Member News

Welcome! 

We welcomed two new members since our last newsletter (May)!  Say hello to:

Hagey Coach & Tours  is a family-owned motorcoach tour operator based in Souderton, Pennsylvania with a rich heritage of serving people going back to the 1930s.   Contact:  Brian Hagey  brian@hagey.com 215-723-4381

Northlandz is a 16-acre world-class attraction along with art, music and doll displays.   Contact:  Tariq Sohail 347-234-3908
In Memory of Brad Post 1973-2019

Brad Post passed away on May 18, 2019 in a tragic plane crash off the coast of Roatán, Honduras.  He was off on another one of his adventures, this time to learn how to fly fish. Brad was born in Ridgewood, NJ on January 8, 1973 (he shared a birthday with Elvis; he would want you to know that).  Brad grew up in Ramsey and Saddle River and graduated from Ramsey High School in 1991. 

After earning a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Boston University in 1995, he would spend the next 24 years "insuring anything that had wheels and carried people - charter buses, school buses, limos, taxis and paratransit."  Brad and his brothers were the fourth generation to own and operate Post Financial Services. They purchased the family business from their father in 2003 and sold to Hilb Group in 2016.  Our heartfelt condolences go out to the Post family and his colleague's families.  Read the full obituary.
Congratulations Are In Order!




Tom Taylor, of Lakeland Bus and VP of the GNJMA Board, welcomed a new grandson last week. Aiden Thomas Taylor weighed in at 7 lbs 4 oz.  Welcome, little guy!

John Henry, of Martz Group and a Director of the GNJMA Board, got married May 11th to Mary Kate. Congrats and wishing you a lifetime of happiness together!

Trans-Bridge Lines New Agreement


In an effort to provide Philadelphia bus passengers with plenty of schedule choices,  Trans-Bridge Lines would like to announce that an agreement has been reached with Martz Trailways and  Fullington Trailways.

This agreement between the three bus companies is a system of cross-honoring tickets. This means that a  passenger going southbound or northbound using Philadelphia Service, will be able to ride with any of the  three bus companies based on a time that is most convenient for them, as long as they possess a ticket from  Trans-Bridge, Martz or Fullington.  Read the full press release.
Bailey Coach Hosts Town Hall Meeting with 
Congressman Lloyd Smucker

On May 29th, Bailey Coach had the opportunity to host a Town Hall meeting with Congressman Lloyd Smucker.

Congressman Smucker grew up in the Amish community and is the 10th of 12 siblings. He was the first of his family to go to high school and Smucker accredited that decision with leading him to his current career. He served in the state senate for two years and is now in his second term as a Congressman.

During this meeting, Congressman Smucker talked about tariffs, the employment rate, healthcare, small business taxes and workforce supply.
Lakefront Lines Bus Team in Ohio receives TAT Harriet Tubman Award 

As a follow-up to a news article on human trafficking, published in our March 2019 newsletter, Larren Tarver, Lakefront Lines bus driver, and Lauren Gnall, district safety director for Lakefront Lines and Coach USA, have received the 2019 TAT Harriet Tubman Award presented by Protective Insurance.

The award, which carries with it a $2500 check, is named in honor of famed abolitionist Harriet Tubman, whose courageous personal actions resulted in the transportation of 300 slaves to freedom through the Underground Railroad and whose overall role in the freedom movement was instrumental in the freeing of thousands more. Born into slavery in 1820, Miss Tubman was the first African American woman buried with full military honors and the first to have the inaugural Liberty ship named after her - the SS Harriet Tubman - by the US Maritime Commission.  Read more...
ABC Announces Location Closure & Expansion

GNJMA Member and Platinum Sponsor, ABC Companies, announced that it will consolidate its service operations and close the Camden, New Jersey facility in March 2020. The facility closure is part of the company's future growth plans to realign and expand its presence in closer proximity to the New York Metro area market.

"The difficult decision to consolidate operations in Camden has been the result of a thorough assessment of our business operations," Roman Cornell, president and chief commercial officer at ABC Companies, said. "We are committed to supporting our staff through this transition. We are grateful for the dedication and hard work our employees have contributed over many years."  Read more...
Membership Updates
  • The recently proposed changes to the Association bylaws have been approved by a majority vote of the members. Please login to the Member Portal to access via www.gnjma.com and navigate to Member Info/Bylaws.
  • We are changing the distribution dates of the Membership Directory (booklet). It will now be distributed in the fall (vs. summer). Please be sure to have your dues paid before 10/1 to be included in the directory.
  • Speaking of payments, the invoices for Membership renewal of September 1st, will be mailed in July. Reminder: we do take credit cards now via telephone.
Members:  Get Noticed! 


If you have news you'd like to share about your company or one of your employees, or  if you are interested in being in our Member Spotlight, please contact us  with photos, links and let us know what you would like to highlight.
 Industry Information

Record-breaking New Jersey Tourism Announced  

Gov. Phil Murphy and Secretary of State Tahesha Way joined members of the New Jersey Tourism Industry Association to announce that in 2018, visitation to New Jersey rose to nearly 111 million people, an increase of 7.4 percent from 2017. With a new focus on international travelers, the American Dream project, and Atlantic City's rebound, state officials are aiming to draw 150 million visitors by 2023. Due to this record-breaking tourism, total spending by visitors to the state reached $44.7 billion, which generated $5 billion in state and local taxes in 2018.  Read more...
Reinsurance Market and Pricing, Minimize the Impact

Peter R. Cohen
The Capacity Group,
an EPIC company 
As we move forward to the warm summer months, many of you will be experiencing insurance renewals. It is essential that you are aware of what is transpiring in the motor coach insurance marketplace so that you can be prepared for what is likely to happen. We are all aware that insurance pricing and availability in the primary market has become quite volatile over the last several years...that is likely to continue for the foreseeable future. It is important that the news...good or bad...be conveyed with enough lead time to be able to plan for what is going to happen...communication with your broker is crucial.

The next significant issue on the horizon involves the ability to obtain Excess coverage...also known as Umbrella Liability. In general terms, this is relevant for those operators that choose to carry limits of liability above those that are mandated by the FMCSA. In many cases, your customers might require that total limits of $10,000,000, or higher are mandatory in order for you to be considered an "approved" contractor for these customers. School districts certainly fall into this category along with others. The ability to obtain Excess coverage has not been a major issue in recent years...it certainly is now. It is also a factor for those operators whose primary insurance carrier is either unwilling or unable to offer the full $5,000,000. Combined Single Limit required for vehicles with a passenger capacity of 16 or more. Further, Excess carriers who have remained in the market are now less willing to offer the limits they have previously provided. This necessitates "layering" of those higher limits...finding several carriers to provide coverage that one carrier previously provided.   Read more...
Diegnan, Lampitt Introduce Bill to Incentivize Electric School Buses 

Senator Patrick J. Diegnan, Jr. and Assemblywoman Pamela Lampitt introduced legislation to incentivize the purchase of electric school buses.

"Conventional school buses produce toxic diesel fumes which harm the students who are forced to breathe them in. However, cleaner electric buses are more expensive to purchase," said Senator Diegnan (D-Middlesex). "This bill gives financial aid to schools and contractors who want to switch to a healthier, electric fleet and achieve long-term cost savings."  Read more...
National Park Service Expands Passenger Fees

We recently sent a related Member Alert on Tuesday asking for your help.  Here's the back story.   The National Park Service (NPS) will impose permit requirements and entrance fees at all 417 of its parks this year, adding permit and fee requirements at the 302 parks that do not currently charge fees. The service also is increasing passenger fees at 35 parks at which fees already are charged.

The operator who packages a trip-whether it's the tour operator that chartered the buses or the motorcoach company itself-is the one responsible under the new plan for obtaining an advance use permit and paying passenger fees. This clarifies uncertainties found in a previous plan.
 
If the motorcoach operator leased the bus but did not market the tour, however, it still may be required to hold a permit to enter some parks, something allowed at the discretion of the park supervisor and seen as a "double dip for access" by industry advocates like Bronwyn Wilson, president of the International Motorcoach Group.  
Read more...
Review Process for Midtown Bus Terminal Announced

The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey announced the start of the formal environmental review process for the replacement of the midtown bus terminal.  The agency released a planning-level scoping document for public review and comment initiating the environmental review.

The release of the planning-level scoping document will launch a robust 120-day public outreach process to solicit formal comment from elected officials in New York and New Jersey, the City of New York, neighborhood residents, other stakeholders and the public on plans for a new Port Authority Bus Terminal.  Four public hearings, two in each state, will be held in July and September 2019, with the dates, times and locations to be announced.  A virtual hearing also will be available online.

The planning-level scoping document is available on the Port Authority's website by clicking here.   Paper and digital copies of the document are available at the Port Authority Bus Terminal Replacement Center, located just inside the facility's Ninth Avenue entrance between 40th and 41st streets.  The document provides a project purpose and need, goals and objectives and an overview of the National Environmental Policy Act review process.   Read more...
Sweeney Praises Weinberg for Successful Battle to Fund Port Authority Bus Terminal Expansion

Senate President Steve Sweeney and Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg recently praised the release of the new Port Authority Bus Terminal "scoping document" as a vital step in upgrading and expanding the facility to accommodate an additional 30,000 New Jersey commuters.

"While no decision has been made on a final plan, today's announcement puts us on track to add two  new floors to the existing Port Authority Bus Terminal, which is the 'build-in-place' option preferred by both New York and New Jersey leaders," said Senator Weinberg (D-Bergen). "With new rail capacity from the Gateway tunnel at least 15 years away, expansion of the bus terminal is critical to expanding trans-Hudson capacity and ensuring that New Jersey commuters share in Manhattan's projected job growth."  Read more...
FMCSA Clearinghouse Website Updated

Another reminder about the Clearinghouse website has been updated with additional information, including an interactive timeline and revised frequently asked questions.  See what actions you will take in the Clearinghouse beginning January 6, 2020.

GNJMA Upcoming Events

  • Golf Outing  
  • Meet & Mingle 
  • Board of Director's Meeting
  • Fall Annual Association Meeting
  • Group Leader Marketplace - Exhibitors:  
  • Mini-Marketplace
November 10, 2019 (Sunday) - Annual Driver Safety Meeting & Appreciation Luncheon, Location: Tropicana Atlantic City



March 9-10, 2020 - Sponsor Appreciation Dinner, Spring Association Meeting & Motorcoach Professional Awards, Location:  Tropicana Atlantic City

For more information, please visit the GNJMA Events Page!

 ICYMI:  Member Alerts

Member Alerts are sent out to our Members as needed.   All alerts, as well as past newsletters, can be accessed via our website member portal  (Member Info/Documents/Member Alerts)  with logon credentials.   Here is a sampling of what has been sent recently:
  • National Park Service Outreach to Capitol Hill  
  • NYC Sudden Traffic Pattern Change, FMCSA Requests Comments & Updated Membership Bylaws
  • Message from The Port Authority Bus Terminal
 Thank You To Our Sponsors!

Visit our Sponsor Page for a list of all of our sponsors!


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Contact:  Pattie Cowley, Executive Director | Greater New Jersey Motorcoach Association
 908-835-0935 x105 | pcowley@gnjma.com | www.gnjma.com

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