Bus & Motorcoach News
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BUS & MOTORCOACH NEWS —JuneApril 15,1, 2005 2005 — 1 INDUSTRY NEWS WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE BUS INDUSTRY Negotiations Findings from crash investigation Private bus coalition, APTA could have industry-wide impact WASHINGTON — The crash for inspecting motorcoach passen- criteria for inspecting tires to make seek accord on charter issue 18 months ago of a Neoplan coach ger seat mounting hardware, and to sure they have the proper speed rat- WASHINGTON — Negotiators sit systems to provide such charter owned by a Baptist church, that revise Federal Motor Carrier Safety ing for the vehicle on which they for the private bus industry are service to local government units wasn’t even aware its bus was con- Regulations to require inspection of are being used. reporting progress in their talks and social service agencies. sidered a commercial vehicle and seat-restraint systems; The NTSB also wants the with the American Public Trans- The United Motorcoach Asso- was supposed to comply with feder- FMCSA to study the effectiveness portation Association to reach an ciation, the American Bus Associ- al safety regulations, could have The NTSB said the church of the self-inspection and certifica- accord on the issue of federal char- ation and other private-sector bus significant consequences for much tion process that thousands of ter service rules. groups oppose the provision, of the U.S. motorcoach industry. was clueless when it truckers and motorcoach operators While there’s agreement on which is being pushed by APTA The National Transportation came to complying with use daily to comply with annual most issues related to new legisla- and its transit system members. Safety Board conducted an in-depth vehicle inspection requirements, tion that would update and revise At their first face-to-face ne- investigation of the crash, issuing a regulations, and other and to improve that process. the rules, there remains one criti- gotiations in weeks, representa- 100-page analysis. But it is the The Safety Recommendation cal sticking point where the two tives from the Coalition of Private agency’s “Safety Recommenda- critical safety factors. aimed at Neoplan contains particu- sides remain far apart. Transportation Associations and tions” that are likely to have a far- larly tough and pointed language. The issue has to do with transit APTA focused on permitting reaching impact. Among other • Neoplan USA Corp. to beef agencies providing direct charter some service but creating a limit, things, the NTSB wants the: up the passenger seat anchorages in Basic findings bus service to local government or “cap,” on the amount of charter • National Highway Traffic its coaches, and to begin including In its investigation of the crash, and social services organizations. service transits could provide. Safety Administration to develop information in its owner and mainte- the safety board said the driver performance standards for the pas- nance manuals about the proper pro- probably caused the accident The long-stalled highway and pub- The coalition proposed that a senger seat anchorage systems used cedures to be used when checking because he suffered from chronic lic transportation reauthorization transit agency provide no more than in all coaches; passenger seat anchorage hardware; insomnia and was fatigued. The bill now before Congress contains 24 “bus hours” of charter service • Federal Motor Carrier Safety • Commercial Vehicle Safety 1992 coach he was driving a provision that would allow tran- CONTINUED ON PAGE 13 þ Administration to develop a method Alliance to develop out-of-service CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 þ Emergency phone number to be posted in Coach USA buses Acting on a recommendation cell phones to report it. from the National Transportation The bus that crashed was owned Safety Board, Coach USA soon and operated by a Coach USA sub- will begin posting notices — inside sidiary, Arrow Line, which later all of its motorcoaches — that give was sold as part of Coach USA’s passengers telephone numbers they downsizing. can call if they have concerns about “We considered the recommen- their driver or think there is an dation and thought it was a good emergency situation. one because it gives our passengers The company, which operates in another option, and particularly if it the northeastern and north-central prevents even one incident,” said parts of the U.S., said it would have Dale Moser, Coach USA’s chief the decals installed in its more than operating officer. 1,000 coaches by July 1. Although Coach USA and The request came from the Arrow Line were the subject of the NTSB following an investigation investigation, the NTSB recom- into an accident in Victor, N.Y., in mended that all motorcoach compa- 2002, in which the driver fell asleep nies post emergency telephone well. center and the standard 911 emer- Corder, Coach USA’s regional safe- and rolled his coach down an numbers inside their buses that pas- The Coach USA notice will gency number. ty manager. embankment, killing five passen- sengers can call in an emergency read: “In case of an emergency call Most of the buses will carry a Calls to the toll-free number gers and injuring two-dozen others. involving the driver. At least one ….” It also will give the identifica- single decal at the front of the bus, will be answered by a private call Some passengers told investigators other company has already agreed tion number of the bus and two tele- while a few will require multiple center, the same one that answers they saw the driver nodding off but to follow the suggestion and several phone numbers for passengers to decals because of the way the seats calls from motorists who use the call — a toll-free number to a call are configured, explained Charles did not know who to call on their others say they are considering it as CONTINUED ON PAGE 12 þ 9OUR -#) EXPERIENCES CAN BE EVEN MORE REWARDING .OW THROUGH !UG QUALIFIED PARTICIPANTS WILL BE AUTOMATICALLY ENTERED FOR CHANCES TO WIN s #AREFREE 2ESORT %SCAPE OR OUR '2!.$ 02):% s ! v ($46 A ,EASED #ADILLAC 8,2 s "OSE (OME 4HEATRE 2ESTRICTIONS APPLY 3EE COMPLETE RULES ON THE s 0OULAN 0RO 4RACTOR WEB SITE LISTED BELOW 6OID WHERE PROHIBITED 6ISIT MCICOACHCOM FOR MORE DETAILS We Know Your Equipment Like the Back of Our Hand. 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Randy O’Neill of Lancer Insur- later this month as the systemwide began last July in the western and to an alert driver for the New York The MCI caught his attention ance, which insures the coach. restructuring it began just over a north central U.S. During the ensu- City Metropolitan Transit Author- because it was parked illegally and Getting no action, Zimmerman year ago rolls into the eastern half ing nine months, Greyhound aban- ity, a motorcoach stolen from a was accumulating parking tickets got on the Internet and tracked of the United States. doned service to 485 communities hotel parking lot in New Jersey at over a two-week period. down Virginia Coach, whose livery The latest abandonments are in mostly in states that are west of the the end of March was recovered. Zimmerman called the New he remembered from the side of Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, Ken- Mississippi River or in the upper The stolen bus was a 1998 MCI York City Police Department to ask the bus. He called the company and tucky, Mississippi, Ohio, North Midwest, DL3 belonging to Virginia Coach if the bus had been reported stolen asked if it had a bus parked in Carolina, South Carolina and Ten- “Financial results and customer Co. of Purcellville, Va. but the police apparently brushed Manhattan. nessee. Greyhound said that more feedback in the areas we restruc- It was found because MTA him off, making no effort to look The Counselmans phoned than half of the stops being elimi- tured to date have favorably ex- driver William Zimmerman no- into his inquiry, said both Betty Jo Lancer, which contacted the nated had no outbound ticket sales. ceeded our expectations and signif- ticed the coach as he was driving Counselman, who owns Virginia NYPD, which followed up on its The last day the stops will be served icantly increased our revenue per his daily route – No. M50 – along Coach with her husband James, and CONTINUED ON PAGE 14 þ is June 21.