ALL ABOARD AMERICA!
I got engaged with the Motorcoach Council because I strongly believe that our industry needs a united voice to change the perception of motorcoach travel in North America. Compared to most countries around the globe, many Americans and Canadians have considered Motorcoach travel to be a distant second or even third choice (or in many cases, totally overlooked), when considering safe, efficient, quality means of travel.

Through the Council’s united voice, we can now change people’s perception of our industry and grow our overall market. If the water level in the harbor increases, all boats will rise. If we successfully increase awareness of the benefits and value of our services, and we expand motorcoach travel by 1% or 2%, it will have significant impact on all individual operators and industry partners.

All Aboard America! is involved in several industry organizations; however, none of them have the sole purpose of marketing directly to potential, “untapped” consumers of our services, which could in turn truly expand our industry. When aligning with the Council, new partners should focus on the big picture of creating a bigger pie and how it will impact us all, rather than solely considering how this will make their specific piece of the pie larger.

I appreciate the fact that the structure of the group is “operator-driven,” non-political, not tied to a specific trade organization or industry partner and is solely committed to growing and expanding the services we all provide.

The Council unites all of the intelligence and support of our national, regional and state organizations and founding operator members. With its solid, new foundation underway, it can now achieve its true mission of creating positive awareness, and increasing the number of consumers who have not previously considered the value of the services we all provide.

ANNETT BUS LINES
Where the motorcoach industry once lacked the ability to affect public opinion, we now have a communication vessel in place to boast the attributes of the motorcoach, and educate travelers about the sophisticated pieces of equipment we have today. A bus is no longer just a bus. Through viable and affordable social media, as well as mainstream media channels, our industry has the resources to positively impact public perception on a national level. I have invested strongly in this effort because I believe collectively we can get it done. We, as an industry do an extraordinary job marketing and advertising to ourselves through multiple papers, magazines and trade shows but do very little if any co-operative marketing to the end user, the traveling public. Many tour operators are seeing their customer base disappear and charter operators continue to wrestle over the same business year after year. Through my involvement with the Motorcoach Council, as a Founding Partner, I can now not only find new customers, and new market segments, but also speak directly to the end user with one voice, and deliver coordinated advertising and educational messages as a united industry.

ARCHWAY BUS
As a veteran of the motor coach trade (over 25 years), I recently joined the Motorcoach Council to show my support for our industry and the mission of the Council. We need to build our brand awareness and identity and this is a good venue to do so.

The Motorcoach Council can be the significant organization to accomplish the necessary research to develop a strategy, and deliver that message. If we are going to promote motor coach travel as the safest, most affordable and environmentally friendly mode of transportation, we need to make membership meaningful to consumers. Operator members should meet the highest of standards in safety, maintenance, operating policies and business ethics.

BRIDGESTONE AMERICAS TIRE OPERATIONS, LLC
Bridgestone joined the Council to actively support the industry in which we do business, and participate in an active and ongoing effort to promote a positive public perception of the industry. When the industry increases ridership, we all benefit. Due to Bridgestone’s partnership business model, what benefits the operator ultimately benefits us. I think the Council provides a singularly focused mechanism to deliver industry-related marketing messages that apply universally. I think it provides a bottom up forum for operator issues to be surfaced, and for the combined strength and resources of a larger group of operators to be used to address those issues. Educate the public on the benefits of our industry. Educate travelers about the issues that our industry faces and how we, as a whole (operators, manufacturers, and suppliers) are all working hard to improve our service and benefits to the end user. As a group, we can accomplish so much more. The message we create through the Council will help us educate each other as well. Those who are a part of the Council will naturally deliver a more consistent message to the consumer, in addition to being more aware of the big picture issues that our industry faces. I think the Council will provide invaluable foresight for each of its partners.

MOTOR COACH INDUSTRIES
Today's motor coach experience is far different than that characterized in old movies and the school trips of our childhood. Most adults share a misperception of what group transportation is like, and few think about the amenities and entertainment options that, in reality, make coach travel downright luxurious. It is our duty to change this.

We need to reach the consumer with the reality that there are travel and transportation options that are comfortable, fiscally attractive and good for the environment.

Fuel-cost volatility is not going away, and that can work in our favor, as motor coaches can help decrease our nation's dependency on oil. Changes to the features and design of the motorcoach continue to evolve with both the demands of the customer as well as governmental regulations, and these come at a cost. It is up to the members of this industry and its associations to ensure that the traveling public understands the commitment that its operators have made to coach safety and clean air, and the benefits of that commitment.

As the leading builder of intercity coaches, MCI is pleased to be a founding member and proud to offer our support. We are the remedy to today’s transportation dilemma. Together, we can mold public perception, help the industry flourish and take our rightful place as the king of the road.

Patricia Ziska - Motor Coach Industries - Vice President and Chief Customer Officer

NATIONAL INTERSTATE INSURANCE COMPANY
As a leading provider of insurance programs to the motorcoach industry, we believe in doing our part to support the industry and our customers. We believe that the Motorcoach Council is the best way to promote the industry and let the world know that the motorcoach industry is the safest and most environmentally responsible mode of transportation.
For the first time, a nationwide effort to promote the benefits of the industry is being mounted on a scale never done in the past. This will certainly impact awareness and elevate the industry to the next level. I hope this effort educates the consumer on what those of us in the industry have known for years...Motorcoach travel is the safest, most economical, luxurious and environmentally responsible mode of transportation available. Try it. You might like it!

I believe any company that supports the motorcoach industry should consider joining the Council because it is the right thing to do for our industry. Show that you are a leader and in it for the long haul by offering your support.

PEORIA CHARTER COACH COMPANY
Peoria Charter Coach Company, a 68- year-old family-owned business, with a fleet of 61 motorcoaches, is proud to have joined the Motorcoach Council. We see the Council as a positive force that has surfaced within the industry, acting as a conduit to the existing motorcoach associations. This initiative is forging ahead touting a positive image, and acting in a proactive, versus reactive manner in its PR and marketing efforts. For this reason, we anticipate the Council will successfully create a new and improved national identity for the motorcoach industry... an industry that is beginning to grow a strong reputation for its environmental efforts of "going green," its success with transportation safety, and continuing to offer fuel-efficient and convenient services to the traveling public.

SCENIC AMERICA, INC.
We joined the Founding Partners Program to solidify the Council's ability to “shift the perception” of our industry and overall services. We support the Council’s public outreach and education programs and strategies. We welcome an opportunity to deliver “educational messages” to the media that are proactive and create incentive or motivation for the traveling public to ride a coach when presented with alternative means of travel such as air, rail or personal vehicles.

We must all covey our industry's key message points to the traveling public: coaches are more reliable, convenient, and are considered more comfortable to ride. Coaches offer timely departures and arrivals, and are by far safer than the competition! In any economy, motorcoaches remain the safest, most efficient and most economical means of transporting people. We need more positive, forward thinking members to join this campaign and help us change public perception. Scenic America wants to help create that excitement. Our consumer campaign will glean our best attributes and allow us to shine amongst our industry’s competitors (rail and air), presenting the public with exciting, informational messages that promote all of the benefits and conveniences of traveling by coach.

STARLINE LUXURY COACHES
The time is ripe for change. With escalating fuel costs, environmental concerns and national events that have caused travelers to recoil from air travel, society is ready, almost begging, for alternative modes of transportation. Until now, the motorcoach industry was not prepared to present itself in a cohesive fashion to this newly emerged market. This is yet another opportunity for our industry to step up and do our job to re-educate the traveling public as to who we are and what we have to offer as a solution. In this pivotal point in history, it is not possible for a fraction of the industry to get involved or to pull the weight of the group if we truly want to shift perceptions and change society.

We all want to see the industry thrive. We want to be viewed as a solution to environmental issues, not the cause. We want to see increased ridership, revenues and profitability, as well as coach production signifying the growth and strength of our industry. We want to see a shift in consumerism and become the new and powerful “consumer marketing tool” capable of convincing the traveling public to leave their automobiles at home and instead ride a bus. If we come together now as an entire industry, we can deliver a stronger, more consistent message that we are a unified front designed to serve our community and the environment. We want to educate the public and re-position the motorcoach as the safest, most convenient, economical, luxurious, and environmentally responsible mode of transportation available.

STOUT'S TRANSPORTATION SERVICES
I attended the recent ABA tradeshow in Washington DC and volunteered at the Motorcoach Council booth.  I was excited about the energy and excited surrounding our campaign. Our entire future, as an industry, depends on its success.  This can only be accomplished with operator support - I hope all motorcoach operators realize that this is a collective effort with no bias, and the buy in is less than a business card size ad in a newspaper..Can't beat it.

- Vivian Tuccillo-Giglio, V.P. - Operations, Stout’s Transportation Services