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The Van Hool all-electric CX45E at Busworld Europe 2019
Brussels, Belgium — Attendees at the Busworld Europe 2019 show held October 18-23 enjoyed a first look at the brand new all-electric Van Hool CX45E in October, which has the elite distinction as being the only electric model exclusively designed and built for the North American market. The zero-emission vehicle utilizes Proterra’s battery system, featuring a compact, robust design enabling industry-leading energy density by volume and mass. Efficient energy storage enables improved range capabilities and thermally controlled batteries keep the temperature consistent to maximize lifetime in operating climates.
Designed for the Future, Coming to America - January 2020 was the theme used to unveil the new bus, and ABC Companies is eager to present this innovative zero-emission model during UMA Expo 2020 to be held January 19-23 in Nashville, Tenn. Like the diesel-powered Van Hool CX45, the CX45E electric bus will integrate a multitude of onboard technologies and passenger and driver amenities including a fully redesigned driver’s area.
“The new CX45E represents an important milestone in our over 30-year partnership with Van Hool and demonstrates our commitment to delivering advanced technology and innovation to our North American customers,” said ABC Companies President and CCO Roman Cornell. The CX45E offers an ideal solution for North American customers who operate fixed routes and dedicated shuttles, especially in urban and private environments, according to Cornell.
ABC, together with Van Hool and Proterra, will offer proprietary route modelling, which will take route planning, the environment, and how each coach is routinely operated into consideration. Modeling and charging infrastructure analysis, utilizes data gleaned from route simulation—factoring in a host of variables such as charging speed and consumption, hours of operation, charging points, power suppliers and more—to determine the right fit for each operation. Through the Proterra Energy fleet solutions offering, Proterra’s team of experts can evaluate a fleet’s daily power needs to determine the most fitting chargers to meet route requirements.
ABC also offers after-sale, fleet maintenance support programs that are built around each owner’s individual fleet profile and needs. With flexible, scalable maintenance strategies tailored to support highly diverse fleet compositions, the company can service a full spectrum of equipment makes, models and drivetrain platforms. Together with recognized industry innovators Van Hool and Proterra, the company eagerly anticipates the forthcoming UMA 2020 debut of the Van Hool CX45E All Electric Bus at ABC Booth #200.
Visit abc-companies.com or proterra.com for more information.
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L to R: IATR President Matt Daus, IATR’s 2019 Regulator of the Year Jarvis Murray, IATR Board Chair Carlton Thomas, and IATR 2019 Conference Host Abdul Rafih
Calgary, Alberta —The 32nd annual conference of the International Association of Transportation Regulators (IATR) welcomed transportation professionals from around the world between September 22-25. The four days were filled with networking opportunities, an array of education from bootcamps to workshops, and plenty of opportunities to enjoy the local offerings.
The first day kept pace with the city of Calgary’s slogan, “Be part of the energy,” with a record number of attendees participating in the bootcamp sessions. To help bridge the information gap between American and Canadian laws and regulations, the IATR curated its program to incorporate experts and speakers from both the U.S. and Canada who led training seminars on transportation law enforcement, driver training, meter regulation, and transportation insurance—the latter of which featuredexperts from the likes of New York City Black Car Fund.
Sister City Panelists (L to R): Kayla Matteotti (City of Edmonton), Nikki Cooper (City of Houston), and Mary Mitchell (City of Seattle)
Day Two started with thekeynote speech from Councilor Diane Colley-Urquhart, who has served on Calgary’s City Council as a Ward Councilor, City-wide Official and Deputy Mayor for nearly 20 years, and is now in her seventh term as an elected official. Councilor Colley-Urquhart champions initiatives to improve the lives of Calgarians and has made wellness, prevention, community safety, and security hallmarks in her elected role.
The rest of the day was dedicated to various panel discussions. Officials from the city of Calgary presented the history and current status of transportation mobility governance, regulations and issues affecting passengers and industry stakeholders, along with representatives from Houston, Edmonton, and Seattle—Calgary’s sister cities—providing feedback and advice for Calgary’s “Smart City Plan.” The following two panels addressed the “Innovative Regulatory Frameworks—The Future of Mobility”and “Regulator Star Trek—The Next Gen of Mobility Management Professionals.”
IATR President Matt Daus introduces Transportation Insurance Primer Panelists (L to R): Ira Goldstein of New York Black Car Fund, David Pooser of the Institutes Griffith Insurance Education Foundation, Sasha Ozeran of inDriver, and Ramy Dasuki of HUB International Insurance Brokers
The third day focused on a wide-range of issues affecting the future of mobility in a fast-changing business environment, included a discussion on the socio-economic and regulatory impacts of automated and connected vehicles, and various breakout exploring the future implementation and introduction of shared automated and connected vehicles. The benchmarking and best practices blueprint from one of the day’s all-day sessions will be used to formulate IATR’s Model Regulations for Automated Transportation, which will result in the drafting of such regulations before the 2020 IATR conference, during which there will be an international public hearing to provide final comments.
On the final day, discussions included both the genesis and ongoing impact of major changes in the gig economy workforce, exploring new apps, and meetings of the Technology and Innovation, Canadian Regulators, Accessible Transport, Safety, and TNC Working Group committees.
Throughout the event, awards recognized a few attendees’ accomplishments:
Attendees spent an afternoon exploring the Canadian Rocky Mountains in the town of Banff
* The winners of IATR’s Fourth Annual Hack-A-Thon were Assel Dmitriyeva and Reuben Juster, who traveled from Kazakhstan and New York City, respectively, on behalf of New York University (NYU). Their “smart city proposal” focused on how Calgary and other cities could decrease the negative impacts of TNCs without limiting people’s mobility options. They ultimately proposed a Dynamic Ride Sharing System, which encouraged riders with the same origin to pair their trips if both can be conveniently served with one vehicle;
* IATR’s 2019 International Driver of the Year was awarded to Jass Tatla, a well-respected driver from Checker Transportation Group who has, since 2009, displayed a high level of professionalism and sincerity, possessed a positive attitude, and ensures that he delivers the best possible service; and
* The 2019 Regulator of the Year award went to Jarvis Murray of the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT), who has been the Taxicab Administrator for the City of Los Angeles since 2016 and whose accomplishments include overseeing a Taxicab Study along with his colleagues at LADOT.
IATR’s 33rd annual conference will be in Memphis, Tenn.
Visit iatr.global for more information.
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Anchor Transportation’s new MCI J4500 motorcoach
Des Plaines, Ill. —Motor Coach Industries (MCI) has delivered six new MCI J4500 coaches to long-time customer Anchor Transportation.
Based in the upcoming 2020 UMA Motorcoach Expo hometown of Nashville (January 19-23), Anchor recently inaugurated the J4500 model into its fleet, adding a total of 13 amenity-filled J4500s over the past two years, increasing its fleet size and capacity.
“We’ve introducing the J4500, which is a new model for us, to better meet the demands of our clients,” said Ancor Vice President and General Manager Jared Stancil. “We like the luxurious wow factor the model offers our passengers, and both our university and tour clients are pleased with the large luggage bays, the unique stairwell entry, and the spacious seating and good-looking interior.”
Anchor’s newest J4500s carry full entertainment systems, in-cabin Wi-Fi and power outlets at every seat, woodgrain flooring, and backup cameras.
Anchor, with over 90 motor coaches and minibuses, is a Top 50 passenger carrier as ranked by METRO Magazine. The company was founded in 1989 by Drs. John and Yullie Stancil in Murfreesboro, Tenn. They applied their set of core values to start a business with a single coach so area church groups could travel where they’d like. More coaches followed, as did a move to Nashville. Their nephew Jared joined the growing company in 1999, learning the business from the ground up and paving a future path by continuing his relatives’ passion for service while expanding into surrounding states.
This customer- and employee-centric company works with students, churches, military personnel, and with shuttle system clients at airports, convention centers, hotels, special events and park-and-ride locations. It now employs 175 employees in multiple office locations including a 10-acre headquarters site and facilities in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Alabama.
Its fleet include a mix of newer and older coaches to maximize fleet productivity and profitability and a significant number of those coaches have been built by MCI.
“We learned very early that investing in quality is essential to building a company,” said Stancil, “You’re not only transporting people. Investing in the best equipment gives you a reputation for reliability, too.”
Royal Coach Tours recently added this MCI J4500 to their fleet
Safety is a high priority. Anchor has won the President’s Circle Award for Risk Control from TRAX Insurance for three consecutive years. The TRAX Award is given to only a few operators for their safety procedures, policies and facilities, participation in risk management and safety workshops, compliance with OSHA regulations and overall accident record.
In other news, Royal Coach Tour of San Jose, Calif., is marking its upcoming 60th anniversary year with a recent delivery of a 2020 MCI J4500 coach.
Royal Coach has served the Bay Area since 1960 and now operates a fleet of 97 vehicles. In 1999, Royal Coach pioneered now-common employee transportation coach service in the Silicon Valley to help a major employer cut the use of cars. Royal Coach Tours gives daily rides to thousands of this client’s employees from several pick-up locations around the Bay Area, dedicating 50 of its 97 coaches to the service.
And befitting the technology industry, this client’s employees can track the on-time performance of their coach by app.
And Royal Coach is expanding, recently opening a second location in Las Vegas. Its new Nevada base serves the tourism and entertainment capital and nearby destinations including the Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, and Red Rock Canyon.
“We want to be a strong, regionally based presence in both our Bay Area and Las Vegas locations,” said Royal Coach President Sandy Allen, who is the second generation to run the family business with her brother Dan Smith. “We’ll offer the same services in both cities, including corporate shuttles, special events, weddings, airport transfers and expanded excursions to popular nearby destinations.”
In the Bay Area, Royal offers trips to several Northern California destinations, such as Napa Valley, the Monterey Bay Area, Santa Cruz, and the Central Coast, as well as longer trips to Sacramento, Los Angeles, Reno, Lake Tahoe, and, of course, Las Vegas.
Allen’s team ordered its newest J4500 for its industry- leading legroom and all the latest features. The 2020 J4500 offers the new, next-generation, lighter weight Cummins X12 engine and a new e-Fan system for even greater gains in fuel economy. Royal added such optional amenities as power outlets at every seat, customized interior lighting for groups and special branding and MCI’s latest Advance Driver Assistance System (ADAS) package to assist drivers on the road with the most advanced collision mitigation technology available in today’s motor coach industry.
“We waited for the new Cummins engine and we like the direction MCI is taking with the improvements they have made to the J4500,” said Allen. For most of its history, Royal Coach has bought MCI models with the luxurious J4500 used exclusively on its employee transportation routes.
“We’re very proud to serve Royal,” said MCI Vice President of New Coach Sales Patricia Ziska. “And like all current and future MCI customers, we’re dedicated to serving Royal reliably. MCI’s history with Sandy Allen and Dan Smith extends back to the 80s, and we are thrilled to celebrate their 60th anniversary with the delivery of their latest new high-end J4500 for operation in their Las Vegas office.”
Visit mcicoach.com for more information.
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