March 29, 2010 - American Bus Association

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ABAInsider Did You Know? Myrtle Beach business and convention travel helped tourism to the region, as the group sales division of the local Chamber of Commerce announced a 28 percent surge in 2009 for room reservations. TAP Expands Guaranteed Departures 75 percent Travel Alliance Partners, LLC (TAP) has introduced its 2010/2011 series of TAP-branded tours featuring more than 250 Guaranteed Departures, signifying nearly four times the number of tour programs available since the group began offering such itineraries in 2006. TAP tours available in the 94-page 2010/2011 brochure, and also at www.GuaranteedDepartures.com, cover more than 500 destinations worldwide. To support the expanded program, TAP has launched a call center where travelers and travel professionals can call (866) 373-0790 to discuss tours and ask questions through a live operator. Travelers who book any of TAP’s 2010 Guaranteed Departure programs can be confident their vacation is secure and will never be cancelled because of insufficient guest participation. TAP provides a range of Guaranteed Departures year-round in the form of motorcoach tours and other travel modes, as well as tours that highlight various holidays and special events. Tour prices are land-only, but airfare and comprehensive travel insurance can also be purchased through TAP members when done so in conjunction with a tour. For more information or reservations, call (866) 373-0790 or visit www.GuaranteedDepartures.com. 4 WIN more business with m ore business with GroupConnect Generate more sales leads online when you fill out your free profile at GroupConnect.com, the largest network of tour and motor coach operators. Motorcoach Council Elects New Board The Motorcoach Council Inc. elected its new Board of Directors this month, as Founding Chairman Todd Holland of Ramblin Express stepped aside from the day-to-day duties to serve in an advisory role as an ex-officio Board Member. Vice Chairman Brian Annett of Annett Bus Lines Inc. was unanimously chosen to succeed Holland as Chairman. Joining new Chairman Annett as vice chairman will be Jack Wigley of All Aboard America, who also served on the Board for the past two years as a director. “I am honored and excited to Chair the Motorcoach Council Board over the next two years,” Annett said. “The groundwork has been laid by the founding partners, the prior board and our former Chairman, Todd Holland. His dedication to this campaign has been unwavering. He led with a ‘never say die’ vision that has gotten the Council where it is today.” The Board also voted to establish a new rotating seat to be filled by a state association, the inaugural seat of which will be filled by the Tennessee Motor Coach Association. The Directors elected to serve two-year terms on the Motorcoach Council’s Board with new Chairman Annett and new Vice Chairman Wigley include Ron Bast of Riteway Bus Service, Inc.; Scott Merriman of Scenic America Tours, Inc.; and James Mills, of Gaylord Transportation & Tours. Operators elected to serve oneyear term as Directors are Gladys Gillis of Starline Transportation (re-elected); and Sandy Allen, of Royal Coach Tours. The Council’s board will continue to include one standing seat for an executive-level member of both national associations to include Peter Pantuso of American Bus Association; and Victor Parra of United Motorcoach Association. Steve Klika of International Motorcoach Group will continue serving as a non-voting, ex-officio member of the Board, with Holland joining him in that capacity. Also during the meeting, longtime Council staffer Heather Horton was named the Council’s new Executive Director, and Pamela Wolff was named Director of Strategic Alliances and Industry Partnerships.
ABAInsider “Customers from all over the world can plan to get to Cape Cod from Boston’s Logan Airport and South Station without a car.” —Chris Anzuoni, VP of Plymouth & Brockton Tourism Cares Headed to San Francisco in June Tourism Cares will be holding its 8th annual event on historic Angel Island in San Francisco Bay June 3-5. Travel industry professionals are encouraged to join in and help to rehabilitate various recreational areas and trails across the island. More than 300 volunteers have gathered each year at events beginning with Ellis Island in 2003. Jobs for volunteers span the spectrum from light work to heavy lifting, and each participant can choose their intensity level. Those unable to attend are being asked to consider becoming sponsors, encouraging friends and colleagues to attend, or to put their company logos on the official T-shirts for the event. IN THE STATES: Connecticut Lawmaker Pushing Belt Bill for School Buses A Connecticut bill requiring that all school buses have three-point safety belts in buses beginning with the 2012 model year has passed out of the Transportation Committee of the Connecticut State Senate. State Senator Antonio Guerrera (D-Rocky Hill) sponsored the bill after a January school bus crash in his district killed 16-year-old student Vikas Parikh. Parikh’s family and friends testified at a public hearing that the teenager would still be alive had there been seat belts on the school bus. Although Guerra has assured his supporters that the bill will pass the House and Senate, it faces stiff opposition from many state education groups. Among groups opposed to the bill are the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education, the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities and the Connecticut School Transportation Association. Each of these groups argues that the high-backed cushioned seats on school buses that are designed to absorb crash impact— known as compartmentalization—renders the evidence for an added safety benefit by having belts on school buses unclear. Please contact ABA’s Pat Jones at (202) 218-7224 or pjones@buses.org if you would like further information. 5 IN THE STATES: Plymouth & Brockton on Google Transit The Plymouth & Brockton Street Railway Company (P&B), Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority, Bridgewater State College (BSC), and the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce have formed an alliance to launch the online tool “Google Transit Trip Planner” so visitors to Cape Cod can get to and around the region without a car. Google Transit has developed a global network of transit providers on the web so that transit consumers can plan their trips by simply typing in the starting address and ending address of their trips on their computer or smart phone. Google Transit’s computers will find the next bus and connecting service to a consumer’s destination. The Cape’s regional bus service and the inter-city bus carrier from Boston’s Logan Airport and South Station have partnered with the GeoGraphics Laboratory at BSC to provide the data to Google. “Customers from all over the world can plan to get to Cape Cod from Boston’s Logan Airport and South Station without a car,” said Chris Anzuoni, VP of P&B and an ABA Board member. For more information, visit www.capecodrta.org.
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March 29, 2010 - American Bus Association

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