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CONTENTS 

C A L E N D A R O F E V E N T S 

JANUARY 2011 

January 8-12 

American Bus 

Association Marketplace 

Philadelphia, PA 

Info: 800-283-2877 

January 19-23 

United Motorcoach 

Association 

Motorcoach EXPO 2011 

Tampa, FL 

Info: 800-424-8262 

FEBRUARY 2011 

February 27-March 2 

Trailways 75th Annual 

Stockholders Meeting 

& Conference 

Scottsdale, AZ 

Info: 703-691-3052 

MAY 2011 

May 22-25 

APTA Bus & 

Paratransit Conference 

Memphis, TN 

Info: 202-496-4800 

JUNE 2011 

June 5-10 

Community Transportation 

Association EXPO 

Indianapolis, IN 

Info: 800-891-0590 

SEPTEMBER 2011 

September 13-14 

BusCon 2011 

Chicago, IL 

Info: 800-576-8788 

Page 4 BUSLINE January/February 2011 

M A G A Z I N E 

IN THIS ISSUE 

OCTOBER 2011 

October 2-5 

APTA Annual 

Meeting & EXPO 

New Orleans, LA 

Info: 202-496-4800 

FEBRUARY 2012 

February 8-12 


Association 

Motorcoach EXPO 2012 

Long Beach, CA 

Info: 800-424-8262 

JANUARY 2013 

January 19-23 


Association / National 

Tour Association 

Co-located Conventions 

Orlando, FL 

Info: 800-424-8262 

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JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011 

Published by 

Rankin Publishing, Inc. 

www.buslinemag.com 

Roberts Hawaii Serves 50th State 

With 30 Locations..........................8 

3 Transit Agencies Interviewed Optimistic..................20 

UMA To Hold 2011 Motorcoach Expo In Tampa..........30 

Busline’s Buyers Guide To Vehicle Lifts .....................................34 

Busline’s Buyers Guide To Fabric & Seating...............................38 

Busline Vehicle Showcase: 

M O T O R C O A C H E S 

Prevost.......................................................44 

Motor Coach Industries ..............................46 

ABC Companies..........................................48 

INDUSTRY NEWS ................Page 32 

RAPID RESPONSE..................Page 6 

ON THE COVER: 

Roberts Hawaii, with headquarters in Honolulu, serves the 

transportation and entertainment needs of residents and 

visitors on the islands of Oahu, Maui, Kauai and Hawaii. 

See page 8. 

EDITORIAL & 

CORPORATE OFFICES 

Rankin Publishing Co., Inc. 

Don Rankin and Linda Rankin, Publishers 

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Email: drankin@consolidated.net 

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(800) 598-8083 (U.S.) • (217) 268-4959 

Fax: (217) 268-4815 

Editorial: Harrell Kerkhoff, Editor 

Rick Mullen, Associate Editor 

Design: David Opdyke, 

Jennie Grace 

Advertising 

Contact Kevin Kennedy @ 623-434-8959 

Email: kevloraz@cox.net 

Or 

Don Rankin @ 800-598-8083 

Fax: 217-268-4815 

Email: drankin@consolidated.net



M A G A Z I N E 

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011 

Published by 

Rankin Publishing, Inc. 

www.buslinemag.com 

Roberts Hawaii Serves 50th State With 30 Locations .............8 

3 Transit Agencies Interviewed Optimistic............................20 

UMA To Hold 2011 Motorcoach Expo In Tampa....................30 

Busline Buyers Guide: 

Vehicle Lifts 34 

Busline Vehicle Showcase: M O T O R C O A C H E S 

• Prevost 44 • Motor Coach Industries 46 • ABC Companies 48 

Company Website Page # Company Website Page # 

ABC Companies www.abc-companies.com 16 

Advantage Funding www.AdvantageFund.com 42 

Aesys Inc. www.aesysinc.com 37 

Amaya Astron www.amaya-astron.com.mx 19 

American Seating www.americanseating.com 13 

Atlantic Detroit Diesel-Allison www.atlanticdda.com 26 

Bauer’s Intelligent Transportation www.coachsales.com 20 

Bergen Auto Upholstery Co., Inc. www.bergenseat.com 40 

Bitzer www.bitzerus.com 29 

Budget Truck & Autobody www.budgettruckandauto.com 42 

C.E. Niehoff www.ceniehoff.com 12 

Chestnut Ridge Foam www.chestnutridgefoam.com 38 

Curved Glass Distributors www.curvedglassdist.com 32 

Detroit Diesel www.DetroitDiesel.com 15 

Distinctive Systems Inc www.distinctive-systems.com 24 

Euramtec/Prima America www.euramtec.com 33 

Freightliner www.freightlinerchassis.com 3 

Holdsworth North America www.holdsworthfabrics.com 39 

Lantal Textiles www.lantal.com 40 

MAHA Lifts www.maha-usa.com 36 

Midwest Bus Corporation www.midwestbus.com 10 

Mile-X www.mile-x.com 41 

Mohawk www.mohawklifts.com 35 

Busline Buyers Guide: 

Fabric & Seating 38 

National Interstate Insurance www.nationalinterstate.com 11 

Penntex Industries www.penntexusa.com 18 

Prevost Car www.prevostcar.com 52 

Protective Insurance Company www.protectiveinsurance.com 27 

REI (Radio Engineering Ind.) www.radioeng.com 5 

Relational Bus Systems www.rbs2000.com 14 

Rotary Lift www.rotarylift.com 9 

Safety Step www.safetystep.net 43 

Sardo Upholstery www.sardoupholstery.com 21 

Service Insurance www.serviceins.com 43 

Stertil-Koni www.stertil-koni.com 34 

Sutrak www.sutrakusa.com 28 

TEMSA www.temsa.com 23 

TIB www.tibinsurance.com 22 

Trans/Air Mfg. www.transairmfg.com 50 

TriMark www.trimarkcorp.com 41 

Turtle Top www.turtletop.com 2 

UMA www.uma.org 31 

Vanner Power www.vanner.com 25 

VIS-Polish www.vispolish.com 50 

Volvo www.prevostcar.com 7 

Willingham Inc. www.willinghaminc.com 17 

Read or Download Busline Magazine Online At: www.buslinemag.com

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Roberts Hawaii executive staff is, front row, left to right, Vice President Chad Iwamoto, President and CEO Robert N. Iwamoto Jr. and Executive Vice 

President Percy Higashi. Second row: Chief Financial Officer Shari Komo, Vice President Human Resources Mary Hansen and Vice President Sales and 

Marketing Joann Erban. Back row: Vice President Investments Roy Pfund, Executive Consultant Scott Iwamoto, Senior Vice President of Operations 

Deems Narimatsu, Vice President Business Development Aaron Kimura and Vice President of Japanese Sales Dean Mori. 

With 

its natural beauty, warm tropical climate, world-famous beaches, 

Polynesian culture, volcanoes, historical sites and many other features, the 

state of Hawaii is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. 

Serving the varied transportation and entertainment needs of the 

more than 1.2 million permanent residents, as well as visitors and U.S. 

military personnel, on the four major islands of Oahu, Maui, Kauai and 

Hawaii is Roberts Hawaii. 

By Rick Mullen 

Busline Magazine Associate Editor 

Operating out of 30 locations, with headquarters 

in Honolulu, and with more than 

1,000 vehicles, Roberts Hawaii offers 

sightseeing tours, excursions and a variety of 

attractions and activities. 

“Our market here is much different from the 

mainland,” said Roberts Hawaii Vice President 

Chad Iwamoto, during a recent interview 

with Busline Magazine. “We offer many trans- 


portation and tourist related services. We are in 

the entertainment business and the dinner 

cruise business. We also offer school bus contracting 

services and tour coach services. We 

are in both the retail and wholesale markets. 

“We have also expanded into municipal public 

transportation contracting. We operate the transit 

service for the county of Hawaii, which is on the 

Big Island (Hawaii). We operate transit service as 

well for the island of Maui. In addition, Roberts 

Hawaii operates the Airport Wiki Wiki Shuttle 

for the state of Hawaii, which transports passen- 

gers within the airport from 

international flights to domestic 

flights, etc.” 

Historically a family 

owned and operated company, 

Roberts Hawaii created 

Hawaii’s largest Employee 

Stock Ownership Plan 

(ESOP) in January 2006, 

allowing employees to be coowners 

of the company. 

When it was first created, the 

ESOP did not own 100 percent 

of the company. 

“We are 100 percent ESOP, which was 

accomplished at the end of 2009. Now, all 

employees have ownership and are able to 

reap some of the rewards of our profitability,” 

Chad Iwamoto said. 

Diversification — A Strategy Of Success 

Long before the Japanese attacked Pearl 

Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, thrusting America 

into World War II, Hawaii was an important 

base of operations for the U.S. military.

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Roberts Hawaii drivers include, left to right, Juanita Ducison, David Gan, “Duke” Ducison, 

Tina Scott, Julian Madamba and Ricardo Rosana. 

In February 1941, the United States Fleet was 

reorganized into separate Atlantic and Pacific 

Fleets. The newly formed Pacific Fleet called 

Pearl Harbor, on the island of Oahu, home. 

Meanwhile, that same year, in the small town 

of Hanapepe on the island of Kauai, Robert 

Iwamoto Sr., Chad Iwamoto’s grandfather, 

started a business as an independent taxi driver 


transporting soldiers stationed on Kauai. 

The business grew and Iwamoto purchased 

five more cars and started Roberts Rent-A-Car. 

Iwamoto’s son, Robert Iwamoto Jr., who is the 

company’s current chairman/CEO, and who is 

also Chad Iwamoto’s father, joined the family 

business at the age of 15. 

The company purchased its first bus and 

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moved its center of operations to the newly built 

airport in Lihue. In 1957, the company purchased 

an air-conditioned motorcoach, the first 

of its kind of Kauai. In 1964, Roberts Hawaii 

opened operations on Oahu, followed by expansion 

to Maui and the Big Island. About the same 

time, it began diversifying into areas not usually 

associated with traditional motorcoach companies, 

such as baggage handling services on 

Oahu. The company also delved into the activities 

business, offering sunset dinner cruises. 

“One of the more notable things we were 

involved in before my grandfather and father 

migrated from Kauai to Oahu was providing 

transportation during the filming of the Elvis 

Presley movie, Blue Hawaii,” Chad Iwamoto 

said. 

Blue Hawaii was made in 1961. A large part 

of the film was shot on location at the Coco 

Palms Resort on the east coast of Kauai. 

“In the early days, we were primarily a 

motorcoach touring company. We handled 

groups that would come in — arrivals and 

departures – as well as tours. We were pretty 

much on the smaller side,” Chad Iwamoto said. 

In 1974, Roberts Hawaii purchased four luxury 

motorcoaches and began competing with a 

large mainland-based tour company. 

“We were able to compete because of our 

service abilities, techniques and the type of rela-

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Roberts Hawaii maintenance mechanics are, left to right, Scott Freitas, Nemesio Campos, 

Jay-Ar Pagtulingan and Wilfred Chin. 

tionships that we built,” Chad Iwamoto said. 

As the company moved into the 1980s, it 

enjoyed a period of major growth, due, in large 

part, to the vision of Robert Iwamoto Jr., who 

determined the company’s successful future lay 

in diversification. He believed surviving as a 

transportation company only, would be very 

difficult. It was his belief that diversification 

would position the company to better deal with 

the inevitable ups and downs of the business. 

It was during the 1980s that Roberts Hawaii 

entered the school bus segment and built the 

Ali’i Kai Catamaran, billed as the world’s 

largest ocean-going twin hulled ship. The Ali'i 

Kai Catamaran remains in operation today, 

offering nightly dinner cruises off Waikiki. The 

company also purchased Captain Beans’ cruises 

on Hawaii and concentrated on growing its 

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“My father was the visionary who took our 

company to a new level,” Chad Iwamoto said. 

“One of the keys to the company’s success, 

starting with my dad, has been the ability to 

keep an open mind by not thinking that we are 

strictly a motorcoach company. When he realized 

customers needed and desired baggage 

service, dinner cruises, among other services, 

he made these things happen. He gained the 

support of, not only customers, but also our 

agents and wholesalers in the tour industry. My 

dad also started a show called the Magic of 

Polynesia, which is a ‘must see’ show on 

Waikiki.” 

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Just as Robert Iwamoto Jr. 

envisioned, the company’s 

move into segments such as 

school bus contracting, public 

transportation contracting, entertainment 

offerings, dinner 

cruises, etc., helped keep the 

business viable during the 

recent recession — one of the 

worst in history. 

“These contracts have certainly 

helped us remain stable 

during the down times,” Chad 

Iwamoto said. “However, it is worth noting that 

these types of services are not as lucrative as the 

tour side of the business during good times.” 

The Time To Upgrade 

The Fleet Has Arrived 

One ongoing growth market for Roberts 

Hawaii is in providing tour services for 

cruise ship passengers. Over the years, 

Chad Iwamoto explained, some cruise ship 

lines began to operate their own motorcoach 

tour services. One cruise ship line, in particular, 

began operating its own transportation branch 

several years ago in Hawaii, and has posed a 

major challenge for local operators. 

“At one time, we were the primary cruise 

ship handler in Hawaii, but a cruise ship line 

bought into the transportation market, and there 

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has been fierce competition ever since,” Chad 

Iwamoto said. 

To attract cruise ship passengers, Roberts 

Hawaii has engaged in an intensive marketing 

effort, primarily by word-of-mouth, referrals 

and on the Internet, which has been very successful. 

“When a cruise ship passenger books an 

optional tour through the ship line, he or she 

may find there is a large markup for the tour,” 

Iwamoto said. “We offer a much more competitive 

rate and, in addition, the customer can 

order online. Typically, cruise ship passengers 

are not locked into using the ship’s transporta- 

tion. Many of them book with us online and 

then go back to the ship and tell others how 

great our tour was, and at a reasonable price. 

“Our drivers are marketing this now, as well. 

Some customers book multiple tours at once 

and some book individual tours. Our drivers 

suggest to customers that they visit our website 

and write something about the tour, good or 

bad, in order to let people know about us. 

“The customer who has a complaint seems to 

always find the time to write something or call 

somebody about it. With e-mail and the Internet, 

it is just as easy for somebody who enjoyed 

themselves to write something, too. This has 



really been a successful campaign for us.” 

As Roberts Hawaii’s bus fleet is aging and 

because of the booming cruise ship passenger 

tour market, the decision to purchase new 

motorcoaches has been made. 

“We are getting ‘tons’ of cruise ship passengers 

now, and this is a major reason why we are 

moving forward with a new equipment purchase,” 

Iwamoto said. “We have recently 

ordered 25 new motorcoaches from Prevost 

(expected to be delivered in late December). It 

is a big step for us. Prevost offers excellent 

motorcoaches and service. We are anticipating a 

long-term relationship with Prevost.” 

Following this major purchase of coaches 

from Prevost, Roberts Hawaii plans to make 

annual upgrades to the fleet. 

“The plan is to eventually not have any 

buses more than seven years old in our fleet, 

which is very unusual for Hawaii,” Iwamoto 

said. “The mileage and wear and tear we get on 

equipment here is very minimal compared to 

the mainland.” 

The new motorcoach purchase is also in 

keeping with Roberts Hawaii’s philosophy of 

reinvesting in the company’s infrastructure. 

“We strive to let people know we are here not 

just to make money to go into the pockets of the 

owners,” Iwamoto said. “We have made the 

decision to spend millions of dollars to upgrade 

our infrastructure in order to show people that 

we are committed to both the tourist industry 

and our company. This is our promise and commitment 

to our customers. 

“We are not trying to take their money just to 

line our pockets and not put anything back into 

the company or the industry. Our goal is to provide 

a good product, and we want our customers 

to know that we are committed to their 

success as well as ours. 

“There are companies out there that have a 

good product and make a lot of money, but they 

never reinvest back into their company. As a 

result, customers can be subjected to older 

equipment and below average service. 

“As we make money, we put a significant 

portion back into the company. This is why we 

are able to purchase 25 new vehicles and spend 

$12 to $15 million in one shot, which not too 

many companies can do right now. 

“The main thing is making sure we have the 

best product to offer, which is not only our 

vehicles, but also our drivers. Our drivers bring 

to the table with each tour a high degree of 

expertise, especially about local knowledge 

and history. Our drivers are the best.” 

When seeking employment as a driver, the 

candidate must exhibit that he or she has a positive 

attitude. The company seeks drivers who 

are committed to serving passengers, whether 

they are children, adults or senior citizens. 

Drivers must also have the ability to speak with 

passengers about the positive benefits of choosing 

Roberts Hawaii. 

“If a person has the right attitude and a good

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driving record, we will consider hiring that person 

as a ‘regular’ driver. The newly-hired driver 

will then have the opportunity to obtain a 

commercial driver’s license (CDL) by completing 

our in-house training program,” Iwamoto 

said. “It is sometimes difficult to find good drivers 

due to the many regulations and other 

requirements that candidates must fulfill. 

“During my dad’s time, there was no such 

thing as a commercial driver’s license. If the 

owner of the bus company liked the way you 

drove, you were hired. Now, there are so many 

guidelines it scares some people away.” 

When it comes to retaining drivers, Iwamoto 

has observed over the years that the third or 

fourth year into a driver’s employment is usually 

pivotal. It is usually about this time a driver, 

who may not like working an ever-fluctuating 

work schedule or may not like the seasonal 

nature of the work schedule, will call it quits. 

“The ones who move beyond the first three or 

four years, usually stay with us for a long time,” 

Iwamoto said. 

Geography Dictates Shorter Trips 

Hawaii, the only state made up entirely of 

islands, encompasses nearly the entire 

volcanic Hawaiian Island chain of hundreds 

of islands spread over 1,500 miles. The 


islands feature beautiful beaches, a wide variety 

of tropical flora and fauna and volcanic mountains, 

the largest of which is Mauna Kea on the 

island of Hawaii. Mauna Kea stands at 13,796 

feet, but is taller than Mount Everest when 

measured from the base of the mountain at the 

floor of the Pacific Ocean, rising to about 

33,500 feet. 

“Some of our terrain on the islands only 

allows for mini-buses and vans,” Iwamoto said. 

In addition, the islands the company services 

are relatively small, which means buses are not 

used to make long-distance trips such as would 

be common on the mainland. 

“Our average speed in Hawaii is probably in 

the 20- to 25-mph range. There are very few 

areas that allow speeds up to 50 or 60 mph,” 

Iwamoto said. “On the mainland, a bus or 

motorcoach will easily travel 100,000 miles per 

year. In Hawaii, our coaches average around 

30,000 mile per year. There just isn’t anywhere 

that far to go. It is less than 80 miles to travel 

around the island of Oahu.” 

Because passengers are not on vehicles for 

long distances when traveling, such amenities 

as WiFi, DVD players, etc., are not as crucial to 

customers. Passengers are typically not on a 

coach long enough at any given time for these 

types of amenities to be in great demand. 

“Because our trips are so short and we make 


so many stops, even lavatories in coaches are 

not a huge requirement,” Iwamoto said. “Our 

current fleet of motorcoaches is equipped with 

DVDs and wheelchair accessibility. Our new 

coaches will all have DVD players and lavatories. 

They will also feature electronic signage. 

Electronic signage is big because we want to 

help passengers make sure they are boarding the 

correct coach.” 

Roberts Hawaii’s new motorcoaches will also 

feature three-point seat belts. 

“We went with the option of installing threepoint 

seat belts in our new coaches in response 

to safety concerns expressed by travel agencies 

that book with us out of China, Korea and 

Japan,” Iwamoto said. “We listened to our customers’ 

concerns and we added three-point seat 

belts. 

“Over the years we have tried to maintain as 

clean and attractive vehicles as possible. It is 

very difficult when you have a fleet of our size. 

The last thing you want to do is give a bad first 

impression.” 

While many would describe Hawaii as a 

“tropical paradise,” and it certainly is in many 

ways, there are some challenges in doing business 

in the Aloha State. 

For example, when Roberts Hawaii purchases 

a coach, shipping costs can add 5 to 10 percent 

to the cost as compared to the same pur-

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chase made on the mainland. 

As Iwamoto says, “You can’t get here unless 

you fly” — a disadvantage when airfares go up. 

There have been times when high airfares have 

resulted in fewer groups and tourists traveling 

to the islands. The recent recession also had a 

negative impact on tourism. 

The good news is, Iwamoto reported, the 

tourism business is picking up. Several factors 

are contributing to the upswing in visitors, 

including the value of the U.S. dollar against 

some foreign currencies. 

“Because the dollar is kind of weak against 

the Japanese yen, we are seeing more Japanese 

tourists,” Iwamoto said. “It is also easy for 

Japanese travelers to come to Hawaii in terms 

of visa and travel regulations. Plus, they tend to 

spend the most. We are also seeing many 

tourists coming from other Asian countries, 

including South Korea and China, at this time. 

“The good news for travelers coming from 

the U.S. mainland is there are very good deals 

to be had, and hotels are offering very competitive 

rates to attract people to come here.” 

Looking Into The Future 

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“One basic challenge is to always be innovative 

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As Roberts Hawaii continues to seek 

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his father and how he went about building 

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“I don’t think my father just woke up one 

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Page 18 BUSLINE 


January/February 2011


By Rick Mullen 

Busline Magazine Associate Editor 

As the economy continues to sputter 

along, many public transit entities are 

attempting to recover from the worst 

of the recession. Despite facing a seemingly 

never-ending budget crisis, the executives of 

three public transit agencies interviewed 

recently by Busline Magazine are optimistic 

about the future. 


The transit executives shared how they are 

moving their respective agencies forward with 

efficient management, imagination, determination 

and the invaluable contributions of their 

employees. 

While Florida can boast of some 

world-famous, high marquee 

tourist destinations, such as Miami, 

Tampa, St. Petersburg, Orlando and others, the 

state’s capital city, Tallahassee, is home to a 

high marquee public transit system. 

Recently, Tallahassee’s StarMetro received 

four awards from the Florida Public 

Transportation Association (FPTA), including 

the Most Outstanding Florida Transit System 

in 2010. According to a news release, FPTA 

recognized StarMetro’s commitment to 

enhancing ridership, safety, community relations, 

operations and marketing among other 

criteria for the award. 

“StarMetro’s annual ridership is 4.4 to 4.6

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million. We provide fixed-route service throughout the entire city of 

Tallahassee and a small part of Leon County,” said StarMetro Executive 

Director Ron Garrison. “We also provide paratransit service with 17 

vehicles. At peak times, we operate about 57 fixed-route buses. 

“In addition, Florida is unique in that each county is required to have 

a Community Transportation Coordinator (CTC). StarMetro is the CTC 

for Leon County, of which Tallahassee is the county seat. In the role of 

the CTC, StarMetro contracts with two local vendors to provide services 

including Medicaid rides, non-sponsored trips and transporting those 

who are transportation disadvantaged.” 

Tallahassee is home to two major universities, Florida State 

and Florida A&M, both of which contract with StarMetro for 

services. 

“Nearly 60 percent of our ridership is students who are 

going to and from campus, as well as around the city,” 

Garrison said. “We not only provide special service to the 

campuses, we also have what is called the U Pass, which 

allows students to ride for free over our entire system. 

“A third educational institution we have contracted with is 

Tallahassee Community College, which has an enrollment of about 

15,000 students. In all, we have between 60,000 and 70,000 students who 

are able to take advantage of our system.” 

One major initiative undertaken by StarMetro, slated to be implemented 

in July 2011, is a decentralization project called Nova2010. 

Unanimously passed last March by the Tallahassee City Commission, 

Nova2010 is designed to take the current downtown-oriented route structure 

and break apart each route to create a more grid-like system, with 

routes running from north to south and east to west. 

“We currently have a hub system. We have the downtown hub 


StarMetro 

Executive Director 

Ron Garrison 

Keeping You in Motion 


with all the spokes coming in,” 

Garrison said. “We are taking on 

probably one of the largest fullscaled 

decentralization projects 

that I have ever seen, and I have 

managed six systems around the 

country. The plan is to decentralize 

the entire system in July 2011.” 

Currently, StarMetro operates 26 

regular routes and 11 university 

routes. Nova2010 will reduce the regular 

routes to 12, with the university 

routes remaining the same. 

“With one hub, there is much 

redundancy and inefficiency built 

into the system,” Garrison said. “For 

example, now only 6 percent of trips 

need to go downtown, but 100 percent of them do. 

“The grid system will also reduce our headways from as high 

as an hour and 40 minutes, in some cases, to as low as 10 minutes on 

certain roads. 

“We want a transit system that mimics vehicular travel to cut 

down on travel time. This way it becomes a viable system, not only 

for commuters, but also for people who want to get around town. 

“When we implement Nova2010, transit will match land use. We 

are pretty excited about that, and it is going to be a game-changer for 

this region. 

“Our main goal is to continually improve customer service. We also 

have a goal of increasing ridership 20 to 25 percent incrementally over 

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a 24- to 36-month period following the implementation of Nova2010.” 

In recent years, StarMetro has undergone a significant makeover, 

upgrading facilities and even changing its name and logo. 

“We updated our entire facility,” Garrison said. “We rebranded ourselves 

as StarMetro, changing the name from TalTran, and updated the 

logo on all buses. We used transit enhancement funds and we had a 

local artist make a sculpture out of used bus parts. It is pretty spectacular. 

It is about 11 feet tall and is in front of our facility. 

“We are just finishing up a contract for an Intelligent Transportation 

System project, which will include TV on buses, automatic vehicle 

location (AVL), automatic passenger counters, etc. We will be implementing 

this soon, along with online trip planning and online AVL. 

“We are working with a new company to install military-hardened 

touch screens in shelters. This new technology recognizes a person’s 

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smart card as far away as 18 inches. On these touch screens, passengers 

would be able to do trip planning, update fare media cards and call up 

news about the system. 

“I think we are the first in the state to use BigBelly trash receptacles. 

The BigBelly has a solar top, which powers a compactor in the receptacle. 

The receptacles are also outfitted with a GPS receiver. A receptacle 

signals when it is full and we know which one it is by way of the 

GPS receiver. These units only require emptying every two to three 

weeks, as opposed to daily, saving fuel, labor costs and trash bags.” 

Recently, StarMetro was awarded a $5.3 million Transit Investments 

for Greenhouse Gas and Energy Reduction (TIGGER) II grant to introduce 

zero emission, all-electric buses into the fleet. StarMetro is planning 

to purchase three new all-electric buses and to construct an electric 

fueling station. 

“The all-electric buses will be outfitted with 

charging stations,” Garrison said. “This is brand 

new technology. The charging stations will 

allow for a quick charge. A bus will be able to 

travel between 30 to 50 miles and then perform 

a quick charge in 10 minutes. We also have the 

first paratransit hybrid bus in the state of 

Florida.” 

With the many activities and projects underway 

at StarMetro, the transit system has continued 

to demand of itself the best in customer 

service. 

“We have six video cameras on all of our 

buses, making it very easy for us to see and 

know whenever anything occurs,” Garrison 

said. “We take comments via Twitter, we have a 

hotline, we have Facebook, we have a mechanism 

through the city’s website and we have 

people on the phones to communicate with the 

public. 

“When we receive a complaint from a 

customer, we try to react to it immediately. 

Our goal is to get back to that customer the 

same day, or, worse case scenario, within 24 

hours. We let the customer know what we 

are going to do concerning his or her issue. 

We try to resolve the situation within 48 to 72 

hours. We then contact the customer to inform 

him or her about what we did. We make contact 

again 5 or 6 weeks later to make sure the 

customer is satisfied with the outcome. This 

process supplies us with feedback and builds 

customer loyalty.” 

StarMetro recently completed a study 

looking into the possibility of becoming a 

regional transit authority. A regional transit 

authority typically has the ability of garnering 

greater funding for regional projects. In addition, 

as a regional transit authority, as the 

name suggests, StarMetro would be able to 

expand its scope of operation geographically. 

Currently, StarMetro is a department of the 

Tallahassee city government. 

Garrison sees a bright future for public transportation 

in Tallahassee. 

“Nova2010 will allow us to develop corridor 

ridership, which will put us in line for streetcar, 

rapid transit and, eventually, light rail,”

Garrison said. “I believe these modes would greatly 

enhance the area. We are moving in the right direction. 

“On a national scale, I believe the country, those in 

leadership and those paying attention, realize we are 

bankrupting our cities with urban sprawl. Young people 

are moving to places with highly developed public 

transportation systems, such as Portland, OR, because 

they don’t have to own a car. 

“I believe public transit in the United States has to 

change and evolve with the needs of the country, and 

that means we have to plan differently. Planning that 

incorporates smart growth principles makes transit one 

of the home run hitters of the future. 

“If we want to improve the economical viability of 

communities, we need to make transit an option — not 

the only option — but an option for folks to get around 

and have the connectivity they need in the community. 

GLTC 

General Manager 

Michael Carroll 

“The industry must continue educating our legislators to understand 

that every dollar spent in transit brings back $3 to $6 in economic 

returns. Transit is part of the economic engine and should 

not be discounted. Transit, in conjunction with smart growth principles, 

is something that can actually bring a community back. 

“I believe public transportation can really make a difference in our 

country. It is something that will become more and more important as 

the country continues to grow.” 

Contact: StarMetro, Administrative Offices, 555 Appleyard Drive, 

Tallahassee, FL 32304. Phone: 850-891-5200. 

Web site: www.talgov.com/StarMetro. 


Located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge 

Mountains along the James River, 

Lynchburg, VA, is a regional center for commerce, 

retail and many small businesses, as well as 

home to several colleges and universities. 

Known as the “City of Seven Hills” and “The Hill 

City,” the city’s public transportation needs are served 

by the Greater Lynchburg Transit Co. (GLTC). A 

2009 estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau put 

Lynchburg’s population at just shy of 

74,000 people. 

“GLTC is a non-profit public service 

corporation owned by the city of 

Lynchburg. It is considered a small 

urban transit system,” GLTC General 

Manager Michael Carroll said. “We 

have 40 heavy-duty buses and 11 paratransit 

cutaway buses in our fleet, and we 

average a little more than 1 million miles a year. 

“The transit system is governed by a nine-member citizen volunteer 

Board of Directors appointed by City Council. The Board recently 

changed to a ‘high impact governance’ model. GLTC is managed by 

First Transit, which provides the general manager and assistant general 

manager for operations. 

“The transit system employs about 125 people. Drivers and mechanics 

are represented by ATU (Amalgamated Transit Union). With an 

operating budget is about $7 million annually, GLTC carries about 3 

million passengers on the fixed route side on an annual basis, and 

January/February 2011 BUSLINE Page 25

25,000 passengers on our paratransit system.” 

GLTC’s paratransit service, also called “PTS,” is offered to qualifying 

individuals whose disability prevents them from riding on regular 

fixed-bus routes. The service is Americans with Disabilities Act 

(ADA)-certified. 

“PTS has been growing about 15 to 20 percent on an annual basis,” 

Carroll said. 

Other GLTC services include Commuter Choice, which is a program 

that allows employers to help pay for their employees’ commutes when 

they use public transit or ridesharing. The transit system also offers discounted 

fares to Medicare cardholders, senior citizens (65 and older), 

and disabled individuals who have a GLTC ID card. 

Another popular service is bike racks on the system’s buses, especially 

among the city’s large student population. Of the 3 million passenger 

boardings GLTC records annually, about 2 million are students. 

“We have a partnership with Liberty University, which is a private 

Christian university in Lynchburg, with an enrollment of about 12,000 

students at the local campus,” Carroll said. “We have a service arrangement 

to provide on-campus shuttle service for the university. 

“We also open the doors of GLTC, through a financial arrangement 

with the university, to allow students to ride our buses at no additional 

charge by showing their ID.” 

As a result of the partnership with Liberty University, GLTC has 

nearly doubled the size of its fleet, and the number of employees. 

While there are many aspects of running an operation such as GLTC, 

safety and customer service are at the top the system’s priority list on a 

daily basis. 

“Safety is our No. 1 concern and customer service is high on the 

list as well,” Carroll said. “We tell our employees we are in the cus- 

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tomer service business first and foremost.” 

To help in keeping abreast with customers’ needs and desires, GLTC 

has two standing customer advisory committees that meet every other 

month. One committee is for the fixed route side of the operation, and 

the other is for paratransit. 

“The advisory committees serve as valuable conduits for information. 

They are a good regular channel of communication with 

our customers,” Carroll said. “In addition, we monitor and investigate 

all complaints that we receive.” 

To further facilitate quality customer service down the road, GLTC is 

pursuing two major capital projects — a new transfer center and a new 

bus maintenance operation facility. 

“We also recently reached an agreement with RouteMatch Software 

to deploy a system-wide, computer-aided dispatch and automatic vehicle 

location (AVL) system,” Carroll said. “The system isn’t just to benefit 

dispatchers, but also to make real-time information available to our 

customers.” 

As a testimony to GLTC’s efficiency and planning, the transit system 

is able to pursue its varied projects despite limited funding. 

“Like many public transit agencies, we are looking at budget challenges. 

The state of Virginia is talking about cutting funding, and localities 

are experiencing economical challenges as well. 

“Despite budgetary and other challenges, we will continue to work to 

improve our customer service,” Carroll said. “We recently completed a 

transit development plan — a comprehensive operational analysis — 

that takes a short-term look at shifting our routes when we move to the 

planned transfer center in a couple of years. 

“The transit development plan also covers the long-term goals of 

expanding service in a more aggressive way and addressing some of the 

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growing demographic changes in our community. It is a pretty aggressive 

plan that, if carried out, would almost double service during the 

next 10 years.” 

For most of the riding public, the most visible “faces” of GLTC’s customer 

service effort are the people who drive the buses and paratransit 

vehicles. The transit service seeks drivers who have the ability and personality 

to serve customers well. 

“Our training program for new operators is from six to eight 

weeks. We don’t require a driver to have a commercial driver’s 

licenses when he or she is first hired,” Carroll said. “We are more 

interested in a driver’s customer service skills initially, rather than what 

prior experience he or she might have. My philosophy is we can train 

most people to drive a bus, but we can’t train the desire to serve 

and to have a good sense of customer service.” 

Also highly visible to the public are GLTC’s buses. Clean, safe and 

up-to-date buses are a valuable marketing tool. In addition, newer buses 

are usually more efficient and cost effective to operate. 

“We have been on a very aggressive fleet replacement program, and 

we are pretty much caught up at this point,” Carroll said. “With funds 

received from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 

(ARRA), we acquired seven new buses this last year. 

“Of the 40 heavy-duty buses currently in our fleet, about 65 percent 

of them are diesel-electric hybrid. We have gone the hybrid route on 

alternative fueled vehicles and we are very pleased with the results. We 

are getting about 35 percent better fuel economy than a comparable traditional 

diesel bus. Another benefit of the diesel-electric hybrid buses is 

longer brake life.” 

Known as the “Hill City,” it can be hard on a bus’ brakes as it navigates 

Lynchburg. Carroll explained the hybrid drive does “the lion’s 


share” of braking rather than the vehicle’s service brakes. 

“We are getting about three times the brake life on our hybrid buses,” 

he said. 

GLTC’s customer service efforts are centered toward increasing ridership. 

Customer service initiatives often help motivate non-traditional 

riders, who have other transportation options, to take a look at public 

transit. 

“Two-thirds of our riders are people who don’t have access to vehicles 

— the ‘traditional’ ridership,” Carroll said. “This has changed 

somewhat with the university partnerships we have established. 

“The large student ridership and hybrid vehicles, which are showcases 

for the environmental benefits of public transit, are both important 

elements in shifting the public’s perception of riding the bus. As the 

benefits of public transportation are being made known, we are seeing 

signs of increases in ‘choice riders.’ 

“I think public transportation has a bright future. It is just going to 

take the public a little while to recognize its importance. We are always 

going to love our cars. However, I think as we start talking more about 

sustainability, environmental concerns and energy independence, public 

transit is going to be a critical part of solving some of these problems. 

“Ultimately, GLTC’s success has been due to our employees, who 

have really stepped up to the plate the past several years during tough 

times. They are the ones who make it happen.” 

Contact: Greater Lynchburg Transit Co., 

P.O. Box 797, Lynchburg, VA 24505-0797. 

Phone: 434-455-5080; 

Fax: 434-847-8621. 

Web site: www.gltconline.com. 


Serving Topeka, KS, the state’s capital city, Topeka Transit 

provides fixed-route service with 51 buses and, in addition, 

operates both paratransit and demand and response operations. 

The transit system serves the greater Topeka area that has an estimated 

population of about 124,331. 

“Our Evening and Sunday Service is a demand and response operation 

that is similar to a general public taxi,” said Topeka Transit 

CEO Janlyn Nesbett-Tucker. “Our fixed-route service runs from 

roughly 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. In January, we are 

planning to significantly trim some of our more unproductive routes.” 

The Topeka Metropolitan Transit Authority (TMTA) was created in 

1973 by a vote of city residents. Since its founding, Topeka Transit 

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According to the TMTA, of the transit 

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“In spring 2010, HDR Engineering 

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run systems,” Nesbett-Tucker said. 

While many business, industry and transportation 

entities have suffered during the 

recent recession, some were hit worse than 

others. Such has been the case for Topeka 

Transit. 

“We have significant issues with funding, 

as do many transit systems,” Nesbett-Tucker 

said. “We are kind of a poster child when it 

comes to dealing with scarce funds. For 16 

years we operated without a property tax 

increase, but that came to a head in 2009. 

Since that time, it has been extremely difficult. 

We strive to provide the very best service 

possible — service of which a capital city 

could be proud. 

“In light of financial challenges with 

scarce available funds and reduced tax revenues, 

it is very, very tough. We have cut 

service more than 30 percent during the 

past two years. That doesn’t come without a 

price, and the price is loss of ridership.” 

Indeed, Topeka Transit is facing a kind of 

“Catch-22” situation that often confronts 

public transportation entities in that lack of 

funds means reduced services. Reduced services 

often translate into a decrease in ridership. 

State and federal funding formulas are 

determined, in part, by ridership. 

“It is a downward spiral that we are really 

grappling with,” Nesbett-Tucker said. “We do 

not do any marketing, which makes it 

extremely difficult to let people know what a 

good deal we are.” 

One of the unfunded needs Topeka Transit 

faces is updating its fleet. The entire fleet, 

including paratransit vehicles, is eligible for 

replacement in 2012. One bit of good news is, 

the transit system was able to replace 16 vehicles 

by way of the $4 million in ARRA funds 

it received. 

“In the past, we were successful in securing 

earmarks for bus replacements, capital 

Continued On Page 50

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4,000 miles. 

The fluid, which is considered to be easy and 

safe to handle, can be purchased in containers 

through authorized dealers and at diesel fueling 

stations. To find retail outlets, visit the U.S. 

Department of Energy DEF locator online: 

http://www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/locator/def. 

MCI also has re-engineered its cooling packages 

for all 2011 model year coaches to accommodate 

the 2010 engines. The D-Series now has 

a single fan with a three-speed clutch and a shorter 

belt, offering less vibration. All of MCIs radiators 

are now constructed from lightweight, corrosion 

resistant aluminum cores and glass reinforced 

nylon tanks to provide the optimum cooling 

performance while reducing weight. 

To learn more, MCI has a webinar, led by 

MCI engineers available at 

www.mcicoach.com/webinar. 

Visit www.mcicoach.com 

for more information. 

For more information on the world’s most 

advanced bus a/c compressor or a tour of our plant 

in Georgia where we are building them, visit 

www.bitzerus.com. 

Phone: 770-503-9226 


Tampa, FL, is the home for the United Motorcoach Association’s 

(UMA) 2011 Motorcoach Expo. The 27th annual event is scheduled 

to take place at the Tampa Convention Center on January 19-23. 

The first event at the UMA Motorcoach Expo will actually begin on 

Monday, January 17 with the International Motor Coach Group’s 

Maintenance & Safety Forum. This event is scheduled through 

Wednesday, January 19. 

UMA Expo registration will open at 10 a.m. on 

Wednesday, January 19 and close for the day at 6 p.m. 

Additionally, the State Association Summit is scheduled 

from 1 to 5 p.m. and will be followed by a 

Welcome Reception from 6 to 8 p.m. the same day. 

A new event at UMA Expo this year will be the 

“Motorcoaches Drive Tourism: Tourism Cares 

Fundraiser,” scheduled from 8 to 11:30 p.m. on 

Wednesday at the Hard Rock Hotel. 

Thursday, January 20 starts with registration at 

7:30 a.m. through 6:45 p.m. A continental breakfast 

begins at 8 a.m. and is followed by the UMA 

Active Membership Meeting from 8:30 to 9 a.m. 

Next will be the Opening Session from 9 to 10 a.m., 

featuring the theme “Refocus, Redefine, Reinvent” and 

remarks from several industry dignitaries. This will be followed 

from 10 to 10:45 a.m. by the Legislative & Regulatory 

Update. Attendees will be informed about new federal regulatory initiatives 

and will be given insight on what to expect from the U.S. Congress. 

Also, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, the annual Maintenance 

Interchange will take place. Motorcoach owners, operators and maintenance 

personnel can openly discuss maintenance issues. Participants can submit 

maintenance issues in advance and provide suggestions for solving these 

problems in the day-long session. 

From 11 a.m. to noon on Thursday the first of four concurrent hour-long 

“Solution Sessions” for Expo attendees takes place. The first group of sessions 

is as follows: 

• Marketing — Smart Pricing Strategies; 

• Operations — 2010 Engines / How They Are Working; and, 

• Finance — Reducing Tax Exposure. 

A Leadership Luncheon will take place from 12:15 to 2 p.m. on Thursday, 

followed by the second set of concurrent Solution Sessions, scheduled from 

2:15 to 3:15 p.m. They are as follows: 

• Marketing — Aggressive Marketing Techniques; 

• Operations — Motivating Employees; and, 


EXHIBIT HALL HOURS 

January 20 - January 22 

Thursday, Sneak Preview 

4:45 - 6:45 p.m. 

Friday 

10:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. (Lunch served) 

Saturday 

9 a.m. - Noon 

(Brunch served) 

• Finance — Motorcoach Economics / Finding The “Sweet Spot” (continued 

to next hour). 

The final concurrent Solution Sessions on Thursday are slated for 3:30 to 

4:30 p.m. They are as follows: 

• Marketing — Electronic Marketing; 

• Operations — CSA 2010 / Update And Other FMCSA Issues; and, 

• Finance — Motorcoach Economics / Finding The “Sweet 

Spot” (continued from previous hour). 

A major event on Thursday will be the Exhibit Hall 

Sneak Preview, taking place from 4:45 to 6:45 

p.m. Exhibitors will give demonstrations and showcase 

their latest industry products and services. 

The UMA Expo on Friday, January 21 will 

begin at 7:30 a.m. with the annual Maintenance 

Competition. This event will last until 10:30 

a.m. and gives participants a chance to compete 

against each other to solve different maintenance-related 

issues. 

Friday’s Expo registration is scheduled from 

7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. There will also be a continental 

breakfast and General Session titled 

“Refurbish vs. Lease vs. Buy.” This event takes place 

from 8:15 to 9:15 a.m., the same time period that a 

Vendor’s View program is scheduled. 

The fourth and final hour-long concurrent Solution Sessions during 

this year’s UMA Expo are scheduled for 9:30 to 10:30 a.m on Friday. They 

are as follows: 

• Marketing — Developing Marketing & Business Plans; 

• Operations — View From Travel And Tourism Suppliers; and, 

• Finance — Impact Of The New Health Care Law. 

The UMA Exhibit Hall will be open from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on 

Friday. Lunch will be served at the Exhibit Hall from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

Friday’s final event will be the 8th Annual Vision Awards Banquet, scheduled 

from 6 to 11 p.m. and featuring a reception, dinner and industry awards. 

The final day of the Exhibit Hall during the 2011 UMA Motorcoach 

Expo is Saturday, January 22. The show floor will be open from 9 a.m. 

until noon, with registration beginning at 8:30 a.m. Brunch at the Exhibit Hall 

will be served from 10 a.m. until noon. 

This year’s final event at the UMA Expo, scheduled for 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on 

Sunday, January 23, is the 7th Annual Ray Dupuis Memorial Golf 

Tournament. 

Visit Busline Magazine’s Booth #512 At UMA Motorcoach Expo.

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PREVOST NEWS 

Prevost Showcases 15,000th Vehicle — The New 2011 H3-45 

Prevost has manufactured its 15,000th vehicle and will showcase the 

new motorcoach at the American Bus Association Marketplace and 

the United Motorcoach Association 

Expo in January. 

The 15,000th vehicle is a newly redesigned 

2011 H3-45. As flagship of 

the Prevost line-up, the new H-Series 

conveys the brand values of customer 

intimacy, premium quality and sound 

innovation; and it is designed to look 

the part. Expressive forms and elegant 

features make it a sophisticated 

standout: “The high-end coach with 

attitude.” 

H-Series Design Front End 

The presence, at the front of the 

coach, of the chromed logotype on the 

glossy black surface and the attention 

given to minute details reinforce the 

appeal and distinction of the coach. 

The front end integrates sound functionality improvements such as the 

new proprietary headlamps, which deliver the highest halogen light output 

ever on a Prevost coach. 

Extra space for a full-size 365 tire has been composed behind the 

restyled front bumper, making use of the fuel efficient super-single tires 

even more convenient. 

New Profile 

Prevost says the new H-Series seems to be machined from a solid piece 

of steel. The new sculpted wheel arches are bold yet refined and add char- 

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Our legendary service is only slightly more 

impressive than the cost savings we can deliver: 

• Save up to 25% off all of your glass needs. 

We’ve been keeping independant coach companies and major city 

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Prevost’s newly redesigned H3-45 

acter to the coach’s design. The basic proportions of the H-Series offer 

passengers a panoramic view, making it an ideal coach for sightseeing 

and enjoyment. 

New Rear Section 

Unique wrap-around tail lamps, superior 

air flow management and a design 

highlight the new rear section of the H- 

Series coach. 

There are new proprietary tail lamps 

featuring wrap-around surface and integrated 

automotive reflectors. The large 

tail lamps are more visible than ever 

thanks to modern, long-lasting LED technology 

and their high location on the 

coach. Light diffusion is carefully managed 

to increase side visibility, while 

amber LEDs make turn signals stand out 

for maximum safety. 

The clean and modern design of the 

rear section of the coach features a 

reduced number of air vents made possible by advanced air-flow management 

in the engine compartment. For additional convenience, the fullwidth 

engine door and top panel door provide superior access to mechanical 

components. Crisp vertical character lines visually integrate the 

doors into an elegant and well proportioned volume. 

Prevost AWARE – Adaptive Cruise Braking 

Prevost AWARE introduces new safety features that advance Prevost’s 

commitment to safety. They include: 

• Adaptive Cruise - When cruise control is on, AWARE automatically 

adjusts the cruise speed of the coach to maintain a 

safe following distance, taking into consideration the 

position of the vehicle ahead. The system automatically 

returns the coach to the original cruise speed when it 

is safe to do so. AWARE will decrease speed to try to 

maintain adequate distance, and if the system realizes 

that this intervention will not be sufficient, it will activate 

the Impact Alert to tell the driver to apply full 

braking; 

• Impact Alert - This feature will alert the driver if 

the distance between coach and vehicle ahead closes too 

quickly, giving the driver an opportunity to take action. 

Impact Alert is always active and protecting the coach 

(in cruise or not); and, 

• Following Distance Alert - Reminds the driver to 

keep a safe following distance by indicating when the 

coach is following too closely to the vehicle ahead. 

Volvo D13 Engine 

Prevost says the Volvo D13 engine is the only EPA 

2010 engine that uses an existing platform, so it is the 

only engine platform that has been tested with years of 

real-world road conditions. Volvo’s D13 engine has 

superior low-end performance, smooth, quiet operation 

and drastically lowers emission of air pollutants, with 

better performance and lower fuel consumption. 

“Prevost’s care for the environment supports our 

long-standing policy of conserving energy and protecting 

natural resources.” 

Volvo’s D13 engine adheres to this philosophy by 

lowering emission of air pollutants with better performance 

and lower fuel consumption. 

The D13 Engine Platform includes low-end performance; 

smooth, quiet operation; and high fuel 

economy.

The Volvo SCR Solution Exceeds 

EPA Emissions Standards 

When the EPA imposed new heavy-duty diesel emission standards, 

Volvo chose Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) as the technology they 

felt most efficiently solved the problem of nitrogen oxides. Prevost’s 

SCR approach — already well proven in Europe — combines the best 

aspects of Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) with a Diesel Particulate 

Filter (DPF) and selective catalytic reduction, a solution that exceeds 

new 2010 EPA NOx emissions requirements. 

SCR Advantages —Near-Zero Emissions 

Volvo engineers created a system that delivers near-zero emissions of 

particulates and NOx and improves air quality in accordance with EPA 

’10 regulations. 

Improved Fuel Efficiency 

Thanks to Volvo engines with SCR exhaust aftertreatment system, 

Prevost says they are able to lower fuel consumption. The 2010 D13 

engine’s SCR system provides improved fuel efficiency over previous 

D13 engines. 

No Active Regeneration 

A DPF accumulates particulate matter that periodically must be burned 

off using a process called regeneration. With Volvo’s 2010 SCR technology, 

this regeneration occurs automatically—and the driver proceeds without 

even being aware the process is taking place. Under normal driving conditions, 

there’s never a need to park and perform an “active” regeneration. 

Volvo I-Shift 

Volvo I-Shift is a 12-speed, two-pedal, lightweight automated manual 

transmission (AMT) that delivers an exceptional level of productivity by 

simultaneously maximizing driver comfort, safety, payload capacity and 

fuel efficiency. 

I-Shift is designed to integrate seamlessly with Volvo Power engines. 

It represents the fourth generation of proven Volvo AMT technology that 

requires minimum service and virtually no maintenance. 

Operational Advantages Enhance Productivity/Lower Costs 

Prevost says the I-Shift lets every driver shift like a fuel efficiency 

expert, reducing fuel costs. Smooth shifting puts less stress on the driveline 

and the tires, and can extend the useful life of the driveline and minimize 

maintenance. I-Shift is also light in weight. 

Improved Cluster/Driver Display 

Prevost’s new Cluster showcases a Driver Information Display (DID). 

The Fuel Data Management function allows better management of fuel 

stops to optimize trip planning (i.e., how much fuel has been used, how 

much fuel is remaining before refueling the vehicle). The Driver 

Information Display shows Clear Text Display Messages to help drivers 

understand the importance of the message and allows drivers to take 

fewer actions according to the urgency level. 

Another convenient feature is the optional pre-trip inspection. The 

available pre-trip tests include the Exterior Light Inspection check and 

the Air Leakage check. Password protected functions allow the operator 

to control what information is available to be seen and modified by the 

driver. In addition, through Data Logging, the operator can access builtin 

functions about fuel and trip data. 

The Driver Information Display allows customization of the information 

in the display. It gives the operator the flexibility to highlight information 

he values. For example, fuel data could be included in the favorite 

display to promote fuel efficient driving habits to drivers. Also, the 

LEscreen of the Driver Display improves cycle life and reduces maintenance 

related to replacing bulbs. 

Steering Wheel Controls 

Using its multiplexed architecture, Prevost moved controls for key 

functions from the dashboard to the steering wheel. Some controls that 

are used frequently by drivers only—cruise control, shifting, engine 

brake, and electric sun visor — have been moved to the steering wheel. 

Putting vehicle functions at drivers’ fingertips lets them keep their eyes 

on the road and hands on the wheel. Visit www.prevostcar.com. 


ARI-HETRA 

12775 Randolph Ridge Lane 

Manassas, VA 20109 USA 

703-359-6265 

FAX: 703-359-6405 

Web Site: www.ari-hetra.com 

Products: ARI-HETRA is the U.S. manufacturer 

of a full line of heavy-duty vehicle mainte- 

nance equipment. Known for products including 

its mobile lifting system, exhaust extraction system 

and heavy-duty wheel service equipment. 

ARI-HETRA Mobile Lifting Systems are 

capable of servicing all types of heavy-duty vehicles 

and equipment. There are no limitations 

regarding vehicle weight, wheelbase or configuration. 

08 

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Automotive Lifts & Machinery Corp. 

(ALM) 

200 Benchmark Industrial Drive 

Streator, IL 61364 USA 

800-544-5438 

FAX: 815-673-2292 

Web Site: www.alm-autolift.com 

Products: ALM Corporation is a U.S. manufacturer 

of Mobile Column Lifts. The company 

has been in business since 1982 and specializes 

in heavy-duty lifting. Call for a free 

CD or to schedule a demonstration. ALM 

offers a full line of accessories. 06 

Gray Manufacturing Company, Inc. 

3501 S. Leonard Rd. 

St. Joseph, MO 64503 USA 

816-233-6121 

FAX: 816-233-7251 

E-Mail: gray@grayusa.com 

Web Site: www.grayusa.com 

Products: Gray Manufacturing is a familyowned 

and operated company. It designs, 

manufactures, sells and services innovative, 

high-quality and reliable professional service 

equipment for the automotive, truck, and 

service vehicle industries. 

Gray offers a complete line of professional 

service equipment including: mobile column 

lifts, wheel lift systems, transmission and 

component jacks, air jacks, floor jacks, vehicle 

support stands, shop presses, wheel dollies, 

fluid handlers, forklift jacks, oil filter 

crushers, and truck tire changers. 09 

MAHA USA, L.L.C. 

See Ad On Page 36 

2404 East Highway 134 

Pinckard, AL 36371 USA 

334-984-0153

FAX: 334-983-1094 

E-Mail: info@maha-usa.com 

Web Site: www.maha-usa.com 

Company Officers: Juergen Werner, VP 

Sales & Marketing; Wolfgang Raffler, COO; 

Udo Vespa, Technical Manager; Radu Pop, 

Office Manager 

Products: MAHA USA, LLC is located in 

Pinckard, AL, and is a proud member of the 

MAHA Group that is present in more than 

130 countries worldwide. With over 41 years 

of engineering excellence worldwide, and 15 

years of activity in the USA, MAHA has 

established a reputation of quality, service 

and advanced automotive testing and lifting 

technology. MAHA manufactures over 100 

different products for various applications 

entirely dedicated to the automotive and 

heavy-duty industry. In the company’s U.S.based 

90,000 square foot state-of-the-art production 

facility, MAHA is currently building 

high-quality lifting equipment that is in high 

demand on the North American market. 

MAHA USA has developed and certified a 

new series of “Wireless Battery Powered 

Mobile Column Lifts” capable of lifting up to 

108,000 pounds and has introduced a new 

line of complete heavy-duty workshop equipment 

like low-rise wheel lifting systems, jack 

stands, transmission and clutch jacks, shop 

cranes and lifting tables. To become a complete 

workshop supplier for the automotive 

industry, MAHA also implemented a complete 

Wheel Service Equipment line for passenger 

cars and heavy-duty vehicles. 

Whether it is heavy-duty or light vehicles 

that need service, MAHA is a one-stop shop 

for all service equipment needs – “German 

Engineering-Made in USA.” 11 

Mohawk Lifts 


P.O. Box 110 

Amsterdam, NY 12010 USA 

800-833-2006 

518-842-1431 

FAX: 518-842-1289 

E-Mail: gsmith@mohawklifts.com 

Web Site: www.mohawklifts.com 

Company Officers: Steve Perlstein 

Products: Mohawk offers environmentally 

safe above ground lifts ranging from 6,000 to 

240,000 pound capacities. Since 1981, 

Mohawk has manufactured the highest quality, 

safest auto and truck lifts available. 

Mohawk is a top supplier for all government, 

state, utility, and fleet lifting requirements. 

Mohawk’s popularity is based on a combination 

of safety systems, design, construction, 

and the most inclusive warranty in the lift 

industry. 

Mohawk is one of few lift manufacturers 

whose products have passed rigid third party 

compliance testing to ANSI/ALI ALCTV- 

2006. Certification of ANSI compliance has 

become important to lift specifiers and users. 

Demand certification by looking for the ALI 

Certified and ETL Listed marks. Mohawk 

lifts are designed, welded, and manufactured 

in the U.S.A. 11 

Railquip, Inc. 

3731 Northcrest Rd., Suite 6 

Atlanta, GA 30340 USA 

770-458-4157 

FAX: 770-458-5365 

E-Mail: sales@railquip.com 

Web Site: www.railquip.com 

Products: Heavy-duty Mobile Column Lift 

System (RQL-70), available in configurations 

of 4, 6, or 8 columns with a total combined 

lifting capacity of 64,000 lbs. for 4 column 

lifts. A low friction recirculating ball 

bearing screw nut assembly suspended from 

the top of the column provides the lifting 

power. 

The RQL-70 Mobile Column Lift System 

features microprocessor controls with automatic 

synchronization and communication 

between columns. The RQL-70 has three 

separate modes of operation and detection of 

load nut failure. The automatic shut off provides 

extra safety in case of contact with an 

object. Other products: Light Vehicle Adapter 

AVA8 plus car, mobile truck/bus washer, HD 

wheel handler, transmission jacks, heavyduty 

jack stands and cross-beam adapter. 10 

Rotary Lift 


2700 Lanier Drive 

Madison, IN 47250 USA 

800-640-5438 

FAX: 800-578-5438 

E-Mail: userlink@rotarylift.com 

Web Site: www.rotarylift.com 

Products: Rotary offers a full line of surface, 

environmentally friendly inground, mobile 

column and parallelogram lifts. It offers 

facility design assistance and supports facility 

designers with 3-part specifications and 

CAD blocks. 11 

Sefac, Inc. 

23 Fontana Lane, Suite 110 

Baltimore, MD 21237 USA 

443-730-1023 

FAX: 443-730-1026 

E-Mail: sefac@sefac.com 

Web Site: www.sefac.com 

Products: Rated at 18,000 lbs. (each column), 

Sefac’s new lift is a good choice for 

TWO-POST 

LIFTS 

7,000 through 

30,000 lb. capacity two- post lifts. 

TR SERIES 

MOBILE LIFTS 

RAMP STYLE LIFTS 

10,000 through 125,000 lb. capacity 

models give complete under vehicle 

access for trucks and buses. 

Mohawk MP-series electric / hydraulic mobile 

lifts available in 2,4,6 or 8 post configurations. 

Model 

Shown: 

50-32 S 

Lifts That Last 

A Lifetime 

Model Shown: 

TP-16 

Model Shown: 

TR-33 

Model Shown: 

MP-18-006 

PARALLELOGRAM LIFTS 

36,000 through 100,000 lb. lifting capacity with 

track lengths from 26 to 48 ft. long. 

www.mohawklifts.com 

1-800-833-2006 

Mohawk Industrial Park 

P.O. Box 110, Amsterdam, NY 12010 

Phone: 518-842-1431 Fax: 518-842-1289 

AVAILABLE UNDER GOVERNMENT CONTRACT 


transit buses and motorcoaches. A SEFAC® lift is one man portable 

and consequently can be used in multiple work bays and even outside. 

All SEFAC® lifts feature a patented electromechanical, self-locking 

design, based on an Acme-threaded screw and a bronze load nut for 

the ultimate in safety. It is inherently self-locking. The lifts stop 

immediately when power is removed and cannot move again unless 

power is re-applied. 

An interactive touch screen pad enables the operator to select the 

operational mode (all lifts, pairs or single) and communicates to the 

operator the height of each column, lift speed and more. The most 

innovative feature is the variable speed drive. The lift speed can be set 

according to the weight of the load being lifted. For those who are lifting 

a lighter load, the lift speed can be increased to as much as 70 

inches/per minute. The company provides after-sales and service 

support. 10 

Stertil-Koni 


200 Log Canoe Circle 

Stevensville, MD 21666 USA 

410-643-9001 

FAX: 410-643-8901 

E-Mail: lifts@stertil-koni.com 

Web Site: www.stertil-koni.com 

Company Officers: Jean DellAmore, President 

Products: Stertil-Koni, based in Stevensville, MD, is one of the 

fastest growing heavy-duty vehicle lift companies in the United 

States. With an extensive inventory of lifts, and working through an 


exclusive network of distributors, Stertil-Koni sells its complete line 

of heavy-duty vehicle lifts throughout the United States and Canada. 

Stertil-Koni has expanded manufacturing of its broad range of mobile 

column lifts in the United States with manufacturing facilities in 

Streator, IL. 

Stertil-Koni manufactures all types of heavy-duty lifts, including 

mobile column lifts, platform lifts, parallelogram lifts, in-ground axle 

engaging lifts, and two-post lifts. Stertil is ISO 9001 certified, and 

most lifts are ALI/ETL certified. In addition to introducing the U.S.made 

mobile column lifts, Stertil recently introduced its newest 

ALI/ETL certified lift...the wireless mobile column lift. With no interconnecting 

cables, and using rechargeable deep cycle marine batteries, 

the ease-of-use and functionality of mobile column lifts have 

never been greater. 11 

From ABC: Van Hool Deliveries 

New York City’s GO NewYork 

Airport Service Adds 6 Van Hool 

C2045s To Fleet. 

“We are part of the GO Group, an 

integrated network of transportation 

experts providing ground transportation 

services around the 

world,” said David Chien, GO New 

York’s director of marketing. 

“These have exceptional versatility, 

and the proven quality of the coaches. 

They are built tough for airport 

service, while providing the luxury 

environment that sophisticated travelers 

expect. We’ll also be using 

them for group and charter services 

in addition to scheduled airport 

service.” 

2 New Van Hool C2045s 

Part Of Bloomington (IN) 

Shuttle’s Fleet 

“We try to operate the freshest 

equipment in the region,” said Chris 

Gourley, president of Indiana based 

Bloomington Shuttle. 

“These two new Van Hool 

C2045’s are a major investment in 

pleasing our customers. The other 

half of the equation that has driven 

our success is a stress on personal 

relationships with customers. They 

deal with the same representative 

from the moment they contact us, 

through the planning stage, until 

they return from the trip, and we ask 

them how we did. 

In 1992, Gourley started Bloomington 

Shuttle with two 15 passenger 

vans. Twelve years later, the 

fleet has grown to 52 vehicles, 

including vans, minicoaches and 12 

full sized motorcoaches. 

Innovative Coach 

Takes Delivery Of A 

2010 Van Hool C2045 

“‘Innovative’ is not just a name 

… it’s what we’re trying to be. It’s 

our goal,” pointed out Brent Kelly, 

president of Harrisburg, PA, based 

Innovative Coach. 

Kelly and his wife, Chrissie, 

bought Lowee's Group Tours in 

1999, and have increased revenue 

six-fold in the intervening years. 

The Kellys decided that operating 

their own coach would provide 

some real possibilities of growth, 

offering unique trips and amenities 

new to their region, so they founded 

Innovative Coach. 

In September Innovative took 

delivery of a 2010 Van Hool C2045. 

Powered by a Detroit Diesel S60 

coupled to an Allison B500G4 

transmission, the coach has Van 

Hool’s contoured parcel racks, an 

REI Elite Video System with 22” 

video monitors and offers free WiFi 

and satellite TV. 

For more information, 

contact ABC Companies 

at 1-800-222-2875 or visit 

www.abc-companies.com.

Allison Widens Product Optimization 

All Allison Automatic 2011 models are available with new 

Economy Shift Schedules for even greater fuel economy. 

For school buses, Allison 1000/2000 Pupil Transport/Shuttle Series 

models are available with Increased Torque Converter Lockup 

Availability. Lockup occurs when the torque converter achieves a 

direct connection between the engine and the transmission. 

According to the company, Allison’s new Increased Lockup 

Availability enables the transmission to shift into lockup in 1st range, 

and stay locked-up through the higher range. Locking the converter 

earlier builds upon the already superior balance of fuel economy and 

vehicle performance. 

Allison 2nd Reverse is now an available option for the Oil Field 

Series 4700 model. 2nd Reverse offers a second “deep reverse” in 

addition to the standard reverse. It provides more maneuverability 

when operating in confined spaces and slow creep capability with high 

engine speeds, perfect for positioning heavy rigs. 

Variable Modulated Main (VMM) is now featured with all Allison 

3000/4000 models. VMM modulates the pressure required in the internal 

lubrication system to increase transmission efficiency and improve 

fuel economy. 

And, Allison 3000/4000 models are now available with new Low 

Speed Grade Assist to provide improved performance and reduce heat 

generation when climbing grades. 

Allison Transmission, Inc. (Allison) is a global provider of commercial 

duty automatic transmissions and hybrid propulsion systems. 

Allison products are specified by over 250 of the world’s leading vehicle 

manufacturers and are used in many market sectors including bus, 

refuse, fire, construction, distribution, military and specialty applications. 

Visit www.allisontransmission.com for more information. 

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www.aesysinc.com � getonboard@aesysinc.com 


Home of the Best Full-Service 

Travel Plaza in Northern Illinois 

Featuring… 

(815) 561-9595 

(815) 562-5840 

Seating for 175, Homestyle Cooking, 

Daily Specials, Buffet, Salad Bar, 

Ice Cream, Full Menu, Carry-Out 

Seating for 40, Pizza, Pasta Specialties, 

Sandwiches, Salads, Italian Sausage 

LAVAZZA Espresso, Cappuccino, Latté 

Buses Always Welcome! 

Designated Bus Parking 

Bus Drivers & Tour 

Guides Eat free! 

Mini-Mall — 2 Stores 

5,000 sq. ft. of shopping! 

ATM, Major Credit Cards accepted. 

I-39 & Hwy 38, Exit 99 

Rochelle, IL 

25 miles South of Rockford 

OPEN 24 HOURS 

Please call ahead! 


Amaya-Astron Seating 


Pirules 16E, Complejo Industrial Cuamatla 

Cuautitlán Izcalli 54730 MEXICO 

+52(55)5311-5000 

FAX: +52(55)5317-4111 

E-Mail: donovan@asientosamaya.com.mx 

Website: www.amaya-astron.com.mx 

Company Officers: Donovan Albarran, 

Export Sales Manager; Rose Arellano, Sales 

Think FMVSS 302 Protects 

Passengers and Equipment? 

Think FMVSS 302 Protects 

Passengers and Equipment? 

F.R. Cushioning 

(meets FMVSS 302) 

Call for specifications. Easily added to seating 

requirements within vehicle bid packages. 

Products: Passenger seats for buses and 

coaches, with or without three-point seat 

belts. 11 

American Seating 


401 American Seating Center 

Grand Rapids, MI 49504 USA 

800-748-0353 

FAX: 616-732-6870 

CR SAFGUARD XL 

Fire-Resistant Cushioning 

Both seats above were subjected to BS 5852 Source 2 Ignition. 

SAFGUARD XL Fire-Resistant Cushioning… 

• Complies with advanced F.T.A. fire safety criteria. 

• Minimize risk and liability related to vehicle 

fire safety. 

• O.E.M. and maintenance seat retrofit applications. 


Telephone: 800-234-2734 

Fax: 724-537-9003 

e-mail: crfoamsales@verizon.net 

E-Mail: info@americanseating.com 

Website: www.americanseating.com 

Company Officers: Dave Mclaughlin, VP of 

Transportation Sales; Gary Thompson, 

Transportation Marketing Manager 

Products: Since 1886, American Seating has 

been a company of forward thinking solutions 

that continuously strives to exceed customers’ 

expectations with innovative products 

and services. American Seating’s products 

and customer resource tools that serve 

the transportation industry, and stand as testaments 

to innovation and a commitment to 

meeting customers’ needs include: Insight®, 

the No. 1 selling transit seat; Vision®, the 

most comfortable stainless seat in the industry; 

PREMIER®, an exclusive belted seat 

offering that is the only seat that protects both 

belted and unbelted passengers; the easiest, 

quickest and safest mobility aid securement 

systems; and innovative, interactive customer 

support tools that allow customers to 

visualize a vehicle interior immediately, and 

stream-line the decision making process. 

American Seating has helped to set the 

bench-mark for product design, durability 

and comfort. The company is committed to 

being a leader in transportation seating, 

including city service, rail, motorcoach and 

demand-response markets. 11 

Bergen Auto Upholstery Co., Inc. 


375 North Street, Suite U 

Teterboro, NJ 07608 USA 

201-457-9100 FAX: 201-457-9103 

Website: www.bergenseat.com 

Products: Seat replacement and complete 

interior refurbishing, including seat covers, 

ceilings, sidewalls, lav area, under racks, 

dash and entrance area. Bergen is a distribu-

tor for American, National and Amaya seat 

parts, with a large inventory in stock. Bergen 

offers a complete cleaning service, seat cover 

shampooing, seat frame cleaning, cleaning of 

sidewalls and A/C ducts, and shampooing of 

any carpeted surface. Bergen road crew is 

available to install on location. 08 

Chestnut Ridge Foam, Inc. 


P.O. Box 781 

Latrobe, PA 15650 USA 

800-234-2734 

FAX: 724-537-9003 

E-Mail: info@chestnutridgefoam.com 

Website: www.chestnutridgefoam.com 

Company Officers: Larry Garrity, President; 

Carl Ogburn, Executive Vice President; Jack 

Kitsko, VP; George Romainish, VP OPS; 

Mike Shannon, Sales Manager 

Products: SAFGUARD XL fire-resistant seat 

cushioning complies with F.T.A. fire safety 

criteria. SAFGUARD XL eliminates the 

profuse burning and known fire hazards 

associated with FMVSS 302 cushioning if 

exposed to open flame ignition sources. 

Provides the fire performance needed in 

today’s environment. Helps avoid the potential 

for individual and transit authority liability. 

Available to all seating manufacturers 

for O.E.M. vehicles and direct to maintenance 

facilities as replacement cushions. 

SAFGUARD XL represents major advancements 

in seat cushioning durability and 

comfort. 

A new DVD is available showing comparative 

fire performance tests of bus seats. 

This DVD can help as an educational tool 

to depict how fire may impact bus vehicle 

interiors when seats are exposed to a minor 

flaming ignition source. Please contact 

Chestnut Ridge Foam for a free copy of 

this fire testing. CR SAFGUARD XL products 

can easily be addeded to new vehicle 

seating specifications. Contact Chestnut 

Ridge Foam for vehicle specification verbiage. 

11 

Fabric Services 

103 Hinsdale Farms Road 

Bristol, IN 46507 USA 

574-848-5100 

FAX: 574-848-1776 

Website: www.s-tex.com 

Products: Wool and polyester moquettes, 

PVC vinyl, urethane, leather, and flat wovens. 

The company can assist in the design of vehicle 

interiors and continually brings to market 

the next generation of textiles. 08 

Freedman Seating Company 

4545 W. Augusta Blvd. 

Chicago, IL 60651 USA 

773-524-2440 

FAX: 773-252-7450 

E-Mail: sales@freedmanseat.com 

Website: www.freedmanseating.com 

Products: Freedman Seating is a seat producer 

for all types of buses. It designs, tests and 

builds seats for every type of bus, coach, van 

and school bus. Freedman offers integrated 3point 

seat belts for buses and coaches. 

As a partner in the joint-venture 4ONE, 

Freedman Seating is a North American supplier 

of seats to the heavy-duty bus and BRT 

market. Within Freedman is the FSTL testing 

facility. FSTL is an A2LA accredited lab, 

capable of in-vehicle testing and safety evaluations. 

09 

Holdsworth Fabrics, Ltd. 

(a Camira Group Company) 


Hopton Mills, Wheatley Park 

Mirfield, W. Yorkshire WF14-8HE 

ENGLAND 

+44-1924-490591 

FAX: +44-1924-495605 

E-Mail: info@holdsworthfabrics.com 

Website: www.holdsworthfabrics.com 

Daniel Wagner & Associates, Inc. 

7520 Panther Lake Road 

Willow Springs, NC 27592 

919-552-4466 

FAX: 919-552-0999 

New Fusion collection of plush wool 

moquette fabrics. 

E-Mail: dan@holdsworthusa.com 

Holdsworth North America, Inc. 

2840 Fortune Circle East, Suite F 

Indianapolis, IN 46241 

317-484-0305 

FAX: 317-484-0706 

E-Mail: 

michelle@holdsworthnorthamerica.com 

BusTex Corp. 

3010 W. 111th Drive 

Westminster, CO 80031 

303-404-0890 

E-Mail: john@holdsworthusa.com 

Products: Designers and manufacturers of 

high quality wool blend commercial transport 

fabrics. Holdsworth also produces polyester 

fabrics, sidewall coverings, curtains, 

leather and polyeurethane-false leather for 

the bus, coach, rail and marine industries. 11 

LaFrance Industries 

3536 Raymar Blvd. 

Cincinnati, OH 45208 USA 

513-871-5954 

E-Mail: joe.brinkmeyer@brinkmeyer.com 

Website: 

www.mvmills.com/lafranceindustries 

Products: LaFrance fabrics are styled with 

appealing patterns in a wide array of colors. 

LaFrance now offers highly styled Eco 

Friendly fabrics produced with recycled yarn. 

The yarn is produced utilizing post consumer 

waste and post manufacturing waste. The Eco 

fabrics are excellent in abrasion resistance and 

colorfastness. All of LaFrance fabrics are 

For the ultimate high performance, specify Holdsworth Defender 

stain repellent treatment. 

www.holdsworthfabrics.com 

...moving forward to a greener future 

Holdsworth North America, 2840 Fortune Circle East, Indianapolis, IN 46241 

T: 317 484 0305 F: 317 484 0706 E: info@holdsworthfabrics.com 



available with Enhanced features including 

water repellency, oil and stain resistance, and 

anti-bacterial and anti-fungal characteristics. 

Easy maintainance. All LaFrance fabrics are 

made in the USA and are readily available. 

10 

Lantal Textiles, Inc. 


P.O. Box 965 

Rural Hall, NC 27045 USA 

905-823-9427 

Website: www.lantal.com 

Products: Lantal Textiles is a Swiss company 

specializing in the weaving of high-quality, 

well-designed velvet pile fabrics for the 

bus industry. 

Though Lantal has been in business in 

Europe for over 65 years, the company first 

introduced these velvet pile fabrics to North 

America in 1997. As in Europe, Lantal has 

now become a leader in design in North 

America. Lantal is a major supplier of 

upholstery and companion fabrics to bus 

and seating manufacturers. 

11 


Recaro North America 

3275 Lapeer Road West 

Auburn Hills, MI 48326 USA 

248-364-3818 FAX: 248-364-3806 

E-Mail: info@recaro-nao.com 

Website: www.recaro.com 

Products: Recaro is a manufacturer of driver 

seats for the transportation industry. 

Recaro produces a full range of driver seating 

products that will fit most applications. Built 

in the USA for North American drivers. 07 

Sardo Bus & Coach Upholstery 


503 South Main Ave. 

Minneola, FL 34715 USA 

800-654-3824 

FAX: 352-242-9290 

E-Mail: sandy@sardobus.com 

Website: www.sardobus.com 

Company Officers: Lou Sardo, President; 

Sandy Follis, VP Sales; Kathy Cruse, 

National Sales Manager 

Products: Sardo Bus & Coach Upholstery’s 

quality craftsmanship and unique customer 

service have made it an industry leader in 

If Your Seats Are Not Becoming To You, 

They Should Be Coming To 

BERGEN AUTO UPHOLSTERY 

� Quality 

Workmanship 

motorcoach and transit refurbishment. The 

company manufactures custom fit seat covers 

for mail out service. Sardo’s Professional 

Mobile Road Crew is a trendsetter, providing 

experienced, on-site installation service at a 

customer’s facility. This minimizes the customer’s 

down time, and gives them personal 

attention to every detail. 11 

Willingham Inc. 


20008 244th Ave. S.E. 

Maple Valley, WA 98038 USA 

425-432-9867 

FAX: 425-432-3668 

E-Mail: gene@willinghaminc.com 

Website: www.willinghaminc.com 

Company Officers: Gene Willingham, 

CEO; Jason Willingham, President; William 

Hill, Vice President; Jeannie Willingham, 

Treasurer 

Products: Seatcovers, complete interiors, 

floor repair and floor coverings, video/audio 

systems and repairs, new and used seats and 

seat parts, parcel rack and door lift cylinders, 

upholstery shampoo machines. 10 

� Large Selection 

of Fabric 

� A Guaranteed Fit � Unsurpassed Customer Service 

�� r� �� Teterbor�� 

Ber�� r�� 

� On Time 

Delivery 

Call, fax or e-mail us today for a quick quote, and see for yourself 

why Bergen Auto Upholstery is your seating headquarters. 

Bergen Auto Upholstery Co., Inc. 

375 North Street, Suite U, Teterboro, NJ 07608 

Toll Free: 800-732-8750 Phone: (201) 457-9100 

Fax: (201)457-9103 

e-mail: bergenauto@aol.com 

website: www.bergenseat.com 

See us at UMA Motorcoach Expo Booth #1132 See us at UMA Motorcoach Expo Booth #627

Amaya-Astron Seating Celebrates 20 Years 

Amaya-Astron Seating is celebrating 20 years 

of offering high quality seats for the bus and 

motorcoach industry in the United States and 

Canada. The company began in 1952 in Mexico 

City as a small seat upholstery 

factory. In a brief 

period of time, it started to 

manufacture seats for 

transit and intercity buses. 

These 58 years of experience 

have allowed 

Amaya-Astron Seating to become a leader in the 

transportation seating market. 

The company is also a preferred seating supplier 

for the intercity motorcoach market, Sales 

and support come from sales representatives 

Darrell Niswander and George Farrell. For more 

than 12 years, they have provided personal attention 

to customers, including aftermarket service. 

In 2000, Amaya-Astron Seating signed a commercial 

agreement with the 4ONE company to 

commercialize seats for the transit market. 

According to the company, Amaya-Astron 

Seating was the first seat manufacturer to incorporate 

“three-point seat belts” for reclining seats 

for the motorcoach industry in both the United 

States and Canada. 

In 2009, Amaya-Astron Seating introduced 

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understands that attention to detail and quality in a door 

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If your business is the development of Buses or Motor 

Coaches, contact TriMark to discover the wide range of 

handles, latches, striker bolts, linkages and related 

system components of truly exceptional quality. You 

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Visit TriMark at Booth 1031 


the Torino G seat. It was developed to exceed 

North American safety standards by offering 

every passenger a safe seat without diminishing 

comfort and space, a concept identified with the 

Amaya-Astron Seating 

models. It also features: 

• An internal three-point 

seat belt system developed 

for adults and children 

with a height of at least 40 

inches; 

• A seat belt system that adjusts automatically 

to the passenger’s height, offering the advantage 

of children being able to fasten the seat belt without 

adult assistance; 

• In addition, the seat belt is placed on the lateral 

side of the backrest, providing freedom of 

movement to the passenger as well as eliminating 

shoulder and back discomfort; and, 

• The special energy absorbing back panel, a 

new development that provides full compartmentalization 

in case of frontal crashes, protecting 

belted and unbelted passengers. 

Amaya-Astron Seating also offers ergonomic 

designs, allowing more space between seats. 

In order to comply with the safety standards, 

the Torino G seat was submitted to dynamic tests, 

using children and adult dummies of different 

weights and heights. Based on these tests, the 

company has been able to achieve the U.S. norms 

of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards for 

three-point seat belts. However, the most important 

thing for Amaya-Astron Seating is the certainty 

of providing safety to all family members 

with a high quality product. 

Don Trentlage Senior Account 

Executive For Aesys, Inc. 

Aesys, Inc., a privately owned corporation in 

business since 1977, has hired Don Trentlage as 

Senior Account Executive for North America. 

Trentlage comes to Aesys from Digital 

Recorders/Twinvision, where he served as sales 

manager for the northeast and midwest territories. 

He will develop the U.S. public transit market 

for Aesys. 

Trentlage has experience in sales and marketing 

to the public transit sector; as well as knowledge 

in the areas of power electronics, data communications/control 

combined with expertise in 

the areas of mechanical, automotive and heavy / 

hybrid vehicles. He is a graduate of Southern 

Illinois University. 

Aesys has a diverse product portfolio in the 

electronic LED signage market. It leverages its 

advanced systems and technologies to bring 

products to the U.S. market. www.aesysinc.com 


Thermo King Hosts: 

Destination Driving Efficiency In Transportation 

Thermo King recently hosted “Destination: Driving Efficiency in 

Transportation,” a day-long event conducted at the Thermo King 

facility in Bloomington, MN. 

Throughout the day, Thermo King leaders presented topics ranging 

from meeting industry and regulatory trends to improving energy and 

addressing operational efficiency and cost of ownership challenges facing 

transporters. 

As a part of the event, tours of the Thermo King headquarters facility 

were conducted that included a global training center, automated parts 

distribution center and the Frederick McKinley Jones Research & 

Development Center. 

www.budgettruckandauto.com 

Painting 

Ricon Lifts 

Fabrication 

Vinyl Graphics 

Collision Repair 

Certified Welding 

Frame Straightening 

�� 

�� 




Attendees also visited the 

Innovation Showcase, featuring 

Thermo King trucks, trailers, auxiliary 

power units, buses, smart products 

and aftermarket parts and 

accessories. 

“Each year, 10,000 visitors come 

through this facility. We have a 

major training center here that provides 

certified training and education 

classes for dealer technicians 

from across 

Chris Casazza, president of 

Thermo King North America 

North America,” Chris Casazza, president of 

Thermo King North America said. “In 1956, we 

were the first to sucessfully air condition a bus 

fleet. In 1997, Ingersoll Rand acquired Thermo 

King. Today there are more than 10,000 employees 

associated with the Thermo King global brand. 

“When creating innovative and sustainable solutions 

to benefit our customers, we focus on collaborating 

with them as well as on incorporating 

industry trends, environmental requirements and 

current and future regulations. It all begins with 

understanding the specific needs of customers and 

working closely with them to create sustainable 

solutions that make them successful.” 

In addition to Casazza, other Thermo King executives 

spoke during the morning general session, 

including Doug Lenz, director of product management; 

Vic Maret, vice president, sales North 

America; and Martin Duffy, vice president, global 

bus and rail HVAC. 

During the afternoon session, four Thermo King 

end-users talked about industry challenges they 

face, and their experiences working and collaborating 

with Thermo King to meet their needs. 

The afternoon speakers were Dean Sexton, 

owner of D.D. Sexton, Inc., of Carthage, 

MO; Douglas Petit, vice president of operations, 

Marten Transport of Mondovi, WI; 

Chuck Wurzinger, assistant director of bus 

maintenance and technical support, Metro 

Transit of Minneapolis, MN; and Kevin 

Wood, vice president of manufacturing, 

New Flyer of St. Cloud, MN. 

Topics addressed at the event covered several 

Thermo King market segments, including 

truck, trailer, rail and bus. There was much 

discussion concerning “electrification” in the 

various segments. 

“Clearly there is an industry trend toward 

electrification,” Lenz said. “Looking at our 

bus customers today, there are more who are 

adding hybrid-electric buses to their orders. 

There is also a big trend in terms of plug-andplay 

electrical accessories for the buses. The 

customers’ expectation is to use these products 

to improve fuel economy, and to drive 

out maintenance costs associated with buses.” 

Maret, who spoke about customer insights, 

said, “Non-diesel solutions seem to be one of

the biggest issues today. People want to 

improve the environment and make sure they 

are not contaminating the air. Also, there is an 

increasing demand for sustainability. In the bus 

area, going to an electrified-type of air conditioning 

system is key to the future.” 

When it comes to electrification, Duffy said 

the movement is more advanced in bus HVAC 

than in other segments of the business, such as 

trucks and trailers. 

“We have what we call all-electric solutions 

available,” Duffy said. “The demands to develop 

more of these systems are increasing daily.” 

Duffy explained that in a traditional HVAC 

unit, there is a compressor mounted in the 

engine compartment of the bus that links to the 

engine. The compressor is belt-driven from the 

main diesel engine of the bus. 

“With all-electric systems, we have made the 

HVAC unit completely self-contained. The 

only linkage between the HVAC unit and the 

bus are power cables,” Duffy said. “The move 

to hybrid buses is significant over the last number 

of years. In many cases, we actually use the 

power available from the hybrid battery packs 

on the bus to drive the air conditioning, which 

is a very efficient solution. 

“Our recent new product introductions are 

not limited to electrification. For example, our 

latest member of the bus HVAC family is the 

SLR (for the small bus market, including shut- 

SAFE, STURDY & DURABLE 

Safety Step will meet all your transportation needs… 

� Safety Steps full line of transportation steps are designed 

specifically for the transportation industry 

� Anti-tip design makes it impossible to tip over with normal use 

� Transportation models provide a 6”, 8”, 10” or 12” boost 

� The 10" and 12" steps have brackets for extra durability 

� Rugged all-aluminum welded construction 

� All models are lab tested to hold over 1,000 pounds, 

but weigh a mere 7 pounds 

� Non-slip angled rubber leg tips and gripper strips keep 

your passengers and your Safety Step securely in place 

� Durable powder coat finish available black, silver 

or safety yellow 

To view all our transportation 

steps or to order online, 

visit our website: 

www.safetystep.net 

or call (888) 448-4237 

The SLR Series is Thermo King’s new HVAC 

system for shuttle and school bus applications. 

tle and school buses). It is the first of its kind 

for this segment of the industry. It is a roof 

mounted HVAC unit, and is very light-weight.” 

Speaking on energy efficiency and new technologies 

at Metro Transit in Minneapolis, 

Wurzinger said, “We are working with various 

bus manufacturers, Thermo King and others to 

electrify as many accessories as possible on the 

bus.” 

Wurzinger said Metro Transit is excited 

about Thermo King’s electric AC and the transit 

system is hoping to soon test one of these 

products in a bus. 

Thermo King Corporation, a business of 

Ingersoll Rand, was founded in 1938 and manufactures 

transport temperature control systems 

for a variety of mobile applications. For more 

information, visit www.thermoking.com. 

Foton America’s 

Offer To 

Transit Industry 

“Beginning January 1, 2011, until December 

31, 2011, for each bus purchased, Foton 

America will donate one percent (1%) of the 

base price of the bus to a charity, non-profit 

organization, or community project in the purchaser’s 

local market,” Jared Schnader, vice 

president of market development at Foton 

America, said. 

Schnader made the announcement at the 

American CNG Consortium’s meeting held on 

November 18, in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. 

“We at Foton America strive to improve the 

communities we work in and where our products 

are used,” Cliff Clare, Jr., CEO of Foton 

America, said. 

The offer will be valid for both private and 

public entities. 

Headquartered in Brookfield, CT, Foton 

America entered the North American market in 

2007 with a track record of innovation, leadership 

and global success. Foton also boasts leading sales 

organizations throughout Asia, Africa and Europe. 

With a long-standing reputation for integrity and 

quality, Foton is certified in conformity with GB/T 

19001-2000 idt ISO 9001:2000. 


Prevost 

Prevost H3-45 

With its striking new appearance, the redesigned H-Series illustrates 

Prevost’s passion for continuous improvement. Prevost AWARE Adaptive 

Cruise Braking, the Prevost Electronic Stability Program, and the Prevost 

Welded Rail System take safety to a new level. 

The Volvo D13 engine is the only EPA 2010 engine that uses an existing 

platform, so it is the only engine platform that has been tested with 

years of real-world road conditions. Volvo’s D13 engine has smooth, quiet 

operation and drastically lowers emission of air pollutants. The Volvo D13 

with advanced SCR exceeds EPA emissions standards to bypass the industry 

in terms of environmental care. 


functions from the dashboard to the steering wheel, helping to increase 

safety for all on board. Prevost’s new Cluster showcases an insightful 

Driver Information Display (DID), providing significant advantages to drivers 

and operators. Important information is easily communicated, offering 

several valuable tools such as fuel data management, data logging 

and clear text display messages. 

Visually, the H-Series grabs public attention and embodies the Prevost 

brand and its unique DNA in a highly recognizable and memorable way. 

Its elegance and prestige confirm a company’s status and reputation. 

Model............................................................................................Prevost H3-45 

Seating Capacity.............................................................................................56 

Length...............................................................................................................45’ 

Width ...............................................................................................................102” 

Height........................................................................................................146.25” 

Wheelbase .................................................................................................316.12” 

Overhang (front/rear)......................................................................75” - 107” 

Inside Height (min./max.)..........................................Floor to Ceiling - 77” 

Turning Radius ............................................................................................44.6’ 

Tire Size..........................................................................................315/80 R22.5 

Engine .........................................Volvo D13 w/SCR, 435 HP, 13L (EPA 2010) 

Transmission ..................Allison World, 4th Gen., 6-Speed Auto. Trans.; 

Volvo I-Shift, 12-Speed Semi-automatic 

Brakes..........................................................All-Wheel Disc Brakes with ABS 

Fuel Tank Capacity.......................................................................230 U.S. gal. 

Air Conditioning .........Carrier 05G compressor w/Base Engine 9 Tons 

Baggage Capacity............................................................................580 cu. ft. 

Wheelchair Lift Option...............................Interchangeable Swap & Plug 

Steering ........................................Steering Wheel w/Integrated Controls, 

Tilt & Telescopic, and Integral Power Steering, 

Variable Assistance Power Steering 

Suspension..........Wide-Stance Tuned Suspension w/Liftable Tag Axle 


Prevost 

Prevost X3-45 

The X3-45 carries on the Prevost tradition of innovation, showcasing 

advanced technologies. The Prevost Welded Rail System and Prevost 

Electronic Stability Program take safety to a new level. 

The Volvo D13 engine is the only EPA 2010 engine that uses an existing 

platform. Volvo’s D13 engine has smooth, quiet operation and drastically 

lowers emission of air pollutants. The Volvo D13 with advanced SCR 

exceeds EPA emissions standards. 

The Prevost X3-45 has the longest wheelbase in the touring coach 

market (334.5 in.), giving passengers a smooth ride, and features the 

largest under-floor surface area (139 sq. ft.) in the industry. At 134 inches, 

the Prevost X3-45 has the lowest overall height of all seated coaches, 

providing easy access to virtually any pick-up or drop-off site. 

Equipped with the Prevost Advanced Multiplex System, the Prevost X3- 

45 delivers dependability and maximizes operational efficiency. The userfriendly 

system features a multitude of benefits, including easier maintenance, 

faster troubleshooting and quick and accurate diagnosis of problems 

with vital components. 

Prevost 

35 Gagnon Blvd., Ste-Claire, Quebec GOR 2VO CANADA 

Tel: 418-883-3391 Toll-Free: 877-773-8678 

Fax: 418-883-4157 Web Site: www.prevostcar.com 

Model............................................................................................Prevost X3-45 


Length ...............................................................................................................45’ 

Width ...............................................................................................................102” 

Height..............................................................................................................134” 

Wheelbase .................................................................................................334.5” 

Overhang (front/rear) ...........................................................72.30” - 86.60” 

Inside Height (min./max.) .........................................Floor to Ceiling - 80” 

Turning Radius ............................................................................................42.6’ 

Tire Size..........................................................................................315/80 R22.5 

Engine .........................................Volvo D13 w/SCR, 435 HP, 13L (EPA 2010) 






Baggage Capacity .............................................................................513 cu. ft. 




Variable Assistance Power Steering Available 

Suspension..........Wide-Stance Tuned Suspension w/Liftable Tag Axle

Prevost 

Volvo 9700 

The Volvo 9700 is a coach that makes an impression. A modern exterior 

with characteristic Volvo feel is matched by an elegant interior featuring 

soft, gentle shapes and well-designed trim. 

Exceptional comfort abounds throughout the Volvo 9700. 

Electronically controlled air suspension and a rigid frame design make 

for a confident, reassuring ride. A low interior noise level and comfortable 

seats also ensure an enjoyable journey, and large tinted windows 

provide excellent visibility all around. 

High-efficiency brakes, electronic stability program, three-point seat 

belts and Volvo-unique impact protection for the driver and the other 

road users are just some examples of its safety equipment. With all its 

service points grouped together logically, the Volvo 9700 is easy to maintain. 

Highly integrated components – like the D13 engine and I-Shift 

Transmission – simplify service scheduling and make for convenient 

“one-stop shopping” when vehicles require maintenance. 

The I-Shift is an intelligent transmission system that combines the 

robustness and dependability of a manual gearbox with the comfort and 

convenience of an automatic transmission. Its latest generation ensures 

substantially improved performance and fuel economy. Productivity, efficient 

design and safety define the Volvo 9700. 

Model .................................................................................................Volvo 9700 


Length...............................................................................................................45’ 

Width ...............................................................................................................102” 

Height..............................................................................................................145” 

Wheelbase ......................................Between front and tag axle - 254.84” 

Overhang (front/rear) .....................................................................112” - 109” 

Inside Height (min./max.) .................................Front - 77.2”; Rear - 72.8” 

Turning Radius..........................................................................................42.83’ 

Tire Size..........................................................................................315/80 R22.5 

Engine .........................................Volvo D13 w/SCR (EPA 2010), 435 HP, 13L 

Transmission ..............................Volvo I-Shift, 12-Speed Semi-automatic 

Brakes...............................All-Wheel Disc Brakes w/ABS double circuitry 

Fuel Tank Capacity........................................................................210 U.S. gal. 

Air Conditioning.........................................................Carrier - AC353 GenIV 

Baggage Capacity................................400 cu. ft. (under-floor capacity) 

Wheelchair Lift Option .........................................................................Built in 

Steering .....................Tilt and Telescopic, and Integral Power Steering 


Prevost 

Prevost H3-41 

With its striking new appearance, the redesigned H-Series illustrates 

Prevosts passion for continuous improvement. Prevost AWARE Adaptive 

Cruise Braking, the 

Prevost Electronic 

Stability Program, 

and the Prevost 

Welded Rail System 

take safety to a 

new level. 

The Volvo D13 

engine is the only 

EPA 2010 engine 

that uses an existing 

platform, so it 

is the only engine 

platform that has 

been tested with 

years of real-world 

road conditions. 

Volvo’s D13 engine 

has smooth, quiet 

operation and drastically lowers emission of air pollutants. The Volvo D13 

with advanced SCR exceeds EPA emissions standards. 


functions from the dashboard to the steering wheel, helping to increase 

safety for all on board. Prevost’s new Cluster showcases an insightful 

Driver Information Display (DID), providing significant advantages to drivers 

and operators. Important information is easily communicated, offering 

several valuable tools such as fuel data management, data logging 

and clear text display messages. 

Model.............................................................................................................H3-41 


Length ................................................................................................................41’ 

Width ...............................................................................................................102” 

Height........................................................................................................146.25” 

Wheelbase ................................................................................................268.12” 

Overhang (front/rear)......................................................................75” - 107” 

Inside Height (min./max.)..........................................Floor to Ceiling - 77” 

Turning Radius.............................................................................................39.4’ 

Tire Size..........................................................................................315/80 R22.5 

Engine .........................................Volvo D13 w/SCR (EPA 2010), 435 HP, 13L 






Baggage Capacity ...........................................................................44.6 cu. ft. 




Variable Assistance Power Steering 



Motor Coach Industries 

MCI® J4500 

The MCI J4500, the industry’s best-selling coach, will look comfortingly 

familiar for 2011, with a few changes inside. Most significantly, 

the J4500 will gain as an option the steerable tag axle 

familiar to drivers of the E4500. The steerable tag axle gives the 

J4500 a tighter turning radius of 45 feet, 2 feet tighter than the 

basic configuration. 

New basic features include an ABS entrance-door panel, LED 

tube lights and improved blue running lights. Other new options 

include a driver’s seat with a three-point seatbelt, LED tube overhead 

aisle lights and LED accent lighting. 

Electronic stability control, a SmartWave tire-pressure monitoring 

system and fire-suppression system are standard. The 

J4500 also features the largest payload capacity in the industry, 

along with the easy-boarding spiral entryway innovated by MCI. 

Motor Coach Industries; 1700 E. Golf Road, Suite 300, 

Schaumburg, IL 60173; 847-285-2000; 800-428-7626; 

Fax: 847-285-2013 Email: marketing@mcicoach.com; 

Web site: www.mcicoach.com 

Seating Capacity ............................................................................56 

Length............................................................................................45’ 

Width...........................................................................................102” 

Height ....................................................................................140.75” 

Wheelbase...................................................................................315” 

Overhang (front) ......................................................................78.25” 

Overhang (rear)......................................................................150.25” 

Inside Height (min./max.) ........................................................78.25” 

Turning Radius ..............................................................................47’ 

Baggage Capacity .............................................................595 cu. ft. 

Tire Size ..............................................Michelin 315 80R 22.5 L-rated 

Wheels ....................................................Hub-piloted steel 22.5 x 9.0 

Engine .........................Cummins ISX 11.9L, 425 HP w/ Engine Brake 

Option: DD13 12.8 Liter, 410 HP 1450 Ft.-Lbs. w/ Engine Brake 

Transmission.......................Allison B500 automatic trans, 6 forward 

speeds and one reverse speed or ZF-ASTronic transmission 

Brakes...............................................................Meritor all-wheel disc 

Fuel Tank Capacity ...........................................................210 US gal. 

Cooling System...........Parallel radiator and charge air cooler system 

Wheelchair Lift Option ...................................................................Yes 

Steering System .............Leather-wrapped tilt & telescoping steering 

wheel with ZF variable ratio steering 

Suspension.........................................Air Suspension with automatic 

leveling & kneeling feature 



MCI® D4505/D4500 

Diesel Or Hybrid 

The MCI D-Series touring models for 2011 will ride on front-axle 

Koni shocks for a smoother, more responsive ride. Other improvements 

include LED courtesy lighting in the parcel racks, and four 

10-inch Blaupunkt video monitors as standard equipment. Other 

standard features include electronic stability control, an upgraded 

SmartWave tire-pressure monitoring system and an Amerex 

fire suppression system. 

Options range from three-point seatbelts, WIFi connectivity, to 

110-volt power outlets and more. Renowned for its reliability and 

comfort, the MCI D-Series includes the only intercity coach that is 

Buy America compliant and has completed Altoona testing for 

both its clean-diesel and diesel-electric hybrid model lineup. 

Seating Capacity.....................................................................55 / 47 

Length ...................................................................................45’ / 40’ 

Width...........................................................................................102” 

Height .........................................................................................137” 

Wheelbase........................................................................318” / 279” 

Overhang (front) ....................................................................76.125” 

Overhang (rear) .........................................................153.1” / 131.5” 


Turning Radius...................................................................47’ / 44.7’ 

Baggage Capacity ..........................................509 cu. ft. / 424 cu. ft. 

Tire Size ..............................................Michelin 315 80R 22.5 L-rated 

Wheels .................................................Hub-mounted steel 22.5 x 9.0 


Option: Cummins ISL 8.9L, 380 HP w/ Transmission Retarder 

Transmission...............................................................Allison B500 or 

ZF-ASTronic transmission 

Brakes ..........................................................................All Wheel Disc 


Cooling System...........................High-mounted parallel radiator and 

charge air cooler 


Steering System.....................................Ross integral power steering 

Suspension......Air suspension w/automatic levelling & kneeling feature


MCI® E4500 

From the moment passengers ascend the spiral stairway, they 

can’t help but notice the flagship MCI E4500’s elegance. From an 

operator standpoint, the E4500 offers a tight turning radius, the 

most total storage capacity, along with a steerable tag axle that 

gives it superior handling like no other coach. 

Like its popular J4500 sibling, the 2011 MCI E4500 comes with 

electronic stability control, an upgraded tire-pressure monitoring 

system and a fire-suppression system. The E4500 features a highend 

Blaupunkt Pro-Line AV system and posh seating options 

including leather. Interior configurations include optional lounge 

or conference areas and snack-service galleys with granite touches, 

among other top-of-line interior packages. 

Seating Capacity ............................................................................42 

Length............................................................................................45’ 

Width...........................................................................................102” 

Height ....................................................................................140.75” 

Wheelbase...................................................................................315” 


Overhang (rear)......................................................................150.25” 



Baggage Capacity (below floor) .........................................595 cu. ft. 

Tire Size .........................Michelin 315/80 22.5 XZA-2 Energy, L-rated 

Wheels.....................................Alcoa polished aluminum hub-piloted 

22.5 x 9.0 with Durabright finish 



Transmission...........Allison B500 automatic trans, 6 forward speeds 

and one reverse speed or, ZF-ASTronic transmission 

Brakes....................................................Meritor EX225 all wheel disc 





wheel with ZF variable ratio & steerable tag axle 

Suspension....................Electronically controlled air suspension with 

kneeling & high and low-ride features 


MCI Entertainer And 

Conversion Coach Shells 

Every entertainer appreciates a sweet set of wheels, and MCI is 

increasingly the flavor of choice. Millions have seen football legend 

and celebrity spokesman John Madden show off his MCI motor 

home. Now, MCI’s J4500 entertainer conversion shell is one of the 

fastest-rising stars on the market, with a full 89 inches of interior 

headroom, a powerful Cummins ISM engine, wide-ride suspension, 

reverse sensing, and an additional 12- or 24-volt alternator. 

Aesthetic improvements include black dash panels and window 

post covers; baggage bay divider panels; and aluminum floor 

skins. There’s a new trailer hitch wiring package ideal for equipment-toting 

bands. 

The MCI conversion model can additionally be fitted out with 

up to three slide-outs as well as all the luxuries that make travel 

rewarding – top-of-the-line entertainment systems, posh lounges, 

star cabins with steam showers, Wi-Fi, satellite entertainment and 

even bunks with individual video monitors. 

Length............................................................................................45’ 

Width...........................................................................................102” 

Height .........................................................................................149” 

Wheelbase...................................................................................315” 


Overhang (rear)......................................................................150.25” 

Inside Height (min./max.) .............................................................89” 


Tire Size .........................Michelin 315/80 22.5 XZA-2 Energy, L-rated 

Wheels ..........................Hub-piloted steel 22.5 x 9.0 / Alcoa polished 

aluminum hub-piloted 22.5 x 9.0 with Durabright finish 



Transmission ...........Allison B500 auto 6 forward speeds & 1 reverse 

Brakes....................................................Meritor EX225 all wheel disc 




wheel w/ZF variable ratio steering / Leather-wrapped tilt & telescoping 

steering wheel w/ZF variable ratio & steerable tag axle 

Suspension...................Air Suspension with auto leveling & kneeling 


ABC Companies 

Van Hool T2145/T2140 

Renowned for its performance, comfort, and luxury, the Van 

Hool T2100 offers more refinements to create the most prestigious 

touring vehicle in its class. Designed for high style and maximum 

comfort, an impressive lineup of standard features are 

offered aboard ABC’s highline touring coach to attract the most 

discriminating passengers. 

The T2100E series is newly enhanced with a variety of optional 

safety features including electronic stability control, Hella 

DynaView® Headlight System, AutoVue® Lane Departure Warning 

(LDW), Smartire Smartwave Tire Pressure Monitoring System and 

Kidde Fire Detection and Suppression System. 

The T2100 series is offered in a 45-foot length, 57 passenger 

coach or a 40-foot length, 49 passenger coach — ideal for smaller 

groups. The T2140E model is the only European premium 40-foot 

touring coach sold in the United States and complements the 

T2145E model. 

ABC Companies; 1506 30th Street, NW; Faribault, MN 

55021 USA; 507-334-1871 Fax: 507-334-0246 

E-mail: bborwege@abc-companies.com 

Web site: www.abc-companies.com 

Model.......................................................................................Van Hool T2100E 

Seating Capacity...................................................................40’- 49 / 45’- 57 

Length.....................................................................................................40’ / 45’ 

Width ...............................................................................................................102” 

Height .......................................................................................................11’ 10.5” 

Wheelbase ........................................................................20’ 10.8” / 23’ 6.25” 

Overhang (front/rear).......................................................40’ - 6’11.4” / 7’11” 

45’ - 6’11.4” / 10’2” 

Inside Height (min./max.) ...........................................................................77” 

Turning Radius.............................................................................40’ - 34’ 4.8” 

45’ - 37’ 4.8” 

Tire Size.......................................................................................315/80R - 22.5 

Engine .................................................................2010 Emission Detroit DD13 

Transmission.................................................................................Allison B500 

Brakes.............................................................................................6-Wheel Disc 

Fuel Tank Capacity................................................................................216 Gal. 

Chassis .......................................................................................Stainless Steel 

Air Conditioning .....................................................................................Carrier 

Baggage Capacity ..................................................40’ - 384 cu. ft. w/o Lift 

45’ - 440 cu. ft. w/o Lift 

Wheelchair Lift Option.................................................................................Yes 

Steering .................................................................................ZF Variable Ratio 

Suspension.............................................................Independent Front & Tag 


ABC Companies 

Van Hool C2045E 

Smart operators drive new revenues to their bottom line with 

the versatile, reliable, distinctively designed Van Hool C2045E. A 

leader in its category, this coach offers rugged reliability for shuttle 

and line hauls, as well as passenger amenities that deliver a 

luxury motorcoach experience for tour and charter operations. 

Designed for comfort and performance, the quality-engineered 

C2045E offers easy maintenance and interchangeability of major 

replacement parts, and now a host of new optional safety 

enhancements. This includes Electronic Stability Control, Hella 

DynaView® Headlight System, Auto Vue® Lane Departure Warning 

(LDW), Smartire Smartwave Tire Pressure Monitoring System and 

Kidde Fire Detection and Suppression System. 

The C2045E also offers a lineup of unique design and engineering 

features that integrate “green” benefits as well. Offering a 

complete line of powertrain options — re-engineered to seamlessly 

accommodate new emission components; an interior baseboard 

heater system - allowing the driver to heat the interior cabin without 

running the engine; a space enhancing rear window option - 

dramatically enhancing interior space look and feel; and new, 

rounded parcel racks — enabling the installation of big screen 

monitors — the C2045E provides the most advanced components 

integrated with innovative and cutting-edge technology. 

Model......................................................................................Van Hool C2045E 

Seating Capacity .............................................................................................57 

Length ...............................................................................................................45’ 

Width ...............................................................................................................102” 

Height .............................................................................................................11’6” 

Wheelbase...............................................................................................25’ 4.5” 

Overhang (front/rear)............................................................6’ 2.4” / 9’ 2.2” 

Turning Radius ....................................................................................40’ 4.25” 

Tire Size.......................................................................................315/80R - 22.5 

Engine .................................................................2010 Emission Detroit DD13 





Air Conditioning .......................................................................Carrier-Sutrak 

Baggage Capacity .......................................................w/o Lift 452.37 cu. ft. 



Suspension.............................................................Independent Front & Tag

ABC Companies 

Van Hool TD925 

The highline Van Hool TD925 double deck coach makes a bold 

statement in any marketplace. With passenger seating up to 83, 

this coach is the industry frontrunner in reduced carbon emissions 

and fuel consumption – providing an additional 43 percent 

more passenger capacity and up to 486 passenger miles per gallon. 

Featuring a dramatic upper deck sky view rooftop, centrally 

located restroom, ample storage, front and rear stairs, dual-deck 

entertainment system and more, the TD925 offers one of the most 

innovative coach designs offered to the U.S. traveling public since 

the Scenicruiser®. 

The generously proportioned steps and wide doorways provide 

easy access and easy loading and unloading from both the front 

and rear staircases. The lowered aisle and increased interior 

height enables every passenger to walk upright through the 

coach. Two point seat belts (lap belts) are standard on all seats. 

Individual lighting and ventilation, together with state-of-the-art, 

integrated heating and air conditioning systems with upper and 

lower controls at each level, provide a comfortable environment 

for all passengers. 

Model.........................................................................................Van Hool TD925 

Seating Capacity ..................................................................................81 or 83 

Length................................................................................................44’ 4 9/32” 

Width ...............................................................................................................102” 

Height ....................................................................................................13’ 1 1/16” 

Overhang (front/rear) .................................................8’ 8 1/2” / 10’ 6 3/16” 

Inside Height (min./max.)..........................................71” Lower, 67” Upper 

Turning Radius....................................................................................39’ 4 1/2” 

Tire Size..........................................................................................315/80R 22.5 

Engine ......................................................2010 Emission Cummins ISX 11.9L 

Transmission..............................................................................Allison B500R 




Air Conditioning .......................................................................Carrier-Sutrak 

Baggage Capacity ............................................................................295 cu. ft. 

Wheelchair Lift Option ...................................................................ADA Ramp 


Suspension.............................................................Independent Front & Tag 

ABC Companies 

GCA 3035RE Rear Engine Coach 

Exclusively manufactured for ABC Companies by General Coach 

America, and proudly manufactured in the USA, the 3035RE continues 

to bridge the gap between small and large coach requirements, 

offering a host of amenities commonly found aboard its 

full-size counterparts. The exclusive rear-engine design delivers a 

traditional “motorcoach” look while inside appointments, including 

contoured parcel racks, big screen monitors, and underfloor 

cargo storage, offer small groups the same travel experience as a 

full-sized coach. 

Built on the Freightliner XBR Chassis, the 3035RE features 

durable steel and stainless steel construction and a host of bigcoach 

style features and body styling unlike any mid-size equipment 

on the road today. The attractive ergonomic driver’s cockpit 

and passenger friendly entrance offers state-of-the-art design 

with tilt and telescopic steering wheel and curved modesty panels 

to create easy, snag-free flow into the passenger area. A popular 

rear window option is offered — creating an open, roomy feel 

in the rear seating area. 

With product development driven by market demand for more 

“coach-like” styling and features in small group transport, the 35foot 

rear engine coach is truly a fusion of mid-size efficiency with 

big coach design. 

Model................................................................................................GCA 3035RE 

Seating Capacity.................................41 w/o Lavatory; 39 with Lavatory 

Length .........................................................................................................34’ 11” 

Width ...............................................................................................................102” 

Height..............................................................................................................138” 

Wheelbase.....................................................................................................228” 

Turning Radius................................................................................................28’ 

Tire Size......................................................................................295/80R - 22.5 

Engine ...................................................................................................Cummins 


Brakes................................Bendix Air Disc Front, Meritor Air Drum Rear 

Fuel Tank Capacity .................................................................................95 Gal. 

Chassis.....................................................................................Freightliner XBR 

Air Conditioning ..........................................................AC350 Roof Mounted 

Baggage Capacity ............................................................w/o Lift 280 cu. ft. 


Steering .........................................................................ZF 8018 Steering Box 

Suspension ....................ZF Independent Front w/60 Degree Wheel Cut 


Transit Agencies Optimistic 

Continued From Page 28 

improvements for buildings, etc.,” Nesbett- 

Tucker said. “Today, it is very competitive and 

to the average politician we are ‘fly-over’ 

country. Our legislators do what they can, but 

we are not a condensed or congested area that 

would typically mandate buses like a Houston, 

New York or a Seattle. However, this doesn’t 

mean that the needs of Kansans aren’t as significant 

as the needs of other cities. 

“With lots of marketing and incentive programs, 

we grew our ridership from about 1.2 

million in 2004 to 2 million when it peaked 

in 2008. Since then, we have seen a dramatic 

drop-off. We have gone down to about 1.3 

million trips today. Much of the reduced ridership 

has to do with the decline in the economy 

and the significant decline in much 

needed funding. When you cut services, 

folks who are choice riders are going to find 

another alternative, which is what has happened. 

However, with gas prices on the rise, 

we expect our ridership to turn around.” 

Regardless of the challenges Topeka Transit 

faces, its ability to be efficient and the dedication 

of the system’s employees translates into a 

consistently high level of customer service. 

We take care 

of our own! 

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When you buy from us, 

you become part of the family. 

Trans/Air Manufacturing, Corp. is an ISO 9001 registered �rm 

committed to providing world class climate control products 

and services to the bus and comercial vehicle markets. 

FM39947 

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“Our mission is to deliver the safest and 

most reliable service possible in the most fiscally 

and financially responsible manner, and 

we do this every single day,” Nesbett-Tucker 

said. “We have some of the best employees of 

any organization in the nation, as evidenced by 

the fact that the ATU agreed to extend the contract 

for one year with no wage increase. Nonrepresented 

employees have received no wage 

increase for two years. This commitment 

speaks volumes. 

“You know that you have a dedicated 

group of employees when they are willing to 

do whatever it takes to help. We haven’t had 

to layoff drivers. Natural attrition has 

accounted for much of our employee reduction. 

We have shrunk down to many oneperson 

departments, which is tough.” 

Budget woes have not kept Topeka Transit 

from pursuing its goals, one of which is a bus 

replacement program. 

“We plan to replace two to three buses a 

year,” Nesbett-Tucker said. “We were fortunate 

to receive the ARRA funds to replace 

buses, but that is something that may never 

happen again.” 

While system expansion is on hold until the 

economy rebounds, the state passed legislation 

last year to extend Topeka Transit’s service 

area to a 90-mile radius of the city. 

“I think the economy has started to pick up. 

Once our funding picks up and we are able to 

offer even better services, people will return,” 

Nesbett-Tucker said. “I believe transit is vital to 

Topeka’s transportation infrastructure. You just 

don’t deliver the amount of trips we do without 

it being vital. On both the local and national 

levels, transportation is a pillar that holds up the 

economic structure. We are struggling now, but 

with a very high opinion rating from our public, 

we will rebound. I believe our residents know 

and appreciate the impact and contribution that 

we make on this economy and to the city — we 

are just experiencing a road bump. 

“More than anything else, I attribute the 

brave leadership of our board as the primary 

reason that we have been able to continue. 

It has been a tough couple of years for 

us, and the board leadership has really 

stepped up and stuck their necks out for our 

agency. It is pretty significant to have a volunteer 

board with such leadership.” 

Contact: Topeka Metropolitan Transit 

Authority, Quincy Street Station, 

820 SE Quincy, Topeka, KS 66612. 

Phone: 785-783-7000; TDD: 785-233-2019. 

Web site: www.topekatransit.com. 

E-mail: info@topekatransit.com. 

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WHEN IMAGE MATTERS 

800-837-5145

BOWMANSDALE 

2112 Bumble Bee Hollow Rd. 

Off Rt. 15 � Mechanicsburg, PA 

717-697-5383 

CAMP HILL 

4230 Trindle Road � 717-737-3896 

CARLISLE 

60 Noble Blvd. in Super Walmart 

717-960-9400 

608 E. High St. � 717-249-7721 

1176 Harrisburg Pike � 717-243-7774 

905 Walnut Bottom Rd. � 717-249-0694 

CEDAR CLIFF 

Exit 19 off I-83 � Camp Hill, PA 

717-737-6404 

CHAMBERSBURG 

1075 Lincoln Way East � 717-263-4601 

NORTH CHAMBERSBURG 

2891 Philadelphia Avenue (US 11 N.) 

717-263-2970 

CLEONA 

493 W. Penn Avenue � 717-272-5677 

COLUMBIA 

1788 Columbia Ave., off Rt. 30 

717-684-7048 

DILLSBURG 

898 North US Rt. 15 � 717-432-9500 

EAST MANCHESTER 

4245 North George St. � 717-266-3170 

ELIZABETHTOWN 

1284 S. Market St. � 717-367-6471 

ENOLA 

Enola Rd., Exit Rt. 11 

15 S. off Rt. 81 � 717-732-4228 

EPHRATA 

140 N. Reading Rd. � 717-733-1660 

GETTYSBURG 

517 S. Steinwehr Ave., Bus. Rt. 15 

717-334-5920 

1090 York Rd. � 717-337-1030 

GREENCASTLE 

Rt. 16 and I-81 � 717-597-2589 

HALIFAX 

3761 Peter’s Moutain Rd. � 717-896-2535 

HANOVER 

991 Carlisle St., Rt. 94 � 717-632-7531 

350 Eisenhower Dr. � 717-632-0005 

1448 Baltimore St. � 717-630-0337 

HARRISBURG 

2929 Paxton St. � 717-561-8050 

4605 Jonestown Rd. � 717-652-7035 

7845 Linglestown Rd.� 717-545-8580 

Rt. 83 and Union Deposit Rd. 

717-564-9320 

4403 N. Front St. � 717-238-1048 

Harrisburg East Mall/Rt. 83 and Paxton St. 

717-561-0703 

Eisenhower Blvd. I-283, Exit 1 

717-939-6972 

5590 Allentown Blvd., Rt. 22 

Exit 26 off I-81 � 717-652-9123 

Kline Plaza, 101 S. 25th St. 

717-232-0008 

Uptown Shopping Center 

720 Division St. � 717-236-6226 

Harrisburg Airport � 717-948-3900 

6535 Grayson Rd. in Wal-Mart 

717-561-0445 

HERSHEY 

Rts. 39 and 322 � 611 E. Main St., 

Hummelstown � 717-566-6041 

JONESTOWN 

Rt 72 & I-81 � 610-562-8462 

LANCASTER 

1880 Hempstead Rd. � 717-509-6988 

Willow Valley Square � 717-464-5119 

1829 Oregon Pike � 717-569-7898 

1434 Manheim Pike � 717-394-3417 

Rt. 30 and Centerville Rd. 

Lancaster, PA � 717-393-9523 

68 East Town Mall, Rt. 30E 

Lancaster, PA � 717-394-8957 

1755 Columbia Ave. 

Millersville Exit off Rt. 30, Rt. 462 

717-397-5112 

575 N. Franklin St., next to McCuskey 

High School � 717-394-7938 

2034 Lincoln Hwy East in Wal-Mart 

717-390-1099 

King & Water Streets � 717-299-6699 

Manor Shopping Center 

1296 Millersville Pk. � 717-293-5706 

LEMOYNE 

Rts. 11 and 15 North across from 

Radisson Hotel � 717-761-7992 

LEBANON 

1202 W. Maple St. � 717-273-8691 

757 E. Cumberland St. � 717-273-9023 

1725 Quentin Rd., Lebanon, PA 

717-306-6565 

LITITZ 

990 Lititz Pike, Rt. 501 N. 

717-627-4666 

LITTLESTOWN 

430 North Queen St.� 717-359-8946 

LYKENS VALLEY 

4660 Rt. 209� 717-362-8416 

MANHEIM 

711 Lancaster Rd., Rt. 72� 717-664-4944 

MECHANICSBURG 

Wesley Dr. Exit, Rt. 15 

717-761-7525 

KMart Plaza, 5600 Carlisle Pike 

717-766-9675 

6250 Carlisle Pike in Wal-Mart 

717-591-9864 

MERCERSBURG 

11924 Buchanan Trial West 

717-328-0111 

MIDDLETOWN 

2270 W. Harrisburg Pike � 717-944-9535 

MIFFLINTOWN 

Rt. 322 and Rt. 35, Mifflintown Exit 

717-436-9779 

MYERSTOWN 

295 West Lincoln Avenue (Rt. 422) 

717-866-2278 

NEW CUMBERLAND 

101 Limekiln Rd. � 717-774-1027 

NEW HOLLAND 

828 W. Main St. � 717-354-9300 

NEW OXFORD 

6040 York Rd., Rts. 30 and 94 

717-624-4266 

NEWPORT 

Rt. 322 and Rt. 34, Newport Exit 

717-567-9344 

PALMYRA 

901 E. Main St. � 717-838-6815 

PINE GROVE 

I-81, Exit 31 � 717-345-6400 

RED LION 

897 West Broadway � 717-246-1802 

655 Lombard St., Cape Horn Plaza 

717-246-7801 

SCOTLAND 

3347 Black Gap Rd. � 717-263-7507 

SHIPPENSBURG 

333 East King St. � 717-532-7945 

SHREWSBURY 

Exit 1 off I-83 � 717-235-4663 

SILVER SPRING 

Rt. 114 and Shadow Oak Dr. 

Mechanicsburg, PA � 717-697-3460 

SPRINGETTSBURY 

Hallam Exit off Rt. 30, Rt. 462 

717-757-9655 

WAYNESBORO 

302 East Main St. � 717-762-9201 

YOCUMTOWN 

Exit 14A off I-83 � 717-938-5705 

YORK 

2125 York Crossing Dr & Rt 74 

717-767-1381 

Exit 4, I-83, 133 Leader Heights Road 

717-747-9191 

York Galleria Mall � 717-757-3026 

60 Arsenal Rd. � 717-699-4600 

Exit 6W off I-83 � 717-845-9360 

3141 Carlisle Road, Dover 

717-767-2594 

144-158 S. George St. � 717-846-1021 

Rts. 30 & 74 in Wal-Mart � 717-764-8923 

380 Memory Lane � 717-757-2912 

Tell us you saw this ad in Busline Magazine, 

and 1 driver and 1 tour guide will receive a 

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