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their business cards for a chance to win $1,000, with CEO John Walsh choosing the winners during the event. A hit with many attendees, who wanted to stand on top and check out a view of the show floor, was the Alexander Dennis 36-foot Double Deck Open Top Tourist Bus, which is modeled after the company's Enviro400 transit bus. In addition to its 35-foot model, CH Bus Sales displayed the new 30-foot TS30 Temsa. The unique coach features a monocoque design, as opposed to a traditional body-on-chassis, and can seat up to 32 passengers. Both the TS35 and TS30 pair a Cummins engine to an Allison transmission and feature seating with three-point seat belts. The first of the new TS30s are expected to be delivered prior to the end of 2012, with a new 45-foot Temsa set to debut in January. Additional show floor highlights included three Sprinter vans from Mercedes-Benz with 3-liter BlueTec turbo engines; three different Dallas Smith Corp. chassis with the company's fourpoint air-kneeling system; and a large Thor Industries display featuring vehicles from Champion Bus, Goshen Coach and ElDorado National. (For more BusCon products unveiled during the show, see page 35). SESSION HIGHLIGHTS The United Motorcoach Association's (UMA) Bus & Motorcoach Academy/Clarence Cornell School of Business Track, included the two-part Spader Habits of High Performers session. Utilizing its work as a UMA 20 Group provider, the Spader Group identified many of the habits that make successful operators "high performers." The two-part session discussed many of those tendencies to help attendees attain better organizational performance. Meanwhile, John Keys of JKeys Solutions was joined by the UMA's Victor Parra and Ken Presley to discuss how public transit systems and private bus operators can work together to meet the mass transit needs of the public, especially with some of the new provisions in the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21) transportation authorization bill. During the "Alternative Fuels, Making the Right Fuel Choice for Your Operation" panel session, various representatives, including ROUSH's Todd Mouw, Clean Energy's Joanne Hayes, and the Center for Bus Research and Testing's David Klinikowski, discussed the benefits derived from using natural gas, propane and/or biodiesel as well as the infrastructure and maintenance costs involved. The "Discover the Next Generation of Technology" panel session featured representatives from three companies — GreenRoad, REI/ETA Transit Systems, and Eaton's Vehicle Con- METRO's Frank Di Giacomo, Starcraft Bus President David Wright, Bobit Business Media President/CEO Ty Bobit, Ralph Kramden and METRO's Mark Hollenbeck (left to right) took part in the ribbon cutting, while attendees got a chance to examine all the latest technology on the show floor. trols and Sensors Business Unit — discussing the benefits of some of their products and the impact technology is having in improving the operator experience and vehicle reliability. The group also fielded several questions from the audience and discussed how feedback received at shows including BusCon plays a part in the development and improvement of their products. Additional sessions covered topics including bus procurement standards, bus operator simulator training, accessible transportation requirements and designing buses in a high-tech world. PUBLIC TRANSIT INDUSTRY During the Wednesday morning General Session, Halsey King discussed the Bus Service Enhancement program, while Walt Diangson gave a presentation introducing the SWTA's Operation Vets in Public Transportation (OVIPT) program. OVIPT is a public-private partnership that will offer recent veterans opportunities for transportationspecific job development training and job referral services within the public transportation industry, includ- JANUARY 2013 mETRO mAGAZINE > 33