Published on : Friday, January 10, 2014
Two outstanding American Bus Association member motorcoach companies, Coach USA, the parent company of Megabus.com, and H&L Charters will be honored at the American Bus Association’s annual Marketplace, January 11th-15th, 2014 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Coach USA/Megabus.com and H&L Charters are the winners of the ABA’s “Green Operator Award” sponsored by Motor Coach Industries (MCI) of DesPlaines, Illinois. Coach USA/Megabus.com of Paramus, New Jersey was picked from the candidates in the large category of motorcoach operators, those with a fleet size of more than 30 motorcoaches. H&L of Rancho Cucamonga, California was picked in the small category with 30 or fewer buses.
The two companies were selected by their peers after an extensive review process of their day-to-day motorcoach operations, which also included the company’s commitment to environmentally friendly ways to drive, the use of anti-idling techniques when the motorcoach is not in use, the safest and greenest ways to recycle oil and other engine fluids and overall business practices that promote environmental protection and awareness.
As part of the judging, ABA received significant assistance from David Kestenbaum, the Director of the University of Vermont’s Certification for Sustainable Transportation program. Many motorcoach companies are seeing the value of being green, and the University of Vermont program helps the industry obtain their goals, which include being a good environmental steward, reducing their overall costs, saving energy and promoting the company with the University’s “eRating” certification and driver training programs.
According to environmental research done by the ABA Foundation, when compared directly to other modes of transportation, motorcoaches provide the most fuel-efficient and cleanest means of transportation. The Union of Concerned Scientists says motorcoaches are the ‘greenest’ form of transportation, surpassing air, rail travel and well ahead of private automobiles.
Motorcoaches provide 206.6 passenger miles per gallon of fuel; single-occupant automobiles, in contrast, achieve 27.2 passenger miles per gallon. Average transit buses achieve 31.4 passenger MPG, airlines achieve 44 passenger MPG, and commuter rail achieves 92.4 passenger MPG.
Motorcoaches emit the least carbon dioxide per passenger mile when compared to other vehicles and are, on average, seven times more energy- and fuel-efficient than single-occupancy automobiles. Motorcoaches are three times more efficient in reducing carbon dioxide output when compared to commuter rail, and six times more efficient than transit buses.
“The motorcoach industry is committed to improving the environment and Coach USA/Megabus.com and H&L Charters are shining examples of the work being done in our industry,” said ABA President and CEO Peter Pantuso, CTIS. ”We are very proud that both are great ABA member companies, and it once again shows that by committing to be environmentally responsible, these companies, and others like them can be leaders in the industry.”
“Motor Coach Industries is proud once again to partner with ABA and recognize these high profile companies, Coach USA/Megabus.com and H&L Charters for their great work, when it comes to best environmental practices. Both are great examples of an industry that safely transports hundreds of millions of people each year,” said MCI President and CEO Rick Heller.
Source:- ABA
Tags: ABA News, american bus association
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