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The patented and proprietary SkyVue glass top convertible bus will be available in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean on the 170”-extended wheelbase 3500 model Sprinter in several 16 to 20 passenger configurations. The roof system replaces the factory structure, opens and retracts with the touch of a button, and incorporates several safety features to prevent injury or damage to the system. The roof can be fully opened or closed in about 30 seconds and is completely water and air tight when closed so sudden weather or temperature changes are never an issue.
“Since announcing the product in March, we have been inundated by inquiries from operators throughout North America with an incredibly diverse range of applications,” says David Ronsen, president and CEO of Meridian, “The experience of riding in a Sprinter fitted with the SkyVue glass top—open or closed—is truly exhilarating. The SkyVue bus literally creates new markets in the tour and other transportation industries that simply were not in reach before now. From New York City to the Grand Canyon and Wine Country to New England ‘leaf peepers’ applications, tour companies will now have a platform from which they can distinguish themselves from their competition and provide a one-of-a-kind touring experience for the masses or for their most exclusive VIP clientele and in any climate, season, or weather condition.”
Included in the 100+ available options are several oversized air conditioner and heater options to ensure passenger comfort in virtually any climate. The system has been tested extensively throughout Europe and the Middle East and is now being made available in North America.
SkyVue buses will be available through select Meridian dealers. MSRP for the M716, 16-passenger model is $145,550.
Visit meridiansv.com for more information.
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customerservice@createacardinc.com.
Bouchard has decades of experience in the chauffeured transportation industry, and is well known to her industry peers. Having owned her own company for 20 years, Bouchard understands the dynamics and challenges that transportation companies and owners go through on a daily basis. She grew her business from the ground up showing her the importance of marketing on a shoestring budget as well as the depth and complexity of a well-organized and executed marketing campaign.
Bouchard served as secretary for the New England Livery Association between 2010 and 2013. She was the committee chair to the quarterly newsletter, Driven, as well as a volunteer on numerous other committees.
“I look forward to learning from, and growing with, such a distinguished and prominent industry icon as Arthur Messina,” says Bouchard. “I am extremely excited to be joining the Create-A-Card team. I have always been impressed by the level of customer service I received as a client. More importantly, I am impressed with the professionalism and dedication to the industry by Arthur Messina and the entire team. I now look forward to serving my friends and colleagues in the industry with a toolbox full of exciting ways to promote and grow their businesses.”
Create-A-Card, under the leadership of Arthur Messina, has evolved from a specialized printing company in 1986, into what is today, the industry's leading full-service marketing strategy and solutions provider. For almost three decades, Messina has taken a leadership position in ground transportation building a reputation as an industry innovator and the preferred partner for market-leading transportation companies.
Visit createacardinc.com for more information.
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“These and other updates make the 2016 Ford Transit the smartest, most flexible van ever offered by Ford,” says Yaro Hetman, Ford brand manager for Transit, Transit Connect, and E-Series. “Transit replaces America’s best-selling van for 35 years, E-Series, first sold in 1961 as Ford Econoline, and we look forward to continuing our leadership in this important segment.”
SYNC 3 features faster performance, more conversational voice recognition, a more innovative smartphone-like touch screen and easier-to-understand graphical interface to help Ford customers connect on the road, according to a press release from Ford.
Dual sliding side cargo doors also will be available for the first time on Ford Transit medium- and high-roof vans—meaning customers can choose from 58 vehicle configurations, up from 47 in the 2015 model year.
“Transit customers appreciate that the vehicle is purpose-built to serve their businesses, and the enhancements we are making for 2016 are driven by customer feedback,” Hetman says. “We are making America’s best-selling commercial van even smarter and more flexible.”
The smaller Transit Connect and Connect Wagon will also receive updates for 2016. The flexible-fuel vehicle system will be standard equipment on 2016 Transit Connect vans with 2.5-liter I-4 engines destined for non-California emissions states. Flex-fuel Transit Connect vans are engineered to run on E85 (85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline), unleaded gasoline or any blend of the two. Ethanol burns cleaner and is more renewable than conventional fuels.
Ford Transit Connect Wagon will include a standard second-row fold-flat bucket seats for the 2016 Titanium model. The bucket seats are available as a no-charge option on the XLT long-wheelbase model, while a six-way power driver’s seat is available in cloth for the first time on XLT. Blind Spot Information System (BLIS®) with cross-traffic alert will be an option on 2016 Transit Connect Wagon XLT and Titanium models.
The vehicles will be available through Ford dealers beginning in September 2015.
Visit fleet.ford.com for more information.
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