer says. “The system can easily handle many more buses, so we can work comfortably as our business gets bigger.”

For Brian Mann, spending his career introducing motorcoach operators to busHive software, it’s a narrative that he is very familiar with: “With spreadsheets and older organizational systems, it was much more difficult to grow as a company, and to track or train new employees. With this essential program as part of their overall infrastructure, Coach Tours is in a much better position to expand.”

busride.com

APTA’s EXPO 2017, the world’s largest public transportation event, is headed to Atlanta, Georgia with all you need to succeed in today’s competitive market.

Increase your technical and industry knowledge with free show floor education, meet 800+ global exhibitors, and network with 12,000+ peers to discover real, innovative solutions. Registration is free.

APTA’s EXPO is where innovation and technology converge to accelerate public transportation and every aspect of your organization.

IT’S ONLY ONCE EVERY THREE YEARS. REGISTER NOW FOR FREE. Use the VIP code when registering to be eligible to win fabulous prizes! VIP CODE: BRP17

Where to see the 2018 MCI J4500 MCI will showcase the 2018 MCI J4500 during its Reliability Rallies throughout the U.S. and Canada this summer and fall at MCI Sales and Service Centers. These one-day events feature test drives of the new J4500 and Setra models, special promotions on pre-owned coaches and parts, supplier partner educational sessions as well as food, fun and prizes. Upcoming Reliability Rallies will be held: • July 13, Blackwood, NJ; • July 25, Winter Garden, FL; • August 3, Des Plaines, IL; • September 7, Dallas, TX; • September 21, Los Alamitos, CA; • October 19, (at Big Rig Collision), Calgary, AB; and, • November 14, Hayward, CA. MCI’s newest Sales and Service Center in the San Francisco Bay Area.

MCI will make a number of demo coaches available to its sales representative team, and more information about the 2018 MCI J4500 is available at http://www.j4500-enlightened.com/.

32

BUSRIDE | JUNE / JULY . 2017

busride.com

This puts coach travel in a whole new light

The 2018 MCI J4500.

Discover the beauty within. ®

Cue the lights. Bring on the ambiance. When it comes to wowing passengers, the 2018 MCI J4500 has the inside track. With a newly redesigned interior, the J4500 features more beautiful lighting throughout, including programmable variable LED color lighting that can bathe the cabin in the hue of your choice. And now, with the most floor space in the industry, the J4500 offers the best-in-class legroom and seating for up to 60 passengers.

Factor in the model’s low total cost of operation, its more spacious and functional driver cockpit and a rear window option, and you’ve got a coach that’s truly ready to impress.

Get your first look soon! Visit mcicoach.com for our Reliability Rally schedule.

Get Enlightened.

Check out the 2018 MCI J4500 coach at www.j4500-enlightened.com

DELIVERIES

MOTOR COACH INDUSTRIES (MCI)

ARBOC SPECIALTY VEHICLES

added

added

1

CH BUS SALES / TEMSA added

1

2

H & L Charter Rancho Cucamonga, CA

Martin County Martin County, FL

Professional Charter San Francisco, CA

H & L Charter had the winning bid on a brand new, luxury MCI J4500 during the annual GoMotorcoach auction at UMA Expo in St Louis. This benefits the Motorcoach Marketing Council with proceeds supporting the image and future of motorcoach travel in North America via Council’s GoMotorcoach campaign available to operators. The 2017 MCI J4500 unveils the latest generation of EPA 2017 clean-diesel Cummins ISX12 engine technology. H & L Charter took delivery of its new MCI J4500 on March 15, which brings the company’s 45- and 40-foot coach fleet to 14. The coach’s features include a Tarabus wood-like floor along with the new standard enhanced Amaya GT seats that have a thinner back for more perpassenger cabin space.

ARBOC Specialty Vehicles, LLC, is fulfilling their first order of Spirit of Liberty (SOL) buses leased to Martin County, FL, through Alliance Bus Group (ABG). The Spirit of Liberty is a rear engine medium duty bus with a low floor and floorplan flexibility. It can accommodate up to thirty-seven seated passengers and six wheelchair positions.

Because of its angled entranceway and ADA-exceeding 1:6 ramp slope, the Spirit of Liberty is an accessible bus for all passengers. Martin County, located on the east coast of Florida, intends to use utilize these buses on their Commuter Service to Palm Beach County.

Professional Charter took delivery of two new TEMSA coaches at this year’s United Motorcoach (UMA) Expo in St. Louis, MO. The first is a 2017 TS 35E and their second, TS 45. Professional Charter equipped their vehicles with many favorite features such as 110V outlets with USB ports, Alcoa Durabright wheels, enclosed parcel racks, leather & fabric seats, REI audio/video, and woodgrain floor. The two new TEMSA coaches join the rest of Professional Charter’s fleet which is made up of 20 motorcoaches, cutaways and sprinters.

FREE BUSRide WEBINAR:

Achieve Unlimited Integration Possibilities with Open Architecture Date: Wednesday, August 23, 2017 Time: 11 a.m. ET / 10 a.m. CT / 8 a.m. PT In this webinar you will learn about:

• Unifying video surveillance with other security applications • Expanding your system and protecting investments with open architecture • How to manage stationary and onboard cameras all in one solution

REGISTER NOW https://bit.ly/safetyvisionwebinar

34

BUSRIDE | JUNE / JULY . 2017

busride.com

INSURANCE BASICS

D.O.T. compliance and your insurance As part of this continuing series, BUSRide spoke with Tim O’Bryan, president of Service Insurance Agency, Richmond, VA, to discuss the ways in which compliance with U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) mandates can affect operators’ insurance coverage and rates; and how operators can stay abreast of those mandates.

What areas of insurance coverage are affected by DOT mandateswhether it’s in the garage, in the lot or on the road?

There are not any insurance coverages affected by the mandates.

However, if an operator is consistently getting violations and their S.A.F.E.R. profile is deteriorating then getting insurance in the future may become difficult. Once you receive a “Conditional Rating” from DOT, it becomes difficult to get insurance. Many insurance companies will not write a motor carrier with a conditional rating. If they were to have their rating drop to “Unsatisfactory,” they may be forced out of business.

Insurance companies look at all the safety procedures that you’re implementing, be it lane departure systems, fire suppression systems, or event recorders, etc. The insurance company likes to say, “We’ll wait and see if this reduces your claim activity, if you had any.” In subsequent years, with fewer claims in an operator’s underwriting window, it would theoretically mean insurance costs are going to start to stabilize or even go down.

They’re going to wait and see if behavior does change, then claims will be reduced. And instead of premiums going up X amount, they may only go up inflationary - by 3 or 4 percent, not by 10 or 15 percent.

Rates should go up every year just to cover increased costs of the parts for coaches, which are going up by the double digits. That has a big factor on premiums but, with regards to the safety components and the technology that’s out there, a lot of it depends on the results we get, and if it helps us become safer. Rates will reflect that down the road.

What does DOT stipulate in terms of insurance requirements?

Operators must have a combined total of $5 million coverage. That’s really the only insurance stipulation of the DOT.

Are most operators aware of all this and practice it?

A lot is common sense for the good operators. With pits, for example, common sense dictates that you don’t leave it uncovered or open for anybody that is not familiar with the area to walk through. An insurance company might also have a loss control rep come out and do a physical audit, or to make some recommendations about how things are labeled or marked in the shop, such as fluids.

They may send out a loss control person when you change carriers.

The new carrier doesn’t have the history, if you’ve been using a different carrier for many years. They send out a loss control guy as part of their underwriting process after the fact and they’ll make some recommendations. You take those and you put them into play. That’s another way to keep up with it.

If DOT mandates or policies change, what’s the best way for operators to stay abreast to that? Who can they talk to or what resources are available for them to keep that in mind?

Typically, they get email blasts from their liability carriers and they may get some from their workers’ comp carriers. It would serve them to take the time to really read those. I suggest that they either keep an email file for that or print it off and put it somewhere people can see it.

They’re just friendly reminders, but motorcoach operators should take the advice to heart. Read it and see what pertains to you. It’s going to make a safer operation in the long run.

Tim O’Bryan serves as president of Service Insurance Agency. Since 1952, the company has been committed to the transportation industry. Service Insurance Agency strives to provide the most knowledgeable advice and personal service to all its valued customers. Visit them online at www.serviceins.com.

busride.com | BUSRIDE

35

MERITOR EX+™ AIR DISC BRAKES You expect superior performance, less downtime and lower maintenance costs. Meritor EX+™ pulls out all the stops to deliver. Designed for linehaul and vocational applications, Meritor EX+ air disc brakes are engineered for unparalleled stopping distance, optimal pad and rotor wear, faster pad changes, and reduced brake inspection time. And because the internal adjuster mechanism is sealed for life, they don’t require periodic lubrication. Run with the company that offers unsurpassed design and exceptional support. Run With The Bull.

standoutinfront.com

RUN WITH ©2017 Meritor, Inc.

TAKE YOUR Passenger EXPERIENCE FROM MEMORABLE TO UNFORGETTABLE. The striking exterior of the Prevost H3-45 sets the stage for high expectations.

The luxurious cabin confirms an unexpected level of comfort. Passengers enjoy a stunning view, with added privacy that makes every moment more personal.

More than just memorable, this is an experience your passengers will never forget.

prevostcar.com

CELEBRATING

Years

OF

PARTNERSHIP

In 1987, ABC Companies introduced the Van Hool T800 motorcoach to America.

Today, the ABC and Van Hool family of products represent three generations of coach innovation, fueled by the enduring patronage of our North American customers. Thank you for 30 years of loyalty, trust, and insights that ignite our passion today and drive our leadership of tomorrow.

We look forward to serving you for decades to come!

30

Moving Forward

www.abc-companies.com

YEARS 1987 2017

877.427.7278