Coach USA, one of the largest motor coach transportation companies in North America, was awarded United Motorcoach Association’s (UMA) Green Highway Award at UMA EXPO 2012 in Long Beach, CA, on Feb. 10, at a ceremony attended by motor coach company owners, operators and industry suppliers.
The Green Highway Award, established in 2008 and sponsored by Motor Coach Industries (MCI), the largest builder of intercity coaches in the U.S. and Canada, recognizes companies that demonstrate organizational leadership in reducing carbon emissions.
Coach USA was honored for its green achievements that extend from its dedication to fuel conservation and idling reduction policies to its maintenance procedures, recycling programs and facilities management.
Coach USA is testing new technologies that offer four- to-six-percent reductions in fuel usage, and it equips its fleet of 1,642 coaches and buses with GPS systems that trigger alerts through the company’s command center when idle-times are exceeded.
Through its parent company, Stagecoach Group, Coach USA has a five-year plan to reduce its carbon footprint. Stagecoach Group claims it has already exceeded its aim to reduce emission by 15 percent within the first three years of that plan.
“We’re committed to furthering our environmental practices and educating the public on motor coach travel as a ‘green’ and affordable alternative to automobiles and airplane travel,” said Dale Moser, president of Coach USA. “We’re honored to receive this year’s Green Highway Award.”