October 2009 - BUSRide


The new Spirit of Mobility pioneers Random Access

ARBOC Mobility, Middlebury, IN, worked eight years to perfect its concept of the low-floor paratransit bus debuted one year ago. The Spirit of Mobility bus begins where minimum ADA requirements end; conceived to provide easy and equal access for all passengers, which certainly includes those using wheelchairs, scooters and walkers.

NTA announces new criteria for China Inbound Program

The National Tour Association (NTA), Lexington, KY, has announced new criteria for participation in its China Inbound Program. In conjunction with the China National Tourism Administration and the U.S. Department of Commerce, NTA issued changes in order to ensure Chinese group leisure travelers to the United States have a safe and quality vacation experience.

The Freedom Bus rolls with a little help from its friends

As pastor of the Terrestrial Temple Church of God In Christ, Muncie, IN, and an active member of the Martin Luther King Dream Team, James Lawson has a keen sense of history and how it can inspire and motivate young people.

FirstGroup America commits to a smaller carbon footprint

Environmental consciousness has a definite effect on corporate policy. Corporate social responsibility programs are transforming forward-looking companies like FirstGroup America, challenging leadership to take a hard look at fuel choices, driving techniques and improved vehicle technology.

Turn regulations into policy to ensure compliance

I do not need a crystal ball to tell me what comes to mind for most bus company owners when they hear the word compliance. I already know they would say DOT regulations.

Daimler keeps its faith in fuel cells

The many innovations at the UITP conference and exhibition in June in Vienna, Austria, may have overshadowed the significance of the latest generation of fuel cell bus from Mercedes-Benz.

Transit advertising needs to replenish its creative juices

The advertising industry has its ideas about transit media products, and they are none too rosy according to a new study from the Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP), Practical measures to increase transit advertising revenues. The belief by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) that motivated this study is public transit agencies could be—and needs to be—benefiting more from their advertising assets.

Fix it before it breaks

In unyielding market conditions, bus and motorcoach operators are casting a wide net in an effort to strengthen performance and improve the bottom line. One area executives can make improvements is in commercial insurance programs.