May 15, 2018

Joint UMA-ABA ‘fly-in’ attracts record attendance WASHINGTON — A record 116 people Motorcoach Marketing Council and long- — including representatives from every state time supporter and sponsor Trailways par- and regional motorcoach association and ticipated in the fly-in. major national associations — attended this In addition, the newly formed Asian year’s Capitol Hill Day “fly-in” to lobby American Motorcoach Association held its members of Congress about crucial industry inaugural meeting the day before the event, issues. and about two dozen representatives from the And, for the first time, the United Motor­ association joined the effort by meeting with coach Association and the American Bus As- congressional representatives and their staffs. sociation jointly hosted the annual event. During the daylong fly-in, participants UMA and ABA traditionally have staged had meetings scheduled at 152 legislative their own fly-in events, but this year they offices with either members of Congress or decided to join forces to speak with a uni- their staffs. fied voice. “That’s 675 individual impressions that “With this being my first legislative fly- will be made on behalf of our industry in in as president and CEO at UMA, along one day,” Tetschner said. with it being the first joint legislative fly-in The main purpose of the fly-in is for oper- for the entire industry, I don’t think it could ators to meet face-to-face with as many of have gone better,” said Stacy Tetschner, who This year’s Capitol Hill Day “fly-in,” the first-ever joint United Motorcoach Association-American their congressional representatives as possible took over as the head of UMA last year. Bus Association event, attracted a record 116 participants. See more fly-in photos on Pages 12 to educate them about the bus and motor­coach “I am excited about the passion and com- and 13 Photo by KRR Photography industry and its concerns and challenges. mitment of the attendees in sharing their in- who were truly interested in better under- Aside from regional and local associa- Ken Presley, UMA’s vice president of sights and personal experiences with their standing operators’ challenges as business tion attendance, members of the Interna- legislative and regulatory affairs and industry elected representatives,” Tetschner said. people, employers and constituents from the tional Motorcoach Group, the National As- relations/COO, told fly-in attendees that it is “In many cases, I heard elected officials home community that they represent.” sociation of Motorcoach Operators, the CONTINUED ON PAGE 11 c 15-year-old gets a lesson on lobbying representatives WASHINGTON — Daniel said. “No matter how long you while relaxing unnecessary regu- McMichael is taking home more learn about what goes on in Capi- lations in a way that will spark in- from his trip to Washington, D.C., tol Hill, you are never truly vestment, growth and expansion in than a souvenir quill and ink pen prepared.” an industry that has contracted in set he purchased at the Supreme Daniel is writing a paper for recent years. Court gift shop. his government class about his ex- Although the bill hasn’t gotten The 15-year-old attended the perience on the Hill, interest group a formal hearing in Congress, it joint United Motorcoach Associa- politics and HR 2120 — “Buses still has had a positive impact since tion-American Bus Association United for Safety, Regulatory Re- it was introduced, and some com- Capitol Hill Day with his father, form and Enhanced Growth for the ponents of the legislation have Dale McMichael, president of Ex- 21st Century” (BUSREGS-21), made their way into other congres- ecutive Coach in Lancaster, Pa. which was introduced last year by sional measures or benefited from The advanced-placement gov- Perry. executive action. ernment student learned what it The bill targets several regula- “Daniel is my retirement means to exercise his First Amend- tions proposed or enacted by the plan,” his father said, because the ment right “to petition the govern- Federal Motor Carrier Safety teen would like to eventually take ment for a redress of grievances” ­Administration, the National over the operations of Executive by attending legislative meetings Highway Traffic Safety Adminis- Coach. with Republican tration and the Federal Transit For now, Daniel works at the Congressmen Lloyd Smucker, Lou Administration. company cleaning buses, but he Barletta, Bill Shuster and Scott Industry advocates say HR hopes to soon start learning about Perry, and legislative aides for 2120 is an attempt at comprehen- the financial part of the business Rep. Pat Toomey, R-Pa. sive regulatory reform. with an internship in the account- Fifteen-year-old Daniel McMichael is writing a school paper on a

“It was life changing,” Daniel The goal is improving safety ing department. motorcoach bill sponsored by Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa.

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Say ‘Yes’ To More P O SSI B I L I T I E S www. abc-companies.com 877.427.7879 Bus & Motorcoach News INDUSTRY NEWS May 15, 2018 3 OurBus seeking partners to launch intercity routes CITY — OurBus, route last weekend. The second bus a crowd-sourcing tech company, is was sold out. We never thought that seeking carriers to partner in would happen in four weeks.” launching 74 intercity routes across Ticket prices vary by market, the United States, said co-founder Singh said. “We look at competi- and CEO Narinder Singh. tion — what the train tickets are, “We have short-listed 74 routes what the airline tickets are. If there where we think the services and is a current bus service there, we partnerships can come into effect,” look at how that is priced. We know Singh said. “There are a lot of city the customer is very competitive.” pairs that need these kinds of ser- Prices also vary by time of pur- vices. There is demand, there are chase. “Pricing dynamics kick in people traveling and there are less after the first band of six tickets,” options.” he said. “On the last two days the Those routes could keep 220 OurBus, a crowd-sourcing tech company, is seeking carriers to partner in launching 74 intercity routes across the pricing dynamics kick in again.” motorcoaches in daily service, he United States. OurBus tickets may be “priced said. some of their buses to run under ta, Chicago and California. next 18 years. a little bit more than the traditional OurBus was founded in 2016 our banner.” “We are starting a partnership The OurBus route model is bus companies like and and has partnered with motorcoach The company offers carriers a in , which was considered based on a break-even point of 42 Greyhound, but we are still very carriers to operate 16 commuter recognizable online marketing as a route by another bus company seats sold per round-trip run in any competitively priced if somebody routes and nine intercity routes, platform, scheduling, ticket sales five or six years ago but maybe the combination of riders coming or wants to book us six or seven days mostly serving New York State and and passenger services, he said. market was not set up at that time,” going, Singh said. “Right now 99 in advance,” Singh said. . It also operates routes “We have in-house research and Singh said. “Now we think the percent of our routes are run on a “We do not look just at the to Washington, D.C., and West analytic teams that have researched time is right.” round-trip basis.” other bus companies because most Chester, Pa. intercity travel. We use the data In April, OurBus announced OurBus provides prospective of these routes are brand new. We “Almost every route is served points to make sure which routes extensions of service to Syracuse, carriers with projections calling also look at how a city is connect- by a different bus company,” Singh should work and even the schedules N.Y., and on a route for a route to break even in four ed to an airline or a train.” said. “We have eight or nine bus of those routes,” Singh said. that passes through Columbia, Md. months. OurBus prices offered online companies who are dealing with OurBus has identified potential The company is approaching “We have some routes that range from $8.60 to $16 for com- us on almost an every day or week- routes in all parts of the country, he $6 million in annual revenue, said started becoming viable in the sec- muter routes and $17 to $47.50 for ly basis. OurBus represents the said, and is particularly interested Singh, who believes revenue could ond month,” he said. “We started a intercity service. concept of bus companies using in services based in Florida, Atlan- multiply to 15 times that over the Pennsylvania-to-New York-to-D.C. CONTINUED ON PAGE 7 c

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ELD violations are now part of motorcoach CSA scores WASHINGTON — Violations FMCSA announced last month “As of April 1, 2018, viola- 2018, will not be counted in SMS. ically record vehicle operations to of the new federal electronic log- that new ELD violations would be tions related to Electronic Logging “Motor carriers that have re- track records of duty status (RODS) ging device regulations are becom- added to the hours-of-service cate- Device (ELD) regulations found ceived ELD-related violations will to improve compliance with hours- ing part of carrier Compliance, gory, one of seven parts of the Be- during roadside inspections are start to see them reflected in their of-service (HOS) regulations. Safety, Accountability scores post- havior Analysis and Safety Im- being used in the SMS,” FMCSA HOS Compliance BASIC in early With ELD regulations in full ed on the national Safety Measure- provement Categories (BASICs) announced. “These violations are May 2018 when the next monthly effect, FMCSA has published new ment System website. used to identify carriers that pose not being applied retroactively; vi- SMS results are released.” related violations: ELD regulations became ef- the greatest risks to safety. olations recorded prior to April 1, The electronic devices automat- • Having no logbook when an fective on December 18, but the ELD is required Federal Motor Carrier Safety Ad- • Having no logbook when an ministration delayed enforcement 12.9% of truckers not ELD compliant ELD is not required, such as for an until April 1 to allow carriers more WASHINGTON — Data com- age of violations that were ‘no of the drivers on the road were ELD-exempt truck time to resolve widespread prob- piled by the Federal Motor Carrier ELD’ violations. compliant with the HOS record- • Not using the appropriate lems with installation and activa- Safety Administration indicates “The metric FMCSA uses to keeping requirements at this method to record hours of service. tion of the devices and software. that nearly 13 percent of the com- measure compliance rates is the point,” FMCSA said. These violations carry a sever­ Logging and ELD transgres- mercial trucks operating during number of driver inspections with Although drivers were not sup- ity rating of 5 on a scale of 1 to 10. sions accounted for the four leading the first three months of the year no ELD violations — in this case, posed to be put out-of-service for HOS violations with severity categories of violations detected by did not have proper electronic log- there were 32,819 driver inspec- such a violation until April 1, 20 ratings of 10 include operating a commercial vehicle inspectors of ging devices. tions with at least one 395.22A vi- drivers were put out of service for commercial motor vehicle while motorcoach drivers across the Statistics weren’t available for olation, divided by the total num- that violation, likely because the ill, fatigued or impaired by any country during the first quarter of motorcoaches. ber of driver inspections, 796,827, law enforcement officer making other cause, as well as driving the year. “The 32,621 violations for vi- through March 20, which produc- the stop chose to either ignore the after being declared out of ser- While ELD violations were olation code 395.22A, divided by es 4.1 percent of the driver inspec- April 1 date or the inspection/ vice. Other violations rated at 5 not enforced during the first quar- 252,877, which is the total number tions recording a violation of violation was so egregious that the are related to maintenance of ter, violation statistics were report- of violations, equals 12.9 percent,” 395.22A. officer chose to ignore the “soft en- RODS. ed to FMCSA. FMCSA said. “That is the percent- “In other words, 95.9 percent forcement” timetable. CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 c FOR SALE Set of 31 Amaya seats out of a 2011 C2045. All leather seats with aircraft style tray table on the back of each seat. 11 are doubles with cup holders in the middle of both seats. 9 are single with a single cup holder on the side. Does not include mounting nuts and bolts. $5,500 or Best Offer 2009 GMC Duramax Diesel Mini Coach Recent wood grain floors, recent paint, PA, DVD player and 2 point seat belts. 80,000 miles, low miles for the age. Original owner. 28 seats with no rear luggage. Built by Champion Bus. 2009 TD 925 Van Hool • Seats 81people • Cummins engine • ZF Transmission • Recent interior Call for Pricing Contact Jimmy Hall: [email protected] or 757-494-1480 Bus & Motorcoach News THE DOCKET May 15, 2018 5 Operation Safe Driver Week scheduled for July 15-21 GREENBELT, Md. — The to unsafe driving behaviors. ship with FMCSA and with sup- tional and traffic enforcement tact the agency/department re- Commercial Vehicle Safety Alli- During Operation Safe Driver port from industry and transporta- strategies to address individuals sponsible for overseeing CMV ance’s 2018 Operation Safe Driver Week, there will be increased tion safety organizations. exhibiting high-risk driving safety within your jurisdiction. A Week will take place July 15 to 21. CMV and passenger vehicle traf- It aims to help improve the be- behaviors. list of agencies can be found at Traffic safety personnel will fic enforcement. havior of all drivers operating in To find out about Operation https://cvsa.org/contactpage/ be on the lookout for unsafe driv- Operation Safe Driver Week is an unsafe manner — either in or Safe Driver Week enforcement contacts/law-enforcement-lead- ing behaviors by commercial sponsored by CVSA, in partner- around CMVs — through educa- events going on in your area, con- agency-contacts. motor vehicle drivers and passen- ger vehicle drivers as they work toward zero deaths on roadways. Unsafe driver behaviors by CMV drivers and passenger vehi- cle drivers continue to be the lead- ing cause of crashes. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administra- tion’s “Large Truck Crash “If there’s anything we need, Lancer’s Causation Study” cites driver be- havior as the critical reason for more than 88 percent of large door is always wide open.” truck crashes and 93 percent of passenger vehicle crashes. Examples of dangerous driver behaviors that enforcement per- “We’ve been Lancer customers for 25 sonnel will be tracking throughout years. One of the things that impressed Operation Safe Driver Week are speeding, distracted driving, tex- us way back and still impresses us today ting, failure to use a seatbelt while is Lancer’s emphasis on accident operating a CMV or in a passenger prevention. vehicle, following too closely, im- proper lane change, and failure to We would copy Lancer safety bulletins obey traffic control devices. on subjects like summer driving, winter CVSA’s Operation Safe Driver Program was created to help to re- driving, night driving and backing up a duce the number of crashes, deaths bus and share them with our drivers. and injuries involving large trucks, Now, of course, we show our drivers buses and passenger vehicles due videos we get from Lancer. We definitely feel the training is effective. On the few Roadcheck to occasions when we’ve had a claim, we’ve focus on HOS found Lancer’s claim-reporting process GREENBELT, Md. —­ The to be very simple and straightforward. Commercial Vehicle Safety Alli- ance has scheduled its 2018 Inter- We have lots of contacts at Lancer, and national Roadcheck for June 5 to 7. can always call the main office in Long Over the 72-hour period, in- Beach and talk on a first-name basis with spectors in jurisdictions through- Archie and Patricia Cauley someone. People are always accessible.” out North America will conduct Owners Cauley Coach Inc. inspections of commercial motor If you want proactive safety training vehicles and drivers, with a focus St. Albans, NY on hours-of-service compliance. Lancer customer since 1988 and responsive service from a passenger “The top reason drivers were transportation specialist, ask your agent placed out of service during 2017 for a Lancer quote or call Lancer directly International Roadcheck was for hours-of-service violations,” said and get assigned to an agent. CVSA President Capt. Christo- pher Turner of the Kansas High- To learn more, call 800-782-8902, x3264 way Patrol. or email [email protected]. Turner said 32 percent of driv- ers who were placed out of service during last year’s Roadcheck were cited for violations related to hours-of-service regulations. “It’s definitely an area we need to call attention to this year,” he said. “Although the electronic log- ging device rule that went into ef- 370 W. Park Avenue, P.O. Box 9004, Long Beach, NY 11561 | www.lancerinsurance.com fect on Dec. 18, 2017, does not change any of the underlying hours-of-service rules or excep- tions, the ELD mandate placed a spotlight on hours-of-service compliance. 6 May 15, 2018 THE DOCKET Bus & Motorcoach News Road to Zero Coalition seeks to end highway deaths TASCA, Ill. — The Road to 2050. which have recently increased through proven, evidence-based demand for safe roads,” said Deb- Zero Coalition, managed by the It is the first time in the na- after years of decline. strategies orah A.P. Hersman, president and National Safety Council, released tion’s history that so many organi- The coalition report identified • Advance life-saving technol- CEO of the National Safety a comprehensive report laying out zations have collaborated to put three main initiatives to reduce ogy in vehicles and infrastructure Council. strategies for ending roadway forth a comprehensive plan to ad- roadway fatalities: • Prioritize safety by adopting “With these three guidelines, deaths in the United States by dress motor vehicle fatalities, • Double down on what works a safe systems approach and creat- everyone can do something to re- ing a positive safety culture duce fatalities on the roadway. Get- “We demand 100 percent safe ting to zero fatalities is not impossi- FMCSA lists ELD-related violations operations in aviation, marine, ble — it just hasn’t been done yet.” The following is FMCSA’s list • Failing to provide supporting add location description – 1 pipeline, rail and transit, we should The report can be found at of ELD-related violations and their documents in the driver’s posses- • Driver failed to add file com- cultivate a corresponding societal https://www.nsc.org. corresponding severity weights. sion upon request – 7 ment per safety officer’s request –1 Each BASIC violation is as- • The ELD’s display screen • Driver failed to manually • Driver failing to maintain signed a severity weight that re- cannot be viewed outside of the add CMV power unit number – 1 ELD violations CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4 ELD user’s manual flects its relevance to crash risk. commercial motor vehicle – 5 • Driver failed to manually • Failure to maintain instruc- Crash risk is defined as the risk of • Operating with a device that add the trailer number – 1 Log-related problems account- tions for automatic onboard re- crashes occurring and the conse- is not registered with FMCSA – 5 • Driver failed to manually ed for 60.2 percent of all motor­ coach­ cording device quences of the crash after it • Portable ELD not mounted add shipping document number driver violations detected by com- • Driver RODS not current occurs. in a fixed position and visible to – 1 mercial vehicle inspectors from • Failure to maintain instruc- The violation severity weights driver – 1 • Driver failed to select/dese- January through March, according tion sheet for reporting ELD have been converted into a scale of • Driver failing to maintain lect or annotate a special driving to data posted by FMCSA. malfunctions 1 to 10, where 1 represents the ELD user’s manual – 1 category or exempt status – 1 The agency listed 3,476 mo- Logging violations accounted lowest crash risk and 10 represents • Driver failing to maintain • Driver failed to certify the torcoach driver inspections and for the top two categories of driver the highest crash risk relative to ELD instruction sheet –1 accuracy of the information gath- 778 violations in the first quarter. violations reported for all com- the other violations in the BASIC. • Driver failed to maintain in- ered by the ELD – 1 None of the drivers were placed mercial motor vehicle driver cate- • ELD — No record of duty struction sheet for ELD malfunc- • Failing to follow the prompts out of service. gories. “Operating with a device status (ELD Required) – 5 tion reporting requirements – 1 from the ELD when editing/add- The violations included: that is not registered with • No record of duty status • Driver failed to maintain ing missing information – 1 • Operating with a device that FMCSA” was reported in 33,100 when one is required (ELD Not supply of blank driver’s records of • Driver failed to assume or is not registered with FMCSA violations and resulted in 20 driv- Required) – 5 duty status graph-grids – 1 decline unassigned driving time • ELD cannot transfer ELD er out-of-service orders, and “log • Not using the appropriate • Driver failed to make anno- – 5 records electronically violation (general/form and man- method to record hours of service tations when applicable – 1 • Failing to note malfunction • Log violation (general/form ner)” was cited 26,440 times and – 5 • Driver failed to manually that requires use of paper log – 5 and manner) led to 74 out-of-service orders.

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Call us today at 1-800-448-7001 or visit www.rbs2000.com to request an evaluation of g o Chart or g o Tour www.rbs2000.com Bus & Motorcoach News INDUSTRY NEWS May 15, 2018 7 Van Hool officially announces new Tennessee bus plant MORRISTOWN, Tenn. — private companies,” said Van Hool ence of highly-respected technical the company’s executive board “to public bus transportation market in Belgian motorcoach maker Van CEO Filip Van Hool. schools and well-trained employ- make the largest investment out- America.This new type of bus will Hool officially announced its “We’ve delivered over 11,000 ees, together with the support and side of Belgium in Van Hool’s 71- be fully designed and developed by plans to build its first American vehicles in North America since cooperation of all the local stake- year history.” the engineers at the design office in bus manufacturing plant in Ten- 1987. Based on this experience holders in Morristown, Hamblen “We really want to offer a par- Koningshooikt,” Belgium, Van nessee, employing at least 600 and through market research, we County and Tennessee, convinced ticularly competitive product on the Hool’s headquarters. workers to start and possibly as have learned that the public trans- many as 1,200 within five years. portation market, with a total an- Once the facility is operational nual potential of 6,000 to 8,000 in the first quarter of 2020, Van vehicles, offers opportunities for Hool will manufacture around 400 Van Hool,” he said. buses and commuter coaches an- “Because of the ‘Buy America nually for the North American Act,’ our family business decided public transit market. to explore a new manufacturing The $47 million plant will be facility in the U.S.” similar to the 450,000-square-foot Under the 1982 Buy America Van Hool manufacturing facility Act, vehicles supplied to public au- in Macedonia. thorities must be assembled in the The groundbreaking ceremony U.S., contain 70 percent of their for the new site will take place at parts from American suppliers and the end of this summer. use 100 percent American steel. cen “We have over 30 years of ex- ABC Companies is the North he s ic r t ou perience in the North American American distributor of Van Hool e t k e market, where we have been suc- motorcoaches. a . T cessful with buses and coaches for Filip Van Hool said the pres- OurBus to Syracuse, it may take three to four buses to run this route with E . CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 ve e the schedule we want. A run from ry tim Riders accustomed to transit to D.C., which also bus service appreciate the mo- would connect to a couple of torcoach experience, Singh said. points in and a couple in “That is our whole concept. We New Jersey, might need six or are trying to use the big charters seven buses. It depends on what that have never done line runs. the bus company is interested in They have beautiful buses that doing.” they do not use every day of the Multiple carriers may service year,” he said. “They can have a some routes, he said. “Our agree- driver who works five days a week ments tell the bus companies they and has a good, steady income have the first right if we want to rather than waiting for a call to increase a route. If we need four ring about a charter.” buses and they have only three, we OurBus requires that its carri- have a right to get a second bus ers maintain service at motorcoach company to come in.” levels, he said. OurBus staffs an in-house com- “We tell them the buses have to pliance team and counsel to exam- be not more than two or three years ine carriers that are interested in old. They have to have all the ame- partnering, Singh said. “We look nities such as an onboard restroom into their records — all those things and charging stations. We try to that are in the public domain.” control the Wi-Fi — most bus Carriers partnering with Our- companies do not understand how Bus are identified along with their important Wi-Fi is on a three- to routes on the ticket sales website. four-hour journey.” Current partners include Frank OurBus shares ticket revenues Martz Coach Company, Wil- Mobile observation has finally unprecedented 190° wide angle with its partners, Singh said. kes-Barre, Pa.; EmpireCLS, Se- “They keep 80 percent of the come full circle with the SEE360 view, the SEE360 provides caucus, N.J.; Martz Gold Line, ® revenue and we keep 20 percent of Tuxedo, Md.; Liberty Coach, camera system from Voyager. increased awareness on the revenue. They give us a bus Mount Pocono, Pa.; Stout’s Trans- This four-camera system the busiest city streets. and a driver and we plan the sched- portation, Trenton, N.J.; Panorama gives you a seamless, 360° Keep your passengers and ule, market the business for them Tours, Clifton, N.J.; and MJM and grow the business for them.” Travel Group, Yonkers, N.Y. panoramic view around the pedestrians safe while you Ticket revenue, all paid online, OurBus is planning to launch entire vehicle. Because each maneuver your vehicle is booked on a Monday-Sunday routes connecting five or six Flori- individual camera offers an with confidence. weekly basis, he said. “We close da cities with two carriers in May, by Tuesday night and start sending Singh said. “We are looking at Chi- payments on Wednesdays and cago in a very big way. We have Thursdays.” three to four partners that are think- Several buses may be required ing about getting on board with us.” to service a route’s frequency Service connecting a “major schedule. For example, he said, city pair” in California could be www.RVCams.com • Toll-free: 877.378.2267 • [email protected] “When we are starting New York introduced in June, he said. 8 May 15, 2018 OPINION Bus & Motorcoach News Time can be the ultimate killer of marketing ISSUE NO. 353 By Christian Riddell believe those objectives didn’t re- ter that allows you to customize A Publication of the United Motorcoach Association Motorcoach Marketing Council ally need to come to fruition. (“It’s Marketing Minute thousands of pieces of marketing working now and I’m not doing it, with your company logo, contact Staff For those of so it can’t be that important.”) information and photos. Publisher, Executive Editor: you who may not You and I both know this sim- These motorcoach-specific Stacy Tetschner know, we recently ply isn’t the case. Marketing is It’s the Smart Move tools were created to support com- wrapped up the about growing demand for your panies in rolling out powerful cam- Editor: Hal Mattern first-ever motor­ product. More demand means thing he or she needs to know to paigns with just a few minutes in- Sales Director: Johnny Steger coach marketing more opportunity to raise prices, effectively market and sell to any vested in actually creating the art. Industry Editor: Ken Presley industry survey. and that’s something I know we all one of 25 vertical charter markets? Gone are the days of trying to fig- The survey ac- need to do. (I can even sweeten the deal by ure out how to use a design pro- Associate Editor: Ellen Balm counted for nearly 3,500 pieces of As a council, we’ve designed all saying that it takes less than 30 gram, finding clip art or trying to Art Director: Mary E. McCarty equipment and shined a light on a of our tools with your time in mind. minutes to watch.) convey your vision to someone Editorial Assistants: number of the hurdles our industry While many of the tools address Additionally, what if I told you who simply doesn’t understand our Maggie Vander Eems faces when it comes to marketing. budget and staff concerns as well, there was a publication that takes industry or your objectives. Julianne Ryder While the vast majority of re- their primary focus has always been all the marketing information out This powerhouse of materials spondents indicated that they to help you plan, create and imple- there and condenses it to give you includes both digital and printed Contact us would like to be doing more mar- ment marketing without having to the stuff you really need to know? tools. While there is a small cost keting, the survey also revealed To submit news, Letters to the Editor, spend as much time doing it. We know that training is a ($199) to access the library, it articles, news releases or to report several issues that keep them from I want to highlight the tools we major hurdle in this industry and it gives users the ability to make any- corrections: doing everything they’d like to do. offer and briefly discuss the ways is often the responsibility of the thing from bus wrap elements to [email protected] The top three answers? Time, each one can be a timesaver for owners and managers to pull it off. postcards, brochures and stickers. 2250 W. Roper Ln., Cottonwood, AZ 86326 budget and staff availability. your business. They’re typically so busy with the While some companies use (602) 284-6049 SHOCKING! Well, probably Social Library: For those of day-to-day operational concerns, these design tools to develop all of not if you have been in this indus- Subscribe inquiries: you who may not know, the social however, that training doesn’t hap- their marketing materials, many [email protected] try long enough to run your first media library we’ve created is free pen (or people don’t even get hired more use it to augment the things 3108 NW 54th St., Oklahoma City, OK 73112 charter. Nevertheless, this infor- to use (no account required) and in the first place). they already do. For example, (866) 930-8421 • Fax: (405) 942-6201 mation is important and helpful. it’s available on our website. If there is one tool in our tool- many customers utilize it to inex- As a council, we have long be- To advertise: Interested in placing an ad, Social media is a powerful mar- box that is underutilized, it’s our pensively and quickly create things and new to Bus & Motorcoach News? lieved that these are the central is- keting tool, but the creation of con- library of training videos. These such as tablecloths and pop-up Lou Brandow at (800) 369-6222 ext 3399 sues that plague this industry, and tent can sometimes be a daunting campaign-specific videos were banners when they are attending [email protected] we continue to try to provide the task. (It’s a Wednesday in May, and created for this industry. (They’re trade shows. tools, training and resources to ad- Existing advertisers, or to submit you just moved a group of weary not motivational content built for Others with a strong brand and advertising materials: dress them. But we’re not kidding business travelers from the airport the trucking industry that we’ve re- employees that design their mar- Johnny Steger at (915) 598-7600 ourselves; we know there’s not a to the hotel. Let’s face it, there’s not cycled for the crumbs.) keting content use these tools to [email protected] magic bullet that can manufacture much news in that story.) Each one gives you, in a matter test the waters in markets they hav- 2200 N. Yarbrough, Suite B more time, money or employees. Often the business of mo- of minutes, the information we’ve en’t focused on in the past. (This Box No. 336, El Paso, TX 79925 That being said, there are ways torcoach travel, whether line run or learned from looking at charter op- helps them determine if they want Contact the to lessen the impact of these lim- charter, can be less than exciting erations that are successfully sell- to invest in making their own ma- United Motorcoach Association: itations on your ability to more from a content-development stand- ing work into these markets. Com- terials in the future.) (800) 424-8262 • www.uma.org consistently move your marketing point. This, then, is the quandary panies are using these videos to Still others simply take the ver- objectives forward. of our industry: do we post noth- train new staff by holding “lunch biage, ideas and images and build Advisory Board More than 55 percent of those ing, post more pictures of empty and learns” for their entire sales a campaign unique to them. William Allen Marcia Milton who completed the survey said buses or come up with (and imple- departments or by assigning them Do It For You: This is the ulti- Amador Trailways First Priority Trailways time was one of their biggest ob- ment) a great strategy for develop- to sales staff and holding them ac- mate timesaver. Rolled out in Sacramento, Calif. District Heights, Md. stacles when it came to marketing. ing a content engine that involves countable for implementation over 2017, this program was specifical- Brian Annett David Moody Annett Bus Lines Holiday Tours Simply put, it’s hard to find time to the drivers, staff and customers? the coming months. ly designed to address the time Sebring, Fla. Randleman, N.C. think about, plan, build and imple- We all want to choose option Motorcoach Marketing is our concerns we see in the industry. James M. Brown Sr. Michael Neustadt ment marketing strategies. C, but we usually find ourselves free quarterly digital magazine This is how it works: select what Magic Carpet Tours Coach Tours As the director of sales for a somewhere between A and B. The that’s all about effectively market- you need and allow us to custom Richmond, Va. Brookfield, Conn. motorcoach operation, this reality Roman Cornell Jeff Polzien library was designed to augment ing your business. Because the build materials just for you. ABC Companies Red Carpet Charters was emblazoned on my mind for- your existing content when you ecosphere of marketing is huge You can even have them imple- Orlando, Fla. Oklahoma City ever. I distinctly remember the don’t have the time or material to and often overwhelming, the mis- mented on your behalf on a limited Dave Dickson Tom Ready haunting feeling of the never-end- do something on your own. sion of this magazine is to put the scale. If it sounds easy, that’s be- Elite Coach Ready Bus Lines Ephrata, Pa. LaCrescent, Minn. ing list in my mind of stuff to do: Our social media library is essential stuff you need to know in cause it is! Gladys Gillis Brian Scott marketing, sales calls, customer available 24/7, and all you have to one place. Our goal is to make it For example, let’s say that you Starline Luxury Coaches Escot Bus Lines visits and meetings to attend. do is copy, paste and post. Because easier than ever to keep your fin- want digital flyers for each cam- Seattle Largo, Fla. That list notwithstanding, this trying to post five to seven times a ger on the pulse of what is now and paign that can be attached to Bob Greene Tim Stout was the actual reality: buses break- Amaya-Astron Seating Stout’s Transportation week can be daunting, many com- what is to come. quotes or sent with your monthly Omaha, Neb. Ewing, N.J. ing down, drivers getting sick, panies use it to fill in the gaps. We’ve noticed that companies emails. Now, with one click of a John Grzywacz Dennis Strief weather, customer complaints and Other companies generate their own that use these tools have a level of button, a couple photos of your CIT Signature Vandalia Bus Lines all the other operational realities material by putting a spin on ideas focus on marketing and sales that coaches and a logo, our team will Transportation Caseyville, Ill. Ames, Iowa that come with this business. they get from viewing the library. isn’t replicated by companies that create them for you. Alan Thrasher Larry Hundt Thrasher Brothers So, what happened to me was However you decide to use it, aren’t using them. They provide, If you wake up tomorrow and Great Canadian Trailways Trailways what I know happens to many of this is a tool that everyone can take even to seasoned veterans in this in- say, “We need more wedding busi- Kitchner, Ontario Birmingham, Ala. you on a daily basis. The sales, advantage of. dustry, a pile of ideas and strategies ness,” you can order a program de- Dale Krapf Larry Williams marketing and growth objectives Training Videos and Motor­ that effectively help motorcoach­ signed to put that in motion with Krapf Coaches L.W. Transportation West Chester, Pa. Chantilly, Va. simply got pushed to the back of coach Marketing Magazine: operators market their businesses. the same click of a button. This Joan Libby the pile. They became overwhelm- What if I told you about a free The Design Center: One of the program allows us to build materi- Cavalier Coach Trailways ing as the weeks and months video that would give your new foundations of the GoMotorcoach als, help buy the list of players you Boston, Mass. stacked up, and I actually began to sales or marketing person every- tool library is an online design cen- CONTINUED ON PAGE 10 c ©2018 by the United Motorcoach Association. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. 9Bus &May Motorcoach 15, 2018 News OPINION Bus &May Motorcoach 15, 2018 News 9 Never allow a loose nut behind the wheel of a coach By Dave Millhouser and tires for wear. their own microclimate. Driving winds don’t move you as far, and When it comes to front tires, ‘You can be passing a atop a raised highway gives cross- turbulence is lessened when you’re If there was a you should not play favorites. They winds an extra shot at you. driving slower. competition for should each get the same amount truck and when you You can be passing a truck (or, Second, paying attention gives “bus slalom,” of love (and air). ease out of its shelter, heaven forbid, vice versa) and you a chance to anticipate a truck’s my buddy’s There are other technical fac- when you ease out of its shelter, be wake, or a wind-gust sneaking be- weary old 4106 tors that can cause wandering and be blown sideways.’ blown sideways. In addition, large tween buildings or hills. Staying could have con- excessive tire wear. Improperly ad- vehicles all trail at least some tur- wide-awake prevents the road’s tended for the justed toe-in, caster and camber bulence that can misdirect you. crown from taking you down. gold. can all make a difference in how ies with the bus. The recent revival of shorter And third, have a feel for the He’d checked willingly a coach goes where you The length of the coach, as coaches makes things even more coach you’re driving. How does it everything: tie rods, bearings, tires point it. well as its height, determine how interesting. Many are the same react to road conditions? Is it differ- — even the steering box — to no In ye olden days toe-in was the much “sail area” you have to con- height as their 45-foot siblings, but ent than other buses you’ve driven? avail. That jewel cruised Interstate one you could adjust (you wanted tend with, but other factors like have a shorter wheelbase and no My pal Oakie used to check 95 zigzagging like a WWII convoy your bus to be slightly pigeon-toed). wheelbase and number of axles are tag axle acting like a rudder. I’m alignment by driving a 4104 slow- avoiding U-boats. Some modern buses with indepen- considerations. not smart enough to know how ly down a straight stretch of road. Since recent columns taking on dent suspensions allow you to set Wind can be cunning, too. much, but they certainly behave He would leap out of the drivers left- and right-hand turns didn’t re- caster, which is an angle on the We once had a Scenicruiser differently in a gale. seat, run to the back of the bus and sult in any nasty repercussions, it steer axle that makes your tires blown off the road by a gust that Roads are crowned to encour- touch the lavatory door, and scurry seems safe to take a shot at “driv- want to come back to center. sneaked in between two hills. That age rainwater to head towards the back behind the wheel. If the coach ing straight.” It shouldn’t take a If any of these are out of “spec” jewel lay on its side like a giant shoulders. Your bus will often fol- hadn’t left the road, alignment was ton of skill to navigate a highway, you’ll get poor tire wear at a mini- French fry. When we got a closer low that same sideways un- adequate. but there are factors that can make mum and squirrelly handling at look, it had been transformed into less you give it direction. This is It wasn’t QUITE as scary as it it challenging. worst. Unlike me, a smart person a crinkle cut — totaled. one reason why so many nighttime sounds, since a 4104 was only 35 In the case of the meandering can often look at tire wear patterns Coming out of a tunnel can be accidents involve vehicles straying feet long. GM, after going through every- and know what’s not right. exciting because wind conditions off the highway at a shallow angle, Which brings us to the most thing connecting the steering Assuming all your mechanicals at the exit are often different than while the driver snoozes. significant factor in safe bus navi- wheel to the tires multiple times, are up to snuff, there are a variety of the entrance, perhaps because The good news is that there are gation. Never allow a loose nut be- my pal found a sneaky little gear other factors you can use as an ex- there is usually a mountain be- a couple of things you can do that hind the wheel. hiding in a bulkhead that was cuse for weaving. Crosswinds can tween them. will keep you on the “straight and Dave Millhouser is a bus indus- worn. Any time your bus seems to create problems. It’s fairly obvious Lest you think you’re safe in an narrow.” try marketing consultant and free- have a mind of its own you’ll want that they push on the side of your urban environment, under some First, slowing down negates lance writer. Contact him by email to check all the mechanical stuff coach, but how hard they shove var- conditions tall buildings create virtually all these spoilers. Cross- at [email protected]. 10 May 15, 2018 INDUSTRY NEWS Bus & Motorcoach News Motorcoach Marketing Council seeking industry partner The Motorcoach Marketing said the organization has produced to expand current efforts in order to “This is important work; we first to admit there’s a lot of work Council has issued a request for many tools and received a lot of help motorcoach operators sell are talking about the very fun­ ahead, they are optimistic about proposal (RFP) to associations and support from the industry. more charters, to more people, for damentals of business in all that the future. vendors around the industry seek- “The last few years have been more money, said Christian Riddell, we do. “We have seen more and more ing a partner for the 10-year-old exciting for the council, and we’ve the council’s executive director. “If we are able to better lever- companies want to engage in mar- organization. reached more operators than ever “This is the start of a new chap- age marketing in our industry, we keting,” Riddell said. “Our objective going forward before,” Rogers said. ter in the council’s history, one that can increase demand. An increase “Though that may not sound is to partner with an entity who “With one part-time executive I am very excited to be a part of,” in demand makes it possible to in- like much, desire is the precursor shares our passion and wants to director, a limited budget and a Riddell said. “We need to find an crease prices. to action.” work with us to achieve our goals,” board of volunteers, we’ve been organization that is as passionate “We can solve any number of Companies or organizations the council’s RFP states. able to accomplish a lot and we are about this work as we are, an entity issues in our industry when we do interested in learning more about Jeff Rogers of First Class Tours very proud of that,” he said. we can leverage to help us take that, including the driver shortage the council’s RFP can send an in , the council’s board “But we want to do more.” what we already do and make it we are all dealing with,” he said. email to Riddell at chris@go president for the past three years, In the future, the council hopes even better. While council members are the motorcoach.org. Checks will be reissued to Marketing Minute keting objectives are accomplished. good intentions, by themselves, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8 Still others are tired of talking don’t deliver results. about getting to marketing “some- We strive to provide solutions Caterpillar engine owners need to know in your market or day,” and they use this program to and give you the tools you need to Checks sent to Caterpillar sued for the checks and the settle- make and mail the first postcard to finally get the ball rolling. Howev- help you sell more charters, to ACERT engine owners who were ment administrator is working to that market. er you decide to use it, we know it more people, for more money. part of a $60 million class-action resolve this matter and promptly Whether you want a single will help you move forward as If you want to learn more about settlement are being reissued. reissue settlement checks. marketing item or a constant flow never before. our services, visit our website and According to the website es- The $60 million settlement of new materials, this program was Time is a major hurdle when sign up for a live (or watch a prere- tablished for members of the class, was reached in June 2016 after a designed to take time out of the it comes to marketing in this corded) JumpStart Webinar. In 45 which includes anyone who owned several class-action lawsuits were equation. industry. minutes, we’ll introduce you to ev- or leased a vehicle with a Caterpil- filed against Caterpillar claiming We have seen companies use Though we know marketing is erything we offer and help you get lar ACERT engine manufactured its ACERT C13 and C15 engines this as a tool to keep marketing important, it tends to be pushed started. between 2006 and 2010, a calcula- were defective and that the compa- moving during busy seasons. Oth- aside due to operational con- For more information about tion error resulted in checks issued ny knew about it. The issues ers choose to use this instead of straints. Because our council was the Motorcoach Marketing Coun- for the wrong amount. stemmed from Caterpillar’s ex- pulling staff off of their existing du- built by the industry and for the in- cil and its programs, go to www. A stop payment has been is- haust gas recirculation system. ties in order to make sure their mar- dustry, we know (all too well) that motorcoachmarketing.org.

Visit our Booth Operators Count on UMA The United Motorcoach Association has been on the side of the independent bus and motorcoach operator since 1971 and members benefit from programs, services and discounts that support you in running your business.

Bus & Motorcoach NEWS BusRates.com Free BOC-3 Process Agent Service Fuel DISCOUNT Program Michelin Advantage Tire Discount Program Workers’ Compensation Program Bus & Motorcoach Academy Expert On-Call Staff Regulatory Guidance Safety Management Seminar Motorcoach Minute Podcasts Effective Advocacy Motorcoach EXPO Driver Member Programs And much more . . . Visit www.uma.org to learn more about all your member benefits.

UNITED MOTORCOACH ASSOCIATION Bus & Motorcoach News 2018 CAPITAL HILL DAY May 15, 2018 11 Fly-in passenger, and choosing motorcoach travel CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 over driving alone reduces CO2 emissions by an average of 85 percent,” Weber said. more important than ever for the industry to Scott Riccio, president, owner and push for less federal regulation because of in- founder of Northeast Charter & Tour Co., dustry contraction. has attended the fly-in for the past 10 years, Presley said this is the “first time we have and he said this was the best one. dropped below 3,000 carriers in the more “We got a very positive reaction when than 30 years I have been in the industry.” we told staffers that we had 116 people rep- “The regulatory environment was dis- resenting our industry. It made an impact,” couraging for small fleet operators to stay in Riccio said. business,” he said. “And, the new entrant UMA board member Bob Greene, sales screening at FMCSA was taking six to 10 representative at Amaya-Astron Seating, has months or longer. This did have a significant attended the fly-in for the past five years. impact on the industry from 2008-2017. “Consistency with the staff builds familiari- “In the recent past, the regulatory and ty and builds comfort there,” he said. enforcement environment has been best de- Presley echoed that sentiment, saying the scribed as oppressive. The industry stopped Godfrey LeBron, chief administrative officer of the Asian American Motorcoach Association, “best thing to come out of the fly-in is our in- growing by fleet and number of companies chats with UMA board member Marcia Milton of First Priority Trailways. dustry is more connected with legislators, and while the number of passengers served, pri- legislators learn more about the operators.” marily in charters and tours, has been se- person. “These are the best meetings because “Everybody getting better connected verely contracting. It was about time the in- “There is nothing more powerful than you can develop a relationship with mem- and opening communication channels helps dustry told Congress its story.” having someone local make a visit to the bers and their staff,” she said. our industry. The legislators many times end As Congress considers legislation that Hill,” Pantuso said. Weber also reminded attendees that “you up calling the operators for advice, asking would potentially affect the bus and mo- Becky Weber, managing director of have safe drivers and you operate safe com- ‘how does this affect you?’” torcoach industry, fly-in participants asked Prime Policy Group, a lobbying firm that panies. On average there are 20 occupant UMA continued its tradition of holding their legislators to require separate and dis- works with UMA, briefed attendees before motorcoach fatalities and five occupant two campaign fundraisers during the fly-in. tinct impact analyses for rulemakings that af- their meetings with representatives, outlining school bus fatalities annually, while operat- This year’s candidates were Rep. Scott fect both trucks and buses to take into account important issues and giving advice on how to ing in a highway environment that results in Perry, R-Pa., and Rep. Sam Graves, R-Mo., the differences between the two industries. stress the importance of the industry. nearly 40,000 fatalities.” both members of the House Transportation The motorcoach industry also is pushing Weber told attendees to emphasize to Fly-in participants were also urged to re- & Infrastructure Committee. for changes in Federal Transit Administra- legislators how many people they employ, mind legislators that motorcoach travel is “Participation in both fundraisers was tion regulations so private-sector companies how many customers their businesses serve green. outstanding,” Presley said. “As always, our can participate more in the transit arena. and the role their companies play in their “According to the Union of Concerned go-to veterans were there for us and we were ABA President and CEO Peter Pantuso community. The industry includes 35,000 Scientists, motorcoach travel is a ‘low-carbon joined by many first-timers. Many thanks to said lawmakers take notice when their local motorcoaches, 600 million passenger trips travel champ,’ emits less than one-sixth the everyone who came out for the campaign constituents take the time to meet them in and 69 billion passenger miles annually. carbon pollution of a typical car with one events.” 12 May 15, 2018 2018 CAPITAL HILL DAY Bus & Motorcoach News

Becky Weber, managing director of Prime Policy Group, a lobbying firm that works with UMA, briefs attendees before their meetings with representatives.

Left to right, ABA President and CEO Peter Pantuso, UMA Board Chair Gladys Gillis and UMA President and CEO Stacy Tetschner on the Capitol steps.

UMA Board Chair Gladys Gillis (left) of Starline Luxury Coaches, Tom Casazza of Starline, Rep. Dave Reichert, R-Wash., Michael Gibson of TDM Holdings, Machree Gibson of the Graydon Group, and UMA President and CEO Stacy Tetschner in Reichert’s office.

UMA Board Vice-Chair Jeff Polzien, left, and Ken Presley, UMA’s vice president of legislative and regulatory affairs and industry relations/ COO, prepare for a meeting with Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla.

Sylvia Jackson of AMBEST Inc. and Daryl Johnson of J&J Charters Brent Maitland of MCI (left), William Winkler of Peoria Charter Coach Co., Tingting Guo of the Asian pose during dinner the night before Capitol Hill Day. American Motorcoach Association and John Miller of Miller Transportation. Bus & Motorcoach News 2018 CAPITAL HILL DAY May 15, 2018 13

ABA President and CEO Peter Pantuso (right) addresses fly-in ­participants while UMA President and CEO Stacy Tetschner looks on.

Motorcoach technology company UBT hosted a dinner at the W Hotel in Washington the night before UMA-ABA Capitol Hill Day.

UBT CEO Tony Wei speaks to fly-in participants about the ­company’s motorcoach technology products.

Capitol Hill attendees toast each other during the UBT dinner.

Members of the National Association of Motorcoach Operators pose on the Capitol steps.

Rep. Lou Barletta, R-Pa. (fourth from right), poses with a group of fly-in participants in his Capitol Hill The International Motorcoach Group was one of the national office. ­industry associations that sent members to fly-in. 14 May 15, 2018 INDUSTRY NEWS Bus & Motorcoach News Canadian consortium testing electric-bus charge system WINNIPEG, Manitoba — New Electric Bus Demonstration and dardized high-powered overhead electric buses in Canada,” said operation and heightened collabora- Flyer Industries Canada celebrated Integration Trial is the world’s first charging system. Jennifer McNeill, vice president tion within Canadian public trans- the official launch of the second multi-manufacturer interoperabili- Last month’s launch event for for sales and business develop- portation — and establishes Canada segment of an electric bus charging ty demonstration for fast-charge Ontario’s York and Brampton re- ment for New Flyer and a current as a leader in interoperability.” trial spanning three communities electric buses. gions followed the Vancouver launch board member for CUTRIC. CUTRIC is a nonprofit consor- across Canada — Vancouver, It involves on-route high-pow- that occurred a few days earlier. “As an innovation leader in trans- tium founded in 2014 with nearly Brampton and York Region. ered charging stations integrating “With this launch, CUTRIC re- portation, New Flyer is proud to have 100 members representing public The Canadian Urban Transit with local utility systems and will inforces its industry leadership in participated in this project. It sets an and private stakeholders across Can- Research and Innovation Consor- test interoperability of electric technology and further commit- important foundation for smart mo- ada. New Flyer has been a member tium (CUTRIC) Pan-Canadian transit vehicles using a new stan- ment to interoperability amongst bility, reduced emissions, efficient of CUTRIC since its inception.

“Normally, Trailways has one • Tomas Caminero, Adiron­ Tom Phillips has rejoined the company’s finance and business People or two awardees, but five drivers dack company as chief operating leaders to identify opportunities FAIRFAX, Va. — Trailways were nominated for 2017, show- • Ed Horn, Pine Hill Trail­ officer. for further growth, profitability has announced that five bus and ing the pride and gratitude of their ways of New York As COO, Phillips will work and customer service. coach drivers from three states company leaders. All serve as • Doug Buffone, New York closely with the company’s busi- He will assume many of the have received its highest great role models,” Trailways Trailways of Rochester, N.Y. ness units to ensure that they are duties of Marcus Berto, executive honor: Driver of the Year for Chairman Jonathan Berzas of • Rick Calloway, Capital and executing on the company’s key vice president, who left the com­ 2017. The names were unveiled at Fullington Trailways said. Colonial Trailways of Montgom- supply chain, quality, cost and pany in March. the Trailways annual owners’ Trailways’ five drivers of the ery, Ala. new product initiatives. “I am excited to have Tom meeting in Florida. year for 2017 are: Since his return from retire- back on the REV team full time,” The awardees were from Ala- • Bill Backus, First Priority MILWAUKEE — REV ment, Phillips has already been said REV Group CEO Tim bama, Maryland and New York. Trailways of Maryland Group Inc. has announced that working in conjunction with the Sullivan.

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