January 2009 - Page 2 of 2 - BUSRide


Hybrid buses show strong in Hanover

Every two years the city of Hanover in northern Germany hosts the largest commercial vehicle exhibition in Europe. The exhibition area is vast with covered halls and large open-air displays with room for the more than 2,000 exhibitors and every kind of commercial vehicle. This year the show welcomed nearly 300,000 visitors from 110 countries.

TSP makes The T run faster

When Fort Worth Transit Authority, better known as The T, sought public input during the development of its long-range strategic plan in 2005, our citizens told us they wanted faster public transportation that is more regional and includes more rail.

The Volvo 9700 debuts in North America

At a time when consumers are becoming more aware of motorcoach travel and alternative transportation, such European curb appeal promises to turn heads.

Transit financing trapped in a house of cards

The best laid schemes of mice and men gang oft agley — an old refrain among transit administrators caught in the backlash of an economy run amok. Little did they know their creative financing five years back would eventually become ensnared in the current mortgage-lending debacle.

Fire-prone alternators need support and TLC

By Christopher W. Ferrone The 50-DN alternator has been a workhorse for the motorcoach industry for over 40 years. It started out as a gear-driven, oil-cooled unit and in the late 1970s offered an air- cooled, belt-driven option. The 50-DN in any configuration has been a trusted engine accessory. Nonetheless, since the early 1990s with […]

Hackers discover flaws in smart cards

“Hacking into a smart card system or counterfeiting access cards is not easy, not everyone is an MIT student. The equipment may be cheap, but this process involves a high level of expertise… It is just not that simple.”

MTA New York City buses serve as organ donors

MTA New York City Transit has consigned its older transit buses as organ donors to prolong the lives of other buses. As MTA Bus currently takes delivery of the first of 850 Orion Vll Hybrid-Electric buses, a similar number of older Orion and RTS buses hit the dust.

Arbitrary pricing plagues the industry

For too many years too many bus and motorcoach operators have practiced under-pricing as a means to remain competitive. Such single-minded competitive pricing as a standard operating procedure has plagued the motorcoach industry. The fact is this is happening because a great number of coach operators do not fully understand how to price their services. The fair and profitable approach to pricing comes down to some very basic business principles.