National Bus Trader
The Magazine of Bus Equipment for the United States and Canada Volume XLIV, No. 4
March, 2021
Serving the bus industry since 1977. Visit us at www.busmag.com.
• Trailways 85th Anniversary • The Oldest Converted Bus • Bus Museum: One Year After Merger • Regulations Do Not Create Safety
Toward a safer future
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National Bus Trader The Magazine of Bus Equipment for the United States and Canada STAFF Editor & Publisher Larry Plachno
Business Manager Nancy Ann Plachno Typesetting/Page Layout Sherry Mekeel
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Volume XLIV
National Bus Trader 9698 W. Judson Road Polo, Illinois 61064-9015 Phone: (815) 946-2341 Web site: www.busmag.com
Number 4
March, 2021
Features CONTRIBUTORS Safety and Liability Ned Einstein Dave Millhouser
N ATIONAL b uS T RADER (ISSN 0194-939X) is published monthly by National bus Trader, Inc., 9698 W. Judson Road, Polo, Illinois 61064-9015. Subscriptions, $30 (in uS funds) annually, Canada & International $35 (in uS funds). Printed in u.S.A. Periodicals postage paid in Polo, Illinois 61064 and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to National bus Trader, 9698 W. Judson Road, Polo, Illinois 61064-9015. Change of Address: Please send old mailing label (or old address and computer number) as well as new address. Advertising: Classified ad rate is $30 for first 25 words, 25¢ for each additional word. Rate includes Internet access. Name, address, and phone number are not included in word count. Display advertising rates sent on request. Advertising deadline is the fifteenth day of the 2nd preceding month unless otherwise indicated. Affiliations and Memberships: American bus Association, The bus History Association, Family Motor Coach Association, International bus Collectors, North American Trackless Trolley Association, Motor bus Society, Omnibus Society of America, Tourist Railway Association, united Motorcoach Association. N ATIONAL b uS T RADER is THE Magazine of Bus Equipment for the United States and Canada. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced either in whole or in part without the written consent of the publisher. The name National Bus Trader, the logo incorporating the outline of the united States, and the pricing guide to used buses are trade marks of National bus Trader, Inc.
Trailways Moving Forward on 85th Anniversary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 It was back in 1936 that five independent bus companies met in Chicago and founded the Trailways organization. Today, the Trailways Transportation System includes both scheduled service and charter operators who are moving forward to the future.
Bus Museum – One Year After Merger (by Dave Millhouser) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Here is a progress report following up on the first year of operation after the merger of the Museum of bus Transportation with the Antique Automobile Club of America Museum.
The Oldest Converted Bus (by Larry Plachno) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 Now more than 100 years old, this 1917 Packard that was originally owned by Pickwick Stages appears to be the oldest restored converted bus.
Regulations Do Not Create Safety (by Dave Millhouser) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26 Here is a suggestion that adding layers of laws does not always increase safety. Nor does new technology always improve safety. A driver’s judgment may be more important.
Cover Photo Our cover photo commemorates the 85th anniversary of the Trailways Transportation System. It was taken near Reno, Nevada in April of 1981 on a 45th anniversary photo shoot for Trailways by the late Robert Redden. See the article starting on page 14 for the story on Trailways then and now. NbT/RObERT REDDEN.
Departments Equipment News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 bus Equipment People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Safety and Liability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Advertiser’s Index appears on page 34
National Bus Trader / March, 2021 • 3
Equipment News Daimler to Spin Off Truck and Bus Business and Rename as Mercedes-Benz Daimler plans a fundamental change in its structure, designed to unlock the full potential of its businesses in a zero-emissions, software-driven future. The Supervisory Board and the Board of Management of Daimler on February 3 agreed to evaluate a spinoff of its truck and bus business and begin preparations for a separate listing of Daimler Truck. It is intended that a significant majority stake in Daimler Truck will be distributed to Daimler shareholders. The Daimler Truck business will have fully independent management, stand-alone corporate governance including an independent chairman of the Supervisory Board, and is targeted to qualify as a DAX company. The transaction and the listing of Daimler Truck on the Frankfurt stock exchange is expected to be complete before year-end 2021. In addition, it is also Daimler’s intention to rename itself as Mercedes-Benz at the appropriate time. This is a historic moment for Daimler. It represents the start of a profound reshaping of the company. Mercedes-Benz Cars & Vans and Daimler Trucks & Buses are different businesses with specific customer groups, technology paths and capital needs. Mercedes-Benz is the world’s most valuable luxury car brand, offering the most desirable cars to discerning customers. Daimler Truck
supplies industry leading transportation solutions and services to customers. Both companies operate in industries that are facing major technological and structural changes. Given this context, it is believed they will be able to operate most effectively as independent entities, equipped with strong net liquidity and free from the constraints of a conglomerate structure. As part of a more focused corporate structure, both Mercedes-Benz and Daimler Truck will also be supported by dedicated captive financial and mobility service entities, driving sales with tailor-made financing, leasing and mobility solutions, increasing retention and building customer loyalty. In this process, the company plans to assign resources and teams from today’s Daimler Mobility to both Mercedes-Benz and Daimler Truck. Daimler Truck intends to generate value for its shareholders by accelerating the execution of its strategic plans, raising its profitability and driving forward with its development of emissions-free technologies for trucks and buses. Daimler Truck is the world’s largest truck and bus producer, with industry leading positions in Europe, North America and Asia, and with more than 35 main locations around the globe. With more than 100,000 employees, it unites seven brands under one roof: BharatBenz, Freightliner, Fuso, MercedesBenz, Setra, Thomas Built Buses and West-
Daimler recently announced plans to spin off its truck and bus business with fully independent managment. It is also Daimler’s intention to rename itself as Mercedes-Benz at the appropriate time. This will impact Setra bus sales in America.
ern Star. In 2019, a total of around half a million trucks and buses were delivered to customers. The intended structure of the transaction would involve Daimler transferring the majority of Daimler Truck to its shareholders on a pro-ratd basis in accordance with existing shareholdings, but it intends to retain a minority shareholding. Representation of Daimler in the Daimler Truck Supervisory Board will be in line with the intended deconsolidation. This marks the beginning of the process to finalize the planned transaction. Therefore, it will not be possible to provide full details on various financial and technical subjects, including the exact share to be listed and the allocation ratio, until a later date. All further details of the intended spin-off would be presented to the shareholders at an extra-ordinary shareholder meeting in the third quarter of 2021, in order to obtain their mandatory approval to the plan. New Flyer Unveils the Excelsior AV™ New Flyer of America Inc. (New Flyer), a subsidiary of NFI Group Inc. (NFI), one of the world’s leading independent global bus manufacturers, on January 29 unveiled its Xcelsior AV™ automated transit bus, now in motion at Robotic Research, LLC (Robotic Research) in Maryland. The Xcelsior AV unveiling follows New Flyer’s launch of its Automated Technology Program first announced in May 2019, and the subsequent announcement of partnership with artificial intelligence and automation leader Robotic Research also announced in May 2019. New Flyer and Robotic Research developed the Xcelsior AV – North America’s first fully operational, heavy-duty automated transit bus – to harness the zero-emission power of New Flyer’s Xcelsior CHARGE™ battery-electric propulsion while integrating advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) technology to meet Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Standard J3016 Level 4 technology with the automated vehicle (AV).
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“Our Xcelsior AV represents the anticipated future of safety in public transit and the latest leap forward for New Flyer. We committed to building an automated transit bus and within five years, we’ve delivered
Equipment News an industry-changing vehicle. The technology is real and it’s here,” said Chris Stoddart, president, New Flyer and MCI. “In the future, we expect fleets of automated buses to improve road safety and with the potential to shorten commute times, increase energy efficiency and reduce congestion. As standards and regulations are developed and implemented and automated buses are deployed across North America, we expect our Xcelsior AV to enable meaningful improvements in the public transit user experience, which will hopefully lead to increased ridership. Together with Robotic Research, we are leading clean, accessible, reliable mobility that’s safer for all.” Robotic Research is a privately held, U.S.-based innovative engineering and technology company providing software, robotic technology and automated solutions to commercial and government customers. Its testing facilities are located in Gaithersburg and Clarksburg, Maryland. “Autonomous technology is not only expected to increase the safety of transit, but is also anticipated to increase the throughput and utilization of vehicles. Automated buses have the potential to improve traffic patterns and reduce stop-and-go traffic, benefiting not only the users of mass transportation, but the whole infrastructure,” said, Alberto Lacaze president of Robotic Research. “New Flyer just introduced the missing piece of a fully integrated, smart transportation solution. This vehicle unlocks a new era of Transportation as a Service, leveraging technological advancements across industries to create a safer, cleaner, more efficient and more accessible transportation solution for the public.” Xcelsior AV capabilities are made possible by two primary technologies. The first is AutoDrive®, Robotic Research’s selfdriving technology, serving as the “eyes and brain” of the autonomous system and processing the world surrounding the bus, including mapping the environment, making decisions and navigating the route. The second is Robotic Research’s AutoDrive ByWire™ (drive-by-wire system), serving as the “hands and feet” of the automated system and controlling the steering, braking and throttle, ultimately operating bus movement on its route. This AV technology delivers several capabilities that are expected to be leveraged in making the mobility experience safer. These system capabilities include: • Visualizing the environment: the bus can visualize its current environment using sensors (such as LIDARs, radars and cameras) that create a three-dimensional model of the world to navigate through.
New Flyer recently unveiled its Xcelsior AV model – North America’s first automated transit bus. It represents a partnership with artificial intelligence and automation leader Robotic Research announced in May of 2019. The new model incorporates the Auto-drive self-driving technology and Robotic Research’s AutoDrive ByWire drive-by-wire system.
• Pedestrian detection and avoidance: the bus can detect the presence of a pedestrian and adjust course to avoid. • Vehicle detection: the bus uses 360° sensors to detect the presence of other vehicles, responding with course adjustment as appropriate. • Precision docking: the bus is maneuvered precisely to allow for level boarding from the bus platform for passengers with accessibility needs. • Vehicle-to-Vehicle (or “V2V”): the bus has the ability to communicate directly with other vehicles, which allows safe platooning. • Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (or “V2I”): the bus communicates with signalized intersections or other infrastructure-based alerts, such as pedestrian and vehicle alerts (e.g. “Beacon Sense™”). These features will also assist in improving bus depot safety, efficiency and space usage through features such as self-parking, fueling and cleaning. • Day or night operation: the bus is fully capable of operating day or night, regardless of lighting or weather events, based on its defined Operational Design Domain (or “ODD”). • Safe and redundant system: the bus is capable of running when GPS is unavailable – responding to real-time data and events as they occur, instead of relying only on premapped routes, buildings and infrastructure. • Performance analytics: the bus is integrated with nSight end-to-end data collection to analytics technology, lending deep insight on bus performance and its interaction with other vehicles and infrastructure through its route and operation.
The Xcelsior AV furthers the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Strategic Transit Automation Research Plan to assess potential risks, barriers, and mitigation strategies associated with the implementation of automation technologies in transit buses. In 2020, New Flyer announced North America’s first deployment of automated transit buses into revenue service, in a pilot project with the Connecticut Department of Transportation funded by the FTA’s Integrated Mobility Innovation initiative, supporting projects demonstrating innovative and effective practices to enhance public transportation effectiveness, efficiency, quality, safety and transit rider experience. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, AVs offer fourfold potential benefits: • Economic and societal: AVs save $242 billion in costs incurred by motor vehicle crashes, including $57.6 billion in lost workplace productivity and $594 billion due to loss of life and decreased quality of life due to injuries; • Safety: AVs improve safety and use ADAS technology to avoid collisions – of which 94 percent of serious crashes are caused by human error; • Efficiency and convenience: roads filled with AVs could smooth traffic flow and reduce traffic congestion, freeing up to 50 minutes per day of non-driving; and • Mobility, accessibility and jobs: studies suggest that AVs could create new employment opportunities for approximately two million people with disabilities.
National Bus Trader / March, 2021 • 5
Equipment News To explore what Xcelsior AV technology can offer your city, and to start shaping a safer, more accessibly future visit newflyer.com/AV. In addition to detailed product specifications, the site also features information on standards development and insight on long-term technology planning. New Flyer has been leading innovation in mobility for 90 years, and today supports growing North American cities with sustainable buses, technology and infrastructure. It also operates the Vehicle Innovation Center, the first and only innovation lab of its kind dedicated to advancing bus technology and providing essential workforce development through electric bus training, now available online. U.S. Customers Rely on New ZF PowerLine Transmission Great success for ZF in the US: The Group received several large-scale orders from North American vehicle manufacturers for its automatic 8-speed PowerLine transmission, including the largest individual commercial-vehiclerelated order in company history. In 2023, production will start in Gray Court, South Carolina. ZF consequently is expanding its transmission plant, investing more than ⇔150 million and creating 500 new jobs. After winning several major orders in the passenger car segment, ZF approaches new customers with a variant of its highly efficient 8-speed automatic transmission. “Thanks to PowerLine’s versatile technology, we can now build on its success also in the commercial vehicle segment,” says Wilhelm Rehm, member of ZF’s Board of Management and in charge of Commercial Vehicle Technology. “Following Europe and China, our commercial vehicle transmissions are now also present in the important North American market. Orders like this contribute to generating the revenue we need to invest in future-oriented technology and the transformation of our company.” With its modular design featuring different launch elements, PowerLine is the ideal solution for the medium-duty truck segment of up to 26 tons, buses and coaches as well as pickup trucks, that are particularly popular in the U.S. The future will also see an electric version of the transmission – as a mild or plug-in hybrid. The technical design behind PowerLine can help generate fuel savings of up to 10 percent. Furthermore, it allows gearshifts that are 30 percent quicker than automated transmissions. In October 2020, global PowerLine production started in Friedrichshafen, Germany, headquarters of ZF’s Commercial Vehicle Technology Division, where the transmission was developed. To be able to manufacture additional volumes for North American cus-
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Following success in Europe and China, ZF’s PowerLine Commercial Vehicle Transmission is now making inroads in the United States. PowerLine is an ideal solution for the medium-duty truck market as well as buses, coaches and pickup trucks. In addition to offering fuel savings, PowerLine allows gearshifts that are 30 percent quicker than automated transmissions.
tomers as of 2023, ZF relies on the knowhow of its transmission plant in Gray Court, South Carolina. The company is therefore the know-how of its transmission plant in Gray Court, South Carolina. The company is therefore investing more than ⇔150 million at the location, adding 500 new jobs. Currently, ZF employs about 2,200 associates at the plant that started operation in 2012.
a significant return on investment just as you would in person. We will deliver the same great business building, education, and networking opportunities that you have come to expect from ABA’s Marketplace.”
ABA Marketplace Goes Virtual The American Bus Association was unable to have an in-person Marketplace in Baltimore in 2021 because the Baltimore Convention Center is being used as a medical facility through June. In response to that news, ABA looked at other options for an inperson Marketplace at another location or having a virtual Marketplace. Member input was requested on how attendees would like to experience Marketplace this year.
CALSTART Study Shows Increase in Zero-Emission Bus Sales Despite an overall depressed transit bus market due to Covid-19, the U.S. zero emission transit bus market grew by 24 percent in 2020 according to CALSTART. The report noted that 53 new transit properties ordered zero emission buses (ZEB’s) in 2020, bringing the total to 229.
While a number of respondents said they would love to see a live Marketplace, a majority said that a June meeting may be too soon to meet live, as vaccine rollout has been irregular at best. Medical experts are stating that mass vaccination will not happen until the summer. An overwhelming majority of ABA members said they would prefer to participate in a virtual, as opposed to an inperson, Marketplace. For some the decision centered around safety and the uncertainty of when they might receive the vaccine, for others it centered around limited resources. Because ABA listens to its members, and their health and safety is ABA’s number one priority, they have chosen to follow your preference and hold a virtual Marketplace in 2021. ABA cares about your recovery and realize you are still interested in the expanded business opportunities that you receive from participating in Marketplace. ABA’s Peter Pantuso said, “I can assure you that is the priority for a virtual Marketplace, making certain your experience has
Stay tuned for more information and exciting details about how ABA's OnDemand Marketplace will help your recovery.
“Despite the harmful impacts COVID-19 had on the transit industry last year, the ZEB market grew significantly. ZEBs are the bright spot in the market, and this increase is reflective of a growing level of confidence in technology, which is an improving business case,” said John Boesel, president and CEO of CALSTART. The market growth tracked in the annual CALSTART report, “Zeroing in on ZEB’s”, identifies the significance of federal and state investments and incentives. Programs from the state-level, like California’s HVIP Program and the Federal Transit Administration’s Low or No-Emission Bus Program (FTA’s Low-No), are playing a Administration’s Low or No-Emission Bus Program (FTA’s Low-No), are playing a key role in transforming the U.S. bus market. The LowNo program has distributed up to $485 million for ZEBs since 2013. The federal FY21 budget promisingly increased funding for the program to $180 million. “Our study underscores the opportunity to accelerate the growth of the ZEB market in the United States. In partnership with our industry members, we are calling on Congress and the
Equipment News President to increase federal funding for ZEBs by at least a factor of four times,” said CALSTART Vice President Fred Silver. In addition to the growth of ZEBs in the full-size transit bus market, the report notes there are now nearly 700 ZEBs deployed in other applications such as airport shuttles and para-transit services. This year’s CALSTART report includes figures for the Canadian ZEB market, which is a first for this data report. In Canada alone, more than 249 ZEBs have been deployed, with a high concentration in the province of Ontario. Other key findings from Zeroing in on ZEBs include: • The top full-sized ZEB states are California (1,160), Washington (246), Florida (164), Colorado (100) and Illinois (78). • 1,015 full-sized transit buses are currently deployed in the U.S. with more than 1,775 on backlog. • New orders for smaller zero-emission buses are growing with a statewide procurement just completed in California. • Canada is committing to zero-emissions, with more than 249 full-sized transit buses and a goal to deploy nearly 5,000 ZEBs across all provinces and major cities.
A recent CALSTART report showed that the zero emission transit bus market grew by 24 percent in 2020 as 53 transit properties ordered zero emission buses. This activity took place while the overall market slowed. Shown here is a New Flyer Xcelsior CHARGE electric bus.
National Bus Trader / March, 2021 • 7
Equipment News First 45-Foot MCI Coach Added to NJ Vintage Collection Friends of The New Jersey Transportation Heritage Center or “Friends” has announced that it has accessioned its first 45-foot Motor Coach Industries (MCI) D4500, 57-seat coach to the collection of more than 40 preserved transit buses and tour/commuter coaches. NJ Transit (NJT) #8316 is a 21-year-old motorcoach retired from daily service and now dedicated to the N.J. State historic bus collection situated at Lakewood, New Jersey. Friends is the official custodian and part owner of this large fleet of restored motor buses. This newest addition is one in the first order of MCI 45-foot D4500 coaches purchased by NJ Transit as part of a larger order of 1,377 MCI D4000 and D4500 coaches delivered between 20012003. It is the first MCI of that length to become part of the preserved bus collection. Part of a sub order for 345 MCI 57passenger model D4500 “Jersey Cruiser” commuter coaches, #8316 was built in June 2002. This newest addition to the preserved collection had replaced the NJT’s original MCI 1980s models MC9A, MC9B and Eagle model 20 (the latter two models are unique to NJ Transit). These earlier three model coaches are also represented in the preserved collection. NJ Transit has purchased more than 4,100 new and used coaches from MCI since 1981. #8316 (serial 2PO55232) is in remarkable condition, a tribute to NJ Transit excellent maintenance standards and practices that enabled this coach to operate in revenue
service for New Jersey passengers for nearly 20 years. This newest MCI product joins seven other various MCI models donated by NJT and privately owned bus operators to the historic collection. Within the last four years, Friends has been fortunate to be the recipient of donated commuter and tour coaches from Vanderhoof, Lakeland, DeCamp, Bieber (through an intermediate owner) and Classic Tours (Waterhouse), all family-owned carriers. Friends members have also donated and restored buses to fill gaps in the collection covering nine decades of motor bus technology. Friends of the N.J. Transportation Heritage Center Inc. is an IRS 501c3 nonprofit organization devoted to preserving Jersey’s rich surface transportation heritage. While it concentrates on motor bus and infrastructure preservation, it also formed alliances with other NJ organizations that preserve and restore railroad equipment, towpath canal historic sites and streetcar artifacts and equipment. All of these multi modal efforts are engaged in a continuing 30-year quest to establish a permanent heritage center home for this extensive historic rail and road fleet. Membership is $30 annually. Members receive six newsletters per year featuring collection updates and scholarly historical articles. Join them and visit the collection Saturdays at Lakewood Bus Terminal/Garage. J. Gilligan of Motor Bus Societyis appreciated for his assistance.
The Friends of New Jersey Transportation Heritage Center recently announced the acquisition of a 45-foot MCI D4500 “Jersey Cruiser” commuter coach. #8316 was built in June 2002 and when put in service, replaced NJ Transit’s original MCI coaches from the 1980s. The non-profit organization works with a collection of more than 40 preserved buses and coaches.
Keolis Awarded Contract in Loudoun County, Virginia Bernard Tabary, CEO International at Keolis Group, said, “We are pleased to partner with Loudoun County and serve its communities through shared and equitable mobility. This new partnership underscores our localized growth and reputation as a trusted operator in Virginia. Loudoun County can be assured that we will combine our multimodal experience to provide reliable, safe and comfortable transport solutions to its residents and visitors, while enhancing the passenger experience.” On 29 January 2021, Keolis was awarded the operation and maintenance of the Loudoun County’s bus network, currently operated by two operators, starting 1 April 2021 for a period of five years. The 28-line network encompasses several cities including Ashburn, Sterling, Leesburg, Purcellville, Hamilton, Stone Ridge and South Riding. It connects residents to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) Silver Line, Arlington bus network, MARC commuter trains, as well as the VRE, operated by Keolis. The group will operate and maintain 117 buses. 64 commuter buses made by Motor Coach Industries (MCI) seating 55 passengers, 16 12-mete- long Gillig-made buses and 37 Ford Cutaway buses for fixed route and paratransit services. The services provided by Keolis are expected to carry 1.6 million passengers annually. Several factors contributed to Keolis being selected as top-ranked operator in Loudoun County’s competitive procurement process, including its expertise in enhancing maintenance processes and passenger experience across its global operations. Improvements to the passenger experience aimed at restoring ridership to pre-Covid levels include better punctuality and steppedup vehicle cleaning and disinfection. Keolis will welcome some 120 new employees from the two existing operators ahead of the operational launch of the Loudoun County bus network on April 1, 2021. The handover between operators is underway with the aim of providing a smooth transition before the introduction of new measures to meet the evolving needs of passengers in the community. Winning this contract expands Keolis' footprint in North America where it has been present since 2002.
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Equipment News In the U.S., Keolis has won extensions to its contracts to operate commuter trains serving Boston (MBTA) and Washington, DC (VRE) and the surrounding areas. In July 2020 Keolis won a new bus contract in Prince William County, Virginia, followed by a new bus contract in San Bernardino County, California, in September 2020. Both networks were launched in the same year. In Canada, Keolis recently had its contract to run a bus network in Greater Montreal renewed for an additional 10 years. The company launched its first North American tram operation in Waterloo, Ontario, more than a year ago.
Mask-wearing is one of several proven life-saving measures including physical distancing, appropriate ventilation and timely testing that can reduce the transmission of COVID-19. Requiring masks will protect America’s transportation workers and passengers, help control the transmission of COVID-19 and aid in reopening America’s economy.
In North America, Keolis operates commuter rail services, a tram network, bus networks, paratransit services and real-time on-demand transport services in 21 cities and employs 6,300 people.
The Department has posted a Frequently Asked Questions at this Web site. – www.transportation.gov/safety/mask-travel-guidance.
Federal Mask Requirement On January 30, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an order imposing a mask requirement applicable to public transportation systems, rail, and van, bus and motorcoach service providers to mitigate the risk of COVID-19. The CDC Order implements President Biden’s Executive Order 13998, Promoting COVID-19 Safety in Domestic and International Travel, “to save lives and allow all Americans, including the millions of people employed in the transportation industry, to travel and work safely.” Science-based measures are critical to preventing the spread of COVID-19.
In addition to the CDC order, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) anticipates issuing additional information and guidance on this topic.
The Department will continue to add to this site with additional information in the coming days. Share the mask mandate information with colleagues and send questions to FMCSAMaskUp@dot.gov. North America’s First Automated Heavy-Duty Transit Bus Robotic Research, LLC, a global leader in autonomous driving technology and solutions, and New Flyer of America Inc. (New Flyer), a subsidiary of NFI Group Inc. (NFI), one of the world’s leading independent global bus manufacturers, announced recently the successful development of the Xcelsior AV™ – North America’s first fully operational automated heavy-duty transit bus.
Further expanding its footprint in the United States, Keolis was recently awarded a contract for the operation and maintenance of the Loudoun County bus network in Virginia. The 28-line network operates 64 MCI Commuter Coaches, 16 Gillig transit buses and 37 Ford cutaways. Shown is one of the 39-foot Gillig transit buses.
“Welcome to the future of mass transit,” said Alberto Lacaze, president of Robotic Research. “Automated transit buses, like the Xcelsior AV, are not just safer and greener, but more efficient. By optimizing rider capacity, improving traffic flow and reducing stop-and-go accordion delays, these vehicles have the potential to not only increase the efficiency of travel for those on board, but for all vehicles on the road. Our partnership with New Flyer has resulted in a new mode of transit that brings together the latest technologies, ultimately helping to enable a safer, cleaner, more efficient,and more accessible transportation solution for the public.” With the addition of Robotic Research’s autonomous AutoDrive® technology, the Xcelsior AV can visualize its environment allowing it to avoid collisions with vehicles, pedestrians and other hazards. Its automated precision docking capabilities precisely maneuver the bus within inches of the level boarding platforms, providing easy access to passengers with disabilities in accordance with ADA rules. Vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications can also enable “platooning,” where multiple buses rules. Vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications can also enable “platooning,” where multiple buses are linked and dispatched together to accommodate more passengers at peak transit times. Vehicleto- infrastructure (V2I) communications also provide links to traffic lights and crosswalk signals to smooth traffic flow. “Our Xcelsior AV represents the anticipated future of safety in public transit and the latest leap forward for New Flyer. The technology is real and it’s here,” said Chris Stoddart, president, New Flyer and MCI. “In the future, we expect fleets of automated buses to improve road safety and with the potential to shorten commute times, increase energy efficiency and reduce congestion. As standards and regulations are developed and implemented and automated buses are deployed across North America, we expect our Xcelsior AV to enable meaningful improvements in the public transit user experience, which will hopefully lead to increased ridership. Together with Robotic Research, we are leading clean, accessible, reliable mobility that’s safer for all.” The new Xcelsior AV bus is equipped with Robotic Research’s AutoDrive® automated driving system, the eyes and brain of the AV bus, and AutoDrive ByWire® drive-by-wire system, which enables automated throttle, brake, and steering. The AutoDrive® technology is already operating in first-mile/last-mile transit applications across four continents on both mixed traffic, public roadways and corporate and academic campuses. National Bus Trader / March, 2021 • 9
Equipment News The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) has already announced that it will deploy New Flyer’s Xcelsior AV buses to serve on its CTfastrak bus rapid transit (BRT) route between New Britain and Hartford, anticipated to commence early 2023. The CTDOT project is funded by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) as part of its Integrated Mobility Innovation (IMI) initiative. It also is the first scheduled public automated bus application and will operate within the dedicated CTfastrak BRT guideway. “We have amassed quite a team for this project,” said Dennis Solensky, transit administrator, CTDOT. “CTfastrak is a oneof-a-kind asset to test new technology on, and we are thrilled to put it to its best use and roll out the first automated full-sized buses in North America.” For more information, read the white paper, Automated Bus Rapid Transit: A Mode of High Quality, High-Capacity Transit Corridors. Stertil-Koni Offers Touch Screen Control Technology Heavy-duty vehicle lift leader StertilKoni recently announced that it has incorporated its advanced, full-color, touchscreen control console – known as the ebright Smart Control System – into the company’s highly acclaimed full vertical rise platform SKYLIFT. In that way, the real-time operation and monitoring of the SKYLIFT is even easier – placing all critical information directly at the fingertips of the person who needs it most – the busy technician on the shop floor. First deployed on Stertil-Koni Mobile Column Lifts in 2015, and subsequently rolled out to the company’s inground scissor-style ECOLIFT and telescopic piston DIAMONDLIFT in 2017, the enhanced ebright Smart Control System provides intuitive ease-of-use, maximum visual information about the entire lifting process – all in an elegant, notepad-style presentation.
Stertil-Koni recently announced that its touch-screen control console – known as the ebright Smart Control System – has been incorporated into its SKYLIFT vertical rise platform. The ebright control system was originally introduced in 2015 and has subsequently become available on different Stertil-Koni lifts.
The eBright Smart Control System offers: p A high resolution seven-inch, full-color touchscreen p User-friendly intuitive visual controls p Simultaneous control for standard and tandem SKYLIFT configurations p Diagnostic information about the SKYLIFT p Owner/user-configurable options, including choice of language p Presentation of all relevant information at a glance p Ability to operate even while wearing gloves In making this announcement, StertilKoni president, Dr. Jean DellAmore noted, “Stertil-Koni is dedicated to delivering the very best in heavy-duty lifting systems that are dependable, durable, safe and intuitive to use. The inclusion of the eBright Control Robotic Research has partnered with New Flyer in the development of the new Xcelsior AV, America’s first automated heavy-duty transit bus. By using Robotic Research’s AutoDrive technology, the bus can avoid collisions with vehicles, pedestrians and other hazards.
10 • National Bus Trader / March, 2021
System on the SKYLIFT brings the very best in touch-screen controls, combined with real-time lift information, to even more heavyduty fleet SKYLIFT Washbay model, with hot-dip galvanized platforms and anticorrosion coating, is water resistant for steam cleaning a vehicle chassis or undercarriage – and even outdoor lift installation and use maintenance shops across North America – and we are extremely proud to achieve this milestone for our customers.” Busworld Europe Will Rock in October While in Europe we are reaching the final valley before taking the highway uphill, in some parts of the world the virus has been contained. The only way is the way forward. The Busworld team takes this very literally, its normal preparations are going full speed ahead. The media campaigns are being booked and will start in April, the Busworld Awards organization had its first meeting and will send the invitation to all bus manufacturers and also the sales department is adding new exhibitors every day. As you can see in the exhibitor list on the renewed Busworld Europe Web site, two important names are missing unfortunately: Daimler Buses and Volvo Buses. They officially decided not to participate to the Busworld 2021 edition. On the other hand, all the other important names are still there, such as: Van Hool, MAN, VDL, Scania, Irizar, Iveco, Solaris Bus & Coach, Anadolu Isuzu, BYD, Karsan, Alexander Dennis, Ebusco,
Equipment News Yutong, Caetanobus (with Toyota), Marcopolo and many more. The complete list is published on busworldeurope.org. In total the vehicle manufacturers and body builders represent 30,000 square meters in Brussels Expo. Many premières and top of the bill buses, coaches and minibuses will be on display, as always. Visitors will still be able to satisfy their bus needs. Presently, Busworld registered 303 exhibitors and sold 75 percent of its total space. Interested exhibitors should not postpone their bookings, since the best spots are being taken very rapidly now. Busworld Europe director Mieke Glorieux is very touched, “We are extremely grateful to our loyal exhibitors who give us their trust. We will make sure they will not regret standing together with us. Dr. Nicholas Butler once said, “Optimism is essential to achievement and is also the foundation of courage and true progress.” We are working and investing from our side to get buses and coaches on the road again, together with our brave exhibitors and our worldwide network. Thanks for all the support. Let’s rock in October.” The next edition of Busworld Europe will take place in Brussels Expo from 9 to 14 October 2021. Save the date in your agenda. ADL and Kiwi Bus Builders to Build Electric Buses in New Zealand Alexander Dennis Limited (“ADL”), a subsidiary of NFI Group Inc. (“NFI”), one of the world’s largest independent global bus manufacturers, recently welcomed the announcement by the New Zealand Government of NZD50 million funding to help councils fully decarbonise their public transport bus fleet by 2035. ADL is to build zero emission buses in New Zealand in cooperation with local partner Kiwi Bus Builders, creating jobs and adding value to the local economy. The funding to be given to councils for the procurement of zero emission buses is part of a series of measures intended to help meet New Zealand’s 2050 carbon neutral target that have been announced by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Transport Minister Michael Wood. By decarbonising the bus fleet, the country aims to prevent up to 4.5 million tonnes of CO2 emissions. ADL recently announced that it will assemble zero emission buses locally in New Zealand, renewing a partnership with local manufacturer Kiwi Bus Builders. ADL’s electric buses for New Zealand are part of the BYD ADL Enviro200EV range using latest BYD iron phosphate battery and driveline technology. In addition to two-axle models,
Alexander Dennis Limited, a part of the NFI group, recently announced that it will partner with Kiwi Bus Builders to build electric buses in New Zealand. In addition to two-axle models, the partners will also produce a three-axle electric model approximately 41 feet long. Shown is an Enviro 200 electric bus operated by Bay Hopper in New Zealand.
the partners will produce 12.6m long, threeaxle electric buses, which ADL has designed for the specific requirements of bus operation in New Zealand by carrying 78 passengers without the requirement of an overweight permit. Richard Drummond, managing director of Kiwi Bus Builders, said: “We are primed to kick start the partnership, we have already started the process to create apprenticeships, creating jobs and supporting jobs that have been lost due to the coronavirus. This is in line with the New Zealand Government’s plan to build the economy back stronger.” ADL President and Managing Director Paul Davies, said: “With a strong track record of innovation and as a member of NFI Group, we are leveraging global expertise in the design and deployment of clean buses while collaborating in close partnership with our customers by tailoring our vehicles to their requirements and assembling them locally. Together with Kiwi Bus Builders, we look forward to helping councils across New Zealand deliver on the Government’s commitments for a sustainable future.” BYD Gears Up for Bus2Grid BYD, the world’s leading electric bus manufacturer, has revealed that plans are well advanced ahead of the switching-on of the world’s first high power discharge Bus2Grid project at Go-Ahead London’s Northumberland Park bus depot.
BYD UK, through its partnership with Alexander Dennis Ltd. (ADL), is supplying 28 BYD ADL Enviro 400EV double-deck eBuses which, using smart technology, will provide bi-directional charging capable of feeding energy back to the power grid. The project represents a notable contribution from the bus sector towards the UK government’s commitment to deliver “net zero” greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. With its world-class battery, motor and core technology expertise, BYD has been instrumental in the project from the outset by delivering a total eBus management solution. Alongside its partners, BYD has been responsible for installing the innovative new Vehicle-2-Grid (V2G) infrastructure, and is the first company in the commercial vehicle sector to provide high-power discharge technology as a V2G capability for electric buses. The Bus2Grid consortium is led by energy provider SSE Enterprise in partnership with BYD Europe, UK Power Networks and Leeds University. Funding for the project comes from the UK government through its delivery partner, Innovate UK. Further support comes from technology provider, Origami and Transport for London. This consortium has seen excellent cooperation between the automotive industry, the energy community and academia in bringing forth pioneering V2G technology into public transport. V2G enables stored energy on-board National Bus Trader / March, 2021 • 11
Equipment News
In what could only be called an interesting development, BYD has been working on a Bus2Grid project at London’s Northumberland Park bus depot. Using buses built by Alexander Dennis and smart technology, the grid will provide bidirectional charging capable of feeding energy back into the power grid.
a BYD ADL eBus to be fed back into London’s power network. Vehicles are recharged overnight when energy demand is low, and tariffs cheaper, with electricity fed back to the grid when demand is high, thus helping to balance the network and increase efficiency. Go-Ahead London’s 28 V2G eBuses from BYD ADL will be part of a total fleet of 120 electric vehicles at what is set to become UK’s largest electric bus garage with overnight charging capability at Northumberland Park. While current COVID-19 lockdown restrictions prevent the setting of a specific “switch on’ date,” the Bus2Grid project is nonetheless gearing-up for operations to commence in the summer 2021. BYD, in partnership with Alexander Dennis Ltd. (ADL), is also a leading player in the UK electric bus market. ADL is a subsidiary of leading independent global bus manufacturer, the NFI Group Inc. The 28 BYD ADL double-decks for the Bus2Grid project are part of a larger fleet order from Go-Ahead London delivered in 2020 comprising 49 Enviro 400EV double-decks. There are now in excess of 500 BYD ADL pure-electric buses either delivered or on order with operators across the UK, to date clocking-up more than 16 million emission-free miles since 2015. q 12 • National Bus Trader / March, 2021
Bus Equipment People California Bus Association The California Bus Association (CBA) has announced the appointment of Vicki Bowman, CMP, CED, CSEP as the organization’s new executive director. Bowman is a bus industry event and marketing professional with a 15-year career at Motor Coach Industries, the leading manufacturer of motorcoaches in the U.S. She recently formed VB GROUP Marketing & Event Resources, an association, event and media management firm focused on the bus industry. She began her new role with CBA on January 15.
“The CBA Board chose Vicki Bowman for her industry experience and the skills necessary to help our members and reach our goals in 2021 and beyond,” said Vickie Cole, CBA president, and owner of American Stage Tours, based in Concord, California. “Our members know her as a longtime advocate for the bus industry and the
kind of strategic thinker and doer we need as we move through the pandemic recovery. Vicki has the leadership and organizational skills, and event, marketing and social media expertise to take CBA to the next level.”
Bowman will be responsible for CBA’s daily operations, including marketing and membership, government relations and education and training programs. She will also manage sponsorships, meetings and Vicki Bowman CBA’s annual convention and trade show planned for October 24 - 26 2021 at The Westin Lake Las Vegas Resort and Spa in Henderson, Nevada.
“I’m proud to join CBA in this executive role at this important time in our industry,” said Bowman. “CBA members are some of the best known and most respected motorcoach businesses in a state that draws significant tourism. I’m honored and grateful and promise members that I will take good care of them.”
Since October of 2019, Bowman has served as CBA’s presidential appointee, a volunteer position that assists the president in planning the organization’s annual convention. She also volunteers as vice chair on the Marketing Committee for American Bus Association’s Women in Buses council. Bowman, who holds several certifications as an events and meetings professional, is past president of ILEA (International Live Event Association) of Greater Chicago and a member of Meeting Professionals International (MPI) and the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE). Since 1969, the California Bus Association has given motorcoach companies a voice and venue to pursue excellence in the bus industry. CBA’s members represent tour, charter, shuttle and long-distance commuter service companies contributing to California’s tourism economy and essential commuter transportation services. CBA’s legislative team and educational programs provide news and guidance on CARB and federal regulations and compliance. CBA has reciprocal relationships with the Northwest Motor Coach Association, American Bus Association, United Motorcoach Association, School Bus Contractors Association and Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance. Learn more at cbabus.com. q
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National Bus Trader / March, 2021 • 13
Trailways Moving Forward on 85th Anniversary Photos from NBT Now celebrating its 85th anniversary, Trailways was originally founded in 1936 by five bus companies seeking to work closer together in interline passenger service. Today, the Trailways organization supports all types of bus operators with various services and programs. Today’s Burlington Trailways is not the same company that founded Trailways in 1936 but operates in much the same area.
W
hen five independently-owned motorcoach companies became the founders of the National Trailways Bus System in Chicago on February 5, 1936, they were looking ahead at a changing transportation industry in which they could thrive through teamwork rather than struggling individually during a Great Depression.
With that same attitude of teamwork, fierce independence and focus on the future, today’s Trailways Transportation System, Inc., has selected the theme “This Is Moving Forward” for its 85th Annual Meeting and Conference on February 17.
14 • National Bus Trader / March, 2021
Instead of gathering in Palm Springs, California, as originally planned, representtives
of member companies will meet virtually, eager to put behind them the Great Pandemic that has hit especially hard the travel and transportation industries that Trailways serves. The pandemic-driven reduction in travel for sightseeing, vacations, entertainment and other pleasure trips has slashed ridership for some members as much as 90 percent.
As in earlier times of national crisis, Trailways operators have moved to meet the challenge. They have been transporting essential workers, military personnel and those schoolchildren still learning in classrooms. They have brought relief and reinforcements to the sites of natural disasters such as hurricanes and wildfires. They
Taken shortly after the birth of Trailways, this shows a 1938 ACH 37-P bus operating for Santa Fe Trailways, one of the Trailways founding companies. Buses were much different in those early years.
have made charter trips for sports teams still playing with pandemic precautions.
“This is one of the most critical times in Trailways history; and Trailways has taken a bold step to innovate, to prepare for the rebound and to support our members during this difficult time,” said Patrick Dean, Trailways chairman of the board and vice president of Dean Trailways in Lansing, Michigan. “Our vision is that with a challenge like this, there is an opportunity. We’ve used this time to provide better service for our customers and to be there when they’re ready to come back to travel. We’ll greet them with a smile and great service and tell them how much we appreciate their loyalty to Trailways.”
“We’ve invested a lot of resources during this current pandemic to meet our customers where they’re at now, which is
A few years later, this shows a 1945 Aerocoach operating for Burlington Trailways. This was the original Burlington Trailways and the coach was on a route running to Des Moines, Iowa.
online,” Dean explained. On June 27, 2019, Trailways established a wholly owned subsidiary, Trailways Ticketing & Marketing, LLC, which is doing business as Trailways.com. This Web platform lets customers purchase tickets online, request quotes for charter trips and bus rentals, and purchase trip packages to featured destinations. It has additional consumer-oriented features, including a “Driven Rewards” loyalty program for frequent Trailways travelers. During the coronavirus pandemic, Trailways began offering touch free boarding nationwide with its new mobile boarding “ticket delivery option.”
Spearheading formation of the new subsidiary are these member companies that offer both scheduled-route and charter-andtour transportation: Adirondack, Pine Hill and New York Trailways of Hurley, New York; Burlington Trailways of West Burling-
ton, Iowa; Fullington Trailways of Clearfield, Pennsylvania and Martz Trailways of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, and Richmond, Virginia.
“The rejuvenated Web site and all the functionality are really an industry-leading sales platform that’s second to none that will be for the benefit of all Trailways members,” said Scott Martz Henry, a board member of the Trailways system, president of Martz Trailways and great-great-grandson of Frank Martz Sr., one of Trailways’ founders. “It does a better job of getting the Trailways name out there.”
Dean elaborated, “Through Trailways Ticketing & Marketing, we’re doing more digital marketing and e-mail communications and social media campaigns and search engine marketing to put the Trailways brand in front of customers more often.”
For many years, the Eagle was a popular coach with many Trailways operators. This photo was taken on a Robert Redden photo shoot near Lake Tahoe, nevada. The operator was Trailways Inc., the successor to Continental Trailways.
National Bus Trader / March, 2021 • 15
The Trailways brand has become legendary over its 85-year history. It was Trailways that introduced “thru-service” by changing drivers rather than coaches when passing from one Trailways member territory to another on long-distance routes so that passengers could enjoy the “easiest travel on earth.” The National Trailways Travel Bureau, launched in 1942, secured one of the first tour broker permits issued by the Interstate Commerce Commission. After Trailways invited passengers to “see America at scenery level” in the 1950s, Continental Trailways in the next two decades offered innovative, “five-star luxury services” with uniformed hostesses serving food and beverages from galleys in observation lounges aboard the famous Golden Eagle motorcoaches, specially designed for long-distance travel comfort. Trailways later became one of the earliest adopters of global positioning system (GPS) devices as a safety feature on its member company vehicles. Burlington Transportation Company and the Frank Martz Coach Company were two of the original members that founded the Trailways system in 1936. The others were Missouri Pacific Stages, Santa Fe Trails Transportation Company and Safeway Lines, Inc. Three of the founders – Burlington, Missouri Pacific Stages and Santa Fe Trails – were affiliated with railroads and served routes in Western states. The other two, Martz and Safeway, had Eastern routes. All five were independent, scheduled-route motorcoach operators who banded together primarily to compete with industry consolidators, especially Greyhound. The competition between Trailways and Greyhound is not quite so fierce today as they share some terminals and routes. “We’ve had a schedule and pooling agreement with Greyhound for more than 50 years. A certain number of our drivers and buses participate in Greyhound scheduled runs,” said Suzanne S. Thornburg, president and chief executive officer of Capital Trailways and Colonial Trailways. Capital Trailways, with locations in Montgomery and Madison (Huntsville), Alabama, and Columbus, Georgia, and Colonial Trailways, based in Mobile, Alabama, joined Trailways soon after the five original founders and are in their fifth generation of family ownership. A major benefit of Trailways membership, Thornburg said, “is just having a great understanding of the power of networking. In our industry it is so important to build camaraderie, and Trailways allows us a way to do that. Everything is about technology now. I think Trailways has done a good job as far as improving 16 • National Bus Trader / March, 2021
Based in Clearfield, Pennsylvania, Fullington Trainway has long been an active Trainway member. The company helped spearhead the new Trailways Ticketing & Marketing LLC subsidiary. This photo was taken on a movement to Washington D.C.
software systems and referral platforms, just the sense of community and providing a network for us all to come together and learn from one another. There’s a good online referral system, and we do receive leads from that system.” Another advantage, Thornburg added, is being able to rely on fellow Trailways members in times of need. “A few other members have assisted us along the way with maintenance when we’re on the other side of the country,” she said. “We’ve reciprocated with them when they’re in the Alabama market and need a tire changed or an electrical problem dealt with. That’s a part of being in the network, for sure.” Since Trailways opened its membership in 1997 to independently-owned charterand-tour companies without scheduled routes, the majority of Trailways transportation members now offer charters and tours exclusively across the continental U.S., plus Canada and parts of Europe. They are required to meet the same high standards as the scheduled-route members. What are those standards? “The main thing that keeps it all going is safe, reliable, courteous service,” said Ronald R. Moore, a past chairman of the Trailways system, current board member at-large and president of Burlington Trailways. “We’re all one. We work together.” Today’s Trailways welcomes members in all modes of transportation: air, rail, ground and sea. It also has associate members, called affiliated partners, that offer
products, programs and services to transportation members. It has affiliate members that work to preserve, aid and advance the transportation industry as well as industry members that have a vested interest in travel and transportation. Among these membership categories are firms such as coach manufacturers, parts and technology suppliers, travel brokers, insurance and personnel agencies, cruise lines, hotels and resorts, and destination venues. “The COVID-19 impacts them just as much as it does the member companies that are operators,” said Dean. “Trailways continues to support the efforts of the American Bus Association and the United Motorcoach Association, who are the leaders in advocacy for the industry. We’ve advocated for the federal government to recognize what a critical infrastructure service we provide.” During the pandemic, Henry of Martz Trailways explained, “We’ve doubled down on our commitment to customers and are doing everything we can to make sure that we abide by industry-leading safety standards, with cleaning and disinfecting procedures for onboarding and off boarding and overall maintenance. Bus travel remains one of the safest forms of transportation. Particularly during COVID-19, with disinfecting procedures and air flow throughout the coach, it’s very safe.” Trailways has adapted to the industry and broader economy to support member companies. “We’ve made a reduction in
dues but not a reduction in the storied Trailways brand,” Dean said. “We’ve been proactive, not reactive. When demand comes, we’ll be ready when the pandemic subsides.”
At 85 years young, Trailways continues to survive by being not only in the trans-
portation business but also in the transformation business. It keeps embracing change to address emerging customer needs and wants. “Trailways carriers have always been committed to their customers and employees and making sure we’re connecting people to their destinations, wherever they may be going,” Dean said. “A lot of times, people
are going on exciting trips or travel, and we get to be a small part of that. We’re making sure that we honor quality and safety and service.”
Those were the goals of the Trailways founders in 1936. That is what has not changed in 85 years. q
Frank Martz Coach Company was one of the original Trailways founders in 1936. Today, the company continues to be an active member of the Trailways organization. Here we see a short Temsa coach operated by Martz.
National Bus Trader / March, 2021 • 17
Bus Museum One Year After Merger by Dave Millhouser Photos courtresy of the bus museum staff
At the beginning of 2020, the Museum of Bus Transportation merged with the Antique Automobile Club of America Museum. For nearly 20 years, the bus museum had shared space with the AACA Museum in Hershey, Pennsylvania that is shown here and is relatively close to other Hershey attractions. Following is a report on developments over this year since the merger.
J
ust over a year ago the Hershey, Pennsylvania-based Museum of Bus Transportation merged with the nationallyacclaimed Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) Museum, where they had been renting exhibit space for nearly 20 years. The late Dick Maguire of Capitol Trailways, with the financial assistance over the years of bus industry stalwarts George Sage, Frank Henry and the Kraft, Lehrer and Wolf 18 • National Bus Trader / March, 2021
families helped a dedicated group of bus history enthusiasts in founding and operating the Museum of Bus History. Maguire, from the beginning, had hoped that eventually the MOBT and AACAM would join forces, and that bus history would gain more national prominence. In January of 2020, with the original lease nearing its end, the MOBT Board and member-
ship voted to merge with AACAM, fulfilling Maguire’s dream. One year into the merger, former MOBT President (and current AACAM Board Member and Bus Committee Chair) John Oakman reported, in the letter below, how things had developed in the first year. “As chair of the Bus Committee at the
AACA Museum, I wanted to let you know how 2020 has worked out. This has certainly been a mixed year. The Covid Pandemic forced us to cancel Spring Fling, and the museum was forced to close for several weeks. “On a positive note, our merger with the AACAM has gone very well. The timing was fortunate, because it has helped us weather these tough economic times. We still welcome (and need) your financial help. “AACA Museum’s staff and volunteers have helped clean and maintain the George Sage Annex and our fleet. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, our work days have been well attended, and a number of “car guys” have joined our group. The fleet is in excellent condition, and tucked in for the winter. “The museum is now open, and Spring Fling has been rescheduled to June 4 and 5, 2021. For the past few years we’ve had nearly 500 attendees, and hope to hit that number this spring. “Our historic bus fleet has grown by three units, a 1935 Yellow donated by the Shoup family, 1964 MC-5 donated by Ira Steinberg and a 1998 102D3 donated by John Bailey. Currently we own, or have on loan, 47 buses. “All in all, a mixed year, but 2021 looks much better, and we have gained ground
The bus collection has grown by three units in the year since the merger. Shown here in front of the museum is a 1964 MC-5 coach donated by Ira Steinberg. Adjacent is the popular “Kissmobile” from the Hershey Chocolate company.
in our effort to raise the visibility of the Bus Industry’s historic contributions to our society. We thank you for your sup-
port – and counting on you in the future.” Respectfully, John Oakman q
The museum collection, either owned or on loan, includes 47 buses. Another recent arrival is this 1998 102D3 that was donated by John Bailey of Bailey Coach. It is the first bus in the museum collection with the newer Series 60 engine.
National Bus Trader / March, 2021 • 19
D
ick Seybolt, who was then involved with Diamond Coach, acquired a 1917 Packard bus with a converted interior. Recently, he donated it to the Antique Automobile Club of America that had merged with the Museum of Bus Transportation. Based on available evidence, it appears to be the oldest converted bus we know of and may well be the first converted bus ever built. Originally owned by Pickwick Stages, the bus is part of the early history of the bus industry. Pickwick at one time was the largest interstate bus company. It was a pioneer in offering reclining seats, food on board and offered transcontinental bus service with partners in 1928. It developed integral bus construction, built the famous Pickwick NiteCoach with sleeper compartments and tried to develop transcontinental service combining planes by day and sleeper coaches by night. It is a fascinating story and this 1917 Packard was in the middle of it all. Early Recreational Vehicles
To put things in perspective, it might be interesting to note that recreational vehicles are really a relatively modern innovation. Campgrounds became popular in the 1920s as roads developed and Americans took advantage of this to travel and see their country. However, campgrounds in the 1920s were campgrounds – people camped in tents and cooked over campfires. This began to change in the late 1920s and early 1930s when travelers began to design and build camp trailers that could be towed behind an automobile. The early ones were fairly small, maybe only six feet by nine feet, just enough space for beds and a few amenities. These camp trailers became popular at the campgrounds in the 1930s and encouraged the development of trailer parks at that time. The Great Depression, and its resulting financial concerns, encouraged this economical way to travel and even live.
Expectedly, travel slowed down during the years of World War II. The first real commercial effort at a converted motorized vehicle came in 1949 when Flxible, a bus builder located in Loudonville, Ohio, created their Land Cruiser Division. They would build buses at Loudonville without an interior and then drive them to their Land Cruiser Division in Millersburg, Ohio to have custom interiors installed. These were primary commercial interiors such as x-ray units and mobile showrooms.
In 1951, Miles Elmers, who had developed a laundry detergent and was selling it, asked the Land Cruiser Division to build a coach with a motor home interior for him. This became the first commercially converted coach with a motor home interior. To make a long story short, Miles and his son Kerwin would buy the Land Cruiser Division, turn it into Custom Coach Corporation 20 • National Bus Trader / March, 2021
The Oldest Converted Bus by Larry Plachno This 1917 Packard may well be the oldest converted bus. Originally used by the famous Pickwick Stages bus system to scout routes, it has managed to survive through the years. This photo was taken during the Family Motor Coach Association convention in Oklahoma City in 2001 after the Packard was restored.
and found the converted coach industry. This was a pioneer effort since this type of vehicle was not initially covered by licenses, insurance and financing. Today’s recreational vehicle industry then started developing after the converted coaches had paved the way. As you might expect, converted buses were relatively rare and few between in the years prior to World War II. The few that existed are usually well known. In 1928, Orville Caesar, general manager of Grey-
hound, had a Will bus outfitted as a traveling office. In later years, Arthur Genet took over as head of Greyhound in 1956 and had a GM PD4104 converted with an office and drawing room interior. It was used to tour the Greyhound system and was featured in a number of magazines.
Another early bus conversion came about when Augustus Bush of the Anheuser-Bush Brewery in St. Louis had a new Yellow Coach Z-250 converted with a motor home interior in 1931. It was used
during the 1930s and had the optional “observation” rear end. It survives today at the Museum of Transportation in St. Louis. As a side note, in more recent years there were “beer coach” conversions that went around teaching bartenders the finer points of pouring and serving beer. Most had an outside spigot for entertaining when the training session was over.
Beyond this, early conversions have been difficult to find and document. It is known that some early circus performers had converted buses to live in and get from show location to show location. Our Modern Intercity Coaches book has a photo of an early bus rebuilt into a house car for “Princes Nellie” and “Major Stanley,” who appeared in a traveling midget show. At this point, it appears that the 1917 Packard is the oldest conversion we can document. Pickwick Stages
The reason for the 1917 Packard is tied into the history of Pickwick Stages. In 1912, Herbert L. Pattison and A. L. Hayes began operating an automobile on a 115-mile route between San Diego and El Centro, California. On the negative side, vehicles and roads were still rather primitive at this point. On the positive side, Pattison and Hayes were smart enough to pick a route that had no direct rail service. Any rail connection between San Diego and El Centro involved a round-about route and change of trains in Los Angeles or a more difficult detour through Mexico. In retrospect, it is interesting that this fledgling bus operation derived its name from the fact that it picked up passengers at the curb in front the Pickwick Theater in San Diego.
This photo looks towards the rear of the bus as set up for daytime use with a couch on either side. For sleeping accommodations at night, the two couches pull out into beds. There are windows on both sides and in the rear. RANDY WILCOX.
History confirms the fact that the wise route choice was successful. This prompted expansion plans well beyond the dreams of the original founders. A second line was started north from San Diego via an inland route to Riverside and then into Los Angeles. In 1915, Charles F. Wren started a new line from Los Angeles north to Santa Barbara that eventually reached 450 miles to San
Francisco. This was merged into Pickwick Stages in 1918.
Pickwick soon developed a reputation for operating higher quality buses. Their standard bus used a Pierce-Arrow car chassis which had been stretched and had oversize radiators. Wren took advantage of this reputation for a higher quality service and
Another view was taken in 2001 at the FMCA convention. This shows the right side of the bus and those big headlights. While only about 25 feet long, the Packard has a small but complete converted interior. NBT.
National Bus Trader / March, 2021 • 21
began to expand the Pickwick System though merger and acquisition. The 1917 Packard
These were very active times at Pickwick Stages. wren was expanding routes as well as acquiring and merging with other companies. what made the situation even more interesting is that there were few paved roads outside of cities so that route planning required on-site decisions to avoid or at least reduce problems with muddy, impassable routes. The answer to this was the 1917 Packard that would allow company officials to personally inspect and plan new or alternate routes. Surviving records indicate that the vehicle was purchased from Earl c. anthony who held the Packard dealership for california from 1915 to 1958. Mechanically, it was powered by a 424 cubic inch twin six V12 gasoline engine that produced 88 horsepower. The three-speed manual transmission was apparently original equipment. overall length was about 25 feet with a wheelbase of 224 inches. other features included 7:00x20 tires, and perhaps added in later years was air over hydraulic front suspension and manual brakes with air assist. Expectedly, the Packard had the engine and hood in front and big, brass headlamps. The interior was most likely built by the Earl c. anthony Shop to specifications provided by Pickwick. what resulted was a design very much similar to today’s converted coaches but smaller. Equipment and design was also simpler given this early date
Here we look towards the front of the bus from the rear bedroom. The cabinet on the right is a small closet while the larger one on the left served as a restroom. The bus is carpeted throughout the back and front. randy wilcox.
and the fact that rV equipment was still decades in the future. However, the woodwork, cabinetry and finish of the vehicle is remarkable given the fact that it not only was a pioneer but is now more than 100 years old. as you might expect, the bedroom is located at the rear. although finished in a darker wood, this area gets good light from
Located at the front of the bus on the right is this functional galley. From left to right you will find an ice chest, a two-burner gas cooktop and a sink in front of the window. Valves probably used for the gas are on the wall while the small closet is behind. randy wilcox.
22 • National Bus Trader / March, 2021
three windows – one on each side and one in the rear. The floor is carpeted and there is a red plush cushion under the rear window. Matching couches on each side make into beds. There is some storage space in the cabinetry below the cushions. a circular vent is located in the ceiling. Separating the front from the rear are two closets. The smaller one is located on the curb side, adjacent to the galley. it has a single door and a shelf. while not huge, there is room here for a couple of suit coats and pairs of pants. across, on the street side of the vehicle, is a small room with double doors that serves as a simple restroom. There is a dump valve but one has to question what kind of dumping facilities may have been available at this early date. at the curb side at the front is a small but adequate galley. The galley top extends from the closet to the door at the front of the bus. while finished in darker wood, the area is well lighted with a window in the side above the sink as well the front windows in the windshield and door. From the closet in back to front you have a sink below the window followed by a two-burner cook top and an ice chest. refrigerators did not exist at this early date. cabinets are provided beneath the galley top for storage. The cook top appears to have been fueled by a tank of gasoline. The valves on the rear galley wall were apparently used for this. Up above the galley area are more storage cabinets. The front of the bus is carpeted using the same pattern as in the rear. as in the rear, there is a vent in the ceiling.
Opposite the galley, on the street side of the bus behind the driver ’s seat, is what appears to be a work area. The main feature is a built-in table running from the restroom to the back of the driver’s seat. Like the rest of the coach, this area is finished with darker wood, but there is a window above the table. This and the windshield provide adequate light in this area. If you open the doors beneath the table you will find impressive pull-out drawers and shelves. There are also storage cabinets above the table. One can envision the route planning crew busy at work with early maps looking for alternate routes between cities.
The front of the Packard is what you might expect with the passenger door on the right side and the driver’s seat and controls on the left. Easily recognizable is the steering wheel as well as an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal and a clutch pedal on the floor. There is no dash or panel, presumably that would come in later years, but there are two gauges. One appears to be for oil pressure and the other may be a tachometer. There also appears to be a primitive turn signal.
would become Greyhound. A 1928 agreement saw Purple Swan renamed PickwickGreyhound Lines. Service was pushed east to Pittsburgh where connection was made with Greyhound’s Cardinal Stages that operated to the East Coast. Hence, for the first time, Pickwick could offer transcontinental service.
While it probably had nothing to do with the 1917 Packard, two of the final developments at Pickwick are worth mentioning for their historical interest. Because of their large fleet, Pickwick had done much of the work on their buses themselves in a large and well-equipped shop located in Los Angeles. While other bus operators used less expensive buses, Wren and the leaders at Pickwick continued to operate the finest. Most of the
Pickwick buses were still built with PierceArrow chassis.
Based on their reputation, Pickwick started building buses in their Los Angeles shop for the upscale market. The first prototype was built on a conventional PierceArrow chassis. This multi-level bus had an upper level, a small galley, a rear observation lounge and a raised driver ’s area. It was named the Cherokee, since Pickwick often used names instead of numbers for their buses. Although it was put in service on the San Diego-Los Angeles-San Francisco route, it was never duplicated.
Dwight E. Austin, Pickwick’s vice president, was responsible for the second prototype. Named, Alsacia, this was the first of the
Behind the driver’s seat is this compact but useful work area that includes pull-out drawers and shelves. It does not take much imagination to think of the Pickwick people who looked at early maps to try to find alternative bus routes. The window on the left side helps to provide some light in this area. RANDY WILCOX.
People in the Packard did have a means of communication even at this early date prior to CB radios and cell phones. Do you want to guess what it was? They apparently had a way of backing up to telegraph poles, running wires up and hooking in. Hence, at least in a limited way, they could communicate via telegraph and exchange information with the company.
If only the Packard could talk, we would probably hear some amazing stories. It probably got bogged down on muddy roads many times while looking at potential bus routes. Bear in mind that at least into the 1920s there were few paved roads outside of cities. The national network of federal highways did come about until the roads were paved in later years. Hence, there was an obvious need to plan bus routes that would be the easiest and most reliable to drive. Driving buses at this time was a great deal different than today. Pickwick’s Later Years
It can be presumed that the Packard did its job well because Pickwick Stages continued to expand at an amazing rate. Pickwick’s bus routes reached north to Seattle in 1926, ensuring that they were firmly entrenched on the West Coast. By mid-decade the company began to expand east reaching El Paso in 1926. With 2,250 route miles and 190 buses, Pickwick Stages was the longest bus system in the United States.
The El Paso route was extended to Oklahoma City in 1927 and then on to St. Louis. Here, Pickwick made connection with Purple Swan Safety Coach, operating between Kansas City and Chicago. It was part of Motor Transit Corp., the company that
National Bus Trader / March, 2021 • 23
The cockpit area does not have a dash and only limited gauges. We suspect that the handle near the window controlled the primitive turn signal. RANDY WILCOX.
NiteCoaches. It had 13 compartments, each accommodating two passengers somewhat like a Pullman car, with seats for day travel and berths for sleeping at night. While the compartments were located on two levels, there was only one center aisle with passengers stepping up or down into the compartments. Additional features included lavatory facilities and a small galley for food service. Each bus was apparently crewed by a driver, a steward and a chef.
The NiteCoach marked a milestone in bus construction. Since it was impossible to put this large vehicle on a Pierce-Arrow chassis, Austin developed what came to be called integral construction with two rails running the length of the bus. The design was soon modernized with Austin developing the transverse engine and V-drive.
Management at Pickwick made the decision to get out of bus operations and get into bus building and aviation. A deal with Greyhound in 1929 led to the formation of Pacific Greyhound Lines that merged Pickwick’s lines with those of Greyhound. By this point the Pickwick fleet had reached a total of 359 units. In exchange, Pickwick received a payment of $1.5 million. A major investment 24 • National Bus Trader / March, 2021
Entry was through this simple sedan door and a single step up to floor level. The driver’s cockpit area is obvious on the other side of the bus. RANDY WILCOX.
was made by Pickwick to build a bus factory in the Los Angeles suburb of El Segundo.
Commercial aviation was still in its infancy with airplanes flying only during
While the quality is not good, this photo provides an idea of the condition of the Packard in 1981 when it was acquired by Dick Seybolt and brought from California. It was restored by some of the staff at Diamond Coach before being put on display at the FMCA Convention in Oklahoma City in 2001. DICK SEYBOLT.
daylight hours. Hence the origin of the derogatory term “fly-by-night airline.” Pickwick’s idea was to let passengers fly by day and transfer to their NiteCoaches at night. This was actually tried and worked reasonably well. One thought was to build and lease the NiteCoaches to commercial operators, much like Pullman cars. Pickwick Airways was formed in 1928 and 10 tri-motored airplanes were ordered, each seating 10 passengers.
While Greyhound continued to operate, Pickwick’s plans were decimated by the stock market crash in October of 1929. A few NiteCoaches were built and operated on limited routes. The same design was offered as a seated coach, known as the Duplex, that provided seats for 50-54 pas-
sengers. It was more successful than the NiteCoach version although some of the NiteCoaches operated as late as 1942. While aviation struggled through the Great Depression, eventually radio beacons were built to allow planes to fly both day and night. Dwight Austin ended up moving to General Motors where he perfected integral bus construction and developed the SuperCoach for GM. The Packard’s Recent History
The 1917 Packard was one of the few survivors of Pickwick Stages. Existing information indicates that it was saved by Packard collectors who verified its origin and numbers. It spent decades in collections in various states of repair. Dick Seybold ran DiaDick Seybolt gave the Packard to the Antique Automobile Club of America Museum. This photo was taken upon its arrival at the museum in Hershey, Pennsylvania with the ever present Kissmobile in the background. The AACA Museum recently merged with the Museum of Bus Transportation. DICK SEYBOLT.
mond Coach, a company based in Oswego, Kansas that built smaller buses and cutaways. Seybold ran across the Packard in California in 1981 and purchased it. The Packard was in very rough shape when it was trucked back to Kansas.
For about 10 years it sat in this state of disrepair. At that point some of the staff at Diamond Coach offered to restore the Packard as a Christmas present for Seybold. The result was so impressive that he decided to put the bus on display at the Family Motor Coach Association convention in Oklahoma City in July of 2001 where it received a lot of attention and praise. For a while, Seybold allowed the bus to be displayed at a Packard museum on old US 66. More recently, he donated the Packard to the Antique Automobile Club of America Museum in Hershey, Pennsylvania.
Hopefully, the Packard is now safe and secure while starting its second century. In the absence of any conflicting data, it appears to be the oldest converted bus still existing and may well be the very first commercial bus conversion. Our special thanks to Randy Wilcox who graciously took the time to photograph the Packard at the Hershey Museum so that we could include interior photos with this article. His efforts are much appreciated and his photos add a lot to this article. q
Now safely housed as part of the AACA Museum collection, the Packard may contemplate its next 100 years. It is impressive that a vehicle with this heritage has not only survived more than 100 years but is in fairly good condition. RANDY WILCOX.
National Bus Trader / March, 2021 • 25
to safety, and if you trust them too much, each offers the opportunity for mayhem. many are mandated by government. Last summer a friend died diving on a shipwreck. After a tiring drive from massachusetts to North carolina, on the first dive he mistook his backup mouthpiece for his main air supply. On deep dives some divers carry a small “pony” tank as a redundant air supply for emergencies, and my friend descended breathing off the pony by mistake. The air in the small tank ran out just as he reached the bottom, and between fatigue and narcosis, he apparently was unable to switch to the full tank. Technology he carried for safety effectively did him in. Lest you think this is an isolated case, this is the third time it has happened to folks i know. Technology, like regulation, is a twoedged sword. Properly used (and maintained), it contributes a great deal to safety. Trust it too much and it may punish you. if my friend had not been tired, perhaps his judgment would not have been impaired. if the driver that hit the underpass in Syracuse New York had looked out the windshield, instead of at his GPS. Regulations, no matter how well conceived, will never compensate for bad behavior. Technology can not overcome poor training.
Regulations Do Not Create Safety by Dave Millhouser Our author points out that our society often tries to solve problems by adding more laws. Sometimes those laws do not work or do not reflect reality. This photo shows people boarding an MCI Commuter Coach that has been the most popular commuter coach on the market. mci.
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ew things are more irritating than driving on a college campus. Students blindly cross streets without a glance – because the rules say cars must stop. in the politically correct collegiate environs, pedestrians rule. One wonders what happens to them when they enter the “real world.” Their life expectancy on Boston streets would be about 30 seconds.
Even when laws are well conceived, it only takes a couple of bad (or careless) actors to wreak havoc. mom was right – “Look both ways before crossing the street.” i want to be the beneficiary of anyone who blindly believes that traffic stops for crosswalks.
Our society often addresses problems by adding layers of laws. There is danger in assuming that works. Sometimes rules do not reflect real life, and folks ignore them, eroding respect for authority. Everyone i know jaywalks occasionally.
We have also have grown increasingly dependent on technology to keep us safe. Antilock brakes, traction control, backup cameras, event recorders, GPS and a partridge in pear tree. Every one of these (other than the partridge) can make a significant contribution
26 • National Bus Trader / March, 2021
Anyone who assumes that rules really protect them is fair game for Darwin.
in real life it still boils down to hiring good people, training them well, and keeping an eye on them. Your future, and that of all your employees, is in their hands. if they are good, cherish them; if they create problems, try squishing them into shape. Failing that, you have to let them go. Shrinking your business is better than losing it. New technology and regulations can help in that process, but as an industry, we can not trust them to get the job done. The public needs to understand that too. if they are spending big bucks on a charter, it might not be enough to shop price, or look up carriers on a Web site (even a government run site). At a UmA Expo, a well intended official challenged us to go a year with no fatalities, because the airlines have done it. Please understand, i am against death, but airline pilots are highly trained. They are not surrounded by unskilled, undisciplined and sometimes crazed drivers. They have controllers to direct them (as opposed to poor signage and road design that often contributes to accidents). Airplanes rarely have to jockey for position at toll booths. commercial airliners have two pilots to handle a workload that is normally concentrated in the takeoff and landing of a flight. Flight attendants deal with passengers.
cruise control is not automatic pilot, and from the beginning of a trip to the end, coach
We have increasingly become dependent on laws and technology. In many cases our safety may be misguided if the laws ot technology do not do what was intended. This photo was taken at a Compass Coach roadeo in Michigan. COMPASS COACH.
drivers are alone, working hard. Two things I am struggling to say here. No amount of regulation or technology is enough to make us safe; it all boils down to drivers’ judgment.
Maturity needs to be a critical criteria of the hiring and management process, because it is the stuff that happens away from your facility that matters. Mechanical defects are bad, logging violations worse, but usually
it is speeding, tailgating and sudden lane changes that hurt people. It is easier to make a good person a good driver, than vice versa.
We need officials who truly understand our industry and promulgate regulation and technology that reflects the real world, rather than responding to highly visible, but atypical accidents.
Have you noticed that older people hustle in crosswalks so as not to hold up traffic, while younger ones tend to meander? Each is following the rules, but the old folks are demonstrating judgment.
At my age “hustle” and “meander” have merged into “waddle.” q
Although it has been suggested, you cannot compare airline pilots with bus drivers. Not only do airline pilots go through more training, but they do not have to share the road with non-professional drivers. Pilots also have the advantage of ground controllers and separation on airways. NBT COLLECTION.
National Bus Trader / March, 2021 • 27
Safety and Liability by Ned Einstein What’s in Store for the Post-COVID Era Motorcoach Industry
As disturbing as recent USDOT appointments have been, I almost did not write this column. When the FMCSA administrator was nominated, I felt I had to. This is because the FMCSA regulates, governs and largely influences both the troubled motorcoach industry and vaccine distribution (at least those vaccines delivered by trucks). Given even the most conservative budgets currently being discussed (as of February 2, 2021), the potential waste in vaccine distribution is disturbing since it greatly exceeds what is needed to completely restore the motorcoach industry – including subsidies it may need for several years to get back on its tires.
This article is not a partisan political criticism. I voted for neither recent candidate. I am not criticizing President Biden now. I am merely explaining the consequences of cabinet and administrator choices being made in the passenger and freight transportation fields, and commenting on the overall challenges of running the labyrinth of variation and complexity which USDOT is.
Slots must be matched by individuals with a resonable knowledge to run their departments and administrations. Balancing and Teetering Appointing individuals to cabinet positions and their departments’ administrators is a balancing act. In efforts to accomplish numerous diverse goals, appointments necessarily involve tradeoffs and compromises. Among others: Slots must be matched by individuals with a reasonable knowledge to run their departments and administrations. Bright and articulate individuals are usually helpful. Some individuals should be rewarded for exemplary contributions to campaigns and society in general. Some appointments are important symbolically. It is usually good for appointees to have a heart. 28 • National Bus Trader / March, 2021
Above all, every president’s administration must stand for something – even while many Americans do not like what this one stands for. Amidst this balancing act, President Biden appointed the first Native American to direct the Department of the Interior. This was a bold, courageous move that appears to have involved no tradeoffs, even if it sent shivers down the corporate spines of energy and mining oligopolies and their shareholders. Deb Haaland appears to meet every criterion. So too did the President’s nomination for Director of the Department of Defense – former four-star general Lloyd Austin – whose nomination was approved 93-2 by the new 50:50 Senate.
I similarly applaud President Biden for appointing the first gay member to his cabinet – although USDOT Director was a dangerous place to put him, particularly as it was worsened dramatically by the followups. Women and minorities have also been appointed to direct departments. Whether or not one feels this criterion is important, superficially or politically, this cabinet indeed “looks like America.” This alone stands for something – both domestically and internationally. Otherwise, the pyramid of appointments thus far to USDOT, including several administrators, should be of great concern to members of the motorcoach industry. That this sector ’s regulatory agency, the FMCSA, also regulates trucking, should be of extraordinary concern to the nation-at-large, engulfed as we are in a raging pandemic whose infections are spreading and morphing.
Tiny Tots and Toy Cars At age three, I was thrilled with my first toy car. I moved them around a lot. In the Dr. Spock-dominated era of my youth, existing children were supposed to resent new siblings. So at age four, the announcement of my soon-to-arrive younger sister was accompanied by an elaborate gift: A huge bus terminal (sloppily resembling the Port Authority Bus Terminal) almost as large as my crib. This toy literally shaped my life, as I morphed from a public transportation consultant, to an operator, to a bus designer and marketer to an expert witness – sandwiching in 300+ documents and (mostly) articles along the way.
Recognizing the dysfunctions of public transportation when I verily entered the field 45 years ago, I evolved to an expert witness
20 year later. I was astonished to learn that most lawyers think transportation has the complexity I did at age three. The wheels on the bus go round and round, and there is not much more to it. I suspect President Biden’s understanding is not much more sophisticated, given his appointments to USDOT and its administrations. Each appointee seems less qualified than the one preceding him or her. NATIONAL BUS TRADER readers and motorcoach operators need to know what they are in for.
The Secretary of USDOT must know a tire from a wheel. USDOT and US Dolts From what I have read and heard, I like Pete Buttigieg. He seems smart and articulate. He seems to know how to run a city. He reeks of integrity. I can see him as an excellent ambassador to a country with which we have problems. Russia perhaps. However, the Secretary of USDOT must know a tire from a wheel – much less the functional differences between a school bus and a transit bus. He or she must know some basics about trucking, freight rail, aviation, the Coast Guard, maritime travel, pipeline and hazardous materials and the St. Lawrence Seaway.
Were it not for President Biden’s subsequent appointments, Buttigieg might have had a chance to learn some rudiments. With each successive appointment, the odds grow slimmer and slimmer. To the Deputy Secretary position, President Biden nominated the Director of NYC’s Department of Transportation, Polly Trottenberg – plucked from a policy position within USDOT seven years earlier (presumably to help NYC obtain grant funds). During her tenure, Trottenberg presided over the demise of every public transportation mode in the city. • Despite the staggering increase in poverty and “transit-dependence” during the Trump Administration, NYC’s transit ridership shrank by roughly 10 percent a year in the two years preceding the emergence of COVID-19 (as it did, similarly, nationwide).
Safety and Liability • During the first few months of the pandemic, with no warnings or guidance, the NYC subway system was packed elbow to elbow. Forty-one NYCTA workers died quickly. By early spring, 6,000 NYCTA workers called in sick. • By the end of 2015, when the cost of a taxi medallion was roughly $1.1 million, the city allowed 15,000 Ubers to enter the city without a medallion fee. This decision deprived the city of roughly $16.5 billion. Realistically, few Uber drivers would have paid anything near these fees. Were the demand they ostensibly reflected been satisfied by actual taxis, taxi owners would have. (A recent count estimated between 45,000 and 60,000 Ubers operating within the city’s five boroughs.) • Even without paying medallion fees, Uber (and Lyft’s) “gig working” drivers were among the nation’s most exploited workers – not to mention these completelyunmanaged services being the most dangerous transportation mode since the end of the whaling industry, in the late 19th Century. Some states, like New Jersey, actually did something about Uber – fining it $639 million for not granting drivers employee status (see www.nytimes.com/2019/11/14/nyreg i o n / u b e r - n e w - j e r s e y drivers.html?action=click&module=News& pgtype=Homepage.) • Later this past year, with the NYCTA thinning out its bus service, 11,000 taxis that could have accommodated some transit passengers were deployed to deliver groceries and other packages – tasks which the city’s armada of trucks and vans (not usable for passenger transportation) could have done more efficiently. • Fare collection became a nightmare. (See https://transalt.com/article/driversv-robots-part-8-collecting-the-fares-skimming-the-passengers/.) As more than 500 fare kiosks were shut down, tokens evolved into farecards – with card-dispensing machines often out of order, out of change, and/or often unable to accept cash. (Remember cash?) Along many bus routes, one could not even pay on board with a farecard. One had to purchase a receipt from a machine at the bus stop – only to hand them to the driver, who formerly did not have to handle anything. Of course, with almost every single bus route in the system operating behind schedules unreasonably too tight, drivers had even less time to check these receipts. • Nor was there, obviously, any way to monitor a passenger who simply boarded without one. Fare-cheating at the bus level
Fare-cheating at the bus level became legendary. 30 • National Bus Trader / March, 2021
became legendary. Many riders effortlessly hopped on buses via their rear doors (which contained no fareboxes) – which drivers were supposed to open only to let passengers alight. • While the notion of replacing subway service during the “owl period” was never seriously considered (while common elsewhere throughout the country), the city’s subway system only began shutting down (after COVID-19 had killed its first 20,000 or so New Yorkers) from 2-6 a.m., ostensibly so that maintenance crews could disinfect the cars – when it was known that COVID-19’s potential for infection did not last long on surfaces. In real life, this action was taken largely to keep many of the city’s 50,000 homeless residents from sleeping on the subway – during those hours when most lines, and most segments, were barely used. Years earlier, armed with my plan for effortlessly housing half the city’s then 30,000 homeless residents in the city’s 1,500 motorcoaches unused during nights and weekends (see N ATIONAL B US T RADER , December, 2012), my former secretary, Katie Moore, was hired by Mayor De Blasio and put in charge of the city’s homeless – and could not get this idea past the entrance of her cubicle; several months later, she resigned. • The city’s subway system was in such disrepair that trains were derailing, midtown, because of track disrepair. (In the past, trains derailed mostly from centrifugal force because the trains’ speed around turns grossly exceeded the designated speed limits.) • With her policy acumen, Trottenberg did nothing to stop motorcoaches entering the city from paying tolls – even while, unsubsidized, a single, full motorcoach (with no standees) transports the same number of passengers as 40 cars (which also require parking spaces). • Trottenberg did little to address problems of the city’s 9,000 school buses. Last year, a commission suddenly discovered that 6,000 of the city’s 9,000 school buses’ GPS units were missing. Trottenberg and others in the city should have learned their lessons in 2011, when the city was forced to return $550 million to Medicaid because its GPS system failed to capture the required data. • Regarding trucking, must trucks enter the NYC via the intersection of Route #4 and Interstate 95 at the bi-level George Washington Bridge. When, COVID struck, the lower level was so empty that a small plane could have taken off or landed on it, were it not for the structure above. Yet the upper level – designated for trucks and motorcoaches only – resembled the world’s longest parking lot, often requiring a truck or motorcoach to spend hours traversing it.
Stuffing Staff with Stooges As one knows, each department contains several administrations. It should be alarming that the next administrator nominated, as Director of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), was Nuria Fernandez – the president of APTA, the transit industry’s principle lobbying organization. That many transit agencies received, and will continue to receive, more bail-out funds than they lost from ridership decreases during the COVID19 era provides a curious illustration of how one “cleans up the swamp” by appointing “K-Streeters” to key departmental positions. Fernandez did a stellar job facilitating the distribution of billions to a sector recently experiencing two-digit declines in ridership and pathetic farebox recovery ratios (see https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/09/u pshot/transit-battered-bycoronavirus.html?action=click&module=To p%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage). It will interesting to watch how much more funding this sector receives now that Fernandez is effectively in control of doling it out. Then, of course, comes the FMCSA. President Biden’s nomination for that position was none other than Meera Joshi, formerly (for five years) the chairwoman and CEO of New York City’s hapless Taxi and Limousine Commission, and more recently, an attorney with the transportation-oriented law firm of Sam Schwartz. More than even Trottenberg, Meera presided over the demise of one of the nation’s most decimated taxi systems. That thousands of driver-owners were ruined by the collapse of the medallion scheme – only partly caused by the influx of Uber and Lyft into the city without paying medallion fees, and otherwise defrauded by loan sharks – is a testament to her skill and integrity. After the taxi market literally collapsed from the medallion scam, Mayor DeBlasio refused to bail out its victims (see “They were Conned: How Reckless Loans Devastated a Generation of Taxi Drivers” at https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/19/n yregion/nyc-taxis-medallionssuicides.html). For a glimpse into what Meera may have in mind for the FMCSA, one only needs to take a few peeks at her and New York City’s handing of both Uber and delivery services – and what is likely in store for their drivers: • An estimated 100,000 driverless vans by Amazon, by 2030 (see https://www.masstransitmag.com/altm o b i l i t y / a u t o n o m o u s vehicles/article/21116217/bestmile-orchestrating-energy-making-sure-electric-fleets-h ave-the-juice-to-deliver) • How Uber Hopes to Profit from Public Transit (see www.nytimes.com/
Safety and Liability 2019/05/30/opinion/uberstock.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article • Uber wants to sell you train tickets, and be your bus service too (see https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/07/te chnology/uber-train-bus-publictransit.html?action=click&module=News& pgtype=Homepage • The Collapse of Delivery Transportation in New York City (see https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/27/n y r e g i o n / n y c - a m a z o n delivery.html?action=click&module=Top%2 0Stories&pgtype=Homepage Looking Like Losers One member of the above-mentioned quartet failed to mitigate the collapse of every mode of passenger and freight transportation over which they exercised the highest degree of control. Another was in charge of lobbying for the sector to which she will now be handing over money. A third progressed from ruining a local taxi industry to running a nationwide network of trucks and delivery vans – during the greatest distribution challenge in modern history. (Governing the 15 percent of motorcoaches currently in service is an asterisk.) The fourth, in charge of the other three, may have washed his car a few times. What can we expect this quartet to do to a country most parts of which they are unfamiliar, with urban forms far less conducive to efficient transportation than the one which two of them gutted with their incompetence? Apart from “Poor Pete,” his underlings stand for creating or observing failure, and rewarding it. They stand for exploiting working class Americans. They stand for denying workers the benefits afforded by the unions which President Biden professes to practically worship. (His failure to mention how they can rid themselves of their bad apples lies outside the scope of this article.) They stand for helping big business replace employees with gig workers. They stand for using passenger vehicles for deliveries. They stand for increasing subsidies needed to deploy large vehicles which transport scores of passengers at a time with 60,000 vehicles which carry one or two at a time. They stand for ruses to kick homeless residents off transportation vehicles when few or no passengers are using them. They stand for selling transit passes through an Uber app. They stand for the collapse of delivery services. They stand for increased traffic and declining air quality. They stand for transit systems where every bus’ schedule is too tight, where every bus runs behind schedule and where transfers are regularly missed. They stand for replacing employees (like taxi drivers) with 1099 workers (like Uber drivers). The stand for squandering
countless billions in revenue from a mode whose drivers were managed, and who
America looks like it is in for big trouble. received fringe benefits. They stand for the elimination of millions of jobs and their replacement with robots behind-the-wheel. If this collection of know-nothings and losers “looks like America,” America looks like it is in for big trouble. The motorcoach sector is likely a permanent victim. Unfortunately, this is an asterisk when one examines even three sets of numbers: • On February 2, 2021, Moderna announced that it could squeeze 15 doses of vaccine in a vial previously filled with 10, and that it could fill 1000 vials a minute (see https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/02/ 0 2 / w o r l d / c o v i d - 1 9 coronavirus?type=styln-liveupdates&label=coronavirus%20updates&in dex=0&action=click&module=Spotlight&pg type=Homepage.) • This figure computes to 15,000 doses a minute, or 900,000 doses an hour, or 216,000,000 per day, or 648,000,000 per month. In other words, Moderna alone can bottle enough vaccine to vaccinate almost our entire nation, with two doses, in a single month – notwithstanding the fact that a significant two-digit percentage of our population disdains COVID-19 vaccinations, and the materials to fill these vials is not as available as is the company’s bottling capability. (Forget about Pfizer and AstraZeneca, with leviathan Johnson & Johnson just over the horizon.) • The Republican’s current proposed rescue package of $618 billion – a figure the Democrats would like to triple – contains $160 billion for vaccine distribution. If one could fill an 18-wheeler with a mere 1,000 vials (which a large tropical fish tank could likely hold), and dividing our population of 340 million – with two doses each (or 680 million) by 15,000 doses, we could need only 45,333 truckloads. Dividing these truckloads into even $160 billion, each truckload would cost $3,529,437. This seems like a lot of money for a single truckload. If an 18wheeler could ship 40,000 vials (which seems possible with even sloppy visualization), a truckload of vials would cost $141,177,508. Chaos and Capability I realize that distribution in a country of 3,797 million square miles (including two detached land masses) cannot remotely be this streamlined. Many vehicles could only transfer a few hundred, or even a few dozen, vials of vaccine to their needed destinations. I recog-
Just the same, this sum suggests an astonishing waste of money. nize that trucks must be loaded and unloaded, and that the crates of vials must be broken down and carried in and out of vaccination centers (and so many Starbucks and other tiny facilities that have lobbied to become vaccination centers). In some cases the vaccine must be packaged in dry ice and maintained at low temperatures their entire time (the Pfizer vaccine for example must be kept at a -84∘F.). The crude analysis above greatly overstates the profit per distribution vehicle. Just the same, this sum suggests an astonishing waste of money. Does it make sense to place in charge of this challenge an individual who headed one of the nation’s worst taxi and limousine commissions, and who presided over the demise and misuse of the simplest mode of transportation to operate and regulate next to bicycles? (Need I mention the blunders of NYC’s overblown bicycle sharing program?) The consultant to the FMCSA Administrator in charge of this task of extraordinary importance and dazzling complexity need merely be a decent middle school math student with a calculator. The person in charge of this task must understand more than multiplication and division. He or she must be a master of logistics and its countless physical, geographic, institutional, regulatory and economic variables. The failure to master the opportunities implicit in our vaccination potential will translate, conservatively, into hundreds of thousands of deaths. As a mere footnote to this tragedy, the motorcoach industry will go down in smoke. It is about time Americans demanded more than political slogans, promises and platitudes from its decision-makers. It is fine to give Polly a cracker. It is another thing to anoint her as the only person with transportation experience of any kind to the agency in charge of a daunting expanse of interests. Is it another to place the savior of our transit industry in the hands of someone who failed to make it efficient, failed to stem its decline and who instead supervised its efforts to compensate for these failures by requesting taxpayers’ money to do so. It is still another to place so many passenger and (mostly) freight services in the hands of a bungling bureaucrat not remotely familiar with the modes she has just been placed in charge of. God bless America. God bless President Biden. If things stay the way they are, the
National Bus Trader / March, 2021 • 31
Safety and Liability The motorcoach industry and the American people will need far more than blessings. motorcoach industry and the American people will need far more than blessings. We will need responsibility and competence. While blessings may come our way, responsibility and competence seem far, far away. The opinions expressed in this article are that of the author and do not necessarily represent the opinions of NATIONAL BUS TRADER, Inc. or its staff and management. q Ned Einstein is the president of Transportation Alternatives (transalt.com [1]), a public transportation consulting/expert witness firm. Einstein (einstein@transalt.com) specializes in catastrophic motorcoach accidents.
32 • National Bus Trader / March, 2021
Classified Visit National Bus Trader’s Online Classified Ads at www.busmag.com Classified ad rate is $30 per issue for first 25 words, 25 cents for each additional word. Rate includes Internet access. Name, address, zip and phone number are not included in word count. The total number of words in a classified ad can not exceed 70. Rates apply on each ad individually – the rate for multiple insertions is the total of each ad figured individually. Free classified ads are acceptable ONLY when submitted on or with your free classified ad certificate. Display advertising rates on request. 1 – BUSES WANTED 1940s White Model 788 or 798 wanted. 12 cylinder engine mounted under floor midship. Would like a complete original bus, but like to hear about parts buses. Contact Howard lane, Hardwick Ma 01037 at (413) 477-8790 or I howard.lane@comcast.net. seeking 102d3 converted by Custom Coach. Prefer motor home interior with side aisle or semi-side aisle. Please provide details by e-mail to safety@busmag.com or phone larry at (815) 946-2341. 5C – MISCELLANEOUS BUSES 1982 bbC/GMC Hr150G trolley bus. brown-bovari controls, running condition. Must dispose due to space limitation. Make offer. Contact dale@trams.ca or phone (604) 325-9990 in Vancouver. I 6 – MOTOR HOMES FOR SALE MCi MC5a ’67 (shell). 8V-71, 4-speed. For sale to highest bidder. Call (928) 358-6415 or (505) 713-9242 in aZ. I
6 – MOTOR HOMES FOR SALE 1956 Flxible coach – old conversion. Phone (802) I 948-2886 in Vt for details. ’67 Flxible. Converted, 6V-92, 10-spd./od, diesel generator. recent $10,000 rebuilt – rebushed. don’t see well; can’t drive and enjoy. best offer over $17,500. needs tlC. Phone Chet at (269) 445-0641 in Mi. I 1994 Prevost liberty conversion. 8V-92 twin turbo w/eco boost, Webasto heat. all electric. new tires, batteries (bus), bus air. interior – teal, rose, mirrors. excellent condition. $95,000. Phone (276) 466-7325 in Va. I 2000 MCi dl3 Custom Coach conversion. detroit diesel engine and allison trans. sleeps 4-6, ba, shower, microwave, refrigerator, stove, generator, 4 aux. aC units, 2 flat-screen tVs, dVd, bose speakers. no slides. Customize to suit. 185,208 original miles. asking $72,500. all serious offers considered. Call (610) 868-6001, ext 115. More pics and q details at transbridgelines.com/buses-for-sale. 10 – PARTS AND EQUIPMENT 6V-92t detroit diesel engine. Fresh overhaul. in storage. spent $4,700. Make offer. Phone (815) 262-0587 in il. I 14 – NOTICES Visit our 35+ vintage buses at lakewood nJ bus terminal saturdays. Join Friends nJ transport Heritage Center. www.friendsnjthc.org. annual dues $30. Call tom at (732) 833-1213. I Please mention National Bus Trader when answering advertisers
Advertiser’s Index Dupree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Irizar USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Family Motor Coach Association . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32 Industry Leading Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 McKinney, Texas CVB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Midwest Bus Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Motor Coach Industries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Royal Star Hawaii . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32 Temsa Global . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Transportation Trails Books . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 United Motor Coach Association . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33 ZF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29 34 • National Bus Trader / March, 2021
15 – MISCELLANEOUS Wanted: original upholstery for aC transit 800-900 series Fishbowl. Gold and blue striped pattern used on bucketstyle seats. used seat covers acceptable. Contact ed at enapiwoc@aol.com. I 16 - MEMORABILIA & COLLECTIBLES silver eagle side emblems and trailing ribbon. set (left and right). $600 plus shipping. Contact M. Walsh at (417) I 300-4735 in Mo or busman53maw@gmail.com. Collectors – russell’s bus guides, miscellaneous Grayhound schedule folders, amtrak, airline schedules. 1970s2000s. looking for something specific? Just ask. Contact robertkeene2003@yahoo.com. q
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Down The Road
Coming events of interest to readers of NATIoNAL BUS TRADeR. Submissions for the department should be directed to the editor. Unless otherwise indicated, events are not open to the general public. April 21-25, 2021. UMA Motorcoach Expo 2021. orange County Convention Center, orlando, Florida.
July 7-10, 2021. FMCA's 103rd International Convention and RV Expo. Cam-Plex Multi-event Facilities, Gillette, Wyoming.
August 25-29, 2021. Flxible Bus Rally. Loudonville, ohio.
August 31-September 3, 2021. American Public Transportation Association (APTA) EXPO 2021. Anaheim, California. For information visit www.aptaexpo.com.
September 24-26, 2021. Custom Coach Rally. Past Time Park Campground, Plain City, ohio. (614) 873-3527 ext. 108.
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