Metro Magazine

JAN 2013

Magazine serving the bus and rail transit & motorcoach operations since 1904

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ly in high-traffic areas where passengers are tracking in corrosive elements s from outside. "Once corrosion starts, you can't stop op it," he explains. "You literally have to go in there, and in a lot of cases, replace the he entire steel structure to bring the integgrity of the coach back to OEM-like connditions." CoachCrafters starts by pressure re washing, de-scaling and sandblasting ng the undercarriage of a vehicle once it is disassembled. The disassembly process ss includes a complete structural inspecction and a written plan. "I always stress to our customers that at good planning and attention to detail is essential if you want a successful overrhaul," Wolf says. A MENU OF UPGRADES Coach refurbishment can be as simmple as replacing worn panels and floorring and as complicated as stripping the he vehicle down to the frame and starting ng from scratch. BRC lets clients choose retrofits such ch as front and rear caps to modify the he look of the bus, new paint schemattics, external LED lighting, audio visual al equipment, HVAC systems and more. e. By the end of the refurbishment proocess, "from the ridership standpoint, t, they wouldn't know any different if it's t's a brand new bus or a 12-year-old bus," ," Pek says. "Once we understand what the cusstomer wants, then the process will flow w based on what his recommendation is or what he chooses to do," says Hotard. d. "Then, we'll order engines, transmisssions, undercarriage components or whatever is needed to fit the bill of maaterials that we've designed to match his is request." Similarly, once CoachCrafters has innspected a vehicle and given their recommmendations, its clients must approve ve the refurb plan, which includes generral goals, documentation of all product ct and installation instructions, drawings, s, inspection forms, inventory control ol parts and labor identification through gh job cost tracking. The company keeps ps a stock of over a quarter of a million on THE 'GREEN' CHOICE: REFURBISHING TRANSIT BUSES Unlike motorcoaches, transit buses take a hard beating early in their lives — and if they are federally funded, they are required to last 12 years. Complete Coachworks (CCW) VP, Sales and Marketing, Macy Neshati says that refurbishing a transit bus is "not only proven from a standpoint of economics, but from an environmental impact standpoint, it makes a huge diference." CCW can bring an older bus up to new industry standards by installing digital signage, LED exterior and interior lighting, — which reduces battery draw and therefore increases efciency — audio systems for next-stop announcements, automatic vehicle location, and wheelchair lifts and ramps. Lighter-weight flooring materials will help cut down on weight and increase fuel economy, and the company has many green technology options. "Our customers always tend to leap at the opportunity to have the engines updated to the most current emission technologies, which is great," Neshati says. "If you take a 10-year-old engine and bring it up to 2011 or 2012 standards, you're taking a ton of pollution out of the air." While the company often converts engines to natural gas, the technology Neshati is most excited about is the company's recently developed conversion to an all-electric battery plug-in bus. "The more we think about it, the more we look at numbers, costs and the landfills, as well as our carbon footprint, the more it makes sense to recycle a bus," he says. CCW also ofers standard services such as new brake parts and suspension, new drive trains, and up-to-date electronics. According to Neshati , the cost of refurbishing a transit bus versus purchasing a brand new one is "roughly half." While a motorcoach typically operates over long miles in a low wear-andtear environment, transit buses are subject to constant stopping and starting, vandalism and more. "You tend to wear things out a lot more dramatically on a transit bus," Neshati explains. "At some point, [agencies] have to stop and decommission that bus while most of the tour operators and coach operators that run the big highway buses are very diligent and conscious of how they treat the bus." Because of the constant wear and tear transit buses experience, Neshati says, "It's really, really a huge benefit in our minds to take that bus and refurbish it. It's perfectly capable of serving another 12-year lifecycle." "When you keep [a bus] out of the landfills, you spare the resources necessary to build a new bus," he adds. JANUARY 2013 mETRO mAGAZINE > 45

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