August 15, 2011

New York governor, state DOT bombard operators ALBANY, N.Y. — Motorcoach regulators, allowing them to shut- Cuomo conducted a splashy of Depew; Long Island Limousine companies has gone on for too long operators in New York are under down operators when they have news conference on a Monday, nam- Service Corp. of Hauppauge, and and put too many lives at risk,” the siege. three to five violations within a six- ing the eight operators, but the op- Big Apple Bus Charter of Brooklyn. governor declared. Reacting to a series of fatal mo- month period. erators didn’t receive official notifi- Cuomo gave the companies five The action by state officials at torcoach accidents, Gov. Andrew Adoption of the regulation — cation of their suspensions until days to cease operations pending a the top was so swift that inspectors Cuomo and the state Department of done July 25 without the customary Wednesday. full review of their motorcoach fleets, charged with carrying out the man- Transportation have put the entire public hearings or input — came just The tarred-and-feathered carri- driver records and business finances. date were left floundering. In at least industry under a high-powered mi- hours before Cuomo announced that ers were identified as Best Trails and The review could lead to the suspen- one case, the state DOT scheduled croscope and specifically targeted eight motorcoach and limousine Travel Corp. of Brooklyn; Party sions being made permanent, extend- an inspection for one of the eight op- carriers they claim have repeated companies, with a combined fleet of Ride of Brentwood; A&W Tours of ed or lifted. erators but failed to notify the opera- safety violations. more than 100 vehicles, had their Bellport; Touch of Class & Coach of “The frequent and at times fla- tor, the inspector or the inspector’s Their weapon is a controversial state licenses suspended under the Wyandanch; Silver Star Limo Co. of grant violations of state and federal supervisor. new rule hastily put together by state rule. Yonkers; Zoladz Limousine Service safety regulations by charter bus CONTINUED ON PAGE 18 c For Chinese buses, success in U.S. remains very elusive Despite five years of limited road motorcoach built in China by success in marketing Chinese an Australian manufacturer. buses and motorcoaches in North • LZ Bus Line of suburban St. America, a handful of companies Louis is shooting for the February show few signs of giving up introduction of a new coach built trying. by the Chinese bus manufacturer Two of them are working to in- that produced the former BCI troduce new models in the U.S. Falcon. and Canada soon; a third is plan- • Foton America of Brook- A new model, made by the manu- ning to try a new version of a Chi- field, Conn., plans to have a transit facturer of the BCI Falcon (above), nese import that has been in and bus produced by a Chinese builder will be unveiled at UMA Motor- coach Expo 2012. It hasn’t been out of the market, and a fourth is ready to go early next year. easy, but the Chinese-designed Stal- believed to be in the early stages • And ABC Companies of lion (at right) remains in the market. of studying the possibility of join- Faribault, Minn., is reportedly ing them. working on possibly distributing a comes in the wake of the some- Here’s what’s stirring: Chinese-built motorcoach. How- what dismal record of U.S. com- • Bus & Coach America Corp. ever, ABC declines to comment panies trying to sell Chinese-made of Santa Monica, Calif., is grow- on the report that has been circu- or -designed buses. ing closer to announcing plans for lating in the industry for months. The drive to bring Chinese the introduction of an over-the- Interest by the four companies CONTINUED ON PAGE 12 c Industry experts question new-entrant safety proposals WASHINGTON — Prospec- Being studied by the feds is a The plan is part of a broader, would be dropped, according to they are knowledgeable and have tive motorcoach operators would plan to “raise the bar” for new mo- five-year FMCSA initiative to re- Jack Van Steenburg, FMCSA as- the right policies in place before find getting into the business much torcoach operators by requiring duce motorcoach accidents by sistant administrator and chief granting them authority,” he more onerous than it is today under them to pass a test of their knowl- maintaining high safety standards safety officer. emphasized. new safety rules being considered edge of safety regulations and un- for the industry and removing Instead, he said, regulators Van Steenburg maintains that the by the Federal Motor Carrier Safe- dergo a safety review before being high-risk carriers, drivers and ser- would monitor the new operators aggressive pre-authorization steps ty Administration. granted operating authority. vice providers. monthly, by reviewing their CSA — testing and preoperational safety But the possible changes to the Once operational, the new Under the new rules proposed scores, which would include acci- review — would allow the agency to agency’s new-entrant regulations companies would be subject to for start-up operators, the current dents, driver issues, traffic tickets better identify carriers that are un- might not make the industry safer monthly monitoring under the regulation that they undergo a full and the results of any random safe- prepared to begin operating. and could even create new safety is- agency’s new Compliance, Safety, safety audit within 18 months of ty inspections they might undergo. It also would help ferret out sues, caution some industry experts. Accountability program. their beginning operations likely “We are going to make sure CONTINUED ON PAGE 10 c Get Ready To Beat The Heat 800.882.8054 with our Setra Summer Preventive Maintenance Package Offer expires 8/31/2011 www.daimler-busna.com ABC COMPANIES FeaturedFeatured Pre-OwnedPre-Owned EquipmentEquipment AVAILABLE NOW at ABC Companies Florida

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Feds to conduct motorcoach safety summit in September WASHINGTON — The U.S. four regional round table discus- ers and develop opportunities for sets, and forge new and collabora- of Transportation, West Building Department of Transportation an- sions, ostensibly aimed at foster- addressing targeted challenges tive partnerships. Ground Floor, Room W12-140, nounced late last month it will ing discussions and providing • Develop tools and resources The summit will be Sept. 23 in 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE, conduct a national Motorcoach input for the summit. for educating and training on the Washington. A site has not been Washington, DC 20590-0001. Safety Summit next month to ex- The round tables were con- maintenance, operations and pur- announced. • Hand delivery: West Build- change information and ideas on ducted Aug. 3 in Fort Worth, chasing of motorcoach services Anyone can submit comments ing Ground Floor, Room W12- the best possible approaches to re- Texas; Aug. 4 in New York City; • Energize and empower stake- or questions regarding motor- 140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE, ducing the number of motorcoach Aug. 5 in Columbus, Ohio, and holders, partners and the public to coach safety to the USDOT/ Washington, DC 20590, between crashes, injuries and fatalities, and Aug. 8 in Anaheim, Calif. take personal responsibility in mak- FMCSA under USDOT Docket ID 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. EDT Monday to raise passenger awareness. The USDOT said the strategic ing motorcoach transportation safer Number FMCSA-2011-0213 by through Friday, except federal hol- The Federal Motor Carrier objectives for the summit are to: The FMCSA said it hopes to any of the following methods: idays. The telephone number is Safety Administration will host • Increase awareness of the im- develop an effective strategic ac- • Federal eRulemaking Portal: (202) 366-9329. the summit. portance of safety and enforcement tion plan to increase motorcoach the Federal Docket Management All submissions must include Six days after the USDOT an- among all stakeholders — industry, safety awareness, enforcement System: www.regulations.gov. the agency name (Federal Motor nouncement and before it could be law enforcement, consumer groups and education; establish innova- • Fax: (202) 493-2251. Carrier Safety Administra- reported by industry publications, and safety advocates tive and collaborative policies and • Mail: Docket Management tion) and docket number the FMCSA conducted the first of • Identify policy-related barri- countermeasures; standardize data Facility (M-30), U.S. Department (FMCSA-2011-0213). Revised DOT number system sought Senators: Support growing Being reviewed by White House be confused with the UCRA, the When the FMCSA announced Unified Carrier Registration the rule six years ago, it said the for two-year highway bill WASHINGTON — A federal Agreement.) proposed revisions would simplify WASHINGTON — The U.S. zation plan is mounting, although rule that proposes replacing the After soliciting comments on the registration system for inter- Senate committee responsible for they have yet to formally intro- current system of USDOT num- the proposed URS rule in ’95, and state bus and truck operators. formulating federal highway and duce a bill. bers for interstate bus and truck op- getting lots of them, the agency Under the proposed system, public transportation legislation “What we do have is a bill that erators has resurfaced after re- withdrew the proposal and appar- only one identification number appears to leaning heavily toward can pass the Senate,” Sen. James maining dormant for six years. ently has been quietly massaging it would be needed — the USDOT the idea of a two-year federal reau- Inhofe, R-Okla., ranking member In mid-2005, the Federal Motor for the past six years. number. The MC, MX and FF thorization bill rather than multi- of the committee, said at a hearing Carrier Safety Administration pub- Now, it’s back. numbers would no longer be issued year legislation that has been stan- here late last month. lished a notice of proposed rule- A new supplemental notice of and would be phased out within dard practice for the past 20 years. “As is the case with all com- making for what was called the proposed rulemaking on the Uni- two years. Leaders on the Senate Envi- promises, nobody gets everything Unified Registration System. (See fied Registration System has been Interestingly, it has been nearly ronment and Public Works Com- they want,” Inhofe added. June 15, 2005, Bus & Motorcoach sent from the FMCSA to the Of- 16 years since Congress first di- mittee say bipartisan support for a Chairwoman Sen. Barbara News.) fice of Management and Budget at rected the USDOT to come up with two-year transportation reauthori- Boxer, D-Calif., said that while (The proposed URS should not the White House for review. a simpler registration system. committee members have many different opinions on other issues, “We really do believe this is a basic function of the national govern- SINGLE USE ment to address our infrastructure needs.” ® Boxer also said funding for the nation’s transportation system is POT SHOT so important that, despite deep po- litical divisions over other spend- • Easy to Use The power of POT SHOT in a ing, Democrats and Republicans are uniting over transportation. • Measured Dosage convenient, portion controlled, Even the “Gang of Six,” the bi- • Powerful Odor Control single use bottle. Portion partisan group of senators that Control POT SHOT is more spent months working to end the • Low Cost debt-limit crisis, said it would dedi- effective then any other cate $113 billion from the general • Super Concentrated portion controlled product fund over the next 10 years to the Highway Trust Fund, Boxer said. • Pleasant Fragrance on the market. Each bottle is “They don’t mention any other • Non-Staining Blue Dye individually labeled with use specific program,” she noted. • Non-Formaldehyde instructions. No more packets Boxer, Inhofe and other sena- tors are proposing a two-year, • Biodegradable that melt, stick together, and/or $109 billion highway bill, but damage dump valves. they’ve yet to identify full funding • Safe for Dump Valves for their measure. (See July 15 Bus & Motorcoach News.) UNIT CHEMICAL CORPORATION Although they did not say (800) 879-8648 www.unitchemical.com when they would introduce their bill, they have named it: “Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st 60 Years Manufacturing Environmentally Safe Products Century,” or “MAP-21.” Bus & Motorcoach News THE DOCKET August 15, 2011 5 Coalition defends law aimed at curbing oil speculation WASHINGTON — A coali- The CFTC is currently dis- connection to a commodity, as CFTC report showed an average of commodities markets, which was tion of oil users is urging congres- cussing what limit to put on oil po- trucking has to oil, the coalition 90 percent of daily futures trading to allow commodity users to sional leaders to “fully fund and sitions and is writing regulations said. volumes for the most commonly hedge, or buy futures, against sud- defend” rules in the new financial to track trades. The commission Ten years ago, the letter states, traded commodities are held by fi- den price increases. reform law designed to curb ex- has said it will complete its work hedgers with a connection to a nancial speculators,” the coalition “We hope the Senate will fully cessive speculation in oil futures. by the end of the year. commodity outnumbered specula- said. fund the CFTC at $308 million as The “vital regulatory initia- Until a decade ago, trading in tors three to one. In the view of many connected requested, and the House will ulti- tives” contained in the year-old commodity futures was largely the “Today, speculators dominate to commodities, speculators have mately side with Main Street over Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform purview of those with a tangible these markets and (last) month a undermined the purpose of the Wall Street,” the coalition stated. and Consumer Protection Act “are in serious jeopardy,” says a letter signed by the nearly 50 members of the Commodity Markets Over- sight Coalition. The House has proposed re- ducing funding for the Commodi- ties Futures Trading Commission — which is tasked with enforcing the oil trading reforms — by 44 percent from the $308 million the CFTC has requested for 2012, the coalition’s letter said. “Without adequate funding, derivatives reform may not be fully enacted and cannot be vigor- ously enforced,” the coalition said. The coalition letter was sent to House Speaker John Boehner, R- Ohio; House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.; Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. “In order for the commission to actually fully implement and enforce the new powers under the Dodd-Frank Act…it needs full funding,” said Jim Collura, vice president of government affairs for the New England Fuel Institute. NEFI is leading the coalition, which includes groups ranging from the Air Transport Association to the Consumer Federation of America. “Virtually the entire financial services industry has been lobby- ing hard” against CFTC rulemak- ing, Collura said. The Dodd-Frank legislation passed by Congress in July 2010 gave the CFTC the power to limit positions, the number of oil futures contracts one investor can hold. A number of industries that are big users of petroleum products successfully lobbied for position limits across all trading platforms and for greater transparency in de- rivatives trading. Such reforms, they contend, would allow the CFTC to pinpoint the large speculative trades that cause oil prices to spike but are ex- ecuted off the commodities ex- changes that keep records and im- pose some position limits. “We believe that, between the lack of meaningful position limits and the lack of transparency, the price of oil, and as a result the price of the diesel fuel we depend upon, is artificially inflated (by) exces- sive speculation,” Moskowitz said. 6 August 15, 2011 THE DOCKET Bus & Motorcoach News ’12 toll increase approved Illinois adopts road privatization bill SPRINGFIELD, Ill. ­— The Il- private business to partially or as the reason for the new approach. by Pennsylvania Turnpike linois General Assembly has ap- fully fund construction in return Opponents question whether proved legislation that could ex- for revenues, such as tolls. the state should form partnerships HARRISBURG, Pa. — The mercial E-ZPass customers will pand the use of private companies State lawmakers would be re- with profit-driven private business. Pennsylvania Turnpike Commis- need to incur $5,000 to $10,000 in to help build new roads. quired to approve all potential Private dollars are touted as sion has approved a 2012 rate monthly tolls to receive an addi- The funding method already is public-private partnerships, but the only viable option to pay for schedule that will boost cash tolls tional 5 percent discount, and authorized to build the long-de- the measure would prohibit the the long-discussed Illiana Ex- for three-axle motorcoaches by 10 $10,000.01 or more to receive an layed Illiana Expressway. state from partnering to expand pressway. A year ago, Illinois Gov. percent. additional 10 percent discount. The new legislation would existing roads. Pat Quinn and Indiana Gov. Mitch With the new rate, the cash toll The increase for cash customers open the door to the state forming Supporters of the measure say Daniels signed a memorandum of for a three-axle motorcoach travel- applies to all vehicle classes on all partnerships with private groups the state needs to consider funding understanding outlining a mutual ing the full length of the turnpike turnpike sections except the South- to get more road work done. alternatives to get road projects com- commitment to the project con- from the Ohio-Pennsylvania line ern Beltway (Turnpike 576) in Al- The partnerships would allow pleted. They cite declining revenues necting south Chicago to Indiana. to the Pennsylvania border with legheny and Washington counties, New Jersey will be $100.65, up where rates will remain unchanged. from the current $92.15. New revenue from the in- Roads slighted by legislators in Oklahoma The toll increase measure, ef- crease will be allocated to fund O K L A H O M A C I T Y — will permit ODOT to move for- portation to other state agencies. fective Jan. 1, is expected to gen- debt-service costs associated with Money slated for roads and bridges ward with the agency’s eight-year Fent contends the state constitu- erate approximately $23 million the Turnpike Commission’s fund- in Oklahoma is being earmarked plan for improving roads and tion protects transportation funds. in new revenue for the year. ing obligation of $450 million per for use elsewhere. However, it’s not bridges. Specifically, he’s referring to While cash-paying customers year to the commonwealth stem- happening without a fight. However, Oklahoma City attor- language that states “no tax levied will see their tolls rise 10 percent, ming from a 2007 state law. None Gov. Mary Fallin signed into ney Jerry Fent, doesn’t like the plan and collected for one purpose there will be no rate increase for of the increase is to pay for an en- law a budget bill that allows the and has filed suit against the state shall ever be devoted to another those paying with E-ZPass. hanced capital-spending plan for state to transfer $102 million in to reverse the transfer from trans- purpose.” fuel tax revenue to other uses in However, the volume discount the turnpike which was approved state government. The transfer is program for commercial E-ZPass by the commission in June. Connecticut plans millions in road work part of a $6.5 billion budget deal users is being modified. In addition to the 2012 toll in- Hartford, Conn. — Funding and highway resurfacing. Gov. to fund state government during Effective Jan. 1, the 15 per- crease, the commission also ap- for road repairs in Connecticut Dannel Malloy said it will create fiscal 2012. cent volume discount will be proved overall toll-revenue in- has gotten a boost. or retain about 1,050 construc- To help ease the hit to trans- eliminated, since all commercial creases of 3 percent for 2013 and A new law allows the state to tion-related jobs. portation, the legislature agreed to move forward with paving and “The state has, for too long, ne- carriers with E-ZPass will auto- 2014, though it did not specify allow the Oklahoma Department fixing 200 miles of roads dam- glected our transportation infra- matically receive an approximate precisely how much rates would of Transportation to sell $70 mil- aged last winter. structure, leading many of our 17 percent discount. increase for cash and E-ZPass lion in bonds. The state is allocating $50 roads and bridges to languish in As a result, post-paid com- customers in those years. Supporters say the bond issue million in bonds to pay for road woeful need of repair,” Malloy said. Setra - A Daimler Brand

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Daimler Buses North america • 1.800.882.8054 • www.setra-coaches.com • [email protected] 8 August 15, 2011 NEWS ANALYSIS Bus & Motorcoach News FMCSA working to fix CSA scores in no-fault crashes This could happen to you: system in which the Police Acci- You’ve got a small fleet of mo- Trucker to base pay on CSA program dent Reports are forwarded to the torcoaches with a good safety screeners as a matter of course. CHESTERTON, IND. — A money in CSA in an effort to iden- Mullen. record. That will be no easy task. trucking company headquartered tify unsafe drivers and carriers. We “We intend to incentivize safe In fact, your crash indicator It’s difficult because it would here says it’s adopting a pay pro- believe the science behind CSA is behaviors by rewarding drivers score under the Federal Motor gram where drivers with low scores valid and we would be silly not to ­financially for not speeding and not require another action by the state Carrier Safety Administration under the new Federal Motor Carri- use the program as a basis to identi- getting violations on roadside and municipal enforcement agen- Compliance, Safety, Accountabili- er Safety Administration Compli- fy and reward our safe drivers.” inspections. cies that are preparing the reports. ty program is zero. ance, Safety, Accountability pro- Drivers applying to work for the “Under this program, drivers They will either have to send it to Then, you have two accidents gram will see bigger paychecks. flatbed carrier also will qualify for a will have an incentive to do their the feds or have a mechanism for that are not your company’s fault. While FMCSA hasn’t yet re- pay boost based on the scoring of pre-trip inspections, get defects re- the FMCSA to get its hands on it Suddenly, your CSA crash indica- leased driver scores, Area Transpor- their Pre-Employment Screening paired and obey speed limits be- easily. tor score goes to 44 percent. tation has modified its software to Program violations (see July 15 Bus cause several thousand dollars will So, in effect, the short-term so- Not fair? Of course not. mirror the CSA points and weight- & Motorcoach News). potentially be on the line for those lution of having operators send in The FMCSA says it’s working ing system. “We believe we’re the first car- who do.” the reports creates both a collec- to build a system that screens out Kevin Mullen, director of safety rier in the nation to use CSA scores Drivers whose scores rise above tion mechanism and an initial no-fault crashes — before they’re and recruiting, said, “the FMCSA as the basis to reward drivers for pre-set thresholds will see the bonus screening mechanism. entered into CSA scores. However, has invested a great deal of time and avoiding unsafe behaviors,” said decrease or lose it all together. The agency is going to encour- that is neither easy nor simple, so out how to give non-preventable sis for the past decade. be accountable if, say, the driver is age operators to send in reports the agency is working on a near- crashes more weight than prevent- FMCSA has tested the ap- out of service or had no CDL. only when they believe they are term fix. able crashes. proach by having researchers as- There will be an appeals pro- not at fault. Currently, the only way to get sess accountability based on Po- cess for operators that want to accidents out of the CSA system is The mechanics lice Accident Reports. The agency challenge a determination of ac- Still subjective? to go through a safety audit, opera- Here’s how the system suppos- found that these researchers countability. The appeals will be The enforcement community tors have been told. edly will work. matched the accountability 92 per- handled by the FMCSA legal staff. has concerns about this process, Short of that, FMCSA is work- All crashes will continue to be cent of the time. which is more complicated than it ing on a short-term remedy in entered into the CSA database. If That has given the agency the Long-term solution looks, according to Steve Keppler, which operators will be able to use an operator believes it was not at confidence that if it codes crashes The agency views this as a executive director of the Commer- the CSA data correction system, fault in a crash, it could mail a on the basis of Police Accident Re- short-term solution. Longer term, cial Vehicle Safety Alliance. DataQs, to submit a Police Acci- copy of the Police Accident Report ports it can get it right almost all it wants to get the necessary re- “Crash investigations are many dent Report and get an assessment to DataQs. the time. ports and analyze them for ac- times very subjective,” Keppler of accountability for their crashes. The report would not go to the To keep the analysis even- countability before the data ever told one trucking industry publica- The agency aims to start a pro- state, as other DataQs challenges handed, researchers will look at a goes into CSA. tion. “The officer on the scene is cess in January in which the acci- do. Instead it would go to a team of post-crash inspection if there is There are between 120,000 and seeing things and talking to peo- dent reports are screened and specialists who would analyze it one, and the Motor Carrier Man- 140,000 reportable commercial ple, and once that information given different weightings in the for accountability. agement Information System vehicle crashes each year. The leaves the scene you have someone CSA system based on accountabil- The specialists are researchers, crash report from the state, as well agency already gets raw accident else reviewing it who was not ity. All crashes would still be in the contractors to the agency, who as the Police Accident Report. reports from states today, but these there, based on what the investi- system, but the agency is figuring have been doing this kind of analy- The agency will not permit reports typically do not have gating officer said.” companies to submit data from in- enough data to make an account- It creates problems if the re- FMCSA advisers to study CSA issues surance companies or witnesses. ability determination. viewer makes a determination on WASHINGTON — The Fed- Advisory Committee to make sure That apparently would overwhelm What’s missing are the actual accountability that is different than eral Motor Carrier Safety Admin- CSA-severity weights the agency the system. Police Accident Reports, which the officer’s determination, Kep- istration has asked its advisory assigns to certain violations is an It will be possible for an opera- contain the handwritten personal pler said. committee to examine concerns accurate predictor of a motor car- tor that is not at fault to still be observations of the officer on the On top of that, insurance com- about the Compliance, Safety, Ac- rier’s crash risk. found accountable. For example, if scene, and his diagram of the ac- panies do their own investigations, countability program’s roadside The committee is expected to a motorist drives into the back of a cident. This information is critical which might lead to conclusions violation severity weightings. report back to the agency by the motorcoach stopped at an intersec- to making an accountability that are different than either the of- FMCSA officials asked mem- end of this month, said David tion, the coach driver probably is judgment. ficer’s or the reviewers. “What do bers of the Motor Carrier Safety Parker, the committee’s chairman. not at fault. But the operator would The agency needs to set up a you do with that?” he asked.

ISSUE NO. 198 Godfrey Lebron How to contact us Paradise Trailways Hicksville, N.Y. To submit or report news, Letters to To advertise or to mail advertising- the Editor, articles, news releases or to related materials: Joan Libby Cavalier Coach Trailways report corrections: Call: Johnny Steger at (866) 930-8426 A PUBLICATION OF THE UNITED MOTORCOACH ASSOCIATION Boston, Mass. E-mail: E-mail: Marcia Milton [email protected] [email protected] First Priority Trailways Staff Advisory Board District Heights, Md. Fax: (405) 942-6201 Mail: 2200 N. Yarbrough, Suite B William Allen James Brown Sr. Michael Neustadt Mail: 3108 NW 54th Street Box No. 336 Editor & Publisher: Victor Parra Amador Trailways Magic Carpet Tours Coach Tours Oklahoma City, OK 73112 El Paso, TX 79925 Sacramento, Calif. Richmond, Va. Brookfield, Conn. Senior Editor: Bruce Sankey Call: (866) 930-8421 Brian Annett Steve Brown Tom Ready To send advertisements or Sales Director: Johnny Steger Annett Bus Lines Brown Coach Ready Bus Lines To subscribe or inquire about your photographs via the Internet: Sebring, Fla. Amsterdam, N.Y. LaCrescent, Minn. subscription: Industry Editor: Ken Presley Larry Benjamin Thomas Foley Brian Scott E-mail: [email protected] Northfield Lines Transportation Insurance Brokers Escot Bus Lines E-mail: Associate Editor: Ellen Balm Northfield, Minn. North Oaks, Minn. Largo, Fla. [email protected] To contact the Art Director: Mary E. McCarty Dave Bolen Gladys Gillis Dennis Strief Fax: (405) 942-6201 United Motorcoach Association: New World Tours Starline Luxury Coaches Vandalia Bus Lines Bristow, Va. Seattle Caseyville, Ill. Mail: 3108 NW 54th Street Call: (800) 424-8262 Editorial Assistant: Amy Stalknecht Oklahoma City, OK 73112 Autumn Dipert Brown Larry Hundt Tim Wayland Online: www.uma.org Editorial Assistant: Michele Nosko Dan Diepert Coaches Great Canadian Trailways ABC Companies Call: (866) 930-8421 Arlington, Texas Kitchner, Ontario Faribault, Minn. Editorial Assistant: Maggie Masterson David Brown Dale Krapf T. Ralph Young ©2011 by the United Motorcoach Association. Reproduction in whole or in part without Holiday Tours Krapf Coaches Young Transportation written permission is prohibited. Accountant: Ted Williford Randlemann, N.C. West Chester, Pa. Ashville, N.C. Bus & Motorcoach News INDUSTRY NEWS August 15, 2011 9 ‘Young Gun’ operator Ray Land Michael Haggerty sells Ryan’s Express of Las Vegas NORTH LAS VEGAS, Nev. – personal net worth. Transpec is one of its operations. Michael Haggerty, principal Today, Ryan’s Express has op- Simultaneous with the sale, participates in White House forum owner of one of the West’s best- erations in four western states, with Ryan’s Express is consolidating its WASHINGTON — Ray Land, House Business Council, the White known motorcoach operations, facilities in San Diego, suburban Las Vegas headquarters and oper- president of Fabulous Coach Lines House Council of Economic Advi- Ryan’s Express Transportation Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Reno, sub- ation to a new location in North in Branford, Fla., and a leader in the sors, the Export-Import Bank, and Services, has sold his remaining urban Phoenix and Salt Lake City. Las Vegas. motorcoach industry’s “Young the White House Office of Public interest in the company to a Cali- It operates a fleet of upwards Ryan’s Express’ executive Al Guns” movement, was among 150 Engagement. fornia-based private equity firm. 150 vehicles, including more than Sherrer is now heading the young entrepreneurs and business During a panel discussion with Century Park Capital Partners 100 motorcoaches, plus midsize company. owners from across the country who agency officials and White House of El Segundo, which already buses, vans, limousines and sedans. As for Haggerty, he intends to participated in a forum at the White advisers, Land asked about federal owned 49 percent of the company, Century Park owns a diversi- focus his attention on CH Trading, House last month. programs that might help him bring purchased the remaining 51 per- fied portfolio of companies, some the company that distributes the The forum was conducted as more overseas visitors to the U.S. cent from Haggerty. of which operate in the bus indus- Turkish-built Temsa motorcoach in part of an Obama Administration and finance new facilities in major Haggerty sold a near-half in- try. Its companies include Special- the U.S. program called “Our Time’s Buy inbound cities. terest in his firm to Century Park ty Manufacturing Group, which Haggerty reportedly intends to Young Initiative.” An official from the SBA told just over five years ago to raise manufacturers bus roof hatches, move Temsa more aggressively The event allowed the young Land she had loan programs that growth capital and to diversify his stop arms, flooring and lighting. into the market. business owners, who are responsi- could help. ble for the creation of more than As the group chuckled, Land 7,000 jobs, to share their thoughts promised to repay the loans if she on a variety of issues, including job would come through with the money. creation, small business and youth A White House official said the employment. forum provides the administration Land and the other participants with feedback about projects it is got a chance to speak with adminis- working on and on how the federal tration officials from the U.S. Small government can better encourage Business Administration, the White entrepreneurship. Controversial John Teets dies PHOENIX — John W. Teets, was the Armor meatpacking unit, one of the most controversial fig- which was sold in 1983 for $2 bil- ures in the history of the North lion. He retained Armor’s consumer American intercity bus industry, products business, which became died earlier this month. Dial Consumer Products Group. A family spokesman said Mr. It took Mr. Teets longer to find Teets, who served as chairman and the right buyer for Greyhound CEO of Greyhound Corp. and Lines. But in 1987, he found Fred later Dial Corp. in the 1980s and Currey, who led an investment ’90s, died of complications from group that bought Greyhound for Alzheimer’s disease. He was 77. upwards of $375 million. That Mr. Teets joined Greyhound price, according to some accounts, Corp. in 1963 to help develop res- was roughly three times what the taurants the company’s Armour & company was worth. Company subsidiary was operat- Several industry historians say ing at the 1964 World’s Fair in that deal put Greyhound and the New York. intercity bus industry on a long, He was named president of two slippery road of decline. food service subsidiaries in 1965, Because Currey overpaid for at age 32, the youngest executive Greyhound, and Mr. Teets retained to head a Greyhound subsidiary, much of its valuable real estate and according to the family. other assets, the company was sad- Mr. Teets became president dled with more than $200 million and CEO of Greyhound Food in debt that couldn’t be covered by Management and group vice presi- operations and there were no as- dent of food service for the corpo- sets to sell to reduce the overhang. ration in 1975. He grew the food Eventually, after the misbegot- units rapidly, resulting in his elec- ten purchase of Trailways Inc., a tion as vice chairman and a direc- failed effort to go public, and a pro- tor of Greyhound Corp. in 1980. tracted strike in 1990, Greyhound He was named chairman and Lines went belly up. In time, it was CEO of Armor & Co. and Grey- reorganized and survives. hound’s CEO in October 1981. Meanwhile, Mr. Teets contin- Once he moved into the top spot ued to manage what was renamed at Greyhound he began a decade- Dial Corp., which was divided into long restructuring of the conglom- two publicly traded companies in erate, which was a Fortune 500 1996 — the $1.6 billion Dial Corp. company and the largest corpora- and the $2.5 billion Viad Corp. tion in Arizona. By the time he left the compa- According to some bus industry ny, however, the all-powerful Mr. historians, Mr. Teets despised the Teets had had his wings clipped by bus business which, of course, was the Dial board — apparently be- the foundation of Greyhound Corp. cause of an incident stemmingadvert-artwork-8.17-10.5-clear-embed.indd 1 24/06/2010 14:36:19 and the cash cow that led to it be- from a messy divorce involving a coming a giant business. top Dial executive. The whole af- First to be severed by Mr.advert-artwork-8.17-10.5-clear-embed.indd Teets fair remains a mystery 1today. 24/06/2010 14:36:19

advert-artwork-8.17-10.5-clear-embed.indd 1 24/06/2010 14:36:19 10 August 15, 2011 INDUSTRY NEWS Bus & Motorcoach News

coach Association vice president pose exchanging the exercise for (scores) before a carrier can even and how best they can meet them. New-entrant rules and chief operating officer, agreed, an actual inspection because a sub- be percentile ranked and potential- “I hope our industry looks at CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 stressing that in general operators stantial amount of important infor- ly trigger an intervention or on-site OSHA and copies them,” he said. any unsafe operators who might be do not have equipment, drivers or mation about their operations audit,” he said. Presley also suggested a study attempting to get back into the insurance when they apply for op- would not be part of the CSA scor- program and passing of an exami- business under a new name after erating authority. ing unless the carriers actually Industry suggestions nation, but with an early safety in- being previously shut down by “This is clearly not the ‘chick- were inspected. While industry officials may spection requirement added. regulators. en-and-egg’ conversation,” he “Monitoring them under CSA be critical of some of FMCSA’s “We still believe the imple- “We turn down 24 percent of said. “A prospective operator is a good idea but the regulators plans, they remain high on im- mentation of required classroom new applicants now and we be- needs approval before there is any- need to keep in mind that how well proving motorcoach safety and instruction on the regulations, fol- lieve that figure would go up under thing to inspect, and in the final an operator is doing might not show even have some ideas of their own. lowed by an exam and then a new the new program,” he added. analysis and in the majority of in- up in the data once they begin oper- “First and foremost, if some- entrant safety audit 45 days after stances the most an inspector will ating because they might not have thing improves a new entrant car- granting operating authority will Questioned by industry have is a conversation.” been inspected,” offered Steve Kep- rier’s chances of a safe and suc- ultimately produce the most posi- Industry executives say that Van Steenburg disagreed, con- pler, executive director of the Com- cessful start, we are all for it,” tive results,” he said. while a knowledge test has merit, tending that the majority of new mercial Vehicle Safety Alliance. emphasized Presley. Daecher said he would like to they question the worthiness of the applicants — possibly more than “The 18-month inspection needs to Christopher Crean, veteran see FMCSA require applicants to pre-authorization audit and have 90 percent of them — own some be there to make sure they are con- safety manger of Peter Pan Bus appear in person before state or serious reservations about the equipment, have hired some driv- tinuing to be safe.” Lines in Springfield, Mass., sug- federal regulators, which would abandonment of the mandate for ers and carry some insurance be- Presley said he could not imag- gested the FMCSA develop a certi- assure the person applying for the the first-18-months-of-operation fore receiving authorization to ine Congress going along with fication program for operators and authority is the one completing the safety inspection. operate. trading an actual inspection of safety managers similar to one the knowledge exam. On the pre-authorization audit, Equally important, he said, equipment, facilities and drivers federal Occupational Safety and Applicants who pass would be some in the industry suggest that it most of them also have critical with the pre-authorization audit. Health Administration now offers. awarded authority and be subject would uncover little information company safety polices in place “A safety audit is an evaluation of OSHA issues certifications after to the current, 18-month new-­ because most people trying to get that would be a key part of the performance standards, not a con- participants successfully complete a entrant safety audit where physical into the motorcoach business don’t audit. versation,” he asserted. 40-hour class. Those who become records could be checked to assure purchase equipment, hire drivers or “We would look at their culture Daecher emphasized that doing certified must return every two compliance with safety rules and obtain insurance before they re- of safety,” he stressed. away with the mandatory safety in- years to renew their certifications. regulations. ceive FMCSA authority to operate. spection in favor of the pre-authori- “There isn’t much out there for “Blending this approach with “This process would be limited Biggest worry zation audit would work only if our industry, no place to go to the usual monitoring of the CSA to a knowledge test,” said Matt The dropping of the 18-month every new carrier is inspected. learn about the rules and regula- system, I think, would adequately Daecher, president of Daecher inspection mandate triggered the “That is a huge assumption tions and safety issues,” Crean check and monitor new carriers,” Consulting Group in Camp Hill, most concern among industry considering some carriers are sub- said. “They need to offer some he said. “And, I don’t think any Pa., pointing out that there would safety experts and others. ject to very few inspections and training, like Safety 101.” carrier serious about going into be no physical records for regula- They said while they support also considering that a minimum He said he receives telephone business in a legitimate manner tors to audit. the monitoring of new operators number of inspections is required calls regularly from new operators would have any issues with that Ken Presley, United Motor- under the CSA program, they op- to be reflected in each BASIC asking about certain regulations hybrid system.”

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February 8-12, 2012 | Long Beach, California www.motorcoachexpo.com Bus & Motorcoach News INDUSTRY NEWS August 15, 2011 11 Please! Take a budget scalpel to the waste that’s Amtrak By Dave Millhouser nents point out that most civilized Northeast Corridor. They do so You could make the case that t h i s s i l v e r nations offer passenger rail service. with almost no subsidies and at dollars spent boosting Amtrak pro- cloud. Mil- It was late on a Tuesday in No- With all due respect, is that rea- fares that are about a third of Am- duce waste in ways more signifi- lions of folks vember 1968 — and my stomach son enough to spend tons of money trak’s regular train fares. Intercity cant than the subsidy. Private car- are being ex- hurt. on a system that is less convenient, buses are safe and environmentally rier’s pay taxes and fees that public posed to mod- I remember it clearly because I safe and efficient than the services friendly, suffering almost 80 per- entities don’t. All those are lost, in ern coaches on was 600 miles from home. provided by — you guessed it — cent fewer fatalities per billion addition to the subsidy outlay. these line runs. It was the sickest I’d ever felt, the motorcoach industry? passenger miles than Amtrak and The point here is not that Am- There’s no rea- AND it was the day Richard Nixon It’s OK for rail enthusiasts to using 60 percent less energy per trak is evil; a giant waste of pre- s o n t h o s e Dave Millhouser was elected president. love trains; it’s not OK for them to passenger mile than Amtrak.” cious resources, yes, but not evil. ­experiences Wednesday morning they ask us to fund their hobby. Amtrak And that’s Amtrak’s showcase. The point is we have not adequate- shouldn’t translate into them try- yanked out my appendix and all creates periodic pain, especially Imagine what’s happening in the ly told our story. ing us for charters and tours. was well. It may have been an financial pain, without offering rest of country. They’re not even our biggest Mr. O’Toole calls us “The For- omen for the Nixon presidency. substantial benefit. The demographics of motor- competitor. But every bit counts. gotten Mode” ­— even while sing- I was young and poor. So, a The Defense Department no coach passengers have changed in Amtrak is a Grade A symbol of pol- ing our praises. There aren’t week later, when things seemed to longer uses passenger rail to move recent years, in response to clever iticians’ inability to scrap an idea enough resources in our industry have healed, I took out the stitches its troops. Coaches and airplanes positioning by “curbside” carriers. that’s obsolete; to just say ‘no.’ to mount a major media campaign myself rather than pay the surgeon. do it better. College kids, older folk and busi- There has been tremendous but we can certainly be proud of Until then I’d never thought In the event of a natural disas- ness people are choosing coach growth in the number of people what we do and try to leverage this much about the appendix. (And, ter, buses can detour in ways that travel because the “terminals” are riding scheduled buses. Innova- phenomenon into a new image for actually, I hadn’t thought about it are impossible for trains. When close to where they want to be, the tions in reservation technology, the our industry. in years until I needed a metaphor tracks get washed out it often takes coaches provide the same ameni- comfort and amenities of coaches, We’ve improved to the point for this column.) weeks or months to get ‘em fixed; ties as passenger trains, coach and communications make a mo- that we’re viewed as a hidden trea- It’s an organ that was useful a a washed out road often can be re- rides are inexpensive, and coaches torcoach ride as “upscale” as a sure, a step in the right direction, bazillion years ago but now just paired in hours. run much more often. train trip, but many still bow to the but not enough. lingers as decoration on the large A healthy intercity bus indus- Rail advocates point to traffic romance of the rails. Now may be a fine time for an intestine, with potential for creat- try provides a national safety net in congestion. Modern communica- The “curbside” phenomenon Amtrak appendectomy. If Con- ing pain. ways that trains can’t, while cost- tions can help skirt road delays, offers several opportunities. First, gress is REALLY serious about Amtrak is very similar. ing government virtually nothing while many Amtrak trains operate there are hundreds of routes that looking for ways to save money, it In ye olden days, we needed (and paying taxes, too). on track owned by commercial aren’t yet being operated, waiting would be a good start. I’m willing nationwide passenger rail service. Quoting public policy analyst railroads, where freight trains have for someone to give them a try. to remove the stitches. Roads were either poor or non-ex- Randall O’Toole in Intercity priority. Some will succeed, others fail. The Dave Millhouser is a bus in- istent, and air travel was unreliable Buses, The Forgotten Mode: “In- In the cosmic economic scheme key seems to be finding the right dustry marketing consultant and and very costly. tercity buses carry at least 50 per- of things Amtrak’s subsidy is small, routes, and being frank about what freelance writer. Contact him at Do we still need it? Passenger cent more passenger miles than but a billion here and there eventu- works. his new email address: Davemill- trains are decorative, and propo- Amtrak in Amtrak’s showcase ally adds up. There may be a silver lining in [email protected].

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It hasn’t been an easy time for not been available, according to Group was that the Australian An Expo unveiling Chinese buses Stallion, by any means. The com- sales manager Frank Ziegler. company allowed it to use the BCI Meanwhile, LZ Bus plans to CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 pany closed its initial assembly Instead, he said the company is name. revive and rename the Falcon and buses to the U.S. began in earnest plant in California, merged with concentrating on a line of Chinese While word on what the com- introduce the yet unnamed new in 2006 when three companies an- shuttle bus builder TMC Group, trucks it imports and will switch to pany is planning to do in the U.S. model at the United Motorcoach nounced plans for a variety of and moved manufacturing to buses when the financing picture and Canada has not yet been made Association Expo in Long Beach, models. TMC’s facility in Elkhart. TMC is clears. public, industry sources say Bus & Calif., in February, according to best known in the industry by its Industry observers offer a bar- Coach America is preparing to spokesman James Liang. The early entries marketing name, Ameritrans. rage of reasons for the failed at- bring in Chinese-built coaches by He said the newly formed com- Stallion Bus Industries of New Gore said the move was made tempts to sell Chinese buses in way of the Australian company. pany is associated with Bonluck York unveiled plans to introduce a because labor and other expenses North America — trouble getting They will be built at a new Bus, the East China bus manufac- 35-foot shuttle bus; Bus and Coach were less and the facility was more and offering financing, questions $200 million production facility turer that built the Falcon and International of Kansas reported it centrally located to serve both East about reliability and quality, lack BCI Group opened in June in Xia- ­remains interested in the U.S. mo- was bringing in a 45-foot motor- and West Coast customers. of a strong parts and service net- men in East China’s Fujian prov- torcoach market. “They still want coach, and Rexhall Industries of work, and the struggling U.S. ince. BCI Group said in a press to be a player here,” he said. California said it was about to The also rans economy among them. release when it opened the plant To help smooth the way for the market three small coaches and a BCI marketed its 45-foot Fal- that the facility would allow it to introduction of the new model, LZ transit bus. con coaches for four years before Trying to make it work reach target markets in North Bus has set its sights on building a Three years later, G&K Auto- fading from the industry amid a How well the new entrants will America, as well as well-estab- relationship with operators who motive Conversion Inc. of Califor- high-profile squabble between its do is anyone’s guess. lished markets in Australia and own the 110 Falcons that were sold nia announced it planned to intro- founders, investors, and a group of Bus and Coach America has New Zealand. by BCI and who were largely left duce a 45-foot coach through a executives who ultimately took some familiar faces directing its Coaches manufactured at the without parts and service assis- newly formed subsidiary, Green- over the business. The company operation and could be the first to plant — unlike the Falcon that BCI tance when BCI folded. kraft Inc. last showed the Falcon at UMA come to market with a new Chi- imported — will be produced for Liang said the company met Today, Stallion is the only one Motorcoach Expo 2010. nese motorcoach. markets outside of China and will with Falcon owners earlier this of the four with Chinese models Rexhall, according to spokes- Heading the venture are Larry not carry Chinese vehicle identifi- year to find out their needs, and available to the industry. woman Hillary Rex, brought in Brenner, president, and Sharad cation numbers. This, according to later invited them to have their me- Stallion President John Gore some Chinese buses early on but Agarwal and Andrew Fung, execu- some in the industry, could give chanics meet with Bonluck engi- said the company is assembling quit doing so a short time later. tive vice presidents, all former top the company an advantage over neers who were visiting the U.S. 30- and 35-foot coaches and a 40- “We aren’t doing anything with it executives of the failed BCI. other Chinese-built buses sold in In addition, LZ Bus also has foot transit bus at a plant in right now,” she said. The three have one thing going the U.S. set up a parts warehouse in St. Elkhart, Ind. Greenkraft still holds the rights for them that their earlier venture Bus and Coach America said it Louis where most parts are avail- “We’ve sold a lot of buses so to distribute 40- and 45-foot did not — a partnership and distri- would not comment on specifics able for immediate shipping, and it far this year and business has been coaches made by Chinese builder bution agreement with one of Aus- of the coach it plans to market has established service centers in very good,” he said, adding that Ankai of Hefei City, the capital of tralia’s largest bus and coach build- until a formal announcement is 10 major cites around the country. more than half of sales are coming Anhui province, but has yet to ers, BCI Group. The only link their made. That could come in the next Liang said LZ Bus also is of- from repeat customers. market any because financing has former company had with BCI two or three months. CONTINUED ON PAGE 13 c Bus & Motorcoach News INDUSTRY NEWS August 15, 2011 13 Calif. operator Dick Dorr dies at 84 Transit bus smashes eagle CASTROVILLE, Calif. — that he had a He was a member of local SEATTLE — A bald eagle that A captain at the Washington Richard ‘Dick’ Dorr, who founded positive im- civic organizations and a fan of was often seen by drivers as they state Department of Fish and Wild- and owned a charter bus company pact on his the University of Oregon football crossed the Interstate 520 bridge life, Bill Hebner, said the eagle here for more than a dozen years, students, with team, San Francisco 49ers and here was struck and killed earlier was more than likely the male of a died late last month of complica- several be- San Francisco Giants. this month by a transit bus. pair that nested at Seattle’s Broad- tions from cancer. He was 84. coming band Quiet and unassuming, Mr. A King County Metro bus hit moor Golf Club. Mr. Dorr was a respected op- d i r e c t o r s Dorr personified strong family the eagle, which had been named “I think the lesson learned here erator, serving a number of years themselves or values, hard work and integrity. “Eddie” by passersby, The Seattle is, as motorists, whenever you see on the board of the California Bus professional Dick Dorr Those who knew him appreciated Times reported. wildlife along the road…be cau- Association and as its president musicians. his sense of humor and “old King County Metro spokes- tious, be defensive, slow down and from 1995-97, before retiring in While teaching in Oregon, he school” attitudes. woman Linda Thielke said the bus know they will often do the unpre- 1999. led a dance band and played pro- In addition to his son and was in the middle of the bridge, dictable,” Hebner said. He was a native of Aberdeen, fessionally. His main instruments daughter-in-law, Mr. Dorr is sur- moving at about 50 miles per hour A motorcoach industry sage Wash., and served in the Navy were the clarinet and tenor sax. vived by his wife of more than 47 when the eagle started to fly in the observed that it stood to reason from 1945 to 1947. After retiring from teaching, years, Pat, and seven other sons same direction as the bus. that the symbol of American free- After receiving a bachelor’s he founded Discovery Charters in and daughters, including Dave “The bird very, very suddenly dom would be killed by a King and master’s degree in music from 1986 with one minibus, operating Dorr of Motor Coach Industries. took a turn and smashed into the County Metro bus. the University of Oregon, he out of his home. Today, the com- A memorial in Mr. Dorr’s name windshield,” cracking it, Thielke King County Metro, of course, taught high school band for more pany operates a fleet of 13 coach- been established with Hospice of said. is the only public transit agency in than 40 years in both California es and is managed by his son, Santa Cruz County, 940 Disc Dr., The driver kept going and re- the whole United States that’s ex- and Oregon. Richard, and Richard’s wife, Scotts Valley, CA 95066, or online ported the incident shortly empt from the federal charter bus He and his family were proud Jeanne. at www.hospicesantacruz.org. afterwards. rule.

The name of the new Bonluck way at the Altona Bus Research up in the U.S. and Canada, and a the blessing of Van Hool, which Chinese buses model LZ will be importing has and Testing Center in Pennsylva- deal is nearing completion for a fa- owns about 30 percent of ABC. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12 not been announced, but it will not nia, according to U.S. sales man- cility in California where the buses The cost of a new, North Ameri- fering for sale at its offices in St. be called the Falcon. ager Jared Schnader. will be assembled on a Chinese- can- or European-built motorcoach Louis more than two-dozen Fal- He said a low-floor, CNG- built shell. is out of reach of many operators cons that were initially built for Foton being tested powered Foton has been at the cen- While ABC declines to com- today, and a quality, lower-cost bus BCI. The timetable for the Foton ter since late last year and testing ment on the persistent reports it’s from China that has financing and Additional Falcons, with ’07 transit bus reportedly will depend is going well and should be com- looking into importing a Chinese lots of support might draw support engines, also could be headed to on how well one of the models per- pleted by the end of this year. bus, several sources confirmed the from those operators, suggest some the U.S. forms in testing currently under Seven dealers have been signed idea is under consideration and has industry executives. 14 August 15, 2011 INDUSTRY NEWS Bus & Motorcoach News

Berg fesses up several fake loan files, records re- megabus plans sleeper service in U.K. lating to fake post office boxes CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 and other documents related to “a PERTH, Scotland — megabus. tain for privacy, will have a reading Sir Brian Souter, chief execu- “Darren Berg stole my past and last ditch effort to raise additional com is launching the United King- light, duvet, pillow and blanket. tive of Stagecoach Group, said has forced me to sell my house,” funds,” Barbosa told the court. dom’s first budget sleeper coach megabus, which was launched there has been demand for over- one investor wrote to the court. Describing Berg’s alleged ac- service next month. in the U.K. seven years ago, will night service. “We believe the best “He stole my ability to retire.” tivities, Barbosa said the scammer megabus’ parent company, operate the service on three spe- way to find out if it’s a service our “I am 61 years old, well edu- continued to lie and fabricate evi- Stagecoach Group, announced it cially refurbished coaches, each customers want is by offering them cated but certainly not qualified to dence even while claiming to be will offer passengers their own fitted with 24 berths and seats. the chance to try it out for real.” reenter this dismal job market and cooperating with investigators. berths on overnight megabus ser- Passengers on the sleepers will The company is running trials have been literally ill over Berg’s Barbosa said Berg even tried vice between London and Glasgow. receive an overnight pack contain- this month before it starts the first nefarious acts,” wrote another to bribe a bankruptcy trustee with That’s a 400-mile trip, or roughly ing an eye mask, toothbrush and week of September. woman, who lost $1 million to $150,000 — money that actually the distance from New York City to toothpaste so they can freshen up Tickets for the service start at Berg. “He is a thief and a liar and belonged to the bankruptcy estate Pittsburgh. before reaching their destination. one British pound (roughly $1.63 no one should trust his word.” and would properly go to his cred- Each of the berths, which are Coaches will run nightly in U.S.), plus booking fee, and go up FBI agents searching Berg’s itors — to get the trustee’s support laid out in sets of three with a cur- both directions. to 40 pounds, or $65 U.S. home recovered hundreds of during an earlier hearing that saw boxes of documents, including Berg jailed. Greyhound revenue higher for quarter Bus roadblock trooper, and did so, he failed in ABERDEEN, Scotland — vamped website, which resulted in progress in implementing the re- this responsibility. To bow to mis- CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 Revenue at Greyhound Lines rose an upswing in online sales, and the covery plan” underway to offset directed police authority placed, in 3.7 percent during the three months use of self-service ticketing kiosks. the squeeze caused by strained The incident generated a fair this case, many more lives in ended June 30, the intercity carri- Additionally, First Group said state, municipal and school fi- amount of internet comment. jeopardy. “Had this motorcycle exploded er’s parent company, First Group Greyhound Express, the curbside nances in the U.S., and to take ad- One reader of the newspaper that reported the episode wrote: on impact wouldn’t we all be look- plc, reported at its annual meeting service now being offered by vantage of First Student’s position “Regardless of authority, a driver ing at the whole sad (event) from a here last month. Greyhound in selected Midwest as the nation’s largest private of a commercial motor vehicle different perspective.” That compares to a 3 percent and Northeast markets, performed school bus operator. with passengers on board has to Wrote another reader: “Either revenue increase during the same well during its first six months of First Group also said First understand that their No. 1 priority way, it sure seems dangerous to three-month period last year, and a operation. ­Student had done well in securing is the safety of those in their care. those students in the bus, and the 1.6 percent gain during the three Among First Group’s other new contracts during the spring The law enforcement community biker. months ended April 30, 2011. North American operations, First and summer bidding season, in- should also be aware of this. “I know he certainly was in the First Group attributed the reve- Transit continued “to perform cluding capturing eight contracts “If this driver was instructed to wrong, stealing a bike, and no pro- nue rise to a variety of measures well.” from schools that converted from block completely or partially this tective (head) gear running over aimed at improving Greyhound At the same time, First Group operating their own buses to First highway using his bus with pas- 100 mph but, wow, using a bus performance. They include a re- said First Student “made good Student. sengers by a Pennsylvania state with passengers! Really?”

2005 ABC M-1035 $52,000

2001 VanHool T2145S Executive Coach: $150,000

2001 Prevost H3 $144,275 2000 Prevost H3-45 $126,940 2000 Prevost LeMirage XLII $104,814 1997 Prevost H3-41 $53,900 All coaches have: • 110 Volt Power Outlets Throughout Contact: • DVD with 4 Monitors • Good to Average Interiors Trenton Stange • Quantity Discounts Available on Prevost 616-696-0022 • Videos on all Coaches Available [email protected] Branford 51655_branford 40661 7/20/11 2:37 PM Page 2

ONLINE AUCTION MOTOR COACH Surplus to the ongoing operations of MCI: I N D U S T R I E S Multimillion Dollar Surplus Inventory Reduction of Pre-Owned Motor Coaches on Behalf of MCI Variety of Makes, Models and Years Bidding Starts: Tues. August 30 at 6:00am (EST) Closing On: Wed. August 31 at 11:00am (EST) Preview/Inspection: Mon. August 29, 9:00am - 4:00pm Local Time or by Appointment MCI Inventory Locations: Des Plaines, IL (Chicago) • Los Alamitos, CA (Los Angeles) • Blackwood, NJ (Philadelphia)

2000 MCI 102EL3 1999 VAN HOOL T2145 1998 MCI 102DL3 1998 PREVOST H3-45 Up To (35) Pre-Owned Motor Coaches To Be Sold At Auction Des Plaines, Illinois Los Alamitos, California

• 2001 MCI E4500 • (3) 2000 MCI 102EL3 • 1999 MCI 102DL3 • (2) 1998 MCI 102EL3 Blackwood, New Jersey • 1998 MCI 102DL3SS • (3) 1997 MCI 102DL3 • 2000 DUPONT • (3) 1995 MCI 102DL3 • 1999 VANHOOL T2145 • 1995 MCI 102D3 • (2) 1999 MCI 102EL3 • 1998 PREVOST H3-45 • 1998 MCI 102DL3 WCL • 1997 PREVOST H3-45 • (3) 1998 MCI 102DL3 • 1999 VAN HOOL T2145 • 1996 MCI 102DL3 • (3) 1997 VANHOOL T945 • (2) 1995 MCI 102D3 • 1996 VAN HOOL T800/45 Please Note: Items and quantities are subject to change. View the lot catalog online prior to the auction for the complete and final offering as well as complete terms and conditions for the auction Visit www.TheBranfordGroup.com for more info The 203.488.7020 Auctioneer Licenses: William J. Gardner Equipment Auctions Worldwide IL #441.000802, CA Bond #70676597

branford 51655 Coaches 10 1/4” x 13” 7.20.11 p 2 16 August 15, 2011 INDUSTRY NEWS Bus & Motorcoach News National Interstate reports 2011 second-quarter results RICHFIELD, Ohio — National Insurance Co. just over a year ago. For the six months ended June commissions and other underwrit- traditional transportation products Interstate Corporation has report- National Interstate, which is 30, National Interstate had net in- ing expenses. Losses and loss ad- that have contributed to rising loss ed higher net income for the sec- the parent company of leading mo- come of $17.73 million, down justment expenses jumped 71 per- and loss adjustment expense ra- ond quarter of 2011, but lower in- torcoach industry insurer, National from $18.2 million during the first cent in the first quarter, while tios. In addition, the company has come for the first half of the year. Interstate Insurance, said it earned half of last year. commissions and other underwrit- experienced elevated losses in its Revenue (i.e. premium income) $8.2 million during the three National Interstate earnings ing expenses rose 44 percent. recreational vehicle business. for both periods this year was months ended June 30, up from were held in check by a variety of National Interstate noted that it It was also pointed out that sharply higher as a result of the $7.6 million for the same period a factors, including a soft insurance has experienced several periods of quarterly underwriting expense ra- company’s purchase of Vanliner year ago. market, higher loses, and rising single-digit rate decreases in its tios could vary based on the mix of business written during the quar- ter, or as a result of non-recurring 16th Annual items such as costs associated with the Vanliner acquisition. “As we expected, our loss and CONCENTRATED (loss adjustment expense) ratios began trending up in the last half of 2010 when compared to the favor- able claims results we had been ex- 48 HOURS of 100% BUSES periencing,” said National Inter- state President and CEO Dave September 13 & 14, 2011 Michelson. Navy Pier, Festival Hall A • Chicago “Loss and (loss adjustment ex- pense) ratios in the 2011 second quarter were about 3 percentage points higher than the average for the prior three quarters, in part re- lated to our personal lines compo- A Concentrated, Focused nent, including seasonal losses in the recreational vehicle product,” Michelson said. and Affordable Event for Bus Helping offset the higher ex- penses was a sharp rise in net in- vestment income. For example, Industry Professionals! first quarter investment income climbed 56 percent. Gross premiums totaled $156.5 million for the 2011 second quar- ter and $290.8 million for the first six months of 2011, up 41 and 34 • An Exhibit Hall JAM-PACKED with percent, respectively. Both num- Buses, Bus Equipment and Bus Technology bers were favorably impacted by the acquisition of Vanliner, as well for Sale as growth in existing businesses, including the company’s alterna- • A Targeted Educational Program for Bus tive risk transfer (captive insur- Industry Professionals ance) component. The alternative risk transfer seg- • The Opportunity for ment grew 30 percent during the Best Networking 2011 second quarter and 26 percent Bus Professionals to Gather, Exchange and for the 2011 first six months, com- Share Information pared to the same 2010 periods. In National Interstate’s trans- portation segment, its over-the- road bus and truck insurance in- come was flat to lower during the first half of this year. Offi cial In late June, National Interstate General Show Sponsors Host Dealer Supporting Organizations celebrated 10 years of consecutive BCS07-58.11 Illinois growth of its Calypso Passenger Motor Coach Transportation Program, which is Association an alternative risk transfer insur- ance program for motorcoach and other passenger-carrier operators. Since 2001, Calypso has grown Lead Media Sponsor Media Sponsors from six founding members to 58 members. “Calypso was specifically de- signed for best-in-class passenger transportation companies, includ- ing charter and tour, transit, student Registration Now Open! Visit www.BusConExpo.com transportation, and limousine,” said Jim Parks, vice president of passen- or for more information, call (800) 576-8788 ger transportation at National Interstate.

BCS07-58bmn_fpha.indd 1 7/22/11 7:24:31 AM Bus & Motorcoach News INDUSTRY NEWS August 15, 2011 17 Museum needs tools, to sell five buses; fling is fun 3 HERSHEY, Pa. — A member assorted ends • /8- and ½-inch socket hold- and interior, no VIN number, no 7100 ext. 119, or Ken McNelis at of the board of the Museum of Bus • Blue Point/Snap-On ¾-inch ing rails title. $5,500. (610) 203-7998. Transportation here has sent out an drive torque wrench • 1½-inch Detroit Diesel en- • 1972 GMC T6H5308. 49- The museum’s “Spring Fling” appeal for tools needed to help • Air grease gun (cartridge gine-turning wrench passenger suburban, all seats facing in early June was highly successful, maintain the museum fleet of vin- style) Before heading to FedEx or forward, DD6B71 engine (not run- with nearly 325 visitors turning out 3 tage buses. • Two 50-foot, /8-inch inside UPS to ship one or more of the ning), fair condition, VIN #T6H- for the annual ‘busman’s holiday.’ “I have been serving on the Mu- diameter, air hoses items to the museum, kindly con- 5308A007, no title. $2,000. This year, the venue was seum of Bus Transportation board • One 25-foot ½-inch I.D. air tact Farrell first. The museum does • 1973 GMC P8M-4905A. changed to hold the entire event at for several years now and am im- hose not need 50 pairs of Vice-Grips. 47-passenger, restroom, V-730 au- the museum facility itself, which pressed with the dedication of so • Assorted gear pullers “Please call or email me and I tomatic installed by previous shares display space with the An- many ‘bus nut’ volunteers,” said • Axle hub sockets will make sure the information owner, running, fair interior/exteri- tique Automobile Club of America. Elaine Farrell, executive director of • ¾-inch drive socket set gets to the right person. Your con- or, VIN #P8M-4905A-281. $5,000. In prior years, the bus-related 13 the Pennsylvania Bus Association. • One-inch drive /16 square sideration of the museum’s request • 1990 Flxible 35096. 43-pas- flea market was conducted at the “The museum has many, many and 1½-inch impact wheel sockets is very much appreciated,” she senger, double door, DD5V71 en- museum’s nearby storage facility, 3 restored antique buses that are on • Assorted /8- and ½-inch drive said. gine (running), good condition known as the George M. Sage display for the public to enjoy and wrenches and sockets Contact Farrell at the Pennsyl- throughout, VIN #101914, former- Annex. This year, 19 vendors were ‘look back in time.’ • Detroit Diesel fuel injector vania Bus Association by phone at ly Red Rose Transit, title available. on hand, displaying their items on “To keep the buses in tip-top timing gauge (.1460) (717) 236-9042, or by email at $4,000. the lower level of the museum. shape, however, there is a continued • Detroit Diesel fuel injector [email protected]. • 1990 Orion Model 00.4. For the first time in several need for tools,” Farrell continued. wrenches Farrell also reported the muse- 41-passenger, double door, years, the museum hosted an auc- “Many of the tools that were at • Blue Point snap-ring pliers um’s fleet committee has decided DD6V71 engine (running), good tion, featuring unusual bus artifacts. the museum were on loan, so, • Needle nose pliers to downsize the museum bus roster interior/fair exterior, VIN In addition to the vintage buses when they are retrieved, the fleet • Vise-Grip pliers and is offering five buses for sale. #6002537, formerly Rabbit Transit, displayed in the museum itself, 20 garage ends up short of tools. We • Diagonal-cutter pliers They are: York, Pa., title available. $2,000. buses were driven to the museum are in need of tools now,” she said. • 12-inch crescent wrench • 1946 Ford Model 69-B. 29- Anyone interested in any of the and put on display on the museum Farrell has provided a list of • Flair-nut wrenches passenger, single-door, 6-cylinder vehicles should contact Tom Col- campus tarmac. specific tools the museum would • Jumper cables gas engine (not running), fair body lins at the museum: (717) 566- The event had several sponsors, appreciate being donated for its including Lakeland Bus Lines of ongoing use. Here’s what it needs: Huether at (416) 229-6622 Ext. Wotring at (717) 691-1147 or Dover, N.J., which sponsored a 227, or [email protected]. [email protected]. • One-inch drive impact wrench Calendar special T-shirt featuring its 1959 • Chicago Pneumatic CP864 AUGUST 2011 16-18 A Gathering of Buses, 17-21 National Association of GM TDM-4515. disc sander 15-16 Brian Crow Retirement Greyhound Bus Museum, Motorcoach Operators 2011 Visitors were transported to the • Chicago Pneumatic CP714 Dinner and Honorary Golf Hibbing, Minn. Info: Stan Holter Annual Conference, Crowne Sage facility in a shuttle bus pro- air hammer/chisel/riveter Tournament, Niagara Falls, at (952) 881-1111 or stan@ Plaza Atlanta Perimeter at Ravinia. vided by Conestoga Tours of Lan- • Battery cable crimper with Ontario. Info: Call or email Laura richfieldbus.com, or Charles Info: www.namocoach.org. caster, Pa.

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while operators with 6 to 20 can be Island Limousine Service, called the eyes, bureaucracy.” been stopped on the highway only N.Y. regulators shut-down after four violations, and order “pathetically unfair,” accord- once — on May 7 — and no viola- CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 carriers with more than 20 vehicles ing to a newswire story. “The reason N.Y. action probed tions were recorded. Not rolling over can be closed after five. is clear,” he said. “The governor is The operators just might have The publication also reported that The operators, however, plan to The rule also allows the suspen- trying to show everybody he is re- something to complain about, too, the state said Touch of Class & Coach fight the order under a regulation sion of a carrier with at least 10 state acting to the crashes.” according to reports by TheTrucker. Inc. failed 8 of 23 inspections during that allows them to have a hearing inspections performed between April Zoladz Limousine Service com, a trade publication that was the April-March period, which gave it before the suspensions can be en- 1, 2010, and last March 31 that re- owner Don Zoladz suggested the among the first to report on the rule a failure rate of 34.8 percent. The in- forced. In the meantime, they may sulted in an out-of-service rate great- governor is looking in the wrong and the suspensions. spection count conflicted with continue operating until the hearings er than 25 percent. place in his effort to address the The publication said it found sev- FMCSA records that list only 3 in- — that are expected to be held with- problem of unsafe carriers and mo- eral discrepancies between what the spections during that time frame. in a few weeks — are completed. BANY weighs in torcoach accidents. state records show for some of the In addition, it said the state also If they haven’t already, many Adoption of new rule and the sus- “The guys that are the bad oper- suspended companies and what is reported that Long Island Limou- more operators could be feeling the pensions drew immediate criticism ators first and foremost aren’t regis- contained in the national passenger sines had 15 inspections and failed 4 heat. from some of the affected operators, tered by the DOT, but the DOT carrier database maintained by the of them, giving the business a failure The state DOT announced plans and a vow by the Bus Association of doesn’t want to work on a Sunday to Federal Motor Carrier Safety rate of 26.7 percent. to hire 20 more inspectors who will New York to immediately look into go to a (Buffalo) Bills (football) Administration. This report, too, was different help conduct as many as 11,000 the developments. game and see a dozen buses with no TheTrucker.com said that ac- than FMCSA records, which showed safety inspections and 2,000 safety “While encouraged by New York DOT stickers on them,” he told a cording to information obtained the carrier had only 3 inspections audits of motorcoaches and buses – DOT’s renewed interest in bus and wire service. “They come to me.” from the governor’s office, Silver during the period and just one out- enforcement activities that it said motorcoach safety, BANY is evaluat- Zoladz stressed, too, that the Star had failed 6 of 15 inspections of-service order. could bring in as much as $2 million ing the impact this rule may have on eight buses in his fleet have not been during the new rule’s April-March The state reported, too, that the in civil penalties annually. all carriers,” said Godfrey LeBron, involved in an accident in five years target period, which gave the com- Big Apple suspension was because Under the state’s new coach association president. “We hope all and his drivers haven’t been ticket- pany a 33.3 percent failure rate, well the carrier had been placed out of ser- safety rule, a company with 5 or bus and motorcoach carriers will join ed. “He (Cuomo) has a dam break, above the 25 percent minimum set in vice by the FMCSA. However, fewer vehicles in its fleet can have its BANY as we work through these is- and he’s trying to put a Band-Aid on the new rule. However, it said FMCSA records show the company license suspended after three safety sues with DOT and the governor.” it,” he added. “I’m going after it full FMCSA records for the past two was issued a shut-down order, but violations within a six-month period, Perry Stuart, owner of the Long force. This is 100 percent, in my years show that a Silver Star bus had that was in July, 2010, for failing to pay a fine within a 90-day period. FMCSA spokeswoman Can- CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING ODOR CONTROLLER dice Tolliver said Big Apple also was SUPER CONCENTRATED FORMULA put out of service in September 2004 E4500s ~ Low Miles ~ One Owner is a non-staining, non-formaldehyde soluble based solution. Its long-lasting 2008, for refusing an audit or being 58 Seats ~ More than 1 Available odor control comes in sweet smelling cherry scent. It is guaranteed, in its diluted unable to be contacted for an audit. Approx. 200,000 original miles form to eliminate and control odors. It maintains a fresh scent It was not immediately known Detroit Diesel Series 60 Engine even on long trips. This product will lower your cost while why inspections listed by the state Allison B500R trans. (hyd. retarder) maintaining a clean and fresh scent in your bus lavatories. were either not reported to FMCSA Michelin Tires (not retreads) One 7 gallon pail makes four 55 gallon drums – 3 oz p/toilet. or not made public, but Trucker.com Enhanced sound system with Crawford Distributing & Detail said the federal agency had agreed to AM/FM/CD/DVD/PA system 760-403-8298 look into the issue. Cordless mic & 6 monitors www.crawforddistributing.com Asking $215,000 OBO Possible embarrassment The mix up could create a prob- Marc: 808.832.6261 or [email protected] lem with FMCSA’s ongoing public campaign — led by Administrator National Service Center director Needed Anne Ferro — to encourage the rid- ing public to check the agency’s web- Secaucus, New Jersey site for up-to-date safety records of registered operators before hiring a daimler Buses North America seeks a National Service Center SkillS RequiRed: company or joining a group charter. Director for its Secaucus, NJ Cuomo in his release announc- • Over two years of previous Service Center. This position is ing the suspensions said the state for a self-starter that can work management experience • Extensive knowledge of the DOT is working with federal author- without direct supervision. Can motorcoach market develop and implement strategies ities to make sure that carriers that • Experience with P&L lose their New York licenses do not that will exceed yearly targets. • Excellent customer service skills Reporting the results will be asked and ability to communicate to continue to operate in the state under on a monthly basis. Candidates various audiences federal operating authority. will have prior experience in • High School diploma or equivalent, NYDOT said the rush to ap- motorcoach servicing and can Bacherlors degree preferred. adapt repair strategies to ensure prove the new rule was in response the organization’s success. Additional tasks and requirements can to the rash of bus accidents in New Working with marketing, candidates be viewed at www.daimler-busna.com York over the past few months in will help drive awareness and under Careers. which as many as 18 people were growth of Service Center. killed and dozens more injured. Daimler Buses North America is fully committed to its Corporate Compliance Program, The latest occurred Aug. 3 in Integrity Code, and Code of Ethics. DBNA is an equal opportunity employer. Whitney Point when a tour bus ran To SuBmiT youR ReSume 2003 E4500 ~ Low Mile ~ One Owner ~ 58 Seats off the highway during a rain storm oNliNe: www.daimler-busna.com Lift Equipped Coach • 8 Tie Down Stations and flipped over, injuring about 40 fAx: 315.768.3513. Bus converts seats passengers. in less than 1 minute “A series of recent tragic acci- with Flip Seats dents that resulted in deaths and per- Approx. 240,000 original miles sonal injuries involving carriers has Detroit Diesel Series 60 Engine REPOS FOR SALE revealed that it is possible for a car- Variety of Makes and Models of “Bank Repos” Allison B500R transmission (hydraulic retarder) rier to have multiple safety viola- across the United States and Priced to Sell Michelin Tires (not retreads) Asking $215,000 OBO tions and yet continue operate under 1-877-737-2221 Ext. 30716 for more information Enhanced sound system w/ authority issued by the commission- AM/FM/CD/DVD/PA system Marc: 808.832.6261 er of transportation within the state View repo inventory at www.bus-buys-com Cordless mic & 6 monitors or [email protected] of New York,” the agency said. Elevate your standards. And your passengers’ view.

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113 Park West Drive McDonough, GA 30253