NEW YORK, Jan. 13, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Megabus.com, the popular city-to-city, express bus company serving more than 120 cities across North America with fares from $1, today received the American Bus Association's (ABA) 2014 Green Operator Award.
Megabus.com was selected by motorcoach industry peers after an extensive review of operations, including megabus.com's commitment to environmentally friendly ways to drive, the use of anti-idling techniques when the bus 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.
"Megabus.com is honored by this additional recognition of our environmental stewardship and industry leadership," said Dale Moser, president and COO of Megabus.com. "As Americans continue to look for ways to protect the environment while also stretching their dollar, we look forward to providing safe, convenient and affordable travel to millions of customers."
As part of the judging, ABA received significant assistance from David Kestenbaum, the Director of the University of Vermont's (UVM) 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. Megabus.com has participated since 2009 in the UVM Green Coach Certification program (GCC), the first in the passenger transportation sector to recognize, via an official certification program, excellence in environmental performance. Participating companies are provided "Green Coach Certified" ecolabels which can be placed on qualifying vehicles to highlight their environmental benefits.
"The 'Green Coach Certified' decals on every megabus.com bus signify to our customers that they are positively impacting the environment by taking megabus.com instead of driving or using other forms of city-to-city transportation," said Dale Moser.
"Similar to what programs like Energy Star do for the appliances, it is hoped that this program will help consumers recognize and celebrate the most environmentally friendly forms of transportation," said David Kestenbaum, member of the GCC research team. "Buses operated by megabus.com play a variety of positive roles, from less congestion on our roads to reducing the carbon footprint of travel. If travelers started to move from place to place with this type of efficiency, as a country we'd be well on our way to meeting and/or exceeding some of the most ambitious Green House Gas reduction targets for this sector."
ABA cited these reasons for presenting the Green Operator Award:
- Megabus.com's fleet of 81-passenger, double-decker buses receive 305 passenger-miles-per-gallon of fuel. Additionally, two double-decker buses transport nearly as many passengers as three standard 54-57-passenger coaches, reducing carbon emissions and fuel usage by one engine.
- The double-decker buses are also equipped with SmarTire to aid the driver and maintenance crew in sustaining correct tire pressure, increasing fuel economy and reducing emissions.
- When compared directly to other modes of transportation, motorcoaches provide the most fuel-efficient and cleanest means of transportation.
- The Union of Concerned Scientists and the Natural Resources Defense Council also say motorcoaches are the 'greenest' form of transportation, surpassing air, rail travel and well ahead of private automobiles.
- 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.
ABA's annual award is sponsored by Des Plaines, Illinois-based Motor Coach Industries.
Visit www.megabus.com for additional information about the service, schedules, arrival and departure times and fares.
Megabus.comhigh-resolution and broadcast-quality content for download:
Megabus.com photo: http://bit.ly/1m3zY7j
Caption: (from left to right): Doug Anderson, Chairman, ABA Foundation; Pat Ziska, Vice President of MCI; Dale Moser, President & COO, Coach USA/megabus.com
Additional megabus.com photos: http://www.hanser.com/2009/news/megabus-photos/
Megabus.com B-roll: http://bit.ly/y6yePs
ABOUT MEGABUS.COM
Megabus.com, one of the largest privately funded providers of city-to-city express bus transportation, maintains the highest (Satisfactory) safety compliance rating with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Transportation Safety Exchange (TSX), an independent safety rating organization that provides safety ratings of more than 300,000 passenger and freight carriers, announced in January 2014 that all megabus.com carriers are TSX-approved. Megabus.com is the first carrier group to achieve TSX approval, demonstrating the most stringent safety standards in the industry.
Megabus.com is the first bus line to offer high-quality travel for as low as $1 via the Internet. Megabus.com operates service to/from more than 120 major cities in North America from 13 hubs in Atlanta, Chicago, Cleveland, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Texas Triangle (Dallas, Houston, San Antonio), Washington D.C. and Toronto - creating more than 1,000 new, professional jobs during the past seven years. Visit www.megabus.com for a complete list of cities served.
Since its launch on April 10, 2006, megabus.com has served more than 30 million customers.
Service for megabus.com operates daily. Fares shown are one-way and include all government taxes.
* Watch the video here for Safety information.
Megabus.com is a subsidiary of Coach USA, one of the largest transportation companies in North America. Paramus, N.J.-based Coach USA owns and operates nearly 30 local companies in North America, some that have been in business for more than 70 years, which operate scheduled bus routes, motor coach tours, airport transportation services, charters and sightseeing tours.
For the latest news and travel deals, follow megabus.com on Twitter at @megabus and Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/megabus.com.officialpage.
ABOUT AMERICAN BUS ASSOCIATION "GREEN OPERATOR AWARD"
(See more details below in the ABA's news release)
Megabus.com and H&L Charters win 2014 American Bus Association's "Green Operator Award"
- Award sponsored by Motor Coach Industries (MCI)
- Award to be Presented at American Bus Association's Marketplace in Nashville, January 11-15th.
Two outstanding American Bus Association member motorcoach companies, megabus.com and H&L Charters, will be honored at the American Bus Association's annual Marketplace, January 11th-15th, 2014 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Megabus.com and H&L Charters were chosen as recipients of the ABA's "Green Operator Award" sponsored by Motor Coach Industries (MCI) of Des Plaines, Illinois.
Paramus, New Jersey-based megabus.com 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 and the Natural Resources Defense Council also say 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 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, 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.
About the American Bus Association
The American Bus Association is the trade organization of the intercity bus industry with more than 1,000 motorcoach owner and tour company members in the United States and Canada. Its members operate charter, tour, regular route, airport express, special operations and contract services. Another 2,800 members are travel and tourism organizations and suppliers of bus products and services who work in partnership with the North American motorcoach industry.
About MCI
With headquarters in Des Plaines, Illinois, MCI is the leading manufacturer of intercity coaches in the U.S. and Canada. Reliability Driven, MCI builds expertly engineered models offering the lowest cost of ownership, including the best-selling J4500 and D-Series models, for the tour, charter, line-haul, commuter and transit markets. MCI is also the distributor of the Setra S 417, Setra S 407 and Setra parts in the U.S. and Canada. The company offers 24-hour technical support and industry-leading technician training along with the market's most extensive aftermarket parts and repair service.
SOURCE megabus.com
