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OMCA, Ontario Motor Coach AssociationABA, American Bus Association

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A Bus For Everyone
Posted By: Tony Funderburg

With all the different types of transportation available these days, why should your family and friends consider chartering motorcoach transportation? Who would want to miss out on all the fun of the “strip-search”, body scans, and pat downs at the airport? Or spending 8 to 12 hours in a small cramped car, and driving all those hours, not to mention trying to figure out where you are going.

The first reason is CHOICE. Instead of only a few carriers, and those only go to certain cities, with a bus charter, you have dozens of choices.

You can charter a bus to go anywhere you want to go, not just to a city that they service. You can even get door-to-door service. There is a Bus Service that will have exactly what you want.

Bus Charters are safer than airlines, and even private automobiles, according to the National Transportation Bureau. Only trains rank higher in safety, and they only go where the tracks go.

Buses are more efficient. The US Department Of Transportation rates airliners at 4847 BTUs per passenger mile, trains at 2450 BTUs, private automobiles at 3639 BTUs, with buses tipping the scales at a light 797 BTUs per passenger mile. This also means they are b... read more

 

Tours For Matures
Posted By: Tony Funderburg

 

Traveling is a favorite activity of seniors these days. The senior citizens of today are nothing like the nursing home bound examples of the past. Today’s mature adult is healthier, more active, and enjoy a rich life full of activities.

Bus tours can be a great way to get to see all the attractions of a city, or region, with a play-by-play narrative along the way. Bus tours can be as short as a few hours, to a full day, or longer. Charter bus tours can be tailored to individual desires such as day-long shopping trips, scenic tours, sports or concert venues, or just group outings. Whether it is a tour of Casinos out west, Bingo Halls on the East Coast, the sunny climate of Florida and California, or maybe just sightseeing the beautiful fall colors of foliage in Southern Appalachia, seniors love to travel.  Moreover, the best way to sightsee is by bus.
 
As far as safety, you'd be hard-pressed to find a safer mode of travel. Bus lines cover over 745 million passenger trips yearly, yet they account for less than 1/10 of 1% of all traffic accidents. You are much more likely to be injured in your home, or crossing the street, struck by lightning, than be injured in a charter bus accident.
 
Professional Charter drivers adhere strictly to Hours Of Service regulations, and have extensive training in all aspects of mass transportation. Drivers must carry on their person, at all times, a USDOT Physical Exam card, be drug-tested, and maintain accurate logs.
 
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GroupConnect Launches New Product
Posted By: Tony Funderburg

 

ABA, OMCA LAUNCH JOINT ONLINE “GROUPTRAVELCONNECT.COM” PORTAL
 
For consumers who are planning the family reunion this year, but have no idea where to start, there is a new option available that will revolutionize the way group travel is planned.
 
Start with GroupTravelConnect.com, the most comprehensive online group travel planning tool, making its debut this month. 
 
And the best part, it’s a free service to the user. No fees, no middleman, no headaches.
 
This innovative new online tool allows users to request multiple quotes at once from accommodations, restaurants, attractions, festivals/events, retail outlets, receptive travel services, local convention and visitor bureaus, tour operators and bus operators. With more than 12,000 total companies listed it has the greatest industry reach for searching online.
 
Since no middlemen or brokers are involved in transa... read more

 

How to Check Out A Motor Coach Company
Posted By: Tony Funderburg

According to the US Department of Transportation, travel by bus is the second safest mode of mass transit available, second only to trains. But trains only go where the tracks go. So for many, trains are not an option. Each year, buses drive 100s of thousands of miles accident-free. Charter bus accidents account for less than 1/10 of 1% of all traffic accidents, yet they cover over 40 billion passenger miles yearly. That's 10 times more distance than the airlines cover. You are much more likely to be struck by lightning, attacked by a shark, or maybe even kidnapped by aliens, than be injured in an accident on a Motor Coach.

 
But accidents do occasionally happen. There are rare incidents involving luxury shuttle buses, charter buses, motor coach rentals, limo buses, shuttles, party limo buses, coach bus tours, mini-bus charters and others. And although the Department of transportation has strict guidelines on safety and licensing, sometimes, some companies slip through the cracks. So how can you be sure your Charter Bus Tour, or Double-Decker Bus Tour won't end in disaster?
The internet is one of the modern worlds greatest accomplishments. It allows you to access all the information in the world with a touch of a button, such as criminal records, libraries, company websites, personal websites and blogs, and….transportation company safety records.
 
There are several websites that maintain current safety records for Motor Coach carries, as well as other modes of commercial transport. One of the biggest is the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration at: http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/about/outreach/bus/bus.htm... read more

 

Safe, Reliable Transportation for Your Next Church Outing
Posted By: Tony Funderburg

Church outings and retreats are great ways for families, groups, and other like-minded people to get together and have fellowship. But how do you get large groups of people to the destination on time? Traveling individually takes away from the experience, and is haphazard at best. Driving on the highway can be dangerous, as well. Many churches have their own reliable buses, but if they allow the passengers to chip in on expenses, legally they become classified as a bus charter, subject to all the fees, regulations and horrendous licensing requirements of the state and federal authorities. That leaves being patted-down, strip-searched and body-scanned at the airport. And if they find so much as a stray fingernail file, or possibly even a metal cross (they may say it could be a weapon), then you may be out of luck completely. Not a fun way to start a trip.

A Motor Coach Charter may be just the answer. Many companies have special charters just for church groups, such as Starr Tours, luxury bus companies, tour bus charters, Greyhound Bus Companies, coach bus lines, coach carriers, Coach USA, Trailways Bus Transportation, Charter Bus Vancouver, school bus charters with Bluebird Motorcoaches, Greyhound Shuttle Buses, Coach Canada Bus, party charter buses, some featuring the luxury MCI Coach Bus, and more.

Chartered Buses allow church groups to meditate, pray, and worship in safety, privacy, and reliable transportation so that they are in the correct frame of mind when they a... read more