Reliability Rally!
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June 1, 2014 Report: Climate change poses challenges for industry WASHINGTON — A new sulting in localized flooding. federal report on the impact of cli- Bridge piers are subject to scour as mate change across America in- runoff increases stream and river cludes some sobering news for the flows, potentially weakening motorcoach industry, which al- bridge foundations. Severe storms ready has plenty of experience will disrupt highway traffic, lead- with weather-related disruptions. ing to more accidents and delays.” The National Climate Assess- Bus and motorcoach compa- ment, released last month by the nies are certainly used to dealing White House, predicts that rising with severe weather — the pro- sea levels, warmer temperatures and tracted winter in the East and Mid- an increase in severe weather events west this year played havoc with could wreak havoc on the nation’s many companies and their ability transportation system, influencing to get buses on the road, maintain the daily and seasonal operations of schedules and keep charter jobs. transportation companies. But costly weather-related dis- “Transportation systems are ruptions are not all that common, already experiencing costly cli- says Jim Davis, owner of Davis mate change-related impacts,” the Tours in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., report states. who has experienced his share of Impact of climate change in U.S. will vary by region “Many inland states — for ex- hurricanes. ample, Vermont, Tennessee, Iowa and rail systems — and the vehi- temperatures, more extreme storms will disrupt almost all “There aren’t any more now and Missouri — have experienced cles that use them. weather events and changes in types of transportation. than there were before,” Davis ob- severe precipitation events, hail “Over the coming decades, all precipitation.” “Storm drainage systems for served. “Hurricanes have been and flooding during the past three regions and modes of transporta- The report goes on to predict highways, tunnels, airports and city happening for centuries.” years, damaging roads, bridges tion will be affected by increasing that delays caused by severe streets could prove inadequate, re- CONTINUED ON PAGE 12 c Luxury service turns 11, changes hands Legal wrangling continues BOSTON — Two metropolis- es, three to four hours apart by in Caterpillar engine suits road, plus premium service. The motorcoach industry’s LLC in Highland Park, Ill., said he Those factors are critical to years-long struggle with Caterpil- and other plaintiff attorneys are achieving success for frequently- scheduled, luxury motorcoach ser- lar engines passed something of a not opposed to the consolidation vice, says the new president and milepost earlier this spring as law- of the separate cases pending in general manager of LimoLiner, the yers for Caterpillar Inc. asked a federal courts in Florida, New Jer- pioneering upscale coach service. federal judicial panel to consoli- sey, California, Louisiana and LimoLiner links downtown date five putative class-action law- Pennsylvania. Boston and New York’s Manhattan suits filed against the company. However, he said, they are re- with two to four daily departures The Caterpillar attorneys also questing that the case be heard in on full-size MCI coaches outfitted requested the suits over alleged de- New Jersey, where it will include for 28 business-class passengers. fects with Caterpillar C13 and C15 buses and trucks with C13 and C15 The carrier was founded in engines be transferred to the U.S. engines. In Florida, the case is lim- 2003 by Fergus McCann, a Scot- District Court for the Southern ited to the C13 bus engine, he said. tish-Canadian entrepreneur whose District of Florida in Miami. According to legal filings, Cat- interests included a golf vacation Mark Richardson, who began driving buses as a college student, now manages LimoLiner. “They’re engaging in legal ma- erpillar argued for the transfer to company and, for a time, control- ton Transportation Group, which Richardson and partners heard neuvering instead of saying, ‘we Florida “because the first action ling interest in the Celtic Football is headed by Mark Richardson, McCann was interested in selling should make this right by our cli- was filed there, significant discov- Club of Glasgow. (See Sept. 15, who got his feet wet in the motor- his company. ents. We should do the right ery and motion practice have oc- 2003, and Jan. 1, 2004, Bus & Mo- coach business as a college stu- “LimoLiner was his vision. He thing,’” said Paul M. Weiss, an at- curred there, and the court is famil- torcoach News.) dent about 25 years ago, driving did a good job building it into a torney representing bus and truck iar with the issues.” The 20-employee company tour buses on Martha’s Vineyard pretty successful business. He was owners who are suing Caterpillar. Plaintiffs in the Florida case in- in Massachusetts. CONTINUED ON PAGE 12 was purchased in April by Hamil- c Weiss, of Complex Litigation CONTINUED ON PAGE 10 c Rev up for MCI’s Reliability Rally! Test-rides, deals, lunch and more. PERMIT NO 1424 NO PERMIT PHOENIX AZ PHOENIX See our back-page ad for details US POSTAGE PAID POSTAGE US PRESORT STD PRESORT or visit www.mcicoach.com. or on June 1 June on or before deliver Please Postmaster: BMN Banner ad 040414-3.indd 1 4/4/14 4:27 PM DISCOVER A WHOLE NEW FLEET OF POSSIBILITIES AT ABC. From elite touring coaches, and low-floor, clean-diesel buses to luxury mid-size designs and high-capacity, low emission interurban touring and commuter solutions – ABC delivers! ABC Companies - Proud Distributor of: t Visit and learn more about ABC’s new partnerships abc-companies/partners Bus & Motorcoach News INDUSTRY NEWS June 1, 2014 3 Calif. Air Resources Board gives small operators a break SACRAMENTO, Calif. — pushed back from 2020 to 2023. board and will not be finalized next few months. They will be publication, a large majority of The California Air Resources Those operators will also get until the summer of 2014,” ac- subject to a 15-day public com- speakers from the trucking indus- Board approved amendments to its two more years to bring the rest of cording to CARB. ment period before they are put try came down against the amend- Truck and Bus Regulation last their buses or coaches into com- The slate of amendments also into effect. ments, saying they were unfair for month to provide more time for pliance. They will have until 2016 addresses the troublesome issue of The board estimates that the those companies that had already small operators to meet the state’s for the second vehicle and 2018 particulate matter filters that have proposed amendments will save made the upgrades to comply, stringent emissions requirements. for the third. been recalled and cannot be re- affected fleets more than $400 which in some cases cost millions The board ruled that small op- Under the changed rules, small paired by their manufacturer. (See million in compliance costs of dollars. erators — those with three or fleet operators that were unable to March 1, 2013, Bus & Motor- through 2023. “I’m getting slapped in the fewer motorcoaches or buses – afford to bring buses into compli- coach News.) The board approved the chang- face because I complied,” the that complied with the regulation ance and were denied loans to up- Vehicles that had been retrofit- es after hearing hours of testimony owner of a 64-truck fleet was and brought at least one vehicle grade will be able to run them ted with the faulty filters will be from trucking and motorcoach in- quoted as testifying. “My husband into compliance by this year will as-is until 2017. allowed to operate for up to five dustry representatives, single- and I stepped up and are over $3 get to run it longer. But there’s a wrinkle: “The cri- years from the date of the recall. truck owner-operators, and mem- million in debt [to comply], while The deadline to replace the ve- teria for claiming this option is Final versions of the amend- bers of the public. competitors who have not com- hicle with a newer one will be being revised as directed by the ments will be hammered out in the According to one trucking CONTINUED ON PAGE 14 c Lawsuit challenges tech shuttles in San Francisco SAN FRANCISCO — Com- Set to begin in July, the 18- employees of high-tech companies The coalition that filed the suit moderate-income members of the munity activists here are continuing month program will permit the who live in San Francisco and work includes tenant advocacy groups community that live and work in their campaign against corporate shuttles to pick up and drop off pas- in Silicon Valley, help take hun- and the Service Employees Interna- areas near proposed shuttle stops,” tech shuttles, known as “Google sengers at about 200 bus stops for a dreds of autos off the road, reduce tional Union Local 1021. They con- the lawsuit states. buses,” including filing a lawsuit $1 per-stop, per-day fee. gridlock and benefit the tend that officials failed to conduct Run by Google, Apple, Face- last month to block the shuttles The program was approved by environment. an environmental impact review book and other tech companies, the from using public bus stops. the San Francisco Municipal Trans- The motorcoach shuttles are before approving the program. shuttles have become a symbol of The suit, filed in San Francisco portation Agency in January, and used by more than 35,000 passen- “(T)he project will result in sig- the influx of tech workers into San Superior Court, claims a city-ap- upheld by the County Board of Su- gers daily, eliminating at least 45 nificant environmental impacts, in- Francisco and a target of protestors proved pilot program that allows pervisors in April.