I am a motorcoach…

. . . normally a servant within my industry. But for the past week I have been out ‘n about providing service directly to my industry. My passengers have been fellow motorcoach industry servants. They are in St. Louis for back-to-back events: the IMG (International Motorcoach Group) Maintenance and Safety Forum and the UMA (United Motorcoach Association) Expo 2017.

One of my passengers, Gil, is the director of Fleet Maintenance for Ambassatours (Halifax, NS Canada). The Ambassatours company motto, “We live it, We love it, We know it,” could double as industry motto. Another passenger, Rich, holds the same position for Royal Hyway Tours, a 120-motorcoach operation more than four thousand miles west in Juneau, Alaska. Yet another, Steve, keeps a similar fleet running in California at . . . uh, I didn’t get the name of Steve’s company because I was distracted by an unfamiliar noise when I applied my breaks at that moment. Awkward noises . . . part of the life of a motorcoach. Or, maybe I’m just overly nit-picky. Perfectionism issues prevail when you’re the brainchild of engineers (like Rudy, an electrical engineer, and another of my passengers, visiting from Belgium as a representative of Van Hool). Anyway, hearing these world class mechanical nerds talk shop is an education in the nuts and bolts of “We live it, We love it, We know it.”

Of course, the love part of the equation is a many-moving-parts, diesel-driven kind of love, which often means love/hate. John Sieve is head of fleet maintenance at our Mid-American Coaches garage. I know he and his staff are never at a loss for things demanding their attention . . . some minor, some major. But these are the unseen heroes of the industry, the ones who keep mobilization fluid. I am glad to be in their care and never far removed from appreciation that I am on the road doing what I was made for because of them.

Selfies

(which by definition means I’m in them . . . though you might have to look for me)

The downtown Hyatt (at the Arch) was this year’s IMG forum headquarters. From there, it was off to the Missouri History Museum in Forest Park for an MCI sponsored event one evening and the Moto Museum for a Prevost sponsored event the next. Of course, I dressed appropriately on both occasions. The garage staff doesn’t just keep us running, they make sure we look our best.

At the Anheuser Busch Visitor and Tour Center, we were packed in mirror-to-mirror with friends from Cavalo and Vandalia Bus Lines. Nearly forty motorcoaches filled to capacity delivered the passengers and then waited for orders to return them to their hotels. In the foreground are (from left to right) 2017 Setra, Prevost, and Caio demo coaches. (See below for a closer look at these latest edition luxury coaches)

MEETING THE NEWS on the roadways of America, first-hand, real time, real world news—going out and discovering the news . . .

NEWS OF SUSTAINABILITY: Passenger, Dave Kestenbaum, was one of the event speakers. Dave is Director of the Certification for Sustainable Transportation, a program developed by the University of Vermont. Driven by research and innovation, CST strives to match information with technology to effectively reduce harmful emissions and increase energy efficiency in the passenger transportation sector. Utilizing a personal approach, CST has worked with over 7,000 drivers from companies in 42 states to increase awareness and elevate professional standards in energy efficiency and environmental stewardship. The program also employs research-based criteria to evaluate and rate vehicle efficiency.

NEWS OF NEW: I was glad to be a machine (insecurityproof) when a passenger came aboard gushing over pictures taken of 2017 display coaches: Caio, Prevost, Setra, and MCI.

NEWS IN THE CHATTER: “In 30 years of attending UMA events, this is the best shuttle experience I’ve had,” was one of the many affirming comments in the chatter of passengers. I will add from my experience: it was a pleasure working alongside coaches from neighbor garages Cavalo, Vandalia Bus Lines, Huskey, Central States, and southwestern Illinois Bus Company to serve our visiting friends from throughout this noble industry.

NEWS OF VITALITY AND NEED: There was lots of passenger conversation suggestive of a thriving industry. “We grew by thirty percent last year and expect to better that this year.” “We added six new coaches in 2016 and are looking at that many or more again in 2017.” Consequently, there is a nation-wide need for more drivers. In other words: lots of great jobs out there!

NEWS OF AWARDS: Alex Roman, a passenger visiting from California, is Managing Editor of Metro Magazine. Among numerous awards given during the event, Metro Magazine awarded Pacific Coachways of Garden Grove, California the Motorcoach Operator of the Year.

“If there is one more person out there who still believes scheduled coach service is for people who don’t own cars, or can’t afford to fly, our recipient for 2017 puts one more shovel of dirt – hopefully the last – on that ill-conceived notion.” With those opening remarks, David Hubbard of BUSRide Magazine presented Mark Richardson, President, LimoLiner Inc. (NYC/Boston), with the BUSRide Motorcoach Industry Achievement Award.

Congratulations to these and all award recipients!

(Unlike selfies, these are not about me, but about travel discoveries I think you’d like to know about.)

Voted one of the Top Ten Playgrounds in the World, City Museum offers one-of-a-kind fun for all ages.

Quote Of The Day samples

“The journey is like marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it.” ― John Steinbeck

“There are no foreign lands. It is the traveler only who is foreign.” – Robert Lewis Stevenson

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