Industry assessment foresees better days
I can offer this glimpse into the future of the coming demand for buses worldwide.
I can offer this glimpse into the future of the coming demand for buses worldwide.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that begins the process to mandate lap and shoulder restraint systems based on established U.S. standards and specifications on all newly manufactured motorcoaches. The eventual law becomes effective in January 2014.
Chartered motorcoach tours remain a major component in the mix of services that operators provide. Motorcoaches exist in the first place for people to load up a group and go somewhere for fun and entertainment, or educational purposes. I think what may look like declining interest in this industry staple over the last several years is actually a state of change. It will just take some creative thinking to grow the numbers.
I can say I have paid the price on more than a few occasions for neglecting to take care of business both before and after issues arose, but I am not impervious to the importance of preventative maintenance, and I am certainly trying to be more diligent.
I surmise in another 40 years aging motorcoach operators will have long forgotten the sixties and free love but will remember 2010 as the Summer of Safety.
Come December certain provisions of the American Recovery Act of 2009 will expire. The pre-tax $230 per month employee commuter benefit could revert to the former rate of $120 the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) allows. Or… this temporary spike in the monthly limit will stand permanently as a cost of living increase.