Industry News - Chauffeur Driven Magazine

Details: Category: Industry News; Published: 2021, January 29

The American Bus Association (ABA) held its virtual Annual Meeting on January 27 that included a Board election, a chat with members on how they are surviving the pandemic, and an optimistic Keynote speaker on the economic outlook for the coming year ahead.

ABA President Peter Pantuso ABA President & CEO Peter Pantuso

President & CEO Peter Pantuso kicked off the meeting with a 2020 year in review (spoiler: last year was terrible), but noted the important win that the association and industry achieved with the inclusion of the Coronavirus Economic Relief for Transportation Services (CERTS) Act in the latest round of economic relief. The program will offer $2B in direct aid to several industries including motorcoach operators, and applications will likely be available starting in late February or March.

The meeting also included an election of the association’s newest Board members, who will serve three-year terms. Congratulations to the new Board, including:

Mike Canino of Lorenz Bus Service
Terry Cordell of Transcor Data Services
Jeff Greteman of Windstar Lines
Elizabeth Hall of John Hall’s Alaska
Joey Hemphill of Hemphill Brothers Coach Company
Brent Maitland of Motor Coach Industries
Tom McCaughey of Flagship Trailways

Eugene Berardi ABA Board Vice Chairman ABA Board Chairman Eugene Berardi

Additionally, Eugene Berardi Jr. of Adirondack Trailways was named Chairman of the Board and Chris Shepler of Shepler's Mackinac Island Ferry was named Vice Chairman of the Board. Pantuso also thanked outgoing Chairman Don DeVivo of DATTCO for his dedication to the association.

Chris Shepler ABA Board Vice Chairman ABA Board Vice Chairman Chris Shepler

“I am honored to have been named the Chairman of the Board,” said Berardi. “Our industry is going through unprecedented times and I look forward to working with the ABA Board of Directors to help steer the association with our members’ best interests at the center of our programming, no matter what sector of the industry they represent. Together we are stronger than a pandemic and this association and our industry will come out of this stronger than ever.”

Berardi also thanked the retiring Board members for their service. To view the entire ABA Board of Directors, click here.

Moving on to the upcoming 2021 Marketplace and Busworld North America shows that are scheduled for June 18-22 in Baltimore, Pantuso alerted the membership to a new wrinkle that has arisen with the in-person events. As the city and state continue to use the Baltimore Convention Center as an auxiliary COVID medical facility through the end of June (as it has for the past 10 months), the choice now is in the hands of the membership on whether to go virtual again for this year, or relocate to another Southern host city. ABA has a poll for attendees and vendors currently available on its website (through February 3) on which option you would prefer.

Finally, the closing speaker of the meeting left attendees with a much-needed dose of positivity. Keynote speaker Adam Sacks, president and founder of Tourism Economics, crunched the data and shared the good news about a recovery projected for the industry starting in late summer and picking up in earnest this fall. He already sees pockets of hope in the smaller, less dense markets, with urban centers to follow later in the year. With the vaccine ramping up (a promise of the Biden administration), levels of spending in other sectors (including a robust housing market) holding steady, and the pent-up urge for travel, he predicts that the industry is primed for a comeback in the second half of this year. Although he sees a bounce-back over many months—barring any other major upsets to the economy and major spikes in COVID cases—the light at the end of the tunnel is finally getting brighter. He also reminded members that the most enduring legacy of this crisis isn’t pain or frustration, but gratitude.

Visit buses.org for more information about ABA.

[01.29.21]

Details: Category: Industry News; Published: 2021, January 25

On the same day that President Joe Biden was inaugurated as the nation’s 46^th president, he signed an executive order that requires people to wear masks in airports, on certain modes of public transportation—including many trains, airplanes, and buses—and in federal buildings on federal lands. The executive order does not affect any local or state mandates that are already in place.

President Joe Biden signs mask mandate

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also issued an order requiring all air passengers arriving to the U.S. from a foreign country to get tested no more than three days before their flight departs and to present the negative result or documentation of having recovered from COVID to the airline before boarding the flight. Air passengers will also be required to confirm that the information they present is true in the form of an attestation. (This order is effective as of January 26, 2021). More information is available here.

"We must ensure all of our transportation systems—from aviation to public transit, to our railways, roads, ports, waterways, and pipelines—are managed safely during this critical period, as we work to defeat the virus," said Biden’s nominee for Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who was also a Democratic presidential contender and mayor of South Bend, Indiana.

ABA President Peter Pantuso

Additionally, American Bus Association President & CEO Peter Pantuso clarified how the executive order pertains to motorcoach and group travel, including:

Sec. 2 directs various Agency heads to take action, with relevant authority and to the extent appropriate and consistent with applicable law, to require masks to be worn in or on intercity bus services (and other transportation modes), in compliance with CDC guidelines. Agency heads are to update the President’s COVID-19 Response Coordinator on their progress in implementing this section, along with any categorical exceptions, within 7 days of the date of the order (January 21, 2021).

Sec. 3 directs Agency heads to make additional recommendations on how their respective agencies may impose additional public health measures for domestic travel.

Sec. 4 directs DOT and other agencies to support state/local/tribal and territorial authorities by informing them of options to incentivize, support and encourage widespread mask wearing and physical distancing on public modes of transportation.

Sec. 5 for international travel, among other things, directs the State Department, in consultation with DOT and others, to commence diplomatic outreach to Mexico and Canada regarding public health protocols for land ports of entry, and within 14 days of the date of the order, the various Agency heads are to submit a plan to the President on how to implement appropriate public health measures at land ports of entry.

"While we generally support the use of face masks for those riding our buses, we do not support this if it will cause harm or danger by forcing drivers to wear masks if it would cause them breathing problems or fogging glasses. We will work with the Biden Administration and FMCSA to ensure the safety of our drivers and their passengers," said Pantuso in his letter to members.

U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow

The news is being celebrated by travel associations as well.

“The CDC’s inbound testing requirement is the key to reopening international travel and it adds another important layer of safety. If the testing requirement is going to work on a global scale, it has to be flexible and reflect where testing resources are available and where they’re not. The executive order would allow for flexibility if it’s needed, said U.S. Travel Association President & CEO Roger Dow. “We also strongly support the president’s mask mandate for interstate travel, which is in line with the industry’s health and safety guidance and consistent with what countless travel businesses are already doing to protect travelers and workers.”

TL;DR version: Mask up!

The full text of the executive order is available here.

[01.25.21]

Details: Category: Industry News; Published: 2021, January 25

Keep yourself informed and connected to other members of the industry by attending these important virtual meetings

American Bus Association
Annual Meeting includes a vote for the new ABA Board of Directors, guest speaker Adam Sacks will explore what recovery is really going to look like, and a peer discussion about how other owners have kept their businesses moving forward during the pandemic.
1/27 at 3 p.m. ET online (registration required)

National Limousine Association
Open board meeting featuring the newly installed NLA Board after last fall’s election
1/28 at 2:00 p.m. ET on the NLA’s Facebook page