Metro Magazine

JAN 2014

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

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Business Stable, Strong for Motorcoach Top 50 Last year, Mesa, Ariz.-based All Aboard America!, and New Orleans' Hotard Coaches merged their businesses to form All Aboard America Holdings (which tied for spot #11). While business was up for 62% of survey respondents, this percentage is lower than the last two years. However, the average increase operators experienced came in at about 30%, and every carrier who made the list plans to buy more vehicles this year. BY NICOLE SCHLOSSER, Senior Editor For METRO's 2013 Top 50 Motorcoach operators survey, meant to provide an annual snapshot of the industry, we received input from a total of 87 carriers. This year's results included a handful of operators who are new to the list and several ties. New to the list this year is San Francisco-based Bauer's Transportation, which came in at No. 16; Salt Lake City's Lewis Stages; Wichita, Kan.-based Village Tours; and Cardinal Buses Inc. in Middlebury, Ind. Operators who returned to the Top 50 list this year after an absence last year include Brea, Calif.'s Gold Coast Tours; Germantown, Wis.-based Go Riteway Transportation Group; and Sebring, Fla.'s Annett Bus Lines. Another development refected in the survey results is Mesa, Ariz.-based All Aboard America!, and New Orleans' Hotard Coaches merging their businesses to form All Aboard America Holdings (which tied for spot No. 11) last year, strengthening their operations. Both All Aboard and Hotard celebrated their 75th anniversaries this year. Te operations are keeping their original names. RANKING BREAKDOWN Once again, reported fleet sizes were larger this year. Predictably, the top four spots were taken by FirstGroup America, Coach USA, Horizon Coach Lines and Academy Bus Companies. A few notable upward moves in the list were made by Halifax, Nova Scotia-based Ambassatours, jumping from No. 33 last year up to No. 23 this year; Premier Coach Co. in Milton, Vt., which moved from No. 38 to No. 31, and Owosso, Mich.'s Indian Trails Inc., climbing from No. 40 to No. 32. Tere are 22,267 vehicles represented among the Top 50 carriers in this survey. TOTAL FLEET SIZE — 22,267 Non-motorcoaches: 60% (13,417) Motorcoaches: 40% (8,850) A total of 22,267 motorcoaches and buses are represented among the Top 50 operators in this survey. Non-motorcoach vehicles made up the majority, 60%, only slightly down from last year's 62%. Among all respondents, the vehicle total is 22,705. The average fleet size among the 50 largest operators, not counting the top fve, is 99. Te median feet size is 75. All of the Top 50 operators plan to purchase more vehicles this year, up from last year's 86%. Altogether, they plan to buy about 573 new and 131 used vehicles. Of the buying numbers cited, about one-quarter were frm plans, versus estimates. Te most popular vehicle brands cited were, once again, Motor Coach Industries (62%), Prevost (54%) and Van Hool (38%). MORE ADDING SEAT BELTS As with last year, only about 6% of operators said their entire feet, or nearly their entire fleet, has seat belts installed. Approximately, the same number of carriers reported having no seat belt-equipped vehicles in their feets. However, adding seat belts appears to be growing, possibly in response to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's recent fnal rule requiring lap and shoulder seat belts for passenger and driver seats on new motorcoaches JANUARY 2014 mETRO mAGAZINE > 13

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