PBA welcomes Irizar USA as a new member! Irizar USA is the exclusive dealer and distributor of Irizar products for the U.S. marketplace. Pat Laffan will be our designated member contact: Patrick Laffan, Sr. Account Executive
plaffan@irizarusa.com (860) 316-8655. Come say Hello & Welcome to Irizar at our upcoming workshop on 8/11!
|
Bailey Coach Celebrates Independence Day Early With Flag Photo Contest
 In the spirit of the upcoming Fourth of July and the significance of the US Flag, PBA member Bailey Coach, gave away flags to 20 individuals who submitted their best "flag picture." Watch the video.
|
|
Trans-Bridge Lines Donates Bus to the Museum of Bus Transportation
PBA member, Trans-Bridge Lines recently had the honor and privilege to donate a bus to the Museum of Bus Transportation in Hershey, PA.
Bus 50 was dedicated to the museum on Saturday, June 5, and was presented by Brendan Stanczyk, Safety and Training Supervisor for Trans-Bridge Lines during the museum's Spring Fling event. Read the press release.
|
|
|
Next PBA Coffee Talk!
July 8, 2021
9:30 AM EST
PBA 8th Annual Safety Workshop
August 11, 2021
York Springs Fire Co.
York Springs, PA
PBA 2021 Annual Meeting
October 24-27
Wind Creek
Bethlehem, PA
PBA 2022 Marketplace
March 21- 22, 2022
The Liberty Arena
Williamsport, PA
PBA 2022 Annual Meeting
June 19-22, 2022
State College, PA
|
|
|
MCI Brings COVID-19 Vaccines During Coast-To-Coast Tour
PBA member, MCI's J4500 supports the nationwide
Walgreens Mobile Clinic Tour to ensure the equitable distribution of COVID19 vaccines. The J4500 coach travels between Washington, DC and Portland, OR. Read more...
|
Aurora Payments - Merchant Cash Advance Information
 PBA Member, Aurora Payments shares how merchants can easily borrow money against future credit card income. Merchant Cash Advances are easier and faster than a bank loan and perfect for those with less than stellar credit. They are here to help fellow members through tough financial times or accomplishing a special project that needs a little cash to complete. Read more...
|
National Harbor Names New Director of Sales & Tourism
 Jamie Rice, CMP has been named Director of Sales and Tourism at PBA member National Harbor. She is responsible for leading the implementation of sales strategy and expanding on membership and strategic alliances. Included in her position is selling National Harbor as a premier destination to the meetings and group travel markets. Read the press release.
|
|
CERTS Updates - Deadline to Submit Application July 19
The Department of Treasury has opened the application portal for the CERTS program. Motorcoach operators interested in applying for a CERTS grant should review the following documents.
The CERTS portal will be open for applications through July 19, 2021. To be considered for a CERTS grant, an application must be completed, electronically signed, and submitted through the portal by 11:59 PM ET on July 19. After the deadline, the portal will not accept new applications, and users will not be able to finish draft applications in the portal.
Accessing the CERTS Portal: To gain access to the CERTS portal and submit an application, a company representative must first register with a username and password through the ID.me identity service.
Important Information if You Have Already Submitted an Application:
The Treasury Department has made a change to the CERTS application and how people list their PPP loans/grants. This effects those who have filled out their application in the first week of the portal being open.
Originally the application only allowed companies to list one PPP loan number. There was no place to list additional PPP loans or additional amounts. Treasury mistakenly assumed people would roll the amounts all together. And once the CERTS application is submitted there is no way you would know this section changed.
Operators who only listed one PPP (but received multiple) need to go back to their application and edit how many loans they received. To do this, you need to contact Treasury at either at CERTS@treasury.gov or call the helpdesk 877-398-5862 and request to open your application so you can correct the error.
The Treasury has updated their FAQs to address this and other issues/questions that have come in since the portal opened.
|
|
Register Today for the Motorcoach Safety & Preparedness Workshop
|
PBA Members Invited to Participate in Group Leader Marketplace at Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City October 7th
In an effort to help increase bookings for 2022, and get buses back on the road, John Bailey and Tim Stout decided to extend an invitation to PBA members to attend the Group Leader Marketplace scheduled at Resorts Casino in Atlantic City. Read the email from John Bailey, or for more details visit https://gnjma.com/Events/Marketplace.
|
We are interested in sharing your story with the rest of the PBA community of members. Do you have a story and picture(s) from the past? This can be about your business, family, an interest or hobby, or just a past fun event.
Your story will be shared with our members and posted to our social media and website each Friday. We need submissions to make this happen, so if you are interested in being featured, click here to complete the form.
|
|
REGIONAL AND INDUSTRY-WIDE NEWS
|
Gov. Wolf Vetoes Legislation Restricting Schools, Colleages From Requiring Vaccines
|
Gov. Wolf and Members of the General Assembly Have Reached an Agreement on the State's FY 2021-2022 Budget
Gov. Tom Wolf and the General Assembly have reached a budget deal that spends three out of every 10 federal stimulus dollars the state has received, while socking away $2.5 billion in surplus state revenue for the Rainy Day Fund. Read more...
|
Gov. Wolf Joins U.S. Department of Transportation to Announce $70 Million Awarded to Pennsylvania for Critical Infrastructure Updates
Governor Tom Wolf joined U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on a press call to announce that Pennsylvania has been awarded $70 million in federal grant funding to address two critical infrastructure projects in the commonwealth - safety improvements to Route 61 in Schuylkill County and the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority's (Philaport) Southport Wharf Development and Port Expansion project. Read more...
|
PennDOT Invites Private Industry to Submit Qualifications for Major Bridge Public-Private Partnership Initiative
The state's Public-Private Transportation Partnership Office is inviting the private sector to submit their qualifications to compete for the opportunity to enter into a progressive public-private partnership (P3) with PennDOT to administer the Major Bridge P3 Initiative. Read more...
|
Retiring Sen. Pat Toomey Looms Large over Senate Transport Bill
The fate of the Senate's surface transportation reauthorization bill might lie in part in the hands of a retiring Republican senator who has emerged as one of Congress' most outspoken critics of transit. Read more...
|
Langerholc Announces $279 Million Investment in Roads and Bridges
Senator Wayne Langerholc, Jr. (R-35), chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, announced the 2021-22 budget includes a new appropriation of $279 million to improve roads and bridges across the Commonwealth. Read more...
|
2022 Appropriations - CERTS Act & Intercity Bus Security Grants on List
Congress is working on the FY 2022 annual appropriations process, involving 12 separate bills. Our industry leaders are using this process to seek additional CERTS Act grant funding and increased funding for the Intercity Bus Security Grant Program. The House is starting to markup their appropriations bills starting this week and ending by July 16. The Senate has not yet announced a schedule for their markups. It is not expected that they reach a funding deal before the Sept. 30 deadline, and will likely push the deadline to the end of the year with continuing resolutions. It is very unlikely to lead to a government shutdown, but it will be difficult to reach a final funding deal with the close margins in both the House and Senate.
|
Federal School Bus STOP Act Included in House, Senate Transportation Reauthorization Bills
Bipartisan legislation to address motorists who illegally pass school buses while loading or unloading students took a crucial step forward toward passage. Read more...
|
Have You Had Maintenance Issues Because of Emissions-related Reduction and Control Devices?
ABA, IMG, UMA and the Bus Maintenance & Repair Council (BusMARC) are soliciting your input on your experiences with maintenance issues due to emissions-related reduction and control devices. Take the survey.
|
FMCSA Seeks To 'Streamline and Improve' Database of Drivers Who Fail Drug, Alcohol Tests
A proposal to "streamline and improve error-correction procedures, queries, and consent requirements" within the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse is among the anticipated agency actions listed on the Department of Transportation's regulatory agenda. Read more...
|
Registration for the FMCSA Training Provider Registry Open
In preparation for the Feb. 7, 2022 Entry-Level Driver Training compliance date, training providers in compliance with the Federal regulations may now register with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) via the Training Provider Registry. FMCSA will review all registration requests to ensure that the information provided is complete and in alignment with program requirements.
|
FMCSA Removes 40 Electronic Log Device (ELD) Vendors
To date, 40 ELDs have been removed from the FMCSA self-certified ELD list. All appear on the list under the category of "self-revoked." Make sure your provider isn't on that list or you will need to make a change to an approved provider. https://eld.fmcsa.dot.gov/List/Revoked
|
FMCSA Emergency Declaration Expirations
Bus Operators should be aware that several emergency declarations
are scheduled to expire on Aug. 31. Click here to view key COVID-19 emergency declarations that could impact your operations. In addition FMCSA Driver CDL Medical Certificates extended the compliance deadline for several provisions of the Medical Examiner's Certification Integration final rule. This is in response to FMCSA's need for additional time to complete certain information technology system development tasks for the National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners and provide the State Driver's Licensing Agencies sufficient time to make the necessary IT programming changes. The compliance dates will be extended from June 22 to June 23, 2025. Motorcoach Operators should still require drivers to use certified Medical Examiners. For states where electronic uploads remain unavailable, operators should ensure paper medical cards are being issued and carried. Click here to learn more.
|
Real ID Enforcement Date Extended to May 2023
Citing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced earlier this year that it was postponing the enforcement date for REAL ID, extending the current deadline of October 1, 2021, to May 3, 2023. Read more...
|
Canada Electronic Logging Device (ELD) Enforcement Progresses
Transport Canada (the Canadian equivalent of US DOT/FMCSA) announced it will proceed with phased or progressive enforcement of its electronic logging device (ELD) regulations. Progressive enforcement will consist of education and awareness to allow motor carriers enough time to install certified ELDs without penalty. US operators traveling into Canada, once the borders reopen, will need to make sure that the ELD providers they are using are certified and approved by Transport Canada. No ELD devices have been announced as certified in Canada to date, although the certification body has asserted that several applications for certification have been submitted. Click here to view the list of approved ELD providers. The new regulations went into effect on June 12. Progressive enforcement will continue without penalties through June 12, 2022. Click here for more details.
|
ICYMI- MEMBER ALERTS
 Member Alerts are sent out to our Members as needed. Here are the alerts we sent out since last Go News below.
|
 Important Reminders - Don't Forget!
|
Executive Coach, Fullington Trailways, Innovative Coach, Krapf Transportation, Mlaker Trailways, Trans-Bridge Lines and Wolf's Bus Lines have coaches and other items for sale now!
|
The Motorcoach PAC allows the Pennsylvania Bus Association to support legislators who work with us to promote, change or defeat legislation that impacts our industry. Contributing to Motorcoach PAC gives us a stronger voice in Harrisburg. Please consider giving $200, $300 or more.
Personal checks may be made payable and sent to:
Motorcoach PAC
200 North Third Street, Suite 1500
Harrisburg, PA 17101
Corporate funds are not permitted in any form. Unincorporated business checks are acceptable providing no owner or partner of the business is a corporation. Please contact Milliron & Goodman if you have any questions at (717) 232-5322. Political Action Committee donations are not tax deductible.
Download the solicitation form for more information.
|
|
PBA IS ACTIVE ON MULTIPLE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS
|
Stay Connected! PBA maintains active Social Media Platforms. In addition to the emailed communications we send to you, we actively share information to our Facebook and Twitter accounts and our new LinkedIn. We encourage you to LIKE US, FOLLOW US and ENGAGE with us! #pabus
|
|
Click on logo, then right click and save to display proudly on your website.
|
|
|
|
|
Copyright © 2020. All Rights Reserved.
|
|
|
|
