Prevost continues to expand facilities, add providers and develop new technologies
By David Hubbard
Already the largest service network in the industry with eight proprietary service centers and 142 certified service providers throughout North America, Prevost, St. Claire, QC, Canada, has been further expanding its Prevost Service Network over the last few years to support not only Prevost and Volvo operators but the entire motorcoach industry as well. The Canadian coachbuilder offers this update on facilities, services and products for maintenance and warranty service.
“Expansion of this type is never complete,” says Prevost President and CEO Gaetan Bolduc. “We will continue to add certified service providers at a steady rate. We also will continue to offer better access to service and maintenance materials, and expand our parts availability.”
New BC service center
The expansion began in 2010 with the opening of a new service center in Delta, BC to support the influx of motorcoaches and new Nova Bus LFS vehicles that were in service during the Olympics and Paralympic Winter Games. The 6,600 square-foot facility is now permanent and continues to serve Western Canada.
Prevost Service Locator Mobile App
The release of the Prevost Service Locator Mobile App in 2011 made finding a Prevost service provider much easier. Users can find the nearest location with a simple touch of their smartphone or other mobile device from anywhere on the road. A search by province or state gives the address, phone number, email, website and map directions. Available in English, French and Spanish versions, the free downloadable app is at Apple’s App Store or the Android Market.
Michael Power, Prevost’s director of marketing, says this effort is part of a companywide program to provide easier access through available technology to help make the business of customers more productive and efficient.
“We have taken advantage of these tools and turned them into a valuable, cost-effective, any-time, any-where resource,” he says. “This opens the opportunity for operators to provide better quality service and a safer customer experience.”
Ft. McMurray service center now open
Earlier this year Prevost opened a new 10,000-square-foot Service Center in Ft. McMurray, AB. Four service bays accommodate collision repair to include frame straightening and fire restoration, all mechanical repairs, electronic and HVAC repairs, paint and graphics, as well as refinishing and refurbishing.
New mobile service trucks
New mobile maintenance and repair service is in operation in Montreal and Southern California to provide emergency roadside service, scheduled maintenance or repairs at a customer’s location.
Prevost says the fully-equipped service trucks ensure rapid response times and regularly stock a wide array of coach and transit parts to support Prevost, Volvo and Nova vehicles and other OEMs in the motorcoach, transit and conversion coach markets.
QR codes for important information
Prevost and Volvo coaches now feature black and white QR codes that passengers and drivers can scan with a mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet to access important information. Passengers can scan and play a safety video, which explains important safety features on the coach. Drivers can use their device to scan the code to view a driver’s guide, a vehicle manual or an instruction video on using the wheelchair lift. The videos are available in English, French and Spanish, and the manuals are available in English and French.
“The Prevost Mobile Application initiative delivers what the Prevost team finds valuable: resources that help customers increase the value of their business,” says Andy Kankula, Prevost’s senior vice president of Marketing and Sales. “We want to assure our customers that our products and services always exemplify premium quality in the industry.”
Technical literature available online
The Prevost Technical Publication website houses all the literature and information for the operation and maintenance of the Prevost and Volvo coaches such as technical literature, training manuals, wiring and pneumatic diagrams, as well as up-to-date service bulletins.
Parts customer service in Illinois, Quebec and online
Prevost is the exclusive distributor of all Prevost and Nova Bus certified parts and components. Prevost also offers quality OEM replacement parts for all make and models of coach and transit buses in North America.
Coach and transit bus experts equipped with advanced technologies that include a large competitive cross reference database are able to identify, locate and ship the needed parts from any of its six warehouses strategically located throughout North America.
Using RF barcode technology, Prevost offers online 24/7 emergency parts ordering and shipping anywhere in the United States and Canada at a special discount. Prevost’s exclusive computerized parts catalog provides immediate access to all coach assemblies, subassemblies and components.
Prevost Connection webinar program
The Prevost Connection webinar program is a continuing series of online presentations and discussions for motorcoach operators, drivers and maintenance personnel. It offers easy online 24/7 training on maintenance and product topics with all past training webinars available at any time.
The 2012 webinar line-up includes in-depth education on the Volvo 9700 and Prevost motorcoaches, as well as presentations on the Prevost Parts eCommerce site and Prevost Liaison telematics system.
Prevost says this program educates customers about important topics regarding new and existing Prevost vehicles, vehicle maintenance and customer service programs. Each session also allows for discussion between Prevost product and service experts and webinar attendees, who can submit questions for the presenter to address during the session and offer suggestions for specific areas of concentration.
The Prevost Connection schedule of webinars is available at https://prevostevents.webex.com.
Prevost Liaison telematics system
Prevost says it is the only motorcoach manufacturer to develop its own telematics system, and developed Liason specifically for its motorcoaches. This year the company launched Prevost Liaison 2.0 telematics system. According to the company this latest version with more advanced features offers more reliable communications and more efficient data transfer. The telematics system now utilizes a cellular network to improve signal reliability and provide wider coverage.
Liaison continuously monitors many electronic systems on the motorcoach, including engine, transmission, ABS, Tire Pressure Monitoring System, Diesel Particulate Filter and Prevost Electronic Stability Program.
Reporting is possible every five minutes and fault alerts are in real time, allowing up to the second status of the vehicle. The customizable fault alerts can also display hardware and software currently installed for faster, easier troubleshooting.
Prevost says Liaison 2.0 improves driver/dispatcher communication by allowing drivers and dispatchers to send pre-set or customized messages to one another, which are visible on the driver information display (DID) on the dashboard. Dispatcher-to-driver pre-set messages might read “Please call,” “Vehicle due for maintenance,” or “Received your request, sending Mechanic.” Built-in driver-to-dispatcher messages read “Pre-trip check OK,” “Trip-leg completed” and “Stopped: Off duty.”
Prevost Liaison keeps operators connected to their motorcoaches and drivers anywhere, anytime, from any computer or mobile device. Users access the service via the Internet, so they have password-protected access anywhere a high-speed connection is available. Prevost Liaison is standard on all Prevost and Volvo coaches.
Prevost Action Service System
Prevost Action Service System (PASS) provides immediate access to call-center assistance. PASS services include locating the nearest qualified road service, securing emergency maintenance assistance and towing, scheduling emergency service appointments, ordering parts, and helping with related financial matters and warranty claims paperwork. BR