National Bus Trader Volume XLII No.9 August 2019 Digital Edition

National Bus Trader

The Magazine of Bus Equipment for the United States and Canada Volume XLII, No. 9

August, 2019

Serving the bus industry since 1977.

Visit us at www.busmag.com.

• NFI Group Acquires Alexander Dennis • “Getting the Glow” at Liberty Coach • Chicago Motor Coach Book Review

SAFETY IS OUR PRIORITY AND OUR PASSION.

The Volvo 9700 makes safety a priority with advanced driver assistance systems, high-efficiency brakes, seat belts, and a cabin structure engineered to protect all on board. The ultra-reliable Volvo engine delivers maximum fuel efficiency while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. And every feature is perfectly packaged in a well-equipped coach designed to provide a world-class travel experience. www.prevostcar.com

National Bus Trader The Magazine of Bus Equipment for the United States and Canada STAFF Editor & Publisher Larry Plachno

Business Manager Nancy Ann Plachno Bookkeeping Dianne Billquist

Typesetting/Page Layout Sherry Mekeel

Production/Web/Design Nick Schleitwiler Photographer J.C. Rebis Jr.

CONTRIBUTORS Safety and Liability Ned Einstein Maintenance First Jacques Gagne

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Volume XLII

National Bus Trader 9698 W. Judson Road Polo, Illinois 61064-9015 Phone: (815) 946-2341 Web site: www.busmag.com

Number 9

August, 2019

Features NFI Group Acquires Alexander Dennis – A History of Leadership in Bus Production (by Larry Plachno) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 The acquisition of Alexander Dennis by NFI Group brings that company into the same family as MCI, New Flyer and ARBOC. Each of these companies is already at the top of its respective industry segments. This merger creates a marketleading global bus and coach manufacturer. Here is some historical background on each of the major companies involved.

Getting the Glow – Take a look inside the “New Look” of Liberty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28 Liberty Coach, already a leader in award-winning converted coach interiors, has announced a breathtaking modern redesign. Liberty’s “New Look” reflects clean, modern, light, airy, smooth and swanky in a new and modern way that is impressive yet feels comfortable and like home.

Book Review – Chicago Motor Club . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32 While the Chicago Motor Company was the smallest of the three transit operators in Chicago, it had a unique story and heritage. This book by John F. Doyle presents that history in a marvelous collection of information, photos and captions.

Cover Photo

Departments

What could reflect Alexander Dennis more appropriately than a big, red double-deck bus operating in the Shadow of Big Ben. The addition of Alexander Dennis to the NFI Group creates a market-leading global bus and coach manufacturer.

See the article starting on page 18 for information on the backgrounds behind the NFI Group companies.

ALEXANDER DENNIS.

Equipment News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Bus Equipment People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Photographs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

Safety and Liability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34

Curious Coachowner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36

Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37

Advertiser’s Index appears on page 38

National Bus Trader / August, 2019 • 3

Equipment News Intercar Adds Four Prevost H3-45 Coaches Georges Gilbert founded Intercar in 1959 and 60 years later, it still stands as the second-largest bus and coach carrier in the province of Quebec, Canada. Intercar runs school buses, providing student transportation in the greater-Quebec area, and offers motorcoaches for charter services. The company recently added four new 2019 H345 coaches to expand its charter services, bringing the total number of coaches in its predominantly Prevost fleet to 30.

Third generation owner and Chief Executive Officer Hugo Gilbert took Intercar over from his father, Jasmin Gilbert in 1996, who put in 20 years at the helm following his father Georges’ retirement. During his tenure, Jasmin had managed the acquisition of the Voyageur routes in 1990 that took in the Saguenay region and the North Coast of the Saint Lawrence River.

Today, Intercar employs 400 drivers, technicians and professional staff to deliver student transportation, coach charters, as well as scheduled service and shuttles, medical and adapted mobility transport and parcel service.

Hugo states he has always been drawn to the look of Prevost coaches and appreciates that Prevost was founded and is still headquartered in nearby St. Claire, Quebec.

He is especially appreciative of the Prevost electric fan drive system on his new 2019 coaches, which helps save on fuel costs.

“The Allison transmission is also a must,” says Gilbert. “Our drivers absolutely love the powertrain combination of Allison and the D13 Volvo engine. Also, the back-up camera is a new feature we find extremely helpful.” Intercar plans to utilize the new H3-45 coaches predominately for scheduled charter services into the U.S. “With mileage adding up quickly, our newest Prevost coaches are going to offer us a definite advantage,” says Gilbert. “We know downtime can be minimized when our drivers are so far away form home due to product reliability and the numerous maintenance and support services Prevost provides.”

Prevost is a leading manufacturer of premium intercity touring coaches and the world leader in the production of conversion coaches for high-end motor home and specialty conversion. As part of the Volvo Group, it has access to the financial strength, 4 • National Bus Trader / August, 2019

Intercar recently added four new Prevost H3-45 coaches to its growing fleet. The new coaches come with a Volvo engine, Allison transmission and a back-up camera and will be used primarily for scheduled charter service to the United States. Now in its third generation of family management, Intercar is the second largest bus and coach carrier in the province of Quebec.

research capability and manufacturing expertise of the group. The Volvo Group is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of heavy-duty diesel engines. Prevost has its main manufacturing facilities in Sainte-Claire, Quebec, Canada and has 16 parts and service centers located throughout the United States and Canada.

Mike’s Limousine Gets New MCI J4500 Motor Coach Industries (MCI), a U.S. subsidiary of NFI Group Inc. (NFI), one of the world’s largest independent global bus manufacturers, continues to gain acclaim in the limousine and events transportation business with the good looking, spacious, well-appointed interior and exterior of its 2019 J4500.

That is exactly what Mike Vaughn, founder of Mike’s Limousine in Tallahassee, Florida, was thinking about when he purchased his first-ever MCI J4500. He and his customers like “the ambiance, the glitz and the glamour” of his new J4500 delivered just this month. “It’s the Taj Mahal.”

Vaughn sees great potential for motorcoach charter business within the sedan, classic car, trolley and party bus system he operates. Winning Tallahassee Magazine’s

Best of Tallahassee People’s Choice award 12 years in a row as well as the Tally award, Mike’s Limousine has a reputation for upscale service with an impressive 25vehicle feet that includes luxury sedans and SUVs, stretch limos, a pink Hummer and a convertible Rolls Royce, trolleys, 16- to 36passenger party buses and a mix of 15 motorcoaches of various sizes.

“We don’t duplicate; everything in our fleet runs for a specific purpose,” said Vaughn who opened his first transportation business, Mike’s Moving, in 1991. That profitable endeavor allowed him to start a secondary business, Mike’s Limousine, formed in 2000 with a top-of-the-line stretch limousine, the very first in Tallahassee. The new business kept growing with three limousine-style vehicles including exotic cars added each year. By 2007, Vaughn began adding higher-capacity passenger vehicles and 35-foot coaches to the fleet. “We started out with a lot of wedding contracts, which is high-end work, and that’s the way we’ve kept it, growing by going with the flow,” he said. “Before I knew it, we met all the qualifications for a charter bus company, and it made sense to add larger, 45foot motorcoaches.”

Equipment News

The newest vehicle in the fleet of Mike’s Limousine is this new highspec MCI J4500. Features include leather seats, tray tables and enhanced lighting.

Based in Tallahassee, Florida, the company operates a fleet of 25 luxury vehicles including convertible Rolls Royce cars, a pink Hummer and 15 coaches of various sizes.

His specific choice of the MCI J4500 was not just about looks and upscale luxury – it was about performance, too. Vaughn offered high praise fo the model’s automatic braking feature accompanying the optional ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System) featured on the coach. “Our drivers like the coach for its driver-friendly features, but when passengers board they are wowed by the spiral entryway, the lighting and the modern leather seating. No other coach comes close,” he adds.

The high-spec J4500 coach model features best-in-class legroom, leather seats with tray tables and enhanced lighting throughout including the optional programmable variable lighting that changes the color of the interior to support client branding and personal requests. Other amenities include power outlets and USB ports at each seat for passengers who want to connect while they ride.

Today, Mike’s Limousines staff of 48 manages everything from wedding parties to cross-country charter student trips, high school, college and professional athletic teams and cruise transportation. Its coach fleet supports a wide array of group and premier clients in Tallahassee and the surrounding Florida counties, traveling throughout the state and to points beyond from Louisiana to South and North Carolina and New York.

Vaughn, who often drives for his company, said he wanted this J4500 model because the interior suits the luxury market and it is ideal for student and athletic trips, destinations that travel through the Rockies and other mountainous ranges. “We all call it the mountain goat, because the J4500 has incredible ground clearance and goes where no other buses will go,” he added.

Learn more at limomike.com.

With more than 8,900 team members operating from more than 50 facilities across 10 counties, NFI is a leading independent global bus manufacturer providing a comprehensive suite of mass transportation solutions under brands: New Flyer® (heavy-duty transit buses), Alexander Dennis Limited (single and double-deck buses). Plaxton (motorcoaches), MCI ® motorcoaches, ARBOC® (low-floor cutaway and mediumduty buses) and NFI Parts™. NFI buses and motorcoaches incorporate the widest range of drive systems available including clean diesel, natural gas, diesel-electric hybrid and zero-emission electric (trolley, battery and fuel cell). It also supports infrastructure development through New Flyer Infrastructure Solutions™, a service dedicated to providing safe and reliable charging and mobility solutions. In total, NFI now supports more than 105,000 buses and coaches currently in service around the world. For the fiscal year ended December 30, 2018, NFI posted revenues of $2.5 billion.

been finalized. Temsa, which quickly captured nearly 10 percent share in the motorcoach industry in U.S. market, will continue on its path while raising its export targets.

With the share transfer agreement formally finalized between Sabanci Holding and Swiss-based True Value Capital Partners, Temsa will move forward under the leadership of its new investor.

Evren Ünver, representing True Value Capital Partners, visited the Temsa plant in Turkey following the completion of the sales transactions. During this visit, Ünver addressed Temsa employees and said that the next era will be the start of a new growth period for Temsa and that the brand’s target for the North American market will be prioritized.

Motor Coach Industries (MCI) is North America’s public and private market motorcoach leader, building the J4500 (the industry best-seller for 13 consecutive years), the all-new 35-foot J3500 model and the workhorse D-Series including the breakthrough ADA-accessible MCI D45 CRT LE Commuter Coach offering lower dwell times. MCI will add battery-electric propulsion in 2020.

With nearly 30,000 MCI coaches on the road, MCI also provides maintenance, repair, 24-hour roadside assistance, parts supply through NFI Parts and technician training through the industry’s only Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) accredited MCI Academy. Further information is available at www.mcicoach.com.

Speaking during the introduction meeting at the plant, Temsa CEO Hasan Yildirim said, “We are grateful to all of our business partners and colleagues for making Temsa what it is today. As of today, over 1,100 Temsa branded vehicles are on North American roads and we aim to take the current market share in motorcoach industry of nearly 10 percent to higher levels with Temsa North America. We are also developing our new vehicle TS 45 Electric, which will bring our experience in electric vehicles to North America, specifically for this market. Once this vehicle, which will be ready for serial production in 2020, hits the roads, we are confident that it will be highly appreciated and will reshape the market. Currently, Temsa North America is established in three locations – Orlando, Florida; Burlingame, California and Pomona, New Jersey. TNA targets to open two more locations by the end of the year.

New Investor for Temsa The share transfer of Temsa, a leading global bus and coach manufacturer, has

“Now it’s time to create the Temsa of tomorrow. Our new investor, True Value Capital Partners, will spearhead this journey. We National Bus Trader / August, 2019 • 5

Equipment News can’t wait to walk hand in hand with our new investor on this exciting path. Temsa is a leading international automotive brand with over half a century of experience in manufacturing coaches, buses and midibuses, and we will move forward as an even bigger and stronger company. Temsa is among a handful of automotive companies worldwide to offer multiple electric model options. As our company contributes to the transportation of the future with smart, autonomous and electric vehicles, we will continue to shape the future of the mobility industry as well.”

One out of every three buses in Turkey is manufactured by Temsa, which has exported more than 15,000 vehicles to 66 countries to date. With a vehicle park of 5,000 buses and coaches in France alone, Temsa’s presence in Europe spans important markets including Germany, the UK, Italy, Austria, Sweden, Lithuania and Benelux countries. Temsa has confirmed its special focus on the American market by establishing a U.S.-based company.

The Temsa plant in Turkey has an annual production capacity of 11,500 vehicles including 4,000 buses, coaches and midibuses and 7,500 light trucks.

Georgia Xpress Gets 92 MCI Commuter Coaches Motor Coach Industries (MCI), a U.S. subsidiary of NFI Group Inc. (NFI), one of the world’s largest independent global bus manufacturers, announced that the State Road and Tollway Authority (SRTA), which

Temsa CEO Hasan Yildirim (left) and Evren Ünver from True Value Capital Partners meet following the recent share transfer agreement between Sabanci Holding and True Value Capital Partners from Switzerland. Temsa builds one out of three buses in Turkey and has exported 15,000 vehicles to 66 countries to date. Temsa entered the North American market in 2008 with its short coaches, now also offers a 45-foot coach and will soon add an electric coach to its product line.

manages the Xpress mobility and public transportation operations throughout the 12 counties surrounding metropolitan Atlanta, has ordered 77 new MCI D4500 and 15 all-accessible MCI D45 CRT LE Commuter Coaches.

The State Road and Tollway Authority (SRTA) has ordered 92 new MCI Commuter Coaches. SRTA manages Xpress mobility in 12 counties surrounding Metropolitan Atlanta. Included in the order are 77 new MCI D4500 coaches as well as 15 MCI D45 CRT LE commuter coaches with a low level entry as pictured here.

Last September, those two groundbreaking coaches were listed on the Georgia State Contract for Public Mass Transit and Transportation Vehicles. The statewide contract serves as a centralized purchasing mechanism for all state and local Georgia public entities from local governments to state offices and universities. Georgia makes this contract available to other states, too.

MCI’s ADA and Buy America-compliant and Altoona-based D4500 and D45 CRT LE, the next generation model of the nation’s leading commuter coach brand, are designed for comfortable distance travel. With an aging population, workers living farther outside city centers and fewer younger citizens buying cars, both models are flexible alternatives for transporting riders safely, economically and comfortably to their destination.

The D4500 coaches will begin delivering in August 2019 with deliveries of the D45 CRT LE beginning first quarter 2020.

6 • National Bus Trader / August, 2019

“We’re gratified to have SRTA once again select MCI models for its commuter express services,” said Tom Wagner, MCI vice president, public sector. “The D4500 has earned its workhorse reputation for dependably serving Xpress and other public transit systems for decades. And the modern styline and innovative technology on the D45 CRT LE, puts Xpress at the forefront for ADA accessibility and rider comfort. We’re

Equipment News pleased that Xpress’s ridership will be among the first in the nation to enjoy this new level of service and innovation on their daily commutes.”

Atlanta has one of the highest population growth rates in the country, requiring reliable and flexible options to move new residents and employees throughout its expanding metro area. The D4500 Commuter Coach model is already a wellknown presence on SRTA Xpress routes with 164 in operation. Xpress supports more than 1.8 million passenger trips annually, averaging nearly 7,000 daily passenger trips systemwide.

Introduced in 2017, the revolutionary MCI D45 CRT LE features modern styling and a patented mid-coach, low-entry vestibule with passenger seating and curb-level ramp system allowing easy access for all passengers, including those with mobility devices.

The dual entry on the model speeds passenger entry and exit to match low-floor transit dwell times.

Both models are designed for durability, essential for vehicles placed on long-term distance commuting routes. MCI’s Commuter Coach brand is known for its rugged semi-monocoque structure and comfort and

safety features including above-traffic, forward-facing seating with seat belts and electronic passenger services onboard.

a first-rate transportation experience to our loyal customers,” said Wendyl Swartzentrubber, Pioneer Trails’ general manager.

SRTA’s new MCI D4500 and MCI D45 CRT LE Commuter Coaches will come equipped with Cummins next generation, lighter-weight, more fuel efficient X12 cleandiesel engine. Additional amenities include a front-mounted bike rack on every vehicle and 110-volt power outlets with USB ports at every passenger seat.

“The Swartzentrubber family has a previous history in the automotive body business, and that level of detail transfers to their motorcoach operation,” said Pete Bachrach, senior account executive with ABC Companies. “They run a meticulous fleet and we worked together to integrate unique options that reflect the high standards of their operation.”

Pioneer Trails Adds New Van Hool CX45 Pioneer Trails of Millersburg, Ohio took delivery of a new Van Hool CX45 in late spring. With locations in both Ohio and West Virginia the company specializes in providing scheduled line run service to the state of Florida, and also operates three different tour companies which offer scheduled and custom tours to area attractions, shopping, dining, recreation and more. Founded more than 35 years ago by Dave and Irene Swartzentrubber, the family-owned and operated business is now in its second generation with son, Wendyl at the helm of operations management. “Pioneer Trails has been a mainstay within the Amish community for generations, and adding the new CX45 to our fleet helps us continue to deliver

The new 56-passenger Van Hool CX45 is powered by a Detroit Diesel engine and features a custom paint and graphics package produced by ABC. Onboard, passengers will enjoy an amenity-rich environment featuring comfort seating with leather inserts and piping detail and woodgrain floors throughout. All the digital conveniences including Wi-Fi, a wireless PA system, six video monitors and 110-volt outlets at all seats are offered. In addition, cupholders, magazine nets and enclosed overhead parcel storage give passengers organized stowage for personal items and greater comfort.

ABC companies works closely with the company to provide after-sale support

National Bus Trader / August, 2019 • 7

Equipment News including parts and warranty support, financial services and mobile technician service as requested by Pioneer Trails. “Our focus is on helping Pioneer Trails to achieve their goals,” says Bachrach. “Whether that means supporting their growth with premier Van Hool equipment or helping them support their fleet to a high-performance standard, ABC Companies is excited to continue building a strong relationship with this outstanding company.”

ABC Companies is a leading provider to the transportation industry with diverse product and service offerings that cover a full spectrum of operational needs including new and pre-owned, full-size highway coach equipment along with transit specialty vehicles. ABC supports customers with a comprehensive after sale service network for service and repairs, collision services, extensive OEM and quality aftermarket parts needs for transit, motorcoach and heavyduty equipment from 10 strategically placed locations throughout the U.S. and Canada.

Additionally, private and municipal financing and leasing options are available through the company’s financial services group – one of the largest financial service providers within the industry. For more information contact ABC Companies at (800) 222-2871 or visit the company Web site at www. abc-companies.com.

Three New MCI J3500 Coaches for Arrow Stage Lines Motor Coach Industries (MCI), a U.S. subsidiary of NFI Group Inc. (NFI), one of the world’s largest independent global bus

This new Van Hool CX45 coach was recently added to the fleet of Pioneer Trails. The coach features seats with leather inserts, woodgrain floors, Wi-Fi, a wireless PA system and 110-volt outlets at each seat. Based in Millersburg, Ohio, the company has an additional location in West Virginia and operates three different tour companies.

manufacturers, has delivered three new 2019 J3500 coaches to Omaha, Nebraskabased Arrow Stage Lines, one of the top 10 charter and tour operators in the United States.

Arrow Stage Lines was among the first to place an order for the 35-foot model,

Three new MCI J3500 coaches were recently delivered to Arrow Stage Lines. The short 35-foot coaches were based in Omaha, Denver and Kansas City to provide luxury coach features to smaller groups.

Arrow Stage Lines has a fleet of 250 coaches and operates out of 12 facilities.

paired with the best-selling J4500 as the new MCI J-Series family. The new 2019 MCI J3500 features best-in-class legroom and baggage capacity among all 35-foot coach models, including a 33-foot turning radius for top maneuverability.

Arrow has stationed the new models at its Omaha, Denver and Kansas City, Missouri locations. “A smaller-size luxury coach works best in these markets,” explains Alex Busskohl, Arrow’s corporate operations and marketing specialist and fourth-generation leadership of this family run business. “We consider the needs of our customers, and we’ve found some smaller groups see more compact coaches as more space-efficient and environmentally friendly.”

Arrow already has sent its new MCI J3500s out on tour as part of its 250-coach fleet that already includes 102 MCI J4500s and a total of 15 35-foot coach models including those from other manufacturers.

8 • National Bus Trader / August, 2019

“Our customers enjoy these new 35-foot MCI models,” added Busskohl. “They make the same luxury, top-of-the-line coach statement as our J4500s. And we’re very glad MCI now offers a smaller size coach.” Arrow ordered its new J3500 coaches with 40-seat passenger capacity for additional legroom – the model also comes in a standard 42- or maximum 44-seat configuration – with leatherette seating by Amaya and MCI’s optional variable lighting package that allows operators to customize the interior

Equipment News look of its coaches to suit clients’ brands and preferences.

Arrow tracks and analyzes its data to improve its overall operations and marketing – Busskohl notes that Arrow uses its ontime performance statistics to win new business and that fuel efficiency is an important metric as fuel is the largest operational expense in a fleet Arrow’s size. The J3500

is making important strides in fuel efficiency, he notes. “It’s performing well – even a halfpoint gain in fuel economy is important to us operationally,” he adds.

Arrow is positioned for future growth. It operates 12 facilities, including locations in Des Moines, Iowa; and Las Vegas and Phoenix, Arizona where it just won a shuttle contract with Arizona State University requir-

The Antique Bus Homecoming is scheduled in Blytheville, Arkansas from September 27-29, 2019.

Events center around this attractive 1939 Greyhound terminal that has been beautifully restored and is included on the National Register of Historic Places. Many of the attendees will be arriving in historical buses that will be on display.

ing 25 coaches, and launched Arrow Nationwide Ground Logistics to deliver a nationwide transportation solution in any needed area throughout the U.S. Learn more at Arrowstagelines.com.

Buses Return to Blytheville The Antique Bus Homecoming is scheduled to take place in Blytheville, Arkansas from September 27-29, 2019.

This is the return of a special bus event that took place in 2013 and has been talked about ever since.

Located about 50 miles north of Memphis, Blytheville has several things going for it including a preserved Greyhound bus terminal. Originally built in 1939, the building has been restored and is now the location of the tourist information office, a minimuseum and headquarters for Main Street Blytheville, the local historic preservation group. It is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Participation is open to all. Many people will drive in with their historic buses to show them off. Dry camping will be available near the Greyhound depot. Others can drive in and stay at local motels. You can also fly into the Memphis airport.

Several activities are planned including displays of the antique buses and opportunities to share and see bus memorabilia and historical items. There will be plenty of time to talk with others who are interested in buses.

NJ Transit has ordered an additional 183 MCI Commuter Coaches based on its six-year contract with MCI. The new coaches will be powered by Cummins engines, will seat 57 and will comply with ADA requirements. NJ Transit operates a fleet of more than 2,200 buses on 255 routes.

For more information contact Tom McNally, 3310 W. Malone St., Peoria IL 61605. Phone (309) 253-2169 or e-mail tbonemcnally@hotmail.com.

New Jersey to Get 183 More MCI Commuter Coaches Motor Coach Industries (MCI), a U.S. subsidiary of NFI Group Inc. (NFI), one of the world’s largest independent global bus manufacturers, announced on June 21 that NJ Transit issued a purchase order for year four of its six-year contract to manufacture and deliver 183 Commuter Coaches.

MCI will begin production of year four coaches starting in September of 2019. The MCI Commuter Coaches will be powered

by Cummins’ next-generation X12 cleandiesel engines, which generates less noise, fewer parts, greater fuel economy and reduce exhaust emissions that comply with the latest Clear Air Act amendments. The coach features a 57-seat configuration, is Wi-Fi ready, seat belt-equipped and compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

National Bus Trader / August, 2019 • 9

Equipment News MCI has served NJ Transit since 1983 delivering 2,944 high-floor commuter coaches over the past three decades. In 2015, MCI was awarded a new six-year contract for a total potential order of 1,222 fullyaccessible, ADA-compliant commuter coaches of which 550 have been delivered to date. MCI also provides field service for the coaches from its service center located in Blackwood, New Jersey and spare parts support from the NFI Parts distribution center in East Brunswick, New Jersey.

Six Prevost H3-45 Coaches for Four Season Travel Irwindale, California-based Four Season Travel launched in southern California in 2012 with three coaches to serve customers in the Western U.S. from San Diego, California, to Seattle, Washington. Since 2012, the company has steadily expanded, providing coach services to national and international tour operators and travel groups, VIP minibus charters, as well as offering bus and coach maintenance.

MCI Vice President of Public Sector Tom Wagner said: “We are extremely proud of our long-standing history with NJ Transit.

Our goal is to continue to excel at providing high-quality, reliable, low cost of operation coaches that offer unsurpassed passenger comfort and safety for riders on NJ Transit’s over-the-road express route service today and in the future.”

Four Season Travel specializes in unique destination tours, international travel and high-personalized, all-service coach tour packages. Luxury comfort is standard for Four Season Travel’s charter service. The criterion for luxury continues with the recent delivery of six 2019 H3-45s; bringing their coach count ot 32 in a mixed fleet that includes 17 Prevost H3-45s and three Volvo 9700 coaches.

NJ Transit is the third largest provider of bus, rail and light rail transit in the United States, linking major points in New Jersey, New York and Philadelphia. The agency operates a fleet of more than 2,200 buses covering some 255 routes. With its full complement of buses, trains and light rail vehicles, NJ Transit completes more than 277 million passenger trips each year. In January 2019, NJ Transit awarded New Flyer, also a subsidiary of NFI Group, a contract for up to 170, 60-foot, clean-diesel Xcelsior ® , heavy-duty transit buses to be delivered in 2019 and 2020.

The new H3-45 coaches were added to Four Season Travel’s fleet to better serve their growing worldwide clientele. The new coaches are equipped for high-level comfort – offering custom Amaya seating with fold-down footrests, tray tables, electronically-controlled window blinds and USB charging ports. Additionally, the customized microphone and Wi-Fi system help ensure a positive tour experience.

While passengers soak up the panoramic view through flush-mounted frameless win-

Shown is one of six new Prevost H3-45 coaches recently delivered to Four Season Travel. These new coaches feature a customized microphone and Wi-Fi system as well as tray tables and USB charging ports. Based in Irwindale, California, the company operates 32 coaches in the Western states from San Diego to Seattle.

dows from the highest deck of the Prevost models, their luggage sits comfortably in the H-Series’ expansive 470 cubic feet underfloor cargo area.

“Our Prevost coaches reflect quality in every respect,” says Four Season Travel Director Marshall Yu. “Our entire staff appreciates the workmanship and care that goes into each new model that makes their jobs more enjoyable. Our drivers appreciate the H3-45 for the effortless handling and the smooth ride for customers, while the maintenance team benefits tremendously from Prevost technical support and warranty processes.”

Olympus Limo Opts for Three Livery Edition MCI J4500 Coaches Motor Coach Industries (MCI), a U.S. subsidiary of NFI Group Inc. (NFI), one of the world’s largest independent global bus manufacturers, is continuing its growth in the high-end limousine market with the delivery of three all-new Livery Edition MCI J4500s to Tampa-area Olympus Limo, Inc. These high-spec, all-black coaches, built specifically for growing group business in the limousine market, will support Olympus Limo’s 45-vehicle fleet including sedans, SUVs, vans, minibuses and two pre-owned D4505 and J4500 coaches.

“These are our first new coaches,” said CEO Ted Koutsos, who with his wife Katie, started New Port Richey, Florida-based Olympus with two stretch limousines in 1996. “Now, we’re positioned to offer a higher end level of luxury transport demanded by many of the corporate and destination management companies we serve today, especially on longer 600-mile plus coach trips.”

Koutsos chose MCI’s 2019 Livery Edition coaches for their comfort, amenities, advance technologies and strikingly black exterior. The model features industry-leading curb appeal, best-in-class legroom, baggage capacity and interior space. The Livery Edition adds black leather diamond stitch seating for 56 passengers in addition to woodgrain flooring, a programmable lighting package to personalize the interior in variable hues of red, green or blue, a top-of-the-line entertainment system and power outlets with USB ports at each seat. The 2019 model is also equipped with an e-fan cooling package and clean-diesel Cummins engine to improve fuel efficiency every mile.

For added safety, Olympus added MCI’s 360-degree camera that provides a bird’seye view around the entire coach to assist with parking and small movements.

10 • National Bus Trader / August, 2019

Equipment News The all-black exterior prominently features Olympus Limo’s logo. “Black implies a luxury-level industry standard,” said Koutsos. “This is the first time black coaches of this rank and reliability are available in the areas we serve. Now we have a diverse fleet to cover it all – we can serve every size group and budget including school trips, local charters and shuttles. And we do it all with exceptional service around the clock.”

Olympus Limo was originally founded to serve Koutsos’ family-owned Spartan Manor banquet facility to transport wedding parties and other customers. Over time, Olympus started adding sedans, SUVs and minibuses to serve a widening clientele including cruise ship transport along Florida’s west coast and trips to Orlando and Miami. Tampa has become a favorite port of departure for a growing number of cruise passengers who want to enhance the cruise experience with a day or two at either the front end or on the

What makes the three new MCI J4500 coaches for Olympus Limo different is their Livery Edition interior. Ted Koutsos (left), CEO of Tampa-area Olympus Limo, is pictured with Sean Kelchen, MCI’s Southeast Region vice president of new coach sales, on board one of the new coaches. These three 2019 Livery Edition J4500 coaches feature black leather diamond stitch seating for 46 passengers plus other top-of-the-line passenger amenities.

back end of any of a variety of Caribbean itineraries.

Olympus’ first coach was a pre-owned MCI 102 DL3 bought in 2008 and today, it is the largest provider of luxury transportation on the west coast of Florida.

“We’ve built trust over time with our customers,” said Koutsos. “We did it with limos first starting as the smallest but then grew to be the largest.” Olympus Limousine employs 11 office staffers and 55 uniformed drivers and today, the coach side of the business now accounts for about 40 percent of revenues and continues to grow.

Koutsos sees the ride-share phenomenon in part good for business. “It has created a marketplace where people are comfortable with paying for transportation services, and we’ve been able to grow by adapting.” Koutsos also believes in sharing equipment with affiliates in need of extra coaches for larger events. “Our three new livery-edition J4500s put us in a good position to help other highend operators when they need us,” he said.

Learn more at www.olympuslimo.com.

New Van Hool CX45 Coach for Continental Charters Continental Charters of Houston, Texas has taken delivery of its first Van Hool CX45 coach from industry leader ABC Companies. The renowned family-owned and operated company is a premium transportation provider, offering tour and charter service for large group travel throughout the state of Texas and to any destination nationwide and to Canada.

“ABC is very proud to collaborate with Jose Morales and his team, and we’re com-

Continental Charters recently took delivery of this new Van Hool CX45 coach.

It includes a plush interior, modified parcel racks, magazine nets and 110-volt charging ports at passenger seats. This is the first Van Hool in the fleet of Continental Charters, a family-owned company based in Houston, Texas.

National Bus Trader / August, 2019 • 11

Equipment News mitted to supporting Continental’s needs over the lifetime of their Van Hool investment,” said Greg Gates, senior account manager at ABC Companies. Gates worked with Morales to create a unique coach which featured a pearl-white paint scheme on the coach exterior and chrome side mirrors to maximize curb appeal. Inside, custom Amaya GT luxury seating featuring two-tone leatherette in tan and blue, with extra-tufting creates a plush interior cabin. Modified parcel racks, magazine nets and cupholders offer convenient stowage for passengers and offer an unobstructed view for passengers toward the front of the coach. Additionally, digital amenities include 110-volt charging ports at passenger seats, two 23-inch monitors and four 15-inch monitors. A rear window and woodgrain floors throughout add to the spacious, modern interior styling.

“Continental is well known in the Houston area for providing stellar service while operating well-maintained vehicles,” said Gates.

“I have no doubt that adding this first new Van Hool CX5 to the fleet will help Continental to grow to the next level.”

Spartan Motors to Build Vicinity Buses Grande West Transportation, a Canadian manufacturer of mid-sized multi-purpose transit vehicles for sale in Canada and the United States, has announced it has entered into a vehicle assembly agreement with Spartan Specialty Chassis and Vehicles, a business unit of Spartan Motors Inc., the North America leader in specialty vehicle manufacturing and assembly for the commercial and retail vehicle industries, as well as for the emergency response and recreational vehicle markets.

The City of Calgary, Alberta recently selected Stertil-Koni lifting systems for its new Stoney Transit Facility bus storage and maintenance structure. With a size of 476,841 square feet, The Stoney Transit facility is said to be the largest indoor compressed natural gas (CNG) complex in North America and one of the largest in the world. The facility has 83 garage doors and 36 service bays.

“We are proud to partner with Spartan, the North American leader in specialty vehicle manufacturing and assembly,” said Jean-Marc Landry, chief executive officer of Grande West. “Through this agreement, we now have the production capacity and partnerships in place to accelerate our U.S. and Canadian market growth initiatives. The combination of Spartan’s wellestablished and skilled manufacturing team along with its competitive production cost profile enables us to streamline our assembly processes and leverage purchasing efficiencies.”

City of Calgary Selects Stertil-Koni Lifts Heavy-duty bus lift and truck lift leader Stertil-Koni recently announced that the City of Calgary, located in the province of Alberta, Canada, has selected the company’s awardwinning vehicle lifting systems for its new Stoney Transit Facility bus storage and maintenance structure.

Under terms of the agreement, Spartan will manufacture Grande West’s Vicinity model buses, which will continue to satisfy the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) Buy America requirements and reduce potential tariff exposures. The Grande West Vicinity bus achieved best-in-class results from the FTA Model Bus Testing Program, which measures structural durability and integrity, reliability, performance, maintainability, safety, noise and fuel economy.

At 476,841 square feet, the building is said to be the largest indoor compressed natural gas (CNG) complex in North America and one of the largest in the world.

“This contract is a tremendous opportunity for Spartan to utilize our highly talented team and best-in-class facilities and processes to enter into a new sector of vehicle manufacturing,” said Steve Guillaume, president of Spartan Specialty Vehicles.

“This partnership is a great fit for both companies as it leverages Spartan’s efficient and high-quality American manufacturing capability to support Grande West’s continued U.S. growth.”

Driving the demand for the super structure were three key factors: 1. The need for more bus storage, as Calgary phases out its diesel engine buses and adds an additional 150 natural gaspowered buses and ultimately expands its total number of buses to more than 2,000 over the next 30 years; 2. Technologically advanced infrastructure and equipment to support cleanerburning CNG buses; and

12 • National Bus Trader / August, 2019

3. Expanded service and repair infrastructure to support the anticipated addition of 1,000 buses to the City of Calgary’s fleet.

Construction on the facility began in the fall of 2016 with a grand opening in March 2019. The $174 million complex has 83 garage doors, 36 service bays and 25 technicians capable of handling up to 470 transit buses. The expansive shop buses two cleaning bays, diesel and CNG fueling, storage for a growing transit fleet as well as administrative office space.

In terms of daily operations – ranging from mechanical work, repair and service, as well as the cleaning and fueling of transit vehicles – the facility is open, full-throttle, 24/7, seven days a week.

Helping to make the new project happen was Stertil-Koni distributor, Westvac Industrial Ltd., which brings substantial expertise in vehicle lift selection and installation. The company, which now has four locations – Calgary AB, Saskatoon SK, Surrey BC and Acheson AB – specializes in heavy-duty vehicle lifting equipment, wheel service equipment, sewer inspection equipment and hydro excavators, refuse collection vehicles, street sweepers and fire apparatus.

Stertil-Koni lifting systems provided to the Stoney Transit Facility by Westvac Industrial included: • 17 inground Stertil-Koni ECOLIFT 60 models, each with two scissors for a total lifting capacity of 60,000 pounds per lift;

Equipment News • 15 inground Stertil-Koni ECOLIFT 90 models, each with three scissors for a total lifting capacity of 90,000 pounds each; • Two Washbay platform SKYLIFT models, each with a lifting capacity of 62,400 pounds; and • 10 Wireless Mobile Column Lifts, each with a lifting capacity of 18,500 pounds per column.

Added Danny Panday, senior project manager of Transportation Infrastructure for The City of Calgary, “The City decided to require bidders to provide scissors lifts for the facility as it was deemed the best available lift. This conclusion was based on visits to other transit facilities and the recommendations of industry consultants.

Additionally, the lifts were identified as the safest in the industry.�

Concluded Stertil-Koni President Dr. Jean DellAmore, “Stertil-Koni is recognized across North America as the premier provider of heavy-duty vehicle lifting systems and every single day we focus on delivering an exceptional product backed by superior customer service. We are extremely proud of Westvac Industrial, salute their dedication to this complex project and thank the City of Calgary for its business and trust in Stertil-Koni.� �

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National Bus Trader Digital Offerings

N

Due to reader requests, substantially increased Web traffic, and suggestions from our advertising partners, the staff of National Bus Trader is increasing our Digital and Online offerings to keep up with demand. If you give us a minute of your time, we can briefly cover the highlights.

National Bus Trader

The Magazine of Bus Equipment for the United States and Canada Volume XLII, No. 8

July, 2019

Serving the bus industry since 1977.

Visit us at www.busmag.com.

• Digital Edition

Responding to readers, and particularly readers in foreign countries, who were eager to receive their printed copies, we now offer an online paid digital version of National Bus Trader. This may be expanded in the future based on reader input.

Annual Conversion Issue • Prevost Motorhome Expo • 10 Things to Consider When Choosing a Luxury RV • Emerald Luxury Coaches • Featherlite Luxury Coaches

• Expanded Website

Because of an increasing number of Website visitors looking for bus information, we are expanding with new Website areas. The popular PDF Archive of past articles and the online Supplier Directory will remain. Being added are new Speciality Sections on Coaches, Transits & Cutaways, Conversions, Electric Buses and Industry Suppliers.

• More Marketing Opportunities

The Website expansion opens the door to more marketing opportunities. Skyscraper ads, banner ads, online editorial and other options will continue to be available. In addition, we will also offer online videos as well as e-Mail blasts to our expanding digital list. Supplier Directory listings will continue to be available.

• ROI Options

Do you want to know what kind of results you are getting?

We are now offering some simple ROI Packages with reports on activities. These will probably be expanded in the future with other options. As always, we welcome your input and suggestions on how we can serve your needs.

9698 W. Judson Road • Polo, Illinois 61064-9015 • Phone: (815) 946-2341 • www.busmag.com

Bus Equipment People Motor Coach Industries (MCI) Motor Coach Industries (MCI), a U.S. subsidiary of NFI Group Inc. (NFI), one of the world’s largest independent global bus manufacturers, has announced Isabel Martin has joined the company as MCI bids coordinator.

Martin will be responsible for contract administration, crafting and submission of public sector bids. She will also assist the sales team in customer relationship management. She joins other members of MCI Sales and Operations Support team that includes fellow bid coordinators Cindy Campbell and Mike Harpin, also based in Winnipeg.

Martin reports to Bruce Wiebe, MCI conIsabel Martin tracts manager.

She is succeeding Dale Majury, who is retiring in July after a 37-year career at MCI.

“Isabel is a specialist in building strong customer relationships and effective problem-solving,” said Tom Wagner, MCI vice president, public sector. “We welcome her to our team and at the same time wish Dale a very happy retirement. Dale’s longtime contributions helped to assure MCI’s Commuter Coach ranks today as the No. 1 best-selling model for express service routes throughout North America. I thank him for his steadfast, Reliability Driven work ethic.”

Martin holds both a Project Management Diploma and General Management Certificate from the University of Winnipeg.

MCI announces Jean-Phillipe “JP” Nadeau has joined MCI as vice president, regional sales Eastern Canada effective June 3.

Nadeau is responsible for new coach sales as well as the sale of pre-owned coaches to private and public operators in Quebec and the Maritime provinces. He is based at the Montreal MCI Sales and Service Center and reports to Patricia Ziska, MCI vice president of new coach sales.

Nadeau joins MCI following a 10-year career in commercial bus sales, where he progressively advanced in his profession 16 • National Bus Trader / August, 2019

selling both new and pre-owned school buses and mini-buses representing Thomas Buses, Lion Bus and most recently Macnab Transit Sales in Ingersoll, Ontario. Nadeau got his start as a Bridgestone-certified automotive technician working his way up to Jean-Phillipe Nadeau service advisor and customer service roles at an auto dealership before moving into commercial bus sales.

“JP’s record of accomplishment and values complements the trust and commitment our MCI sales teams offer in building customer and brand loyalty,” said Ziska. “His work selling new and pre-owned coaches will help our customers meet their precise coach needs, whether it’s the industryleading J4500, the all-new J3500 or our allaccessible MCI D45 CRT LE featuring our patented low-entry vestibule design.”

JP is bilingual in French and English and resides in Drummondville, Quebec, located between Quebec City and Montreal. “JP’s previous career included extensive travel throughout his region, so he’ll apply that same energy and knowledge of his customer needs to his new career representing MCI.”

Prevost Prevost has announced Marcus Griffin, an experienced bus industry professional based in Texas, has joined the company as a pre-owned coach regional sales manager.

Marcus’ territory will include Texas, Colorado, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas and New Mexico. He will additionally cover Puerto Rico.

“We are thrilled to have Marcus on board with us,” says Guillaume Charron, director, pre-owned coach sales. “His knowledge and experience in the industry as an operator will definitely help us grow the U.S. South Central region while providing excellent support to our customers.” Charron adds that Griffin’s personality, energy and enthusiasm is a perfect fit with the new Prevost pre-owned team and well in line with the company’s strategic business plan and vision for the future.

Griffin discovered the bus business in 2001 when he worked with OK Tours, a family-owned motorcoach tour and charter operation in San Antonio, Texas. Griffin says the Armiento family, the owners of OK Tours, became his family and the bus industry became his calling. He attended Marcus Griffin Incarnate Word College for a year and a half studying business management, but says working with OK Tours was truly his university.

Beginning with small jobs around the office to washing buses and helping the outside crew, his responsibilities and promotions steadily increased as he grew older and gained experience; eventually holding down management positions in sales and operations. Griffin moves to Prevost from his last position as chief operations officer.

“I have always wanted to be on the other side of a sale,” he says. “Though our family operations provided me with a smooth, steady path to Prevost, this was not a quick, easy decision. I just felt like I had hit a plateau and my family has supported me very step of the way in making this change.”

Griffin says his work to this point will give him insights on the varying roles pre-owned coaches play in his customers’ businesses.

Marcus resides in San Antonio, Texas, with his wife, April, and their two children.

Stertil-Koni Stertil-Koni, the leader in heavy-duty vehicle lifts – notably bus lifts and truck lifts – has announced that Doug Frakes has joined the company as an operations specialist.

He will succeed Paul Marks, who announced his retirement from Stertil-Koni after 21 years of focused, dedicated and exceptional service to the company.

In his new post, Frakes will work closely with a broad range of audiences – chiefly the company’s extensive North American distributor network, sales personnel and Stertil-Koni manufacturing locations in the United States and Europe. His prime mission is to process and ship vehicle lift equipment and accessory orders to distributors and customers across North America.

Bus Equipment People In making today’s announcement, StertilKoni Director of Operations Kevin Hymers noted, “Every single day, Stertil-Koni is focused on delivering an exceptional level of customer care and support. That is precisely why we are so pleased to enhance our team with a logistics professional with Doug’s background, expertise and can-do spirit.”

Prior to joining Stertil-Koni, Frakes worked for 10 years at FedEx Ground in Upper marlboro, Maryland. During his tenure, he managed ground operations and new processes implementation, including inbound and outbound sort management and pick-up and delivery management operations. Frakes was also responsible for the training and supervision of operations manDoug Frakes agers and administrators, executing analyses of operational metrics and overseeing a compliance with governing regulatory agencies.

He is a graduate of Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida with a bachelor of arts degree. Frakes resides in Annapolis, Maryland.

Stertil-Koni has announced that Kevin Boyer has joined the company as service manager.

In his new post, Boyer provides technical support, troubleshooting assistance, vehicle lift installation supervision and vehicle lift use training to the company’s distributors and their customers across North America.

In making this announcement, Stertil-Koni Director of Operations Kevin Hymers, noted, “Stertil-Koni is dedicated to delivering the highest level of cusKevin Boyer tomer service and is pleased to welcome Kevin, a seasoned pro, to our team.

With a decade of top experience in mechanical repair and customer service, he brings an extremely high level of service focus and customer care to our already strong team.”

Prior to joining Stertil-Koni, Boyer served as a sales manager and technician at BOE Marine and RV in Stevensville, Maryland.

There, he oversaw day-to-day operations, customer service and sales.

In his off-time, Boyer races a “pure” or “street” stock Chevrolet Monte Carlo in Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania. Boyer also enjoys fishing, camping, hiking and hockey.

He resides in Stevensville, Maryland.

Stertil-Koni announced recently that the company’s Operations Manager Paul Marks has retired after 21 years of outstanding performance.

Marks is succeeded by Doug Frakes who joined Stertil-Koni following 10 years of top experience with FedEx Ground.

During Marks’ tenure at Stertil-Koni, he played a significant role in helping the company grow more than 50-fold to become the leader in the heavy-duty vehicle lift industry across America.

A retired U.S. Air Force officer with 26 years of service, Marks joined Stertil-Koni in 1998 as one of the company’s first employees. At the time, Stertil-Koni operated out of a small, one-room office in Ellicott City Maryland, with only two employees – its president, Dr. Jean DellAmore, and Marks.

Two decades later, much has changed. Tractor trailers delivering Stertil-Koni lifts to distributors and customer locations now crisscross the landscape on a daily basis and the Paul Marks company has come to dominate the heavy-duty vehicle lifting sector in terms of innovation, sales and customer care.

Marks, as operations manager, played a substantial role in this development, having overseen Stertil-Koni’s key operations and logistics associated with the delivery, receipt and shipping of the company’s heavy-duty vehicle lifting systems and shop equipment.

By conservative estimates, Marks ordered, sent, tracked, delivered and invoiced more than 10,000 items during his two-decade career with Stertil-Koni.

In making this announcement.

DellAmore, president of Stertil-Koni USA, noted, “Paul has been a key driver in our ongoing success and has worn many hats

along the way. He has an exceptionally strong work ethic, with superb attention to detail, a command of complex logistics operations and an intense commitment to serving Stertil-Koni and our customer base.

We are a better company today thanks to Paul Marks.”

Marks plans to spend his leisure time at his home in Maryland with his wife and two dogs, as well as travelling and visiting his four grandchildren.

Kent Huskey Trailways is very sad to report the passing of Kent Huskey, the owner/operator of Huskey Trailways in Festus, Missouri, south of St. Louis.

The company has been a Trailways member for nearly 11 years. He and his wife Julie, as well as one of his daughters, Mollie, were always happy to see fellow Trailways members each year at the annual meeting.

Eva Hotard, Trailways president and CEO, said, “The entire Trailways family coast-to-coast offers our condolences to the Huskeys and all of the staff at Huskey Trailways/Huskey Bus and Transportation. It is with heartfelt sympathy that we will remember Kent in our prayers and always.”

Kent Russell Huskey was just age 55. He passed away Friday, May 17, 2019 at his home. He was born March 8, 1964 in Crystal City, Missouri, the son of Mary “Joyce” Huskey of Crystal City, and the late Owen “Karl” Huskey. He is survived by his wife Julie; daughters Katie (Ryan) Brunner of Festus, and Mollie (Nick) Pruneau of Festus; grandchildren Owen Brunner, Ella Rose Pruneau, Dallas Brunner, and three on the way; sister Karla (Kevin) Dennis of Festus; nephew Kyle Dennis of Festus; and in-laws, Geneva and Carl Courtois.

Established in 1996, Huskey Bus & Transportation became Huskey Trailways in August of 2008. It currently operates a total fleet size of more than 50 vehicles and has three locations within Missouri.

The headquarters are in Festus, 30 minutes south of St. Louis, plus a terminal located near Columbia and another near Springfield. ❑

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National Bus Trader / August, 2019 • 17

NFI Group Acquires Alexander Dennis A History of Leadership in Bus Production

by Larry Plachno

Alexander Dennis is the leading British bus builder and is known for their double-decker buses. Shown here is their model 400H which preserves the traditional red London double-deck design but adds a modern hybrid power train. Alexander Dennis is now part of the NFI Group, joining New Flyer, MCI and ARBOC. ALEXANDER DENNIS.

O

n May 28, 2019, NFI Group announced their acquisition of British bus builder Alexander Dennis. This brings Alexander Dennis into the same family as New Flyer, Motor Coach Industries (MCI) and ARBOC, thus creating a market-leading global bus and coach manufacturer.

Perhaps the most impressive factor about this addition is that each of these

18 â&#x20AC;˘ National Bus Trader / August, 2019

four major bus manufacturing companies is a leader in their respective markets and yet offers diverse product lines that compliment each other rather than compete.

NFI Group employs more than 6,000 people at 31 locations and is the largest bus and coach manufacturer and distributor in North America. New Flyer is the leading heavy-duty transit bus builder with approximately a 45 percent market share.

MCI leads in the motorcoach segment with approximately a 39 percent market share.

ARBOC is the market leader in low-floor shuttle buses. In addition to being the leading bus and coachbuilder in the United Kingdom with a 49 percent market share, Alexander Dennis is the electric bus leader in the UK as well as the #1 global producer of double-deck buses.

Alexander Dennis brings two interesting differences to NFI Group. One is that, in keeping with British tradition, they offer body-on-chassis buses while New Flyer and MCI specialize in integral products. Since Plaxton and Alexander have long-standing reputations for quality bus bodies and Dennis has a heritage of building popular chassis, we are talking about some high-class, body-on-chassis products.

The second difference is that Alexander Dennis is international with facilities and partnerships in Europe, Hong Kong, Singapore, China and New Zealand as well at North America. Traditionally, buses built in the United States and Canada are built to a specification best suited to these markets so there is significant specification variance and build requirements when selling in other markets The experience of Alexander Dennis in international sales may help NFI Group move into additional markets.

Since other news sources will undoubtedly concentrate on the financial and stock market ramifications of this acquisition, we here at NATIONAL BUS TRADER will go a different route and take advantage of our past experience in buses to present two observations prompted by the Alexander Dennis acquisition. Then, we will cover the corporate and bus-building heritage of the companies involved, although limiting information on MCI since we have covered their history several times over the years. We beg your indulgence since we could easily write a book on these subjects but have to edit things down to the more important items to keep this article to a reasonable size.

Western Flyer introduced their model P-41 in 1958, and it remained in production until 1966. It was powered by a 6V-71 engine and was somewhat contemporary with the GM PD4106. The one shown here was built in 1963 for Eagle Bus Lines and was photographed in 1979 while fueling up at their garage in Winnipeg. ROBERT REDDEN.

Observations and Trends

Moving Away from Engines For generations, much of the bus building industry has been dominated by engine builders since they provided the most important component in the vehicle. In the United States, General Motors dominated the bus market for many years because of their engines. It is noteworthy that when the U.S. Department of Justice filed an antitrust suit against GM in 1956, one provision was the requirement to supply engines to other manufacturers.

This same importance of engines has been repeated in Europe with MercedesBenz leading the transit bus market while other engine builders including MAN, Volvo, Scania and Iveco carved out a share of the vehicle industry. However, with the trend to electric buses, we are witnessing a movement away from diesel engines and to new technology in the bus industry.

VDL took an early lead with electric buses in Europe, Irizar recently built a factory for electric buses, and Alexander Dennis has taken a lead in the UK. The future of bus building is shifting from diesel engines to electric technology that explains why

Introduced in 1964, the new Western Flyer Canuck 500 soon replaced the older standard models in the product line. It looked much like a GM PD4106 or an MCI MC-5. This one operated for Moncton Transit and was photographed in Halifax in July of 1978. ROBERT REDDEN.

new leaders are developing in the bus industry.

Paul Revere Some people in the bus industry are suggesting that we are at the end of the Paul Revere era. That popular patriot is known for his famous words “The British are coming.”

Stagecoach Group from the UK came to the United States in 1999 and purchased Coach USA and soon put together Coach Canada.

Their primary rival in the UK, First Group, followed them across the Atlantic in 2007 to purchase Laidlaw school buses and obtain a controlling interest in Greyhound Lines.

Laidlaw would be renamed First Student and while the Greyhound name

remained, it was transplanted to the UK for some operations there. In late 2018, Stagecoach Group announced the sale of Coach USA and Coach Canada, effectively retreating back across the Atlantic. Just recently, First Group announced that Greyhound Lines was for sale although they plan to keep First Student.

An interesting additional note to all of this is that Sir Brian Souter and his sister Ann Gloag, who founded Stagecoach Group and continue as shareholders, also had a majority interest in Alexander Dennis. As a result, Souter Investments will retain an equity interest in NFI and Alexander Dennis having been issued shares in NFI Group as part of the acquisition.

National Bus Trader / August, 2019 • 19

New Flyer developed the first low-floor buses, their model D40LF, with the first order going to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in 1991. This C40LF offered both natural gas power as well as a low floor and was photographed at the Jackie Gleason depot of New York City Transit in 1999. J.C. REBIS JR.

New Flyer Western Auto & Truck Body Works was founded in 1930 in Winnipeg, Manitoba by John Coval. Coval had previously been employed by the Standard Carriage Company where he had learned how to build bus bodies for fitting on chassis that were commercially available. The company started with a staff of five who concentrated on building bus bodies that were mounted on commercial chassis. In 1937, the company began building complete buses that were partially styled after the current Yellow Coach products with a flat front and a front engine. This design was popular with customers who operated on dusty roads. This design eventually came to be called the Standard and remained in production for many years. In addition to buses, the company continued to build bus bodies and other vehicles.

The name Western Flyer was first applied to a newly designed 28-passenger intercity coach introduced in 1941. Both the bus and the name soon became popular, but bus production was shut down for two years starting in 1942 when the plant was used to build truck bodies for the war effort. Bus production resumed with the 28-passenger coach, later known as the T-28. A larger 32-passenger T-32 model effectively replaced the T-28 in 1945, and in 1946, an order for two sightseeing buses for Salt Lake Transportation Company was reported as the first time a Canadian manufacturer sold to the United States. Increasing popularity of the Western Flyer models prompted the company to change its name to Western Flyer Coach, Ltd. in 1948. Longer T-40 and T-36 models were introduced in 1949 and 1950.

Following the introduction of the General Motors PD4104 in 1953, the Western Flyer standard design was modernized the following year with larger passenger windows. In 1955 and 1956, the company built 20 â&#x20AC;˘ National Bus Trader / August, 2019

New Flyerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s product line grew substantially in the 1990s with different lengths of buses and different types of power. Shown here is a D60 articulated built in 1997 for New York City Transit. It was photographed in October of 2000 at the Chelsea Piers in New York City while on MABSOTA Route M-23. J.C. REBIS JR.

four deck-and-a-half coaches imitating the GM Scenicruiser design. They were designated as model 40-2L, were based on the T-36 Standard design and had front mounted gasoline engines. The new P-37 Canuck model with a rear engine joined the product line in 1955. A longer P-41 version came in 1958 and a shorter P-33 was also made available. These newer models eventually replaced the front engine Standard design although orders from the Canadian government kept the Standard in production until 1965.

John Coval, who had founded the company in 1930, remained in control until 1963 when a group headed by A.J. Thiessen, who owned several bus lines, took over. They

introduced the new Canuck model 500 in 1964 that looked much like a GM PD4106 or MCI MC-5. An improved Canuck model 600 was introduced in 1967 with a length of 38 feet offering 43 reclining seats and a restroom. It was updated in 1968 to the model 600A that was powered by the Detroit 8V-71 engine and had a 24-volt electrical system.

While the new 600A model was mechanically equal to the better coaches on the market, it failed to capture more than a handful of orders due to the introduction of the new and longer 40-foot coaches offered by MCI and GM. One source indicates that New Flyer only sold 693 coaches between 1946 and 1968. The

New Flyer got into trolley buses at an early date with the first going to Toronto in 1968. Photographed in Cambridge, Massachusetts was one of 50 model E800 trolley buses that went to Boston. The unusual door on the left side of the bus permitted stopping at a station platform. ROBERT REDDEN.

Thiessen management made a virtual overnight transition to move from an intercity coachbuilder to a transit bus builder.

A demonstrator city transit bus was built in 1967 as the D700, offering a multi-pane windshield similar to the GM “New Look” design. A matching demonstrator trolley bus was built in 1968 as the E700. In 1970, the D700 design was licensed to AM General where it was modified and then put into production at Mishawaka, Indiana.

More than 5,000 units were built under the Metropolitan name.

In 1971, the Manitoba Development Corp. acquired 74 percent equity to keep the operation going and changed the company name to Flyer Industries Limited. Due in part to the limited transit bus competition, the company was able to develop a market share in Canada. Flyer took the modified Metropolitan design from AM General and put it into production as the D800 in both 35- and 40-foot lengths. A total of 561 were built between 1974 and 1979. In 1978, a modified version known as the D900 was offered

Modern history at New Flyer starts in 2008 with the introduction of their new Xcelsior transit bus.

It soon became the leading transit bus model in North America and is built at several plants. The Xcelsior is available in different lengths and with several different types of power. NEW FLYER.

New Flyer’s joint venture with Mitsubishi, the Manitoba government, Manitoba Hydro and Red River College resulted in the development of a battery-electric bus in 2012. Named the CHARGE, it has subsequently become increasingly popular with North American operators. This photo shows the bus is capable of being charged along the route using overhead connectors. NEW FLYER.

with a simplified flat pane windshield. More than 1,700 were built.

In view of later developments, it is noteworthy that New Flyer jumped into the electric bus business when no other manufacturer in North America was interested. The first E700 trolley bus went to Toronto in 1968 and was followed by E700 and E800 orders to San Francisco, Dayton, BC Hydro, Boston and others. BC Transit would also buy 246 of the E900 version.

Faced with a need to invest in the company, the Manitoba government decided to sell to an experienced bus builder. Den Oudsten Bussen from the Netherlands took over in July of 1986 in an arrangement where they purchased the company for $1 million and agreed to invest more than $2 million. At the time of the acquisition, the name of the company was changed to New Flyer Industries. While the logos of New Flyer and Den Oudsten were similar, they were not joined financially. Under the direction of Jan Den Oudsten, the company virtually exploded with new designs and new technology, becoming a leader in the North American transit industry.

Traditional diesel, high-floor transit buses were continued as the D35, D40 and the D60 articulated models. Suburban versions known as the D40S and D45S were offered but had only limited customers.

New Flyer developed North America’s first low-floor transit bus, the D40LF, with the first production models going to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in 1991. Within a matter of only a few years, most production went to the low-floor design. New Flyer then developed the first compressed natural gas (CNG) bus in North America and the world’s first hydrogen fuel cell bus in 1994. A low-floor articulated was introduced in 1995.

In only a matter of a few years, the original simple product line had increased substantially. New Flyer now offered diesel, CNG and LNG buses, hybrid and hydrogen fuel buses, some in different lengths and some offered in either high-floor or low-floor design. New Flyer also continued to offer trolley buses and eventually developed low floor versions. It is noteworthy that Jan Den Oudsten’s work at New Flyer later prompted his induction into the American Public Transportation’s Hall of Fame.

Financial problems with Den Oudsten in Europe led to KPS Special Situations Fund purchasing a controlling interest in New Flyer in 2002. KPS provided funds to recapitalize the company while the Manitoba Development Corporation provided a loan.

After these upgrades, ownership passed to Harvest Partners and Lightyear Capital in late 2003. Less than two years later, New Flyer became a publically traded company on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

National Bus Trader / August, 2019 • 21

New Flyer modernized its low-floor product line in 2005 with new front and rear end caps but then introduced its new Xcelsior transit bus model in 2008. As with the earlier models, it became available in several lengths and power options. It soon became the leading transit bus model in North America. A joint venture with Mitsubishi, the Manitoba government, Manitoba Hydro and Red River College resulted in New Flyer developing an electric battery-powered bus in 2012. In 2013, Marcopolo S.A. from Brazil acquired a 19.99 percent stake in New Flyer. It was later reduced to 10.8 percent in 2016, but Marcopolo continues as the largest shareholder in New Flyer. Since 2013, New Flyer has been expanding with the purchase of suppliers and other bus manufacturers.

When Daimler closed down their Orion bus plant in Mississauga, Ontario, in 2013, New Flyer stepped in and purchased the aftermarket parts business. In addition to providing parts for current Orion operators, New Flyer acquired additional customers.

In June of that year, New Flyer acquired competitor North American Bus Industries.

This is a separate story in itself.

Ikarus was a major bus builder in Hungary and supplied buses throughout the Communist countries. As Communism declined, Ikarus began looking for other customers for its buses. An early effort was a 1980-1986 joint venture with Crown Coach in California to provide articulated transit buses to the American market.

Founded in 1982 in Alabama, NABI was originally intended to take unfinished buses from Ikarus and complete them for sale in the United States. A new plant in Anniston, Alabama was built in 1993 to do

the final assembly. With the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, NABI got involved with bus building in Hungary. For a few years NABI owned Optare Group in the UK.

In 2006, Cerberus Capital Management acquired all shares of NABI. Later, Optima Bus of Wichita, Kansas was purchased.

This was an outgrowth of Chance Manufacturing, an amusement park ride maker, who started with park trams and themed buses. Cerberus then acquired Blue Bird Corporation of Fort Valley, Georgia. Their commercial buses would end up with NABI, but the school buses and Wanderlodge division went in different directions.

This merger of three operations did not work out well so New Flyer stepped in and acquired NABI in 2013. Current NABI orders were finished and then the Anniston plant began producing the Xcelsior model under the name of New Flyer of America, Inc. It became the fourth facility building New Flyer Xcelsior buses.

Expansion continued when New Flyer acquired Motor Coach Industries (MCI) from KPS Capital Partners in 2015. What is interesting is that New Flyer and MCI were both founded in Winnipeg within a few years of each other. One company decided to concentrate on coaches and the other on transit buses, but both became the leader in their respective market segments. In December of 2017, New Flyer announced the acquisition of ARBOC Specialty Vehicles. This marked a departure from the past since ARBOC produces smaller shuttletype vehicles but specializes in low-floor models that use a ramp for mobility devices rather than a lift.

The most recent acquisition is Alexander Dennis. The two companies worked together in the past on a joint venture in 2012 to design and manufacture a low-floor midi bus for the American market. Alexander Dennis provided the design and New Flyer built the bus. In May of 2019, New Flyer purchased Alexander Dennis, the reason that prompts this article.

Motor Coach Industries (MCI) MCI is a contemporary to New Flyer.

Founded as the Fort Garry Motor Body Company in Winnipeg in the 1930s, the company name was changed to Motor Coach Industries in 1942. Unlike New Flyer, MCI made the decision to concentrate on intercity motorcoaches. However like New Flyer, MCI became the leader in its market segment. The company has an interesting history including being part of the original Greyhound Corp. and control by a Mexican company as well as private equity firms before coming into the New Flyer family in 2015.

Since we have provided a great deal of historical information on MCI over the years, we will not repeat it here. We will mention specific past issues if you would like to search out those articles. The October, 2003 issue of NATIONAL BUS TRADER contained an article covering MCI’s 70th Anniversary, concentrating on production facilities. In June of 2008 an article ran titled “The Coach Manufacturer that Harry Built,” referring to Harry Zoltok the founder of MCI. A PDF version of this article is available for free online in the PDF Archives section of our www.busmag.com Web site. Most recent was an article in the June 2013 issue covering MCI’s 80th

MCI’s early connections with Greyhound led to the development and production of coaches that were reliable and durable in Canadian winters and on Canadian roads. As a result, MCI developed an enviable reputation for reliability and durability over the years.

This MC-7 operated for Wisconsin Illinois Stages of Delavan, Wisconsin, a company owned by your editor.

NBT.

22 • National Bus Trader / August, 2019

Today, the MCI product line includes the D45 CRT LE that is bringing coaches into a new era of accessibility. Because of the lower level center door, mobility devices can use a ramp to enter and exit. MCI.

Anniversary. This article is also available online as a PDF at www.busmag.com.

ARBOC Specialty Vehicles Most small, cutaway, and shuttle buses are built on conventional chassis typically offering two rails above two axles and a power train. The most popular chassis builders include Ford, GM/Chevrolet, Freightliner and the newer Sprinter, Ford Transit and Dodge Ram chassis. Because of their height off the ground, they typically offer a wheelchair lift to meet ADA requirements. ARBOC Mobility originally began producing these buses in 2008 with the express intention of building them with low floors in order to use ramps instead of lifts for mobility devices.

Their first bus model was the Spirit of Mobility. Later, the product line was expanded with the Spirit of Liberty, the Spirit of Legacy, the Spirit of Independence, the Spirit of Freedom and the Spirit of Equess.

While most have cutaway styling, ARBOC does offer a flat front bus that has more of a transit appearance. ARBOC Mobility merged with All American Specialty Vehicles in 2011 resulting in a name change to ARBOC Specialty Vehicles. New Flyer purchased ARBOC in late 2017.

Alexander Dennis Being located in the United Kingdom, much of the Alexander Dennis heritage revolves around body-on-chassis buses. This makes them different than New Flyer and MCI where their products are integral. However, I hasten to add that European bodyon-chassis buses are usually high quality. I am not sure why the UK went in this direction, but it may be that distances are considerably less than in the United States and Canada. You typically cannot drive many hours east or west in the UK without getting your feet wet when you run out of land. I might also note that the Dennis heritage also includes trucks, dust carts (garbage trucks) and fire engines.

MCI is the leader in its coach market segment. Their J4500 model has been the most popular coach on the market for more than a decade and will soon be available with battery-electric power. MCI.

While other names have been involved in the history of Alexander Dennis, we will generally limit ourselves to following the three largest and the best known component companies. This includes Dennis Specialist Vehicles, Walter Alexander Coachbuilders and Plaxton Limited. Dennis was a chassis and vehicle builder while both Alexander and Plaxton have been known for their bodies. Each has a long and interesting history, but we will try to condense some of the material to save space.

Dennis Dennis is the oldest of the three major components of Alexander Dennis. They have had a very diversified product line, developed an early reputation as a quality chassis builder, and shifted emphasis on different product lines as the market dictated.

Brothers John and Raymond Dennis founded the company in Guildford, England in 1895 by building Speed King bicycles.

They built their first motor vehicle in 1898 and their first motor car in 1899. This success prompted the incorporation as Dennis Brothers Limited and their start in motor car production around 1901. John Dennis built a 30,000-square-foot, three-story-plus basement building on Onslow Street in Guildford that is considered the first purpose-built motor vehicle factory in Britain.

The young company offered a wide range of cars including town cars and limousines, improved early technology by replacing chain drive with a worm drive back axle, expanded into trucks as well as other commercial vehicles and built its first bus in 1903. Eventually, dustcarts (garbage

ARBOC specializes in cutaway and shuttle buses. They are the leader in low-floor models that use ramps instead of lifts for mobility devices. Shown here is one of two ARBOC Spirit of Freedom models operating in Grapevine, Texas. ARBOC.

National Bus Trader / August, 2019 â&#x20AC;˘ 23

trucks) and fire engines would be added to the product line. Expansion was rapid with the company opening a new facility at Woodbridge Hill just outside of Guildford and expanding it in 1907, 1910, 1912 and 1913. By then the original Onslow Street site was used only for repairs.

Dennis went public in March of 1913 with shares oversubscribed. After the August 1914 start of hostilities, Dennis production was effectively limited to three-ton trucks

and the Dennis turbine fire engine during World War I. The Ministry of Munitions then added buildings for the manufacture of munitions. Following the War, Dennis expanded into municipal vehicles and developed chassis for both trucks and buses. They also exchanged shares with engine builder White and Poppe in Coventry, giving them a source of gasoline engines for their chassis.

Dennis began exporting at this time and developed a following in Asia, particularly Hong Kong.

In addition to the cutaway design, ARBOC also offers a flat front model that looks more like a small transit bus. Pictured is ARBOC’s Spirit of Equess model on display at a recent trade show.

In keeping with ARBOC’s policy, it has a ramp for entry and exit rather than a lift. NBT.

Bus 71304 in the fleet of Grayline NY Tour Inc. was built in 2001 and combines a Dennis Trident II chassis with an Alexander body. It is an obvious example of the advantage of combining Alexander with Dennis. The photo was taken in July of 2001 at Pier 78 near 12th Avenue and West 39th Street in New York City. J.C. REBIS JR.

24 • National Bus Trader / August, 2019

During the Depression years of the 1930s, Dennis expanded their line of chassis and buses while starting to become a leader with double-deck buses. During World War II, bus production was replaced by truck production and Dennis also assembled Churchill tanks, built engines for landing craft and produced various municipal vehicles for military bases. The Dennis staff doubled to 4,000 and they worked around the clock.

Bus production resumed after the War and in 1950 Dennis introduced their new chassis called Dominant that offered a semiautomatic transmission and a horizontally mounted engine. While the 1940s and 1950s were good years for Dennis, their markets started changing. Unable to compete in trucks with larger builders, Dennis concentrated more on chassis, buses and fire engines. Good times continued until the Suez Crisis of 1957 when sales declined in both the domestic and export markets. Dennis tried to increase sales by purchasing smaller companies with compatible markets but did not have a great deal of success.

The movement to one-man city bus operation shifted needs to rear engine, singledoor buses. Rather than come out with a new model, Dennis decided to quit making buses in 1965. Dissatisfied stockholders demanded liquidation, but the company found new capital for expansion as well as modernization and was reorganized as Dennis Motor Holdings in early 1970. Hestair, who already had the Yorkshire Vehicles street sweepers and the Eagle Engineering garbage truck production, was successful with a takeover bid for Dennis Motor Holdings in March of 1972. What followed included several years of ownership and name changes.

Bus production returned in August of 1977, after a break of 11 years, with new single-deck and double-deck rear engine buses. At the end of 1977, the company name was changed to Hestair Dennis Limited.

Hestair Dennis purchased Duple Coachbuilders in early 1983, thus allowing the company to produce complete buses using Dennis chassis and Duple bodies. Following company name changes included Dennis Specialist Vehicles Limited in December of 1985 and then Hestair Specialist Vehicles Limited in February of 1986.

The name changes matched major production changes with a new Dennis plant in Warwick for building the Eagle garbage trucks. Guildford continued to build chassis for buses and coaches as well as fire trucks.

The Carmichael Fire facility in Worcester built fire truck bodies and cabs were made at Duple in Blackpool. In spite of these changes, parts of the business were running at a loss. Trinity Holdings bought Dennis from Hestair and in March of 1989, the company name was changed to Specialist Vehi-

Alexander Dennis buses have been sold on the international market for decades. Shown here is an Alexander Dennis double-deck bus in service in Hong Kong. ALEXANDER DENNIS.

cles Limited. This story continues later under “Mayflower and Mergers.”

Walter Alexander Coachbuilders This is the youngest of the three major components making up Alexander Dennis.

Early operations can be traced back to 1913 when Walter Alexander founded Alexander’s Motor Service to run a bus route into Grangemouth, located just east of Falkirk in Scotland. Several years later, in 1924, he set up W. Alexander & Sons Limited to both run and to build buses.

In 1928, several British companies got involved in the Scottish Motor Traction Company and Walter Alexander sold his business to them in 1929. This helped the

Here is a photo of a demonstrator for the Alexander Dennis double-deck Enviro500 model that is being built at the Alexander Dennis facility in Nappanee, Indiana. ALEXANDER DENNIS.

young company by providing resources and services. They built bus bodies that could be put on various chassis available at that time.

Anticipating the nationalization of the SMT bus service, a new company was formed in 1947 named Walter Alexander & Company Limited to keep the bus building operation as a private company.

Subsequent years saw the company expand and flourish. Potters, a bodybuilder in Northern Ireland was acquired in 1969 and then became Alexander’s subsidiary in Belfast. Export business began to grow with emphasis in the Far East. In 1981, the company was given a Queen’s Award for Export and by 1983, Alexander was the world’s largest supplier of double-deck bus bodies.

New Flyer and Alexander Dennis originally began working together in 2012 on a joint project.

New Flyer began building a medium-duty, low-floor bus designed by Alexander Dennis that was named the MiDi. After Alexander Dennis established its own manufacturing facility in Nappanee, Indiana, MiDi production was moved there in 2017. NEW FLYER.

An interesting note is that Alexander was awarded British Rail contracts for rail cars in the mid-1980s. These were British Rail Class 143 and 144 second generation Diesel Multiple Units known as the Pacer class.

They were designed for local service on shorter, non-electrified lines and the Alexander bodies were mounted on under frames supplied by Andrew Barclay and British Rail Engineering.

Ownership changed three times in less than 10 years. In 1987 the company ceased to be a private firm owned by the Alexander Family and was publically listed. In 1990, ownership passed to Spotlaunch plc and then less than two years later ownership changed because of a management buyout.

Over the years, Alexander built a wide range of bodies for mounting on numerous chassis.

Included were both regular and low-floor, double-deck buses as well as special types for China Motor Bus and Kowloon Motor Bus. Single-deck bus bodies included the popular Sprint and Dash (for the Dennis Dart chassis), the low-floor ALX series and even coaches for the Scottish Bus Group.

The Alexander story continues under “Mayflower and Mergers.”

Plaxton Although the Plaxton name was not included in the Alexander Dennis corporate title, it was the third major component of the company. It was a well-known major body builder based in Scarborough, England.

Originally founded by Frederick William Plaxton in 1907 as a woodworking shop, the company branched out into being a contractor for buildings in the Scarborough area.

After World War I, Plaxton expanded into building bodywork for Crossley, Rolls-Royce and Daimler car chassis as well as charabanc bodies for the Ford Model T chassis.

The economic slowdown in the early 1930s pushed the company more into bus National Bus Trader / August, 2019 • 25

bodies and a new manufacturing facility was built in 1936. Sales were typically through independent dealers rather than directly from the factory. While Alexander was a leader in transit and double-deck bus bodies, Plaxton concentrated more on coach designs. With the outbreak of World War II in 1939, coach production ceased as the facility became a munitions factory. A new facility on Seamer Road in Scarborough was hit by a firebomb in 1943 that caused substantial damage.

Bus production resumed in 1945 and new models were introduced in 1950. Frederick William Plaxton, the company founder, died in 1957 and was replaced by his son, Frederick Junior, who had joined the company in 1937 at the age of 18. The son had been called Eric to avoid confusion with his father.

While the company offered different designs, Plaxton developed several very popular models in a row. The first of these was the Panorama that was prompted by an order from Sheffield United Tours. Regular production started in 1958 as a 41-passenger model and numerous variations kept the Panorama in production until 1970. It was eventually available on all chassis types and was particularly striking on the Bedford VAL chassis that had twin steering axles in front.

The new Panorama Elite was introduced in 1968. Like the Panorama, it was immediately popular and is said to have set the design of British coaches for the next 14 years. It went through a second and third version with more than 6,000 bodies built. The popular replacement model was first developed in 1974 and came to be called the Supreme and featured nearly all steel construction. By the end of the 1970s,

Plaxton introduced their new model in 2018 under the Panorama name they have used in the past.

It has a length of about 471⁄2 feet and seats up to 87 passengers, with 65 on the upper deck. This model has two staircases, one in the front and one in the center of the coach. ALEXANDER DENNIS.

the British coach industry was dominated by the Plaxton Supreme and the competing Duple Dominant.

Long distance bus services were deregulated by the Transport Act of 1980 that prompted increased competition. Plaxton came out with their new Paramount model in 1982. It soon became available in different options and lengths including high-floor and double-deck versions. Orders declined in the mid-1980s because of the poor economic climate. Plaxton’s largest dealer,

While the Plaxton name was not included in the name of Alexander Dennis, they are a major component. Over the years the company has produced numerous body models that were popular in the UK and elsewhere. Shown here is a Leyland Tiger coach with Plaxton’s Paramount 3500 bodywork. DAVE ROOT.

Kirkby Bus & Coach took over the company, modernized the Scarborough factory, and also began selling Ikarus buses from Hungary in the United Kingdom. Plaxton then bought Henlys in 1989. This involved more than 30 motor dealers plus a company named Coleman Milne that made hearses and limousines. The new name of the company was Plaxton Group plc.

Expansion continued in July of 1989 when Plaxton bought rights for coaches from Duple, a competitor, including jigs for some models. In 1991, Plaxton announced their Pointer midibus body for the popular Dennis Dart chassis. Following management changes, the company became known as Henley’s Group in May of 1992. Expansion during the 1990s included the 1995 acquisition of bodybuilder Northern Counties. Kirkby continued to be a major provider of services to bus operators. From here the story continues under “Mayflower and Mergers.”

Mayflower and Mergers By now everyone is waiting to hear how Dennis, Alexander and Plaxton merged. The interesting thing is that this merger happened not once but twice.

26 • National Bus Trader / August, 2019

After Trinity Holdings took over Dennis in 1989, Dennis developed their Dart midibus with a Duple body that became popular in London. It became the best selling bus in Britain and was in production for 19 years with more than 11,000 built including low-floor versions using various bodies.

Trinity was successfully floated in 1992, bringing in money for improvements and expansion. The company rebranded itself as the Dennis Group in 1997, bringing back the Dennis name.

Alexander Dennis continues to be a leader in double-deck buses. Shown here is an Alexander Dennis Enviro500 operating for GO Transit in Toronto. ALEXANDER DENNIS.

By the end of the decade it became obvious that these three companies had a great deal in common. Both Plaxton and Walter Alexander were looking to acquire Dennis to put both chassis and bodies under one ownership. Mayflower, the group behind Walter Alexander, won the takeover bid for Dennis Group.

Henlys/Plaxton then merged into a joint venture owned 70 percent by Mayflower and 30 percent by Henlys that was known as TransBus International.

It was at this point that Henlys, with the help of Volvo, took over Blue Bird Corporation in Fort Valley, Georgia. However, that did not work out well and the various segments of the Blue Bird operation went in different directions. The commercial bus segment ended up

Alexander Dennis offers a wide range of different models from the large double-deck coaches to this short Enviro200 suited for smaller routes.

ALEXANDER DENNIS.

with NABI that was acquired by New Flyer as mentioned earlier.

Problems developed at Mayflower Corporation and the TransBus International operation fell apart. With the support of private funds, Plaxton went to its managers and became independent again. At the same time the new Alexander Dennis operation was incorporated in May of 2004 by a group including David Murray as well as Souter and Gloag. This new company acquired both TransBus Alexander and TransBus Dennis.

Plaxton expanded its product line in 2005 and returned to the service bus market offering a low-floor bus on a Volvo chassis. In 2007, Alexander Dennis acquired Plaxton Holdings, thus bringing the three companies together a second time. The resulting com-

pany became the largest bus builder in the UK, continues to expand with exports and became known as the biggest builder of double-deck buses in the world. In May of 2012, Alexander Dennis and New Flyer announced a joint venture for medium-duty, low-floor buses for the North American market. Alexander Dennis later began building a few models at Nappanee, Indiana for sale on this side of the Atlantic.

What makes all of this interesting is that each of these companies has a different heritage and different areas of expertise. When joined together, they make up a compatible global bus and coach manufacturing group.

Among their claims to fame are a range of different buses, a leadership in double-deck buses and some of the most durable buses and coaches in the world. â?&#x2018;

Alexander Dennis buses have become increasingly popular in North America.

Here is an Alexander Dennis Enviro500 operating for Sound Transit. The technical name for the agency is the Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority. We would know it as the transit operator in the metropolitan Seattle area.

ALEXANDER DENNIS.

National Bus Trader / August, 2019 â&#x20AC;˘ 27

Getting the Glow Take a look inside the “New Look” of Liberty Photos courtesy of Liberty Coach Headquartered in the far north suburbs of Chicago, Liberty Coach is an established leader in Prevost converted coaches. This new 2019 Elegant Lady conversion incorporates Liberty’s increasingly popular “New Look” design. Features include a modern appearance, a redesigned lighting scheme and distinctive countertops, textures and materials.

“W

e just decided to go for it,” Kim Konigseder says. The longtime Liberty Coach interior designer is standing with her husband, Liberty managing partner and spatial engineering maven Kurt Konigseder, aboard a just-completed 2019 Elegant Lady at Liberty Coach headquarters in the far north suburbs of Chicago. The “it” she is referring to is nothing less than a masterpiece – a bumper-to-bumper, breathtakingly modern redesign of the world’s finest motorcoach.

It was a long time coming. As the creative force behind Liberty’s award-winning interiors since 1991, Kim and Kurt have probably designed more coach interiors than anyone in the Prevost bus conversion field. “We’ve been wanting to make this change for a long time,” she exclaims. One glance at Liberty’s “New Look” tells you why.

28 • National Bus Trader / August, 2019

Clean, modern, light, airy, smooth, swanky – we have heard it described a hundred ways, but most importantly? It feels like home.

Creating that feeling required considerable thought and design – savvy, on Kim’s part as interior designer and Kurt’s as the design engineer. Modern is great, but it has a reputation for being cold and industrial. Both Kim and Kurt wanted to clean up the lines of the classic Liberty design, but make their “New Look” feel as warm and cozy as ever, if not more so.

A redesigned lighting scheme is central to this achievement. Giving the illusion of heightened ceilings that “just fade away” not only brightens the space, but quite literally elevates the coach. Kurt calls it a “glow” and that feels right on the money.

That glow is what illuminates miterfolded countertops with sharp edging, and continuous slabs with veining that looks like real stone. It shines on the wide variety of textures, tones and materials that Kim has chosen, giving the coach an incredible amount of dimension and detail. It is one thing to see it in pictures. In person, it is really something to behold.

When it comes to developing and refining her design approach, Kim is not that far off from the rest of us. Scrolling Instagram and combing the Internet for new and interesting makers, she finds and cultivates relationships with the multiple vendors that bring each coach to life. For Kim, it is not so much about brand names as it is about quality. If she (or a creatively-minded client) can dream it up, she can find the right person to craft it.

Is this the future of design at Liberty Coach? Well, there will always be a place

The Penthouse of Prevost.

From the company that’s been building Prevost conversions for 40 years comes the most advanced motorcoach the world has ever seen.

Liberty Coach 2020. Test drive one today.

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LIBERTYCOACH.COM 800-554-9877 COACHSALES@LIBERTYCOACH.COM

National Bus Trader / August, 2019 • 29

This photo looks towards the front of a new Liberty coach from the galley area. A redesigned lighting scheme is a central feature of these coaches and gives the illusion of heightened ceilings. New LED lighting illuminates liter-folded countertops with sharp edging and continuous slabs with veining that looks like real stone.

for the timeless, classic Liberty style that purists have come to know and love. Judging by the overwhelming reception to date

– since its unveiling last spring, it has been virtually impossible to keep a “New Look” coach in inventory for more than a few

days – the “New Look” of Liberty Coach is here to stay. ❑

This same design carries over into the bedroom at the rear. The clean, modern lines of the “New Look” design only enhance the warm, homey feeling that has long been a Liberty Coach trademark. Note that the new lighting scheme brightens the area and gives it a modern appearance.

30 • National Bus Trader / August, 2019

Reviews C

hicago Motor Coach Company can claim a number of unusual attributes that puts it into a unique category among bus operations. In spite of the fact that it is often overlooked, Chicago Motor Coach has a heritage connected with historical industry leaders including John D. Hertz, Yellow Coach and even Fifth Avenue Coach Company.

The reason for its existence follows from the fact that streetcars were not allowed on the 203 miles of boulevards and park district streets in Chicago. While the Chicago Surface Lines and Chicago Rapid Transit – both under the Sam Insull umbrella at one time – are remembered by most, Chicago Motor Coach is sometimes forgotten by some.

In spite of this, it continued in private operation for years after the two larger companies were swallowed by a public operation.

Originally founded in 1917 to serve the north side of Chicago, the company was acquired by John D. Hertz and partners in 1922, thus connecting it with Fifth Avenue Coach, Yellow Coach and the start of GM Truck & Coach.

Operations were extended to the west and south sides of Chicago and the company grew to operate numerous routes and several garages.

Author John Doyle was raised in Chicago and lived on both the north and south sides at different times. He grew up around the Chicago Motor Coach Company routes and became interested in them at a young age when his wagon, and later his bicycle, became his imitation bus. In later years he even drove buses part time.

Arcadia Publishing has numerous similar books in print, many of them dealing with transportation topics. While the photos are in black and white, they are of very good quality and very comprehensive. Included are several photos of early buses with solid rubber tires, a wide range of double-deckers that lasted until 1950, some ubiquitous Ford Transits acquired during the War and a few Macks. In the later years the fleet was predominately GM including some of the longest buses they built. A few streetcars and elevated trains also managed to get into the photos.

I would be remiss if I did not comment on the quality of the photo captions. While the bulk of the book consists of photos, the accompanying captions are impressive. In many if not most cases, the captions not only name the locations of the photos but also provide additional information on the buses, buildings and background. In addition to the buses, there are several photos of the garages, shops and other facilities. Detailed maps are included showing the routes of the Chicago Motor Coach Company.

Between the introductory text and the substantial captions, there is a great deal of company history and Chicago history built into this book. Included are the early connec-

32 • National Bus Trader / August, 2019

tions to John D. Hertz (originally Schandor Hertz), the Omnibus Corporation of New York, Checker Cab and Yellow Coach of Chicago that became GM Truck & Coach in Pontiac, Michigan. The text and captions mention a wide range of Chicago history including how a bridge turned Pine Street into North Michigan Avenue and “The Magnificent Mile,” how Chicago Motor Coach lost some north side routes to Chicago Surface Lines and the arrival of the Chicago Transit Authority.

Published by Arcadia Publishing (www.arcadiapubllishing.com), this book joins numerous other historical and transportation titles available from them. It is available from the publisher, from major bookstores and from Amazon in Kindle, hardbound and softbound editions. ❑

Photographs

Readers and advertisers are encouraged to send in photographs or slides of buses or equipment that may be of special interest to our readers. Please, include a list explaining what makes the pictured item different, unusual or interesting.

Photos should be sent to N ATIONAL B US TRADER, 9698 West Judson Road, Polo, Illinois 61064. Please indicate if you would like your picture returned. Picture usage is dependent on the quality of the photo and space available.

Right : The newest member of the historic fleet of the Museum of Bus Transportation is Proterra #1, the first Proterra battery-electric bus. It was introduced in 2008 and subsequently went on about 100 demos around the country. This photo shows the bus in front of the Bus Museum/AACAM building in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

Below: Just a reminder that the Antique Bus Homecoming will take place in Blytheville, Arkansas from September 27-29, 2019. Activities will center around the restored historic 1939 Greyhound bus depot. Phone Tom McNally at (309) 253-2169 or e-mail tbonemcnally@hotmail.com for info. Shown is a PD3751 in the parade from the previous event.

National Bus Trader / August, 2019 â&#x20AC;˘ 33

Safety and Liability

by Ned Einstein Drivers v. Robots Part 1

In 2017, I wrote nine installments for NATIONAL BUS TRADER about the replacement of drivers with robots. That series was titled, “Autonomous and Inevitable.” At great length, I examined the dynamics of driverless vehicles (or “highly automated vehicles” as politically-correct USDOT officials like to call them) and the socio-economic, political and institutional forces which make them unavoidable.

This series of installments, which shall appear periodically, will examine some likely reactions to the robots by drivers.

Drivers often know more efficient paths between two points.

Early Roots of Discord Long before GPS-based navigators directed drivers through less-well-known portions of the service area, an important driver’s skill was “service area familiarity.”

This skill is still valuable, particularly in demand-responsive services like taxicab, limousine, non-emergency medical transportation and complementary paratransit service. It can be valuable to motorcoach drivers, often operating in vast service areas with their nooks and crannies. Drivers often know more efficient paths between two points, with fewer turns, than do navigators.

Drivers familiar with the service area can recognize and interpret certain variables which navigators either ignore or cannot factor into operations. These variables range from avoiding poorly-maintained streets to avoiding dangerous neighborhoods. It clearly helps in places with poor signage or areas which navigators cannot correctly identify and coherently articulate. Service area familiarity also helps drivers avoid lastsecond merging and weaving.

Familiarity with the service area has long been an important consideration in the hiring process. One cannot always find drivers with this knowledge and experience. Sometimes there are good reasons for hiring drivers with other skills and capabilities, such as safe driving records and a knowledge of multiple languages. As a result, many oth34 • National Bus Trader / August, 2019

erwise-qualified drivers begin their tenure with a less-than-perfect familiarity with the service area.

In the early 1980s, Los Angeles County taxi owner and SuperShuttle originator Mitchell Rouse would examine taxi meter readings to compare income to mileage.

The goal was to increase passenger mileage and decrease deadhead time. Those drivers with no knowledge of the service area were quickly terminated. Rouse gave others a few weeks of adjustment time, and would then call them into his office. Face to face, he would tutor them about the attainable split of passenger and deadhead mileage.

He would give them some advice about reaching it.

The moment many of these drivers returned to their cabs, they would start tearing the interiors apart: “How did my boss know every little thing I was doing?”

“Where are the cameras?” “Where are the microphones?” Some drivers would realize that Rouse could figure things out, but the battle lines against the robots were drawn.

Mobile Data Terminals, Fear and Loathing L.A. Taxi was also one of the first taxi companies to install mobile data terminals (MDTs) in its vehicles. These devices were not installed to replace drivers. They were installed to assist them. They were installed to assist management in monitoring their conduct and performance.

Two decades later, drivers in less-wellmanaged systems were hostile to the changes introduced by mobile data terminals. In 2001, 24 paratransit drivers working for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA, in Philadelphia) were fired because they literally destroyed MDTs and “associated scanner readers” (SCRs). Not driving the same vehicles from day to day, many of these drivers had destroyed “a considerable number of units” (Transit Access Report, May, 10, 2001).

One SEPTA official claimed, “I think some of it was fear of machines, fear of what they would do to them or their jobs.”

No thought was apparently given to the fact that good drivers could operate more safely and efficiently by communicating with a live dispatcher. No thought was given to their resentment about having to learn abstract skills designed to eliminate management. These drivers’ resentment

and paranoia did not begin and end with MDTs. SEPTA officials began crafting contracts with their contract service providers to require “open radio transmissions.”

SEPTA’s staff would ostensibly monitor these communications. Whether or not they ever did is unclear. This provision effectively put an end to radio communications.

That result, in turn, provided an excuse to eliminate dispatchers. It is only an asterisk that MTDs and AVLs did not steal any drivers’ jobs. These devices merely threatened drivers’ impunity.

The rebellion against machines is not an early 21st Century novelty.

Forewarning and Foreboding The rebellion against machines is not an early 21st Century novelty. This rebellion by drivers began long before they were being replaced by robots.

Such responses to technology may seem puzzling to us now. MDTs (and automatic vehicle locators, or AVLs) clearly eroded management. They eroded safety. Management tasks like reviewing drivers’ logs faded from view. Management accepted these robots for odd but understandable reasons: Among them, these tools isolated management of accountability. When paratransit passengers complained to their local elected officials about woeful on-time performance, management simply told their bosses, “Mr. Councilman, I do not know what else we can do. Computers are even making the schedules now.” In the past, such elected officials were poster children for the concept of snookered. Now, many of them know that robots eliminate jobs.

The installation of such technology also snookered management and thinned its ranks. We commonly experience this passivity as we observe cashiers training customers how to check out with robots.

There are many important lessons here.

One is that the failure to provide effective management and convey its importance can mean the end of one’s business. This is also true with respect to the value both drivers and management. As the destruction of the taxi industry illustrates, this value is not intu-

Safety and Liability itive. The importance of both drivers and management must be clearly conveyed to the passengers.

Mayhem and Mayday In the early 1990s, Ljubljana-based bus manufacturer Avtomontaza [not a typo], which had been making bodies for Scania, MAN and TAM, shut down. One morning, a newly-unemployed, career factory worker shot and killed the general director with a crossbow which had been in his family for centuries. He then drove his car off a cliff.

While unaware of Scania and MAN plant closings during the same period, I know that Germany and Sweden also have cliffs. Driving one’s vehicles off a cliff was the oldfashioned way. Now we have mass shootings. Riots in the streets guerilla style: One episode at a time. More and more often.

More and more deadly.

Many Americans have heard about disgruntled workers. This characterization is often the defendant’s ruse in lawsuits. Occasionally a disgruntled worker is even considerate. The Virginia Beach shooter (May 31, 2019) e-mailed in his resignation, with two weeks’ notice, a few hours before the carnage. I tip my hat to such courtesy: 50 years ago, when I walked out of law school after one semester, I never bothered to notify the university. The point is that there are often no clues about dissatisfaction. There are clearly no clues to connect dissatisfaction with responses to it. This is particularly true in the public transportation industry, where little or no attention is paid to monitoring.

We have not yet seen the limits of what disgruntled workers can do. We have yet to see one behind the wheel of a bus.

If drivers will destroy technology designed to merely monitor their conduct and behavior, what will they do as technology eliminates their jobs and ruins their lives? Who and what will they wipe out in their paths? It is relatively simple to quell riots in the streets. Many urban police forces have become heavily militarized. It is far more challenging to root out every maniac with a commercial driver’s license. Witness how carefree we used to be about handing out pilots’ licenses.

The bus and truck industries are in big trouble. So too are passengers, pedestrians and motorists. If one hates and loathes society and wishes to get even, there is no better job than driving a bus. No Trojan horse can match an out-of-control bus powered with fossil fuel. This image does not even factor in creative options for cargo. Mass shootings are nothing compared to the Trojan bus let loose or purposefully driven in some urban area. Between Columbine and last May, 2018, there had been 193 mass shootings at schools alone, and 187,000 students experi-

enced them (Washington Post, May 21, 2018).

If anything positive can be said about him, the Mad Bomber at least did not have a bus.

Must we eliminate privacy to achieve safety?

Safety and Liability As the risks increase, transportation service providers may experience new accusations about negligent hiring and negligent retention. To meet the highest standard and duty of care with live drivers, management teams may soon need psychiatrists. We already have camera systems which detect drivers’ failures to clear their mirrors. Yet no one seems to “pull the videos” until a bus mows down a pedestrian or crushes a passenger chasing it with the curb-side duals. We administer random drug/alcohol screenings only as a regulatory requirement. We need robots to generate accurate drivers’ logs. Other than regulatory officials, how often do live Earthlings examine them? Do we actually expect to have teams of psychiatrists monitoring every driver ’s last gesture and twitch? Are we headed toward urban China’s facial recognition technology?

Must we eliminate privacy to achieve safety?

areas, drivers only rode the buckboards on the first day of the school year. The horses memorized the routes and the routine, and there was no further need for a driver. Only when engines replaced horses were drivers added. There is no evidence that the horses minded. We still measure engine performance in terms of horsepower.

One may argue that drivers are only interim placeholders. Such beliefs have consequences. There is an old saying: “Be careful what you wish for.” It is also important to be careful about what you do not wish for.

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. ❑ Ned Einstein is the president of Transportation Alternatives (www.transalt.com), a consulting firm specializing in system and vehicle design, operations, performance evaluation and forensic accident analysis.

He may be reached at einstein@transalt.com.

In 1982, my former paratransit company assumed a contract to provide service to about 1,100 developmentally disabled adults. Forgetting to close the radio channel in the dispatch office, our predecessor’s owner gave his dispatchers two weeks’ notice. Hearing this dialog over their radios, scores of drivers pulled over their vehicles, abandoned 1,000 or so passengers, and hitchhiked home. It took the Los Angeles Police Department two days to round up the last of the passengers. These drivers were not replaced by robots. In fact, the good ones were first in line to work for my company (at much higher wages). Live personnel were already being thinned out in Los Angeles County. Employment was becoming tenuous.

With robots waiting in the wings, the transportation industry will face problems as it eliminates the work force. Driver and passenger reactions to robots in Los Angeles and Philadelphia, decades ago, provide only a crude preview. Additional clues include our mass shootings. Failing to react meaningfully to such things, we are in pretend mode. Just fiddling away.

Dreams and Regrets Drivers were not always a necessity.

When school bus service began, in rural

National Bus Trader / August, 2019 • 35

The Curious Coachowner Number 271 of a Series “The Curious Coachowner” is a question and answer column that provides simple answers to simple questions that are too short to warrant a full article or inclusion in one of our regular columns. We will accept reasonably simple technical or historical questions on commercial coaches or converted coach shells by letter, fax, e-mail or phone. If our staff is unable to answer them, we will call upon our panel of experts.

Names and addresses should be submitted with your questions, but we will withhold names from publication on request. We reserve the right to modify questions to make them more useful to our readers Q. Are there any conflicts with bus event dates in early 2020?

–– Several Readers

A. This has been an ongoing problem for years because many of the bus and bus tour groups like to schedule their events in the early weeks of the year. On occasion, the dates have been so close as to cause problems.

The National Tour Association (NTA) had scheduled their annual event in conjunction with the United Motorcoach Association (UMA) for a few years. However, NTA members pressed for moving to a year-end date because many of them lock up their summer tour catalogs right after the first of the year.

What resulted was an NTA Travel Exchange date of December 14-18, 2017 in San Antonio, a date of November 4-8, 2018 in Milwaukee and a date of December 8-12, 2019 in Fort Worth. Hence, the NTA’s Travel Exchange has moved far enough earlier to eliminate any significant conflict with the early-in-the-year events.

The biggest conflict in dates for 2020 will be between the American Bus Association and the United Motorcoach Association.

ABA has their Marketplace scheduled on January 10-14, 2020 in Omaha, Nebraska while UMA has their Motorcoach Expo scheduled for January 20-23, 2020 in Nashville, Tennessee.

On the positive side, the exhibitors have roughly five days to move their buses from Omaha to Nashville. This should not be a problem since the computer says this is only 754 miles. However, there may be a problem 36 • National Bus Trader / August, 2019

for some people because the proximity of the dates could keep some people effectively out of the office for two weeks.

Heartland Travel Showcase will not be a problem since it is scheduled in Lansing, Michigan on February 28 to March 1, 2020.

Interestingly enough the three events – ABA, UMA and Heartland – are all within driving distance of our office if we can figure out how to deal with schedules.

Q. In announcing the recent acquisition of Alexander Dennis by NFI Group, it was mentioned that the companies are similar but the product lines are complimentary.

Can you explain?

–– Reader in Massachusetts

A. All of the companies involved are leaders in their respect industry segments.

New Flyer has more sales in North American transit buses while MCI holds a similar position with North American coaches.

ARBOC is the leader in low-floor shuttle buses. Alexander Dennis is the leader in bus sales in the United Kingdom and is also considered the global leader in building double-deck buses.

One area of being complimentary is that Alexander Dennis adds double-deck buses to the product mix that was not previously offered by New Flyer or MCI. The second difference is that Alexander Dennis offers body-on-chassis products while New Flyer and MCI have integral products.

For various reasons, including the short travel distances involved, the UK has gravitated to substantial use of body-on-chassis buses. I should immediately point out that these are of considerably higher quality. Plaxton, now part of Alexander Dennis, has had an excellent reputation in building high-quality bus bodies. The Dennis firm is well known and respected for their bus chassis. It will be interesting to see how these body-on-chassis buses integrate into the NFI family.

Another noteworthy point is that Alexander Dennis does substantial business in countries outside of the UK and has been building buses either directly or through joint ventures in the United States and Canada for years. This could end up being a stepping stone for NFI Group to move into more international sales or combining their manufacturing operations in some places.

Traditionally, buses made in the United States and Canada have not found their way into the international market to any great extent. There are a few exceptions, including Australia where GM, Flxible, Eagle and MCI coaches have operated.

The reason for this is that the high-quality integral construction used in the United States and Canada is generally more sophisticated than is needed in most international applications. The reason American buses ended up in Australia was due to their higher quality being desirable on some heavy-duty applications.

Q. What happened to the electric BRT buses in Albuquerque?

–– Trade Show Question

A. ABQ Ride developed a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) route along a 17-mile line in the historic Route 66 corridor that included nearly nine miles of dedicated bus lines. BYD was to supply 20 battery-electric articulated buses to run the route.

Several problems came to light after the first buses were placed in service. In addition, to differences with platform height, the buses started to develop mechanical problems. The maintenance people said that the battery recharging system shorted out and burnt out. They also commented that some of the brakes held no air pressure and only the front axle brakes worked sometimes. It was also claimed that the range of the buses was only about 177 miles instead of the 275 miles projected between recharging.

Newly-elected Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller got involved and there were some harsh words between the city and BYD. In late November of 2018, the 15 buses that had been delivered were returned to BYD. Recently, there was a Joint Statement put out on the Albuquerque Rapid Transit Bus Project. It suggested that BYD and the city had reached a settlement in good faith to avoid litigation.

As replacements, ABQ Ride ordered 10 clean diesel Xcelsior articulated buses from New Flyer. New Flyer had originally bid on this project in 2016. Efforts were being made to transfer federal funding to this order.

Answers not credited to other individuals are provided by Larry Plachno. ❑

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National Bus Trader / August, 2019 â&#x20AC;˘ 37

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MOVING?

Please let us know at least 60 days in advance to ensure that your next issue of NATIONAL BUS TRADER reaches your new address.

Advertiser’s Index Bitimec International . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

BusCon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31 Complete Coach Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37 Dupree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Engine Power Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Escot Bus Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37 Family Motor Coach Association . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Liberty Coach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

Midwest Bus Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Motor Coach Industries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40

Prevost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

Royal Star . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38

Temsa Global . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Welch Industries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Wrico International . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35 38 • National Bus Trader / August, 2019

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.

September 23-25, 2019. BusCon 2019.

Indiana Convention Center, Indianapolis, Indiana.

October 18-23, 2019. Busworld Europe. Brussels. For more information view Busworld.com.

December 8-12, 2019. NTA Travel Exchange. Ft, Worth, Texas.

January 10-14, 2020. American Bus Association Marketplace. Omaha, Nebraska.

January 19-23, 2020. UMA Motorcoach Expo 2020. Nashville, Tennessee.

February 12-13, 2020. Motorhome Expo. South Florida Fairground Expo Center, West Palm Beach, Florida.

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Other MCI innovations include ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) featuring collision mitigation upgrades to detect and stop for stationary objects and more; along with a new optional 360-degree camera. And looking to 2020, our CHARGE long-range battery-electric models are already setting benchmarks in testing. Plus, you can count on MCIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leadership in parts, service, support and training.

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