The Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) provides fixed-route and paratransit services for greater Columbus and Central Ohio — orchestrating more than 19 million annual passenger trips for the area’s 1.2 million residents. COTA has around 1,170 employees and maintains a fleet of 321 fixed-route transit vehicles, 75 paratransit vehicles, and 12 micro-transit vehicles. As such, […]
Last month BUSRide Maintenance convened a remote meeting to discuss the intricacies of bus collision work, the benefits of refurbishment and remanufacturing, and the dangers of miscalculating major repairs. These are the results of that discussion. Our panelists: Ed Harmon – National Director of Operations, Southwest Region – ABC Companies Steve Walther – Collision Manager […]
By Richard Tackett In the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, safety — and, notably, sanitization — is paramount for bus passengers and transportation. Comprehensive maintenance and safety procedures are critical not only for day-to-day operations, but for the public’s faith in group transportation. The pre-trip vehicle inspection is of greater concern than ever before. Verifiability […]
For this special section, BUSRide consulted with key figures from some of the foremost product and service providers in both the motorcoach and transit industries. They discussed the levels of support, customization, and service provided for their customers, demonstrating why it is often after-sale interactions between vendors and customers that are most important. Contributing to […]
For the customers of Access Services, the paratransit service for Los Angeles County’s 45 public fixed-route transit operators, ride quality is of paramount importance. To that end, Rick Streiff, Access Services’ Senior Manager of Fleet Design, Maintenance and Safety, said that factory-stock suspension systems are simply not an option for the agency. “Our fleet is […]
Building on a legacy of accessibility and exceptional service, ARBOC Specialty Vehicles® is poised in 2020 to refine its vehicle offerings and further improve its organizational efficiency. Doug Minix, general manager, joined ARBOC in December and plunged headfirst into the bus industry, overseeing the company’s direction during the COVID-19 pandemic. The next year, he said, […]
Picture this: you have implemented the latest video compression technology (H.265) on your fleet of 20 buses. Each bus has 12 cameras and you downloaded two hours of footage per bus to a USB. You’re excited to review the high-quality video on your 2015 computer, but when you insert the drive, open your computer video […]
BUSRide spoke with key transit thought leaders about integrating new Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) with legacy technology. Their in-depth discussion explored the risks associated with poor integration; unique challenges faced by early adopters; first steps toward integrating disparate systems; and the value of data warehousing. What problems do “disconnected” systems pose for agencies? David Mugica: […]
On Wednesday afternoon hundreds of motorcoaches circled the U.S. Capitol to raise awareness for the industry’s need of support. Now those who weren’t able to attend the rolling rally can do their part to help! A fundraising campaign is underway to help off-set logistics and support costs for Motorcoaches Rolling for Awareness. Motor Coach Industries […]
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) hereby declares that a national emergency continues to exist that warrants extension of Emergency Declaration No. 2020-002 issued on March 13, 2020, expanded on March 18, 2020, and extended and further expanded on April 8, 2020. This extension continues the exemption granted from Parts 390 through 399 of […]