- Details
- Category: Industry News
A restored OmniRide bus in ABC’s maintenance facility
Woodbridge, Va.—ABC Companies recently completed a major bus overhaul contract for OmniRide, the operating name for the mobility services offered by the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission (PRTC). OmniRide’s goal is to provide safe, reliable, and flexible transportation options while helping to reduce congestion and pollution in one of the region's fastest growing areas. In 2018, OmniRide had more than 150 buses in its active fleet making over 2.5 million passenger trips. ABC Companies completed an earlier contract with the company, having successfully restored 65 vehicles for OmniRide/PRTC in 2015.
On this most recent project, ABC was selected via OmniRide’s extensive RFP bid process in 2017. The scope of work to be completed encompassed a full overhaul of twenty-three MCI D4500, model year 2008/2009 buses. The contract was managed, coordinated and conducted at ABC Companies Winter Garden, Fla., facility over a two-year period. From structural repairs and exterior paint and graphics, to electrical, mechanical, and interior restoration, the project refurbished the vehicles to extend their fleet life according to ABC Companies National Director of Operations, Southeast Region Ed Harmon.
ABC overhauled 23 MCI D4500 buses for OmniRide
“If you’ve ever been to a vintage car show and examined the condition of those beautifully restored vehicles, that’s pretty much what we’ve accomplished with the OmniRide restoration project,” said Harmon. From inside the engine compartment to the bus interior and exterior, these vehicles have been rebuilt, restored, and detailed.
Throughout the project, strict quality guidelines were followed in order to meet or exceed quality standards. An in-house inspector contracted by OmniRide conducted on-site inspections at the ABC Florida facility on a daily basis throughout the entire project. ABC’s Service Department utilized high-tech equipment throughout the restoration including for example; laser alignment technology, which compensates for environmental variances, and ensures proper axle alignment by greatly reducing the margin for error.
“After sale support, a commitment to quality and responsive customer service are the priorities,” says Harmon. “It has been a rewarding process that matches well with ABC’s work ethic and quality standards. We’ve enjoyed a great relationship with OmniRide and look forward to supporting their fleet via future contracts.”
Visit abc-companies.com for more information.
[CD0719]
- Details
- Category: Industry News
The MCI D45 CRT LE coach participated in the NCIL March & Rally
Des Plaines, Ill.— For the second year in a row, Motor Coach Industries (MCI) brought its MCI D45 CRT LE to the National Council on Independent Living’s (NCIL) March & Rally July 23 at the U.S. Capitol. The newly designed motorcoach was the only vehicle appearing at the event, which hosts more than 1,000 people with disabilities, disability advocates and allies, members of Congress, and government officials. The 1.5-mile march marked the 29th anniversary of the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), signed on July 26, 1990.
The MCI D45 CRT represents the biggest change to bus design since MCI built the very first highway bus with a wheelchair lift, pioneering the first inboard-based elevator lift six years ahead of the ADA. NCIL’s leadership advised on design of this revolutionary new commuter coach, which is built for highway speeds and features the first-ever second door with patented curb-level Low-Entry Vestibule with seating for improved ADA accessibility.
MCI has positioned its newest coach as the vehicle of choice for public and private transportation systems, serving a workforce of all ability levels. Offering sleek, contemporary exterior styling, the coach also sports techie- and millennial-friendly features, including cabin-wide Wi-Fi, power outlets, USB ports at each seat, and optional bike racks.
NCIL Executive Director Kelly Buckland, who uses a wheelchair, was one of many volunteers for the disability community that evaluated concepts and final prototype design.
“One of the things we learned was how valuable the engagement and feedback would be from everyday users of our vehicles for accessibility features. NCIL and others were directly reviewing our design as it developed. They told us it is still not common to make user groups part of the design process in transportation, an important part of a person’s independence,” said MCI Vice President of Public Sector Tom Wagner.
NCIL’s leadership advised on design of the MCI D45 CRT “MCI is exceptionally proud to return as the pace bus for the March to the U.S. Capitol for this reason. We are very proud of this coach and the one-of-a-kind collaboration that built it,” said Buckland. “You will see many transit agencies with accessibility committees that involve groups like ours, but this is the first time we’ve worked directly with a major manufacturer of motor coaches to design a vehicle from Day One. The MCI D45 CRT LE addresses the day-to-day challenges people with disabilities face. MCI offered us unprecedented access to their process and incorporated our feedback throughout. And that is why this coach is part of the March to the U.S. Capitol.”
Featuring a curb-level ramp requiring minimal operator support, the coach allows passengers with mobility devices to board through a mid-coach door that opens directly into a same-level, patent-pending low floor entry (LE) vestibule. The vestibule offers passenger seating, including for those using mobility devices, plus companion seating, and amenities including power outlet access. The coach also offers the manual Q’Straint wheelchair securement system as standard and the automated Quantum securement system as on option for the rear-facing position on the right of the vestibule.
Since its unveiling in fall 2017, the MCI D45 CRT LE has joined public transit fleets and the private commuter service of a Silicon Valley giant.
Visit mcicoach.com for more information.
[CD0719]
- Details
- Category: Industry News
NELA Executive Director Rick Szilagyi
Boston—Both the New England Livery Association (NELA) and The Transportation Alliance (formerly the Taxicab, Limousine & Paratransit Association) were represented at a July 23 hearing on behalf of two house bills that each entity supports.
NELA Executive Director Rick Szilagyi was joined by The Alliance’s Executive Vice President John Boit (who’s also Senior Founding Partner of its PR firm Melwood Global) and President-Elect Tom Arrighi of A &A Metro Transportation at the Massachusetts State House last week to speak in favor of each proposal.
The Transportation Alliance President-Elect Tom Arrighi of A & A Metro TransportationThe trio testified on behalf of HB-1066, which would require the fingerprinting of TNC drivers, and HB-943, which would establish a commission to examine transportation fees, with a proposed amendment to add a representative of each industry group (taxicabs, luxury ground transportation, hackneys, and TNCs) to the commission.
The Transportation Alliance Executive Vice President John BoitThe amendment currently reads as follows:
“There shall be a commission which shall study the state and local fees assessed to transportation for hire companies and services including taxis, livery, hackneys and transportation network companies. The commission shall further study the relation of fees to congestion. The members of the commission shall be as follows: the secretary of the department of transportation, or a designee, who shall be the chair; the secretary of the executive office of energy and environmental affairs, or a designee; the house and senate chairs of the joint committee on transportation; a representative from Massachusetts Municipal Association; a representative of a ride-for-hire or transportation network company; and a member of a consumer group to be appointed by the governor. The commission shall file a report with its findings, including any legislative and regulatory recommendations, with the clerks of the senate and house and representatives not later than December 31, 2020."
Check back with our September issue of Chauffeur Driven for more coverage following NELA’s and the Alliance’s advocacy efforts on behalf of these bills.
Visit nelivery.org or thetransportationalliance.org for more information about either organization.
[CD0719]