Motor Coach Industries (MCI), a U.S. subsidiary of NFI Group Inc., has delivered a new 2019 J4500 coach to Parsons & Sons Transportation Ltd., serving scenic Newfoundland and Labrador.
Based in Conception Bay South, NL, Parsons & Sons serves the most easterly province of Canada where tourists enjoy the region’s glacial fjords, waterfalls, cliffs, national parks and the capital city of St. Johns. The area’s townships and schools also rely on Parsons for group excursions and athletic events beyond their community.
After Parsons took delivery of their newest J4500 from the MCI Sales and Service Center in Montreal, arriving home in Newfoundland, they put the coach into service immediately. President Scott Parsons said he knew he made a successful purchase.
“I like the legroom, the interior design, the lower, more modern driver dash, even the way the sun visor works — it’s a beautiful coach,” Parsons said. “Our drivers are lining up to take it on a trip.”
The model’s performance and MCI service support are additional factors contributing to Parsons’ confident purchase. Operating a mixed fleet of 15 coaches that also includes a 2006, 2007 and 2016 J4500s, Parsons likes how the J4500 sticks to the road, especially in blustery conditions. The region is Canada’s windiest with wind gusts exceeding 80 mph during serious storms late last year.
The new swing-out style electric e-fan cooling package and a clean-diesel Cummins engine on their newest J4500 are also appreciated for fuel the savings compared to the operator’s older coaches, noted Parsons, the second generation to lead the family firm founded by his father Richard in 1962.
A knowledgeable mechanic having worked with his dad on their company’s earliest MCI models, Parsons has 47 years in the bus business. And he’s still learning by taking online courses offered by the ASE- accredited MCI Academy’s Learning Management System (LMS). “The courses are thorough, teaching you how many electrons flow through copper wiring so that you can easily grasp complex content and spend a lot less time trying to figure things out,” he said.
MCI’s field support is provided by Remi Levesque MCI’s Technical Solutions Manager (TSM) responsible for the region. Onsite service support is provided at the MCI Service Center in Montreal. Parsons also takes advantage of fast NFI Parks service and rests easy knowing 24/7 MCI roadside assistance is always available.
“Our motto is safety, service and reliability, and the new J4500 and MCI support helps us deliver on that promise to our customers,” Parsons said.
Learn more at http://www.parsonsbus.ca.