June 4, 2019

PLAN AHEAD TO AVOID AIRPORT DROP-OFF AND PICK-UP HEADACHES TEMSA PURCHASED BY SWISS FIRM EXPO HOTEL BLOCK HAS SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE COMING TO NASHVILLE INTERNATIONAL ROADCHECK IS THIS WEEK, JUNE 4-6

MOTORCOACH EXPO | BUS & MOTORCOACH NEWS |   CALENDAR | NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE

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Nominations open for UMA Board of Directors

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — August. 1, 2019, is the deadline to submit nominations for open seats on the UMA Board of Directors. This year, there will be five open seats. Two seats are available in regions 2 and 3 and one seat is available in region 1. The following is a breakout of states by UMA region: REGION 1: AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, HI, IA, ID, KS, LA, MI, MN, MO, MT, ND, NE, NM, NV, OK, OR, SD, TX, UT, WA, WI, WY REGION 2: AL, DC, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA REGION 3: CT, DE, MA, MD, ME, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, VT, WV REGION 4: All Provinces and Territories in Canada Each year up to two seats in each region may become available as terms of service for existing directors expire. Candidates nominated for the board must represent an active UMA-member company in good standing with the association. “There is no better way to get the greatest value from your UMA membership than in volunteering and helping to shape the future of our industry through these leadership positions,” UMA President and CEO Stacy Tetschner said. Written letters of nomination must state the candidate’s name, company affiliation and home base location. Nomination letters also must be postmarked, emailed or faxed before August 1, 2019.  CONTACT: If you have questions or wish to submit a letter of nomination (for yourself or another UMA member), please contact UMA President & CEO, Stacy Tetschner at stetschner@uma.org.

Sales Summit creates energy around new ideas, trends and tech tools to drive business

Board member Bethany Schubert emceed the event, kicking things off both days.

Nickelodeon star SpongeBob SquarePants gives a lesson in branding to Stacy and Gladys.

Tech panel shares tools and trends to drive sales. Below, Chris Riddell of UBT discussed ways to capitalize on your company's unique selling proposition.

The industry's first Sales Summit powered by UMA attracted nearly 100 participants who spent two days networking and learning about tech and trends influencing the industry and driving sales. The response to the event was positive, with one attendee saying, "The information I took away will definitely help myself and our sales team. If I can just implement a couple of things, we'll be further ahead than before. I am hoping that this was the first of MORE SEMINARS to come." The event was held in a unique venue at the Mall of America, within the Nickelodeon Universe indoor theme park. UMA Board Chair Gladys Gillis and President & CEO Stacy Tetschner hosted a welcome reception to introduce participants on the eve of the summit. Special guest SpongBob SquarePants, a Nickelodeon icon stopped by for a quick lesson in the importance of branding. Over the next day-and-a-half, the sales professionals were brought up to speed on consumer trends, technology that can increase sales, and how to best manage the sales process to compete in a crowded marketplace. A bonus of attending the Summit was the opportunity for attendees to get behind the scenes in Mall of America's customer service command center, the Enhanced Service Portal. Watch for full reporting on the Sales Summit in Bus & Motorcoach News.

Get a glimpse into some of the substance of the summit with these short video tips from Numaan Akram of Rally (above) and keynote speaker Shawna Suckow.

Swiss venture firm buys TEMSA

Ahval News | May 30, 2019 Sabancı Holding, one of Turkey’s largest conglomerates, has sold its vehicle manufacturing firm Temsa to Swiss firm True Value Capital Partners,  Bloomberg HT reported . Temsa, which manufactures buses and light trucks at its plant in the southern Turkish city of Adana, was nominally valued at 825 million liras ($140 million). The sale was made based on a value of 375 million liras after adjusting for debt and cash holdings, and includes the 49 percent stake owned by Sabancı Holdings and the other 51 percent owned by shareholders including the Sabancı family, which owns the holding company. The sale comes during a difficult period for Turkish manufacturers, who have suffered due to a rise in costs driven by the steep decline of the lira since the beginning of 2018. The lira dropped by 28 percent against the dollar that year, and it has been subject to large fluctuations this year. Read the full story.

Heads up for airport pick-ups & drop-offs

by Ken Presley Airport pickups and drop-offs are an essential component of the bus and motorcoach industry; and a miserable summer is predicted for the millions of passengers traveling through U.S. airports this summer. A trade group, Airlines for America, estimates that a record 257.4 million people will fly from June 1 through the end of August - on average 2.8 million people each day. Between hundreds of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) security personnel being reassigned to the Mexican border and the grounding of the Boeing 737 Max, headaches are already predicted for group travel and bus and motorcoach companies. United Airlines reports 2,410 has already canceled flights in June and July due to the grounding of the 737 Max and American Airlines reports 115 daily flight cancellations. It is anticipated thousands of passengers will be displaced at a time of year when virtually no seats fly empty. This becomes extraordinarily complicated for groups planning to travel together. All of this combines to create a situation with longer, slower security lines that result in delays and missed flights.

A little advanced planning and monitoring may minimize headaches. A few suggestions: When accepting charters to pick up at the airport, be sure and obtain flight information and check the flight periodically. It would be a shame to decline charter business only to have a bus is sitting on the lot because of a cancelled flight. Monitor delayed flights. Many airports do not have adequate parking for buses and motorcoaches. It might be better to wait on a delayed flight back at the facility than driving around a congested airport. Most airports post waiting times. Monitor airport websites and give your charter group a heads-up if delays expand beyond the original anticipated drop-off time. If you have a good relationship with the ground transportation department, stay in touch for last minute changes in routes and airport access during this extra busy season. Also, route changes could also reflect height restrictions. Stay alert for construction delays. Many of the busiest airports are incurring pickup and drop-off delays as a result of construction. Again, airport websites typically have that information as well as ground transportation management. When picking up and dropping off at airports you may be unfamiliar, check well in advance for any unique permitting requirements

Spring Fling at the Bus Museum attracts crowd

The annual Spring Fling at the Museum of Bus Transportation attracted more than 500 people and featured 36 visiting buses in in their "Parade of Vehicles" on Saturday. Winners, listed below, received trophies in the following categories. Best In Show Classic Highway Coach – 1957 PD4104 – Friends of New Jersey Transit – Lakewood NJ School Bus – 1990 Crown Coach – Luke Casella – Drums PA Conversion – 1947 GMC 3751 (Vin 11) Gary & Mistry LeCount Milford IN Classic Transit – 1980 GMC 5307 – Dan & Stan Holter – Richfield Bus Company – Minneapolis MN Contemporary Transit – 2002 Neoplan AN 460 – Bee Line – West Chester County NY (Retired) – Henry Promin Oldest Transit Bus – 1957 GMC TDH3714 – Thomas Kan Drexel Hill PA Transit Traveled the Greatest Distance – 1980 GMC 5707 – Dan & Stan Holter – Minneapolis MN To learn more about the Museum, go to its website

Book your stay in Nashville at great UMA rates

Room block has variety of options EXPO registration is open and so is our hotel block. Attendees will be pleased with the new, convenient properties that are hosting us for the 2020 EXPO. Remember to book in the UMA block. The safest way to book your rooms is through our hotel page . We do not authorize third parties to book your rooms in our block. Learn more about features of the Tribrand Marriott and the Omni and make your choice. These combined properties offer a variety of lodging choices all adjacent to the Music City Center. You are going to love Nashville!

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TRENDS Uber loses another $1 billion. CFO calls 2019 an 'investment year.' Forbes | by Biz Carson | May 30, 2019  Uber is still a money-losing service, and its growth is still slowing. In its first quarterly results since its IPO, Uber reported a $1.01 billion loss for the first quarter of 2019. It reached $3.1 billion in revenue, a 20% increase from the year-ago quarter, but slower than the 25% growth it had recorded in the previous quarter. “2019 will be an investment year,” said Nelson Chai, Uber’s chief financial officer, said in a conference call with analysts and journalists. The numbers didn’t come as a shock—Uber had previously disclosed  in SEC filings  that it had expected a net loss between $1 billion and $1.11 billion for the first quarter on expected revenues between $3.04 billion and $3.1 billion. With revenues coming in at the top of expectations, Uber’s stock rose over 2% after-hours. “In the U.S., if you listen to the Lyft conference call, they talk about competing more on brand and product, and that’s a healthier mode of competition than just throwing money at a challenge,” Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said during the analyst call. Read the full article at Forbes online

GET THE NEWS IN YOUR EMAIL INBOX

Bus & Motorcoach News is mailed twice monthly to all UMA members. In addition, it's available online 24/7 at www.busandmotorcoachnews.com and by email, on a schedule you choose! Invite everyone on your staff to stay informed about the industry by signing up for email updates from  Bus & Motorcoach News .  Sign up here. You can choose daily or weekly updates! Below is a sampling of what's in our latest digital and print editions.

Rally offers coach operators a chance at revenue sharing Bus & Motorcoach News | May 24, 2019 | by Shandra Martinez The ride-sharing app Rally brings together people heading to the same place for the same reason for a crowd-sourced bus trip. It’s making inroads into convincing a new generation to forgo cars in favor of a bus to attend major sports, entertainment and political events. “We are taking people out of cars and putting them on buses. There are hundreds of millions of people who are spending money on event transportation right now, and we think that money should be coming to the bus industry instead of to parking and gas,” said founder and CEO Numaan Akram. Akram was a key speaker at the United Motorcoach Association’s first annual Sales Summit last month at the Mall of America. The business, he said, was inspired by a personal experience attempting to organize a bus trip from New York City to Washington, D.C., in 2013 to attend Jon Stewart’s Rally to Restore Insanity. The stumbling block was paying for the rental cost up front on a credit card. With Akram’s ability to quickly create an app, he and partner Siheun Song decided to crowdfund the trip. In fewer than five weeks, they organized transportation for 5,000 people from 18 states and 50 cities. Read the full story at Bus & Motorcoach News online 

OPINION Ensure your company's future by making nice with your insurers Bus & Motorcoach News | May 28, 2019 | by Dave Milhouser “The insurers are leaving; the insurers are leaving!” If William Dawes had been a bus guy, he’d be frantically roaring about the countryside, I’m sure, bellowing “The insurers are leaving!” Once described as the Rodney Dangerfield of the American Revolution, Dawes never got the respect he deserved for actually succeeding in paralleling Paul Revere’s ride. Revere was captured, but Dawes managed to warn Minutemen of the Redcoats approach along a longer, and more difficult, route. Those who follow this column (both of you) understand that my gift is identifying problems you already knew about and offering stolen bits of advice. This time, like Mr. Dawes, I have a shot at immortality. Insurers are abandoning bus coverage for several reasons, many beyond our control. As a seasonal industry, we often have cash flow problems, resulting in many cancellations and reinstatements. We require a lot of hand holding, creating a bit of paranoia in underwriters. Critics say that $5 million liability coverage isn’t enough, but insurers see that as a big number. We’re having trouble recruiting and retaining drivers, which may translate into lower hiring standards. That makes insurers nervous. Read the full story at Bus & Motorcoach News online

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California's national parks drew 39.9 million in 2018

California’s national parks recorded 39.9 million visitors  in 2018, generating $2.7 billion in economic activity, including 37,500 jobs,  the National Park Service reports . That’s up from $1.9 billion the year before. Park service sites in Washington, D.C., counted 40 million visitors. The Golden Gate Recreation Area received the most visits at 15.2 million in California, followed by  Yosemite with 4 million visitors .

Reminder! Closures on I-95 and Rte. 1 near Stamford, CT

Thanks to our friends at the Bus Association of New York for sharing the following news: I-95 is closed at exit 9 in Stamford, CT May 31 through June 3 and again June 7-10. On the weekends of May 31 – June 3 and June 7 – June 10, traffic will be detoured off of Route 1 and off of I-95 in Stamford at Exit 9. MAJOR DELAYS ARE EXPECTED and motorists are strongly advised to AVOID THIS AREA. The detours will begin (Route 1 at 9 p.m. and I-95 at 11 p.m.) on Friday, May 31 and Friday, June 7, and end on Monday, June 3 and Monday, June 10 and 5 a.m. Get details online

MEMBER BENEFITS

Century Business Solutions can help you save on credit card processing, and if they can't they'll pay your dues

Century Business Solutions is making an exclusive offer to UMA members. Send us the last 3 months of your processing statements. and if we cannot save you money,  we will pay your next 3 years of UMA membership dues in full.  Fill out the contact form for more information. UMA has developed a strategic partnership with Century Business Solutions to provide members with affordable, seamless credit card processing. As a UMA member, you’ll have access to Century Business Solutions’ proprietary payment gateway, EBizCharge, which reduces processing costs and enhances payment security. In addition, the EBizCharge payment gateway integrates with reservation softwares, allowing for faster, more seamless transactions.

Motorcoach Industry Calendar from Bus and Motorcoach News Online JUNE 2019 4-6 CVSA International Roadcheck 18-21 PBA Annual Meeting, Resorts Casino, Atlantic City, NJ (Hosted by Atlantic City/MeetAC) 20-23 New England Bus Association Annual Conference, Nonantum Resort Kennebunkport, ME 21 PBA Board Meeting, Atlantic City http://pabus.org/ JULY 2019 14-20 Operation Safe Driver Week Learn More 28- August 1 , Regional Meeting of AMA, GMOA, and SCMA, Renaissance Hotel/Convention Center, Montgomery, AL Learn More AUGUST 2019 6-9 IMG Strategic Alliance Meeting, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada 12-14 Midwest Bus & Motorcoach Association (MBMCA) Annual Convention and Trade Show (and Roadeo Competition), Isle Casino Hotel, Bettendorf, IA www.mbmca.org 14 PBA Safety & Preparedness Workshop, York Springs, PA http://pabus.org/ 15-18 NAMO Annual Conference & Marketplace – Springfield, MO Oasis Hotel and Convention Center  http://www.namo-coaches.org/ SEPTEMBER 2019 11, Maryland Motorcoach Association Annual Crab Feast, Kentmorr Restaurant and Crab House. Stevensville, MD 18-22 Regional Meeting of NCMA, VMA, and MCASC, Embassy/Marriott/Benton Convention Center, Winston-Salem, NC Learn More OCTOBER 2019 9-10 GNJMA Fall Annual Meeting & Related Events including Group Leader Marketplace, Resorts Atlantic City http://www.gnjma.com/ 13 -15 California Bus Association’s 46th Annual Convention and Trade Show, Sheraton Carlsbad Resort and Spa www.cbabus.com 20-22 Bus Association of New York (BANY) Annual Meeting and Marketplace, Sands Bethlehem, Bethlehem, PA – bany@banybus.org October 21-23, 201920th Annual North West Motorcoach Association ROADEO Location TBD NOVEMBER 2019 10 GNJMA Annual Driver Safety Meeting and Appreciation Luncheon DECEMBER UMA Safety Management Seminar, December 4-5, 2019, National Transportation Safety Board Training Center, Ashburn, VA JANUARY 2020 19-23 UMA Motorcoach EXPO, Nashville, TN www.motorcoachexpo.com MARCH 2020 9-10 GNJMA Sponsor Appreciation Dinner, Spring Association Meeting & Motorcoach Professional Awards

OCTOBER 2020 25- 27 California Bus Association’s 47th Annual Convention and Trade Show, Omni Rancho Las Palmas in Rancho Mirage, CA (Palm Springs) www.cbabus.com

YOU ARE UMA Remember, as a UMA member you have the power of discounts on the best products and services, access to relevant education, targeted professional resources, and colleagues all over the map. Remember to consult your member directory when you need help on the road, access to more vehicles to meet demand, or services out of your area. We are UMA! Want to find other members to do business with? Use the online directory. Reach the UMA staff by calling (703) 838-2929 or by email at info@uma.org . We love to hear from our members!