05 Apr NECT Receives “Green Operator” Award!
Two outstanding motorcoach companies, Anderson Coach and Travel of Greenville, Pa., and Northeast Charter and Tour Co. of Lewiston, Maine, will be honored at the American Bus Association’s annual Marketplace, January 5th-9th, 2013 in Charlotte, N.C., as the recipients of ABA’s “Green Operator Award.” The annual award is sponsored by Motor Coach Industries (MCI) of Schaumburg, Ill.[/vc_column_text]
Providing environmentally conscious transportation options for the public and protecting the environment are very important parts of what ABA and the motorcoach industry are all about. We are very proud that both Anderson Coach and Travel and Northeast Charter and Tour Co.
will be recognized at ABA’s Marketplace for their very significant work to emerge as environmental leaders in our industry.
with a fleet size of more than 30 motorcoaches, and Northeast Charter and Tour Co. 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 dayto-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 those companies, such as Anderson Coach and Travel and Northeast Charter and
Tour Co., 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.
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.
“Providing environmentally conscious transportation options for the public and protecting the
environment are very important parts of what ABA and the motorcoach industry are all about.
We are very proud that both Anderson Coach and Travel and Northeast Charter and Tour Co.
will be recognized at ABA’s Marketplace for their very significant work to emerge as
environmental leaders in our industry,” said ABA President and CEO Peter J. Pantuso, CTIS.
“The Union of Concerned Scientists and The Natural Resources Defense Council both recognize
motorcoach travel is the ‘greenest’ form of transportation, surpassing air and rail travel and well
ahead of private automobiles. Our industry is a leader when it comes to best environmental
practices, and we’re very proud of that,” added Mr. Pantuso.
“Motor Coach Industries is very proud to once again recognize great operators such as Anderson
Coach and Travel and Northeast Charter and Tour Co. as they’ve taken a high-profile leadership
role in our industry when it comes to best environmental practices. They are great examples of
an industry that safely transports hundreds of millions of people each year in a very
environmentally friendly manner,” said MCI CEO Rick Heller.
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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 Schaumburg, 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.
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