ABC Companies Delivers Motorcoaches to Operators in Washington, D.C. and Minnesota

A Van Hool 56-passenger CX45 motorcoach
Faribault, Minn.— In an effort to serve the Washington, D.C. area’s varied transportation needs, Chariots for Hire has chosen ABC Companies as its provider for motorcoaches and buses.

“Having zero knowledge of the motorcoach industry, we spent a lot of time researching different brands and companies,” said Courtney West, co-founder of Chariots for Hire. “We chose ABC and Van Hool and never looked back. ABC is easy to work with, they provide great service, and act like a true friend. We have purchased 10 new coaches in the last year to try and keep up with the growth and demand.”

Among the newest additions are two 56-passenger CX45s, which are powered by Detroit 450 HP DD13 engines coupled to Allison B500 six-speed automatic transmissions. They feature an REI Elite Entertainment system with six video monitors, 110-volt outlets, and Van Hool’s unique rear-passenger window and Grande Luxe seating with leather trim. They also boast Van Hool safety features, including three-point seatbelts, backup camera, lane departure warning, antilock brakes, Smartwave Tire Pressure Monitoring, Kidde Fire Suppression Systems, automatic stability control, daytime running lights, curbside lighting, and adaptive static aiming lights. One of the coaches is ADA equipped with a Braun wheelchair lift. 

A refurbished Van Hool C2045 motorcoach
According to Ryhan Cornell, ABC account manager, “Chariots added six Van Hool CX45s at the end of 2016 and two CX45s this year as well as one 40-passenger CX35. [The Chariots team] are very professional and easy to work with. They really understand the business. You can tell how determined they are to offer their customers the best by the way they specified these coaches.”

In other news, Detroit Lakes, Minn.-based Olander Bus Service recently purchased of two 56-passenger refurbished Van Hool C2045 luxury motorcoaches to its fleet.

The two refurbished Van Hool coaches have completely renewed interiors—all new modern fabrics, along with LCD video monitors, WiFi, 110-volt outlets, LED lighting, and distinctive black paint and graphic packages. 

“We spent a ton of time planning what amounts to complete custom interiors,” according to Olander Bus Service President Nathan Olander. “That’s where our customers spend their time, and that’s our way of letting them know how much we value them. ABC’s level of service, along with the fact that support is available nearby, made ABC and Van Hool a natural choice.”

ABC Companies Senior Account Manager John McFarlane said, “All of us at ABC are excited about being part of Olander’s growth. This is their first venture into the motorcoach side of the business, and we are looking forward to watching them succeed and thrive. It’s a pleasure working with this wonderful family business. They’ve provided their community with school bus service for generations, and now they’re bringing that attitude and expertise to motorcoaches.”

Visit abc-companies.com for more information.

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FLA Chapters Come Together at CD Show

Orlando —With the 2017 CD Show happening right on their collective home turf, members of the Florida Limousine Association (FLA) and its many chapters and affiliated organizations—particularly the Central Florida Livery, Greater Orlando Limousine, and West Florida Limousine associations—held a standing-room-only morning meeting October 23.

With FLA President Rick Versace of A1A Limousine & Airport Service presiding over the meeting, he kicked off the breakfast gathering by sharing some of the wisdom that he and other association leaders gained—and even dispensed himself—during the previous day’s Association Summit.

“Associations elevate the industry,” he said. “They help you be successful because you’re sharing what you know with others, and they’re helping you learn from what they know. You learn how to present yourself and how to keep it classy while working together.”

Indeed, unity is an inevitable topic when discussing the notoriously fractured state comprising 67 counties that are all ruled by their own unique sets of laws and regulations, and Versace stressed that a continued concerted effort is the only way to survive.

“It’s all about unity,” Versace advised. “Associations help you be successful, but you have to help them be successful with your participation and support.”

He then launched into a review of what the FLA and the state’s transportation operators have been facing lately, starting with regulations that have come to fruition in the past year—which have betrayed just how uneven the regulatory landscape has become in a post-TNC world.

“The playing field has gotten so lopsided, it’s ridiculous,” said Versace. As TNCs are all but exempt from coughing up the same local fees that chauffeured ground transportation operators are, one particular pain point stemmed from how the state imposes a $1,000 citation for both a chauffeur and their company if a car enters a county in which it has not been licensed to operate.

This has led to the FLA considering a return to state legislators to appeal for the same regulations that TNCs are afforded: a one-time statewide operational license that puts an end to constantly worrying about crossing county lines. Versace emphasized that this is not to say they’re courting deregulation but rather seeking eased operations.

Versace described the country-by-county regulations as being holdovers from when smaller companies were worried about Florida’s bigger businesses eating up their client base—a concern, he says, that has already come to pass with TNCs. 

One silver lining in the constant storm of TNCs is the improved technology they’ve brought to the ground transportation sector, which GroundWidgets’ Stephen Power discussed during his presentation about global distribution systems.

David Thompson and Paul Zizzo of RRL Insurance were also among the meeting’s guest speakers, and discussed how an uptick in major claims losses are why insurance rates are on the rise. They also explained what it means when the industry is in a hard market and how safety measurements influence insurance payments.

Versace added that the FLA is currently working with some providers to develop app-on insurance to help operators save costs in that regard. He also reminded those in attendance that the association always benefits from active board members and encouraged interested parties to help make the FLA an active force for positive change in Florida’s transportation landscape.

Before the meeting concluded, members of the Chosen Payments team presented Versace with the FLA’s rebate check, which came to $4,997.13.

Visit floridalimousine.com for more information.

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Prevost Names New Vice President and General Manager For Services, Teams With Nova Bus at the APTA Expo

Guy French, Prevost vice president & general manager for services
Sainte Claire, Q.C.—Prevost is very proud to announce Guy French as the new vice president and general manager (VPGM) for services for Prevost and Nova Bus. This appointment follows the retirement of long-time leader Clay Flynt, who left at the end of September after 33 years with the Volvo Group, including 10 as Prevost Aftermarket VPGM.

 Flynt oversaw the expansion of the Prevost Parts & Service Network to its current position as a leading service network in the industry.  “We would like to thank Clay for his dedication and passion.  He instilled a lot of trust and team spirit throughout the entire organization and it has been an immense privilege working with him,” said Ralph Acs, president of Nova Bus and Prevost and senior vice president of Volvo Bus for the Americas.

“Guy has been part of the team for the past 26 years and has been instrumental in helping to shape and develop the Services business.  We worked together over the last 10 years and helped to build a culture of customer care, customer uptime, parts availability, and growing the service network; including introducing service vans to bring our customer care to the customer’s doorstep,” said Flynt.

 “I am very pleased with the announcement of Guy. His extensive experience, knowledge of the business, and care for our customers make [him] the natural choice. Our motto is, ‘We go above and beyond’ for our customers. This is engrained into our team of over 600 employees in services taking care of our customers day in and day out,” said Acs.

“I am honored and excited to be leading our efforts to better serve and support our customers for our three brands, Prevost, Nova Bus, and Volvo.  We will continue to strive to keep our industry leading position by offering a larger array of services to help those customers be even more successful,” said French.

Prevost Commuter at the APTA Expo
In other news, Prevost and Nova Bus joined together in an impressive and interactive exhibit at the recent American Public Transit Association (APTA) Expo held October 9-11 in Atlanta.

Prevost displayed an X3-45 Commuter coach equipped with the new Electric Fan Drive introduced earlier this year. Prevost’s Electric Fan Drive is a fully integrated system that eliminates the need for a belt-driven fan, thereby reducing the engine horsepower required to operate the coach. The end result is an up-to-four percent improvement in fuel economy.  A detached fan drive was also available for a closer, more in-depth look.

On display from Nova Bus were the 100 percent electric LFSe model and the LFS CNG. The city of Montreal is currently running LFSe vehicles, which offer rapid and fully automatic charging to keep the fully electric buses on schedule. The CNG vehicle, which features the latest in clean natural gas technology, was on loan from San Antonio’s VIA public transit.

Customers had access to additional product information such as features, benefits and specifications through touchscreen kiosk next to the coaches. In addition, a cutting edge virtual reality exhibit gave attendees the chance to see and experience the new Nova Bus driver’s cockpit area with greatly improved driver visibility, which will be available on some vehicles in 2018.

Furthermore, Prevost and Nova Bus were official sponsors of EXPO Eats, an area where themed food, drinks, and entertainment were offered daily during lunch hours. Themes included BBQ, Taste of Atlanta, and a Beer Garden.

A desk dedicated to Prevost Parts & Service, which also fully supports the needs of Nova Bus customers, was staffed by Prevost Training and Service personnel. Show attendees were able to discuss parts needs and learn about the availability of service training online, in a classroom setting at Prevost facilities and on site at customer locations.

A press conference was held on Tuesday, October 10, to announce the opening of four new service centers, further extending Prevost’s already widespread service network. In recognition of the direction in which the industry is headed, the progress both Prevost and Nova Bus have made in vehicle electrification was also highlighted.

Visit prevostcar.com for more information.

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Limotours Hellas SA of Athens Wins Prestigious Seven Star Luxury Hospitality Award

Limotours Hellas SA General Manager Anastasios Korovesis with the Signum Virtuitis award
Athens, Greece — Luxury chauffeur and private tour service, Limotours Hellas SA was awarded the prestigious Seven Stars Luxury Hospitality and Lifestyle Award on September 23 at the Ecali Club in Athens. This was the fifth anniversary of the awards, but the first time the event was held in Greece.

The Signum Virtutis Award (seal of excellence) recipients are companies and brands that represent the pinnacle of luxury, hospitality, and lifestyle. CEOs, presidents, managing directors, owners, and general managers of the most exclusive property brands from around the world attend this annual event.

“We are honored to be chosen to be along with the top luxury hotels and services in the world,” explained Anastasios Korovesis, general manager at Limotours Hellas SA. “We are excited to know that our attention to detail and our bespoke service has been noticed through this incredible award.”

The gala was a must-attend event with Greek star Nina Lotsari performing for those in attendance. New York Times and Athens’ Tornos News dubbed the event as the “Oscars of Luxury.” The luxury panel of judges consist of top internationally recognized leaders in tourism, lifestyle, and hospitality who are high profiled individuals and well-traveled.

Visit limotours.gr for more information.

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Driving Dynamics Launches Mobile-Ready DrivActiv eLearning

Newark, Del. — Driving Dynamics, a provider of advanced performance driver safety training for fleet-based organizations throughout North America, has announced the launch of a new learning management system (LMS) and the availability of its online driver safety lessons in U.S. English and Spanish as well as Canadian French.

Under its new DrivActiv digital services brand, Driving Dynamics’ elearning service is now optimized for mobile devices and all training content meets SCORM standards. Adding to the flexible delivery, the company offers several fee plans to suit all buyers, including pay-as-you-go, prepaid discounted plans and a new unlimited subscription-access pricing plan.

In business for 30 years and well known for its behind-the-wheel training programs, the company has already delivered its online courseware to more than one million learners. According to Art Liggio, Driving Dynamics, president and CEO, DrivActiv elearning represents an integration of its vast expertise as a driver safety training provider with the convenience and technologies offered by a robust LMS and online delivery system.

Developed in conjunction with leading safety, risk management and instructional design consultants, the DrivActiv elearning catalog comprises 70 topics across four libraries organized by light-duty, heavy-duty, and micro learning. Topics are based on twenty-first century risk exposures, such as distracted driving, overburdened infrastructure, risk compensation, increased work demands, and a review of more than 200,000 fleet-related crash incident reports, where the most prevalent loss types were identified. DrivActiv elessons have been designed to provide practical solutions which address the contributing factors of those risk exposures and incidents.

“Driving Dynamics has been solely dedicated to the driver safety space for three decades, in that time we’ve been acknowledged as a premier provider of both online and behind-the-wheel training,” said Liggio. “The DrivActiv elearning system is an evolution of our commitment to offer comprehensive, high quality and highly adaptable training solutions that respond to the specific needs safety administrators.”

Visit http://ift.tt/1E9SEzT for more information.

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DATTCO Adds Seven New Van Hool Motor Coaches to Fleet

New Britain, Conn. — DATTCO recently added seven new 2018 Van Hool CX series motor coaches from ABC Companies, Van Hool’s exclusive U.S. distributor, to its fleet.

The coaches—six of which are configured to seat 52 passengers (CX45) and one that carries 36 passengers (CX35)—have arrived just in time for New England’s popular Fall Foliage touring season. These well-appointed coaches include increased leg room; luxurious reclining seats with leather-trimmed fabric and three-point seatbelts; entertainment systems with large monitors, DVD player, and iPod docks; 110-volt and USB outlets at every seat; and wireless internet. They also include safety features such as a fire suppression system, stability control, and lane departure warning.

“We are committed to providing our customers with safe, reliable transportation; the driving factor behind keeping our fleet current,” said Donald DeVivo, president and second-generation owner of DATTCO. “The average age of the equipment in our fleet is less than four years. We have tremendous repeat business because our clients know they are getting a dependable, quality coach when they enter into a contract with us.”

Visit DATTCO.com for more information.

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Premiere Wins Business of the Year Award

Premiere #1 Sr. Member & Owner Douglas Rydbom with his CPBJ Business of the Year award
Middletown, Pa. — Premiere #1 Limousine has been named a 2017 Central Penn Business Journal (CPBJ) Business of the Year. The Central Pennsylvania based transportation company took home the award in the “51 to 100 employees” category.

The Business of the Year Awards was created by CPBJ to honor top companies and individual leaders for their outstanding contributions to Central Pennsylvania’s business community.

“I am proud to have a team of dedicated employees and loyal customers, making it possible to receive such an award,” says Douglas Rydbom, senior member and owner of Premiere #1 Limousine Service. “As we continue to grow, our roots will always be here in Central Pa., and we are thankful to the community that has worked with us over the years.”

All finalists were honored and winners were revealed at a black-tie event held on November 6 at the Hilton Harrisburg.

Visit premiere1Limousine.com for more information.

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