At Chicago Sightseeing Company we do everything we can to keep our motorcoaches for a 20-year life cycle, which means adhering to our strategy to keep our vehicles in safe and good condition. Panel corrosion will always be a situation we, like all operators, must face and repair. Over the years we have come up with an easy and perhaps obvious solution to this problem.
A front tire failure can cause the motorcoach to be either extremely difficult to control or uncontrollable entirely. There is always the possibility of a catastrophic accident. A careful examination of the variables and practices that affect the control of a motorcoach can reduce the incidence of front tire failures.
Going clean is the easiest and most cost effective way to attract and retain the best customers. A washed vehicle encourages drivers to drive safely and maintain the vehicle. Technicians are prone to take more time under a clean vehicle to perform the necessary preventative maintenance. Regular washing with an effective system extends the life of the bus and helps hold its value.
Caio North America, LLC, headed by Mark Middleton, is based in McDonough, GA, and distributes the 35-foot G3400 and 45-foot G3600 commercial buses, develops the North American market and initiates a parts and service network.
Bus and Coach International (BCI) is going with the Navistar MaxxForce® Big Bore 13 engine with Advanced EGR technology as its solution to 2010 EPA emissions mandates.
Twelve years ago, sign-painter-turned- illusionist, Stan Mitts, reconfigured his first transit bus into a trolley for Jackson Transit, Jackson, MI. Painting on blank white siding using traditional brush and airbrush techniques, Mitts created the appearance of wood paneling and traditional trolley detailing with pin striping, scrolls and custom lettering. The Bluebird bus underneath did not change in any way but lent the appearance of a trolley car with all the trimmings.
While a number of prison systems still rely on the more archaic school bus-style vehicles, and even book inmates onto commercial transport for longer distances, the truly security-minded government agencies favor the safety of coaches designed and built expressly for prisoner transport.
I recently came across a solution specifically related to preventing the parking brake from freezing — a device anyone can make in the garage.
Last year it became clear that the government would issue a seatbelt mandate for new motorcoaches. This would not come as a complete surprise to the industry given recent high profile fatal accidents involving ejections, and especially the motorcoach-specific crash testing NHTSA has conducted on the effectiveness of passenger restraints.
For about a week I had been hearing a high-pitched whistling noise coming from an S-60 engine. I inspected it and drove it personally, but was still unable to locate the source. With a little more probing, I eventually diagnosed the disturbing noise as coming from the air intake system on the engine.