These 4 things are shutting down bus companies.
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- Опубликовано: 30 май 2024
- There are 4 things happening right now that are causing many bus companies to shut their doors. Find out what they are.
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I’m a Megabus driver in England and it’s exactly the same here, driver shortages are the main issue, people have left the bus and coach industry during Covid and haven’t returned. People no longer want to do the long and unsociable hours for low pay. A lot of companies here are increasing wages and offering a £2000+ sign on bonus but still cannot get staff.
The roads are busier than ever, passengers are more argumentative than ever and they refuse to read luggage allowances causing them to turn up with more luggage than the coach can carry. I also often have to deal with passengers who book the wrong date of travel and just assume they can travel on my coach. When I explain to them the coach is fully booked they start shouting and telling me I have no heart and they have no other way home. I tell them I have a heart but I have no seats.
Last night I had a late arriving passenger try to block me in with a car as I was driving out of the coach station to try and catch me. I had been there for 15 minutes loading passengers but they turn up late and expect to force their way on. The behaviour of some passengers is terrible today and they refuse to accept any responsibility for their mistakes.
Oh man that sounds horrible. I'm sorry to hear that. I have a heart, just no seats lol! I love that!!! I need to make a t shirt that says that lol. Thanks for the comment.
@@MotorcoachWorld like all jobs we have our good days and bad days. I’ve been driving buses for 15 years and the job is mostly enjoyable. Sometimes I get that day when the passengers are quiet, the road ahead is clear and the sun is going down and it becomes the best job in the world.
I was a driver for National Express out of Heathrow we had good routes Brighton Cambridge, Oxford, Leicester, Nottingham, Birmingham, I worked for owned operations so my wages were ok, but other National Express drivers work for our Partner operators & their wages are poor, in 2018 I left as fed up with change of routes just driving in & out of London to airport, traffic attitude of passengers ticketing equipment that doesn’t work, routes were soul destroying I had enough & left, after that I worked for a company based at Heathrow picking up aircrew, taking them to west London hotels, we went airside & they trained us to go across runways, best job ever, I met people from all around the world, American pilots bought me breakfast coffee amazing people, I also found Germans to be friendly, covid came along I took voluntarily retirement to give younger people with families a chance I am now retired having moved Norwich Norfolk from London I love it here, out of the rat race!
After what you say you will know why my favorite destination is not in service
Add to that (if you're in North America) having to put up with mentally ill people travelling on the bus and causing problems for passengers (a'la the scene from _what About Bob_ in which Bob Wiley's constantly freaking out about his trip and his pet fish that he has with him) simply because nobody in North America (yes, Canada has the same problem too) can figure out a way to treat the mentally ill properly.
I have noticed one silver lining, and that is that the remaining coach companies are more willing to help each other out. Just hope we all get to stay in "the remaining" club.
Yes so true. Our industry has never been as United as it is today. It used to be quite cutthroat actually. Good point thanks for the comment
Amen brother!
This is totally stupid because price equals supply over demand P=S/D! ALWAYS! therefore the waiting list for service is always the same, as is the number of drive applicants. The ONLY THING THAT CAN POSSIBLY VARY IS PRICE AND PAY! SO RAISE BOTH NOW! MORONS! AND TAKE MICRO-ECONOMICS 101!
That’s right
I drive New York City buses and yes driver shortages are there biggest concern. Some runs dont get covered and results in double and triple headways. Also looks like people are just not into driving a well
I often wondered about the cost of fuel running a motor coach....
Dam I thought it was expensive driving a semi truck...
Love your content Keep em coming!
Thanks for the comment. Haha anytime you operate one of these large vehicles truck or bus you better have some money put away LOL m
No such thing as a semi truck
I literally just got out of an English comp class and I'm already inspired to write about COVID inspired me to change my career, which led me to becoming a diesel mechanic working for a ground transportation division of a major tourism company working on motorcoaches and privately owned transit buses. Thank you for this video.
Thank you for the comment! I wish you all the luck in the world sir. It is a very Noble profession to go into.
I hope you get that career I love working on vehicles myself
What state are you in?
Thank you so much for all the info you feed us with. I am a truck driver and I am considering transitioning to coach driving for the rest of my working worth years. I kind of have experience with the customers in busses, since I used to be a tour guide; in another life!
I already got the passenger endorsement and your videos have definitely made me look at the future through a different « glass « . The trucking industry is so over regulated that it is no more fun.😢
Suburban transit agencies are renewing large portions of their fleet in Canada, which means motorcoaches past 17 years old (MCI and Prévost) are waiting to be sold second-hand as operational units or for parts. Prévost is currently developing a package kit to convert a motorcoach's diesel powertrain to a battery-electric powertrain, but that will not solve the range problem. As for customer and passenger conduct, things are more difficult now because parenting and the social-cultural environment in schools has deteriorated as a whole.
You can give a bus a 5-600 mile range. And the answer to large vehicle battery electric will be battery swapping stations. 10 minutes and its a full pack.
Converting anything to battery operation will only be successful when the basic unit is extremely light to start with, as in all fiberglass and carbon composites, just like the Teslas. (Otherwise adding more battery weight will reduce range and storage space) Ron W4BIN
Are parent-school relations in Canada becoming fraught like in America too?
@@hobog You mean are ignorant people demanding the education system put god into the curriculum? Yes...We have those here too.
@@hobog To answer that Q. for yourself... consider the student remote learning environment implemented during the so-called Pandemic. Also consider what social media choices school-age juveniles make, daily.
James this Covid deal has really decimated the coach and travel industry in Canada. My old company is only running about half of their fleet. Coaches sitting idle for 1 or 2 years does not do them any good. Things rust, corrode, and seize up, leading to extra costs that are needed at this time. I’m a 46 year technician and had worked on motorcoaches for 44 years (last 30 for same company, a fellow IMG member) before a covid forced layoff, that turned into a retirement. I miss the motorcoach industry, especially all my good friends I have met through networking. I have recently done a driving trip for the same company to help them out. I might do a little to help them out for the colour season. Thanks again James for all the content you have put out. Have a good week. Rick
God bless you
One of the biggest factors, and this goes to a specific company (Greyhound) is gross mismanagement, especially where line service is concerned. Poor service, poorly trained drivers, substandard equipment all play a key role. It doesn't help that GLI was bought out first by Stagecoach, then First Group, and now Flixbus. This can present a golden opportunity for independent companies like Peoria, and TrailwaysNY to establish and expand line service. Not to mention we've been seeing these fly-by-night buses out of NYC (James, you'll recognize them by the ratty-ass Van Hool plain white buses) poaching riders as well.
Hey James.
Unfortunately these problems facing the Motorcoach industry are not just confined
to the US. In New Zealand and Australia, there is a huge shortage of commercial drivers
and the cost of diesel fuel has skyrocketed.
The Tourism industry in NZ has just begun to recover and we are letting in overseas visitors
for the first time in over two years. We are gearing up for a busy summer in NZ, but staff
shortages and inflation are threatening to derail what could be a very successful and profitable
tourism season in NZ.
Don't forget the lousy working conditions and almost minimum wages that New Zealand bus drivers especially public transport service drivers are currently employed under.
@@chrismckellar9350 Yes, I definitely agree with you.
You hit the nail on the head , I work in the prison industry, and new inmates just entering the system. Feel that they are entitled, they feel and act the part to . Just watch the internet shows with these spoiled brats, or tick tock postings.
YES I see this ALL the time .
We have a crippling generation problem
GOD HELP US ALL .☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️
Great video as usual, we are experiencing similar issues in the industry in the UK with rising fuel costs, and National shortage of drivers & a lot of things being on a delayed back order, even new coaches. Funnily enough you mentioning how crazy people can get when missing a scheduled coach service as I mostly drive a megabus contract which the company I work for is sub contracted to do and some folk go crazy when missing their coach with various bits of behaviour, and some to the extent of being refused travel on any later services due to how the treat staff in the coach stations etc, or expecting various facilities of which aren’t available on low cost inter city coach travel
young people should work in violation of the driver shortage.
I stopped driving about 10 years ago for a variety of reasons. One of them was the entitlement that was starting to rear it's ugly head. And the older I get the less I'm able to not call out those people. As for the fuel, it's still over $5.00 a gallon here in Mass. It's slowly coming down but not as fast as gas in dropping. And I'm finally starting to received parts that were ordered 4-6 months ago so that shows there is hope that the supply chain is coming back. Most transportation companies survive on slim margin and any disruption can send a company over the edge. Hopefully in a year or so, there will be other companies that can/will step in and up to continue a great service and tradition.
Thanks for you incite and clear explanation of the issues! Keep the rubber side down and MOTOR ON!
Thanks for writing this. You are right. There does seem to be light at the end of the tunnel. I love your positive attitude.
Here in San Diego County diesel is still much higher than the super premium gasoline. Perhaps it our politicians' war on fossil fuels ... ??
@@donalddodson7365 Hummm, I thought it was pure greed with the oil companies and some deep pocket politicians.
"maybe these parents should teach these kids to be accountable" -- whoa there! That's crazy talk!
Lol 😂
Hi James! Last time I mentioned that the small company I was driving for has ceased trading, all due to insurmountable problems caused by Covid, the boss sold out to another company, who are succeeding where others are not, they didn't want the fleet, which was rather old, but they wanted the contracts and drivers, but I had already made the decision to walk away and go back to Phlebotomy, no regrets! My 21 years of driving has given me a lot of great memories! Take.care til next time!
Hey good to hear from you Katherine! I actually thought about you and the comment that you left me a while ago while I was creating this script. I'm glad to see that you commented here. I'm glad you were able to land a position in your second passion. I hope everything is going well with you and your job. It was such a sad thing to see so many Mom and Pop owners and hard-working people lose their livelihood when all this craziness came about.
@@MotorcoachWorld it certainly is sad, but my new job is going really well, and I am settling in well!
@@katherinerice7921 And you are very valuable to us chronologically challenged people who get one blood draw which leads to 3 more to figure out why the first 2 showed what they did. 🤗 I flunked venipuncture: I just could not stick metal into people. I have great respect for those can "find the lumin." Blessings.
@@donalddodson7365 why thank you Donald, venepuncture certainly isn't for everyone, that's for sure!
You've always made great videos. I miss driving busses (school and motorcoach). I tried over the road trucking and it was a lonely stressful journey. I now deliver Snap-on tool trucks around North America and love it. Everytime I see a motorcoach, or ride one from O'Hare to Milwaukee, I definitely reconsider coming back to the industry.... 🤷🏻♀️
I can understand completely. You were one of my first viewers and commented on many of my first videos. If you ever change your mind, and want to move closer to us, We would love to have you. I remember we spoke about this topic once. Keep in touch!
Our local diesel mechanic shop says it will be 3 weeks before he can even look at our bus. There is a huge shortage of quality mechanics.
Ouch Richard! Yeah I totally feel for you man. I know what you're going through
I am still in the airline industry and as I still have a Class A CDL with passenger and school bus endorsements I could probably part time when I'm not flying. Been kicking the idea around. There are so many jobs it seems.
Thanks for showing the company that I work for SEPTA Philadelphia’s transportation system. Great video.
I'm in the Trailways system and I agree with you on most points. Some of the issues I have are inconsiderate motorists out here. Cars, P/U trucks with hot shot loads, ragged trailers ... remember when people did not run with LIGHTS ON BRIGHT so much? I still love rolling, our team/company will survive and roll safely. Don't know what THE DOG is going to do... kinda dim for them and their customers.
I'm a bus driver in Australia we have a shortage here also for both bus and truck drivers. One bus driver I know retired because they had enough after being assulted twice in 6 weeks.
Hang in there James! It’s hard working, smart and driven people like you who keep this country going.
Hey John haha thanks your too kind. I couldn't have done anything that I've done without the team that I have. They are the true individuals that keep keeps things going.
Amen and Amen to the things you discussed. I noticed this was nine months ago. If anything it has gotten worse. Now I am an old retired salesman and taught to treat customers with respect but along with that you expected some courtesy in return. Today many, not all, salespeople, when asked for help act as if you the customer are a bother to them. Something that many of your videos discuss about being courteous to your customers.
Wish that I could say some of your criticisms were too harsh but facts are, you were right on point and were not as harsh as you could have been on each subject! The public just doesn’t realize what it cost to operate a bus or semi and that these costs must be passed on to the consumer or the company will go bankrupt! The consumer pays for everything including the toilet paper in the bathroom if the company is to stay in business. Just the facts!
Thank you James - I agree with you and others. DONT BE LATE for public transit - bus, plane, train, etc. don’t hold up other because of entitlement or lack of planning. I’d never expect a bus or plan to wait for me…. Also quickly get to your seat and settle during boarding
ok mom.
Just finished working my Walmart route for tonight and it’s time to enjoy watching your new video always a pleasure to watch
You are too kind. Thank you for your kind words and for posting!
Good coverage of the issues. I don't work in the bus industry but do work in the car rental industry so can relate on these points.
Very true
Every one seams a lot more helpful
I been doing this a long time it is a difficulty here in Florida
Thanks James as always for the informative video. As too the subject matter people are traveling and at Starr Tours in NJ some ways they've coped is they placed 22 out of 34 buses in service and the rest of the buses are up for sale . This company is a all H3-45 company so with that being said that saves them money on parts. As to charters and Tours we've been busy with some contract and a line run with Our Bus. So far our passengers have been great. I'm only part time but they keep me busy so I have no complaints.
Be safe out there!
I operate bus for a public transportation agency, and I feel your pain. First of all, let me just say that it’s my dream to drive motor coach for a private charter company. Anyway, being as I work for a public transit agency, the hardships are slightly different for us. Yes, we have to cancel dozens of routes everyday because there just aren’t enough people willing or able to do this kind of work. In order to do what we do, it requires super thick skin, and really a love for the job. Driving is my sweet spot, so I love it. Now, as a public agency, we offer (what will be soon) about $35 an hour at top wage. Theyve been raising the top wage steadily the entire time I’ve been there, so it’s not hard to make a 6-figure income. Then if that’s not enough, I’m getting 3 weeks of scheduled vacation, on top of 3 weeks of floating holidays. Sick pay is calculated as a percentage of hours work, and if you never use it, I think caps out at something like 1500 hours. THEN IF THAT’S NOT ENOUGH, our retirement is a 401(a), as opposed to a 401(k), which means it takes almost no time to save for retirement. The agency pays 8% of your straight time gross, which can add up to anywhere from $6k to 7k annually ON TOP OF whatever contribution you’ve chosen as a percentage of your entire gross income. Healthcare benefits are 100% employer paid if you go with the Kaiser option. AND YET qualified bus operators are hard to come by. I mean REALLY hard to come by. What I find interesting is how people balk at starting wages of transportation agencies nowadays. The living is nice once you hit top pay, but people still turn their noses up to it! Sorry for the long comment, but the issue surrounding the scarcity of willing workers seems super complex. From the comments I read on social media, people seem to feel super entitled. Our job requires lots of humility. Again, if I were in Illinois, I would jump at the chance to work there. I’m curious, what is the pay structure like? I know with public transit, you’re paid by the minute, and anything over 8 hours in a day is overtime.
We don't want one time bonuses. We want solid hourly wages that provide a decent standard of living.
motor coach world thinks its just laziness.
Wow James!! You hit it out of the park. I’ve only been in the business seventeen years and what a horrible turn it has taken. I’m retired now but I still do my best to drive as many charter as I can handle. Keep up the great Content James.
I guess if we were to add one more it would be the aging out of our drivers. That’s a big one at our terminal.
I have to I got a laugh out of when you said jr. missed the bus. I've been transporting sports teams lately and when coach says go I go. Some of the time we see a kid or 2 running for the bus. Coach says they're late they missed it keep going si I just keep on keeping on. Happens once and then everyone shows up early.
Lol 🤣 this is great. I've experienced this too
Saw a pair of Prevost X3 45 motorhomes last Friday August 26th. Country singer Gary Allan was performing a live concert at my city's County Fair festival
Thanks for Plug for UMA.. Love watching your stuff
it's sad that the private owned business is paying for government business to bail out their own business. why you can't find in your own workers 😭 whining yes the world has changed amen another great video proud of you
Its not the case everywhere but part of the problem is that when the pandemic hit some businesses (Qantas Airlines being a notable example here in Australia) really screwed over their workers and now that those businesses need workers again to cater for all the demand, no-one wants to work for them.
As a former school bus driver I empathize with commercial drivers. I am sure that it is a challenge for you guys. Good luck and hang on in there.
A really good video. I particularly liked the loading of the luggage its how i do it
Insurance is another under-discussed barrier. It's basically impossible for new entrants to be underwritten, and existing operators are seeing large insurance spikes at renewal time.
I noticed that you didn't mention the cost of D.E.F. And I was wondering if D.E.F. is playing any part in your maintenance issues with engine troubles ?
Def is not a huge Factor anymore. It was around 2008 to 2015 when those diesel particulate engines were not properly tested and rushed out into the market. If I were to have made this video a decade ago that probably would have been a huge section. Today d e f engines are more reliable however they still do cause problems.
@@MotorcoachWorld so how bout dat DEF shortages eh
@@MotorcoachWorld do a def delete somehow
@@MotorcoachWorld Government Demanded Engine Failure IS what DEF systems Are
Can you talk about the turning radius on motorcoaches and semi-trucks, the challenges of making tight turns?
you know there running out of drivers for transit companies like city buses to because the transit company who our city has a contract with has new buses and has already slapped where hiring ads on the back of the buses we need people like you guys to keep the world running and i appreciate everyone who drives a bus no matter the kind of bus if i get on it i appreciate every minute of riding it because i don't have to walk everywhere
I would like to meet up with you, I'm a Prevost mechanic for 39 years, getting over working on them, ready to drive instead of that. I can drive the machine as good as anyone in the industry. Currently working on them.
Hey John. One of my best drivers I ever had was named John Martin. He retired a few years back. I would love to meet someone with so much bus experience.
If you are ever in the Urbana Champaign IL area let me know. I'll give you a tour of our facility
I totally get the parts and diesel issues James!
I waited 3 months for a simple steering part, simple but extremely important if you want to steer the bus!
Of the top five reasons coronavirus had threatened to pull the rug out from the motor coach industry when operators know they continue to make payments on a bus while its sidelined while waiting months for a critical part to arrive despite a parts and or semiconductor shortage.
"we can go wherever you want, as long as there are no turns involved."
I am a retired a bus driver, I retired due to Arthritis in my ankles ,I am relying on a walking stick,now. I enjoy meting people and hearing there stories and experiencing that has been in their lives. I would to go back to driving buses tomorrow if I could.
With the shutdown of the motorcoach industry, many of those drivers took jobs else where. There are lots of factors in motorcoach driving that make it a less desirable job compared to any other commercial driving job. So it isn't much of a surprise that it is hard to find drivers to work.
Hey, it's the first time I'm noticing the SNES joypad. lol
That aside, the events of the past 2 years have affected a lot of industries (especially the ones that employ hard-working people).
Hey Pierre C. Lol I get that question a lot regarding the SNES pad haha. It's actually a Bluetooth replica of an SNES pad by 8-bit. I usually purchased it to play SNES games on my laptop which I have an emulator for. However I have found that it's very useful for my teleprompter and I can scroll through my script without having to get up and go to the next page after every paragraph which increases the amount of time it takes for me to edit and record my videos. I wish I could just spout all the stuff I talked about on the fly but it would be very disorganized and basically it would just be me rambling. I usually spend the day to write my script and organize it in to sections so that you the viewer can somewhat comprehend my videos LOL. Thanks for the comment sir
@@MotorcoachWorld Hey James!
That's a very good use for a Bluetooth SNES controller, and the SNES was a very good console with lots of great games on it! (and crazily enough, all the ROMs for every SNES game ever released, more than a thousand of them, can fit in something like 16 GB...)
@@MotorcoachWorld I never knew you script yourself you seem like you say it so fluently and right off the top of your mind
Awesome video keep up the great work 👍
Good video. I thought for sure I was going to be hired by a mom & pop motorcoach carrier last May, for their summer season. An acquaintance of mine who works for that company said they were hurting. I would have been a shuttle driver (diving my car, paid time and mileage, to a specific location to take over for the #1 or primary driver). However, that company did an intense hiring campaign in the cities specific to the needs of a #2 driver to eliminate the salary and mileage costs of a shuttle driver. As a result, they were able to eliminate the vast majority of shuttle drivers they had needed in the past. Although disappointed, I can't blame them for trying to save $$$ in today's economy. Nevertheless, I continue driving coach for our local school district as an activities driver. I enjoy doing it. Thanks for the video.
Like your videos. Keep them coming. Stay safe
great content James, your videos are very informative and inspiring. Could you please make a video about the Prevost X3-45. Love from Zimbabwe!
Yes I had the same question the last upload. Would love to see that
I’m 23 and have my class a with hazmat but spent most of my time operating cement truck and box trucks and now I’m looking for something with less work without taking a toll on my body
Not just on the charter end, but line service as well. However, recent events here in New York has been on the uptick. For example, Trailways has picked up Toronto-Buffalo and runs to the Detroit-Windsor area as well. Doesn't help that Greyhound has ceased operations in Canada and dissolved their pooling agreement with Trailways. Thus Adirondack has had to add routes to the ever busy Toronto-NYC corridor.
Interesting Video, great for driver's to watch so they can help out in any way they can like driving for the best fuel economy possible, Thanks for the video
James, informative and well presented, as always! I am not sure a culture that slides into an "entitlement - me only - you owe me" mentality can ever reverse the spiral into economic chaos. I guess complainers & bullies were always out there, but only a relatively few were ever noticed until instant cyber platforms gave them audiences. Keep treating your employees well, doing the best you can for customers, increase money tied up in spare parts, and lobby for MORE diesel fuel from the oil cartels & politicians who cannot spell "coach bus." (Didn't Coach Buss have a 20-60 season last year? ... 🥺)
Hey Donald! Yes that sounds about right as far as how the motor coach industry performed last year. Thanks for the comment my friend
its the environmentalists that have vilified "dirty diesel" and our lamo boyscout politicians cater to thier constant demands. Blame the right people, not the ones bringing you the oil.
I was just wondering when you posted and here you are. Hope youre doing better than me on this end lol
I'll call you in a little bit I'm on campus handling a huge Labor Day Exodus of students LOL
@@MotorcoachWorld LOL, sounds fun.
I liked the "Bobby now has to sell 5 thousand candy bars instead of just 5" 😂😂 that was me in high school.
My high school Marching Band would always take a trip in March to Disney or similar destination and my family was not able (nor willing) to pay for me to go on the trip 🥲
We had a cookiedough fundraiser. My freshman year I missed out on the trip. Sophomore year I was top seller, so we got a discount on the trip. My family was willing to pitch. I went to Disney for the first time in my life. I was so grateful. I had a blast riding the bus with my friends.
Unfortunately, the band decided that the next year's trip would happen in the fall. The trip was to New York City. Because there was little time to "hustle up" the funds I missed out on going to NYC. it really upset me, and to this day I still have never been to NYC.
I say all that to say bus charters [were] expensive and that was '09!
RIP to Bobby for having to sell them extra 🍫 chocolates for the school trip
I hated those school "selling chocolate" days. Having a sweet tooth, I was my own best customer
Over here in the UK there's similar issues - adding to it is the backlog of driving tests due to a shortage of qualified examiners and the ones that couldn't be done over the pandemic, meaning those that want to drive buses/coaches can't as they're still waiting for their car license test which they need before they can even train to become a bus driver. Oh, and diesel is the equivalent of $9.50 per gallon here... on a good day. It was even more expensive a couple months back!
The company I worked for looked at a new vanhool electric bus. A cool million plus no storage due to the batteries in the luggage bay. I think actual range on a good day was 250 miles. Progress
Motorcoach operators lost their job during pandemic. So CDL drivers figured out there are better paying jobs hauling freight or hauling children aka school bus. Those jobs are home every night, no worry about shitty tips to make up for low wages, no dog house called a sleeper berth, no luggage to load/unload, no black tanks to deal with, no 12 hour driving days, etc. etc. Bottom line, if you have a CDL B with air brake and passenger, there isn't that much of a stretch to get a different CDL job that pays MUCH better with a lot less work and headaches. Remember in all of the CDL jobs it's picking a lifestyle, not picking what to drive. Motorcoach was 12-16/hour or pay per mile. Per mile was lots of sitting on duty not driving = no pay or little pay. The Motorcoach industry did it to themselves. Pandemic simply pushed it off the cliff.
5000 chocolat bars!!..😄😄 I would help with that!..love the videos and info!!
James, unfortunately here in Canada the motor coach industry is way behind the US motor coach industry. We are still hurting, business hasn't recovered much since covid... Many tour companies have reduced trips especially to USA because with inflation plus a weak Canadian economy causing the Canadian dollar to have the same value as Monopoly money (Thanks to Justin) it makes it very expensive for Canadians who are struggling to come to USA when the prices are so high. (Hotels, restaurants, attractions, shopping, higher bus costs due to higher fuel and insurance rates).
There's been a few bus companies in Ontario that shut their doors during and after covid as well as tour companies as well.
Some companies like the one I work at reduced their fleet by selling buses to cut their expenses.
As for driver shortages, many drivers have moved to higher paying jobs including myself, I only drive coaches part time now because theres no money in it any more.
As for wages I will make another comment in your comments section because it's a subject that needs it's own spotlight to be shined on it.
Here in Ontario. Canada a $ 14.00 minimum wage was instituted, even just to fill a coffee cup! Why would you want to deal with surly passengers and people suffering with road rage for only 8 to 10 dollars more per hr?
Yeah that's a bit low for a motorcoach operator wage. Here it's around $21 to $30 and hour depending on where you live
@@MotorcoachWorld AVERAGE coach wage in Ontario is CA$20/hr. Transit drivers $20/hr to start.
Minimum wage here is CA$15.50/hr ($11.79/hr US).
The reason a LOT of servers/cooks/bus people have left the industry in North America, is because of the p*ss poor wages. It's time for these two countries to abolish tips.
Go to Europe and tip, and you'll be called rude. The people there get paid fair wages.
When Minimum Wage was instituted in the 1920s, it was set so that a man working 40 hours a week, could feed his family of 4, own a car, a home, have savings, and still survive.
Minimum wage has gone up only about 30% since the 1970s, while CEO wages have skyrocketed by over 3000%.
@@MotorcoachWorld $15.50hr / CDN not 14! To pour coffee or flip burgers, as opposed to $20/hr for the responsibility of the coach AND passengers, why would you want more work?
As a metro operator I have witnessed cancel culture and I don’t like it.
Currently I drive school bus, and would love to make the switch to motorcoach but I live too far to justify. I do pretty good with school bus though and truly enjoy the job. Around here it's really just school bus, paratransit, OTR, and dump truck. Still I had gone as far as to even talk to someone from Peoria Charter. I wish I would have thought more on the proper house location... The next house will be near better driving jobs for sure!
Thanks for the videos(and star trek jokes)!
I work in public transit, we cant get drivers, techs and parts.
The wages we see on the advertisements and what is actually being given are two different numbers. It’s all about wages and they are behind from bus drivers to servers. Anyone in the service industry is still seeing the con of you can make up to this routine that doesn’t pan out for the vast majority of employees in that field. The real money will be with folks that start producing goods here in North America again
Interesting... Are you talking about Peoria Charter's advertisement? Or are you just generalizing all bus companies...
Awesome video it has always been my dream to open my motor coach company, but dam it looks nearly impossible 😂
Takes Alot of money and gotta have good people around you to make it happen
Man I miss being a Bus Operator. I'd love to start my own private Charter company, but it's not a smart business move now. Great video!
Yeah it's true. My company had to buy a 3rd party headlight for my 2019 Freightliner Cascadia
$1,000! And no dealer in North America has any for sale due to backorder. Also it was for the turnsignal LED. But because it is the all in one left,right type, gotta make sure they have the correct side. So a right side turn signal...$1,000. Even though the headlight and marker LED's worked fine.
One reason is the increasing physical demands on drivers, having to lift unrealistic amounts of weights, injurs backs and shoulders. Bus drivers need more support when it comes to loading and unloading luggage.
It isn't just Bus Drivers that were short-staffed, at least in my Country. Mechanic Staff especially Panel Beating and Servicing were preventing perfectly good buses from getting serviced and going out onto the road.
Oh how I wish I could drive a bus again! I drove both city buses (in California) and charters and tours (Arizona/Utah/Nevada) from the early 70's until the late 90's. I loved my work, especially giving tours around the Southwest National Parks. But at my age, 70, there aren't any jobs available! The last firm I worked for (Nava-Hopi Tours in Flagstaff) went out of business a few years after I left because of a combination of personal issues. Life changes... oh to be younger and back behind the wheel of an MCI or Prevost!
Hey Thomas. Thanks for writing this. I enjoyed reading it. People like you have so much to offer younger folks like me. You probably could teach me a thing or two about this industry. Your knowledge and experience are worth more than my generation realize.
@@MotorcoachWorld You nailed it, James. Life is all about experience and those of us that have it want to pass it on to help those that are younger and living through it. It's a tough sell for many but folks like you seem to care and will hopefully prevail in the age to come. Take care.
Always love those star trek inserts
Regarding fuel prices; a channel called Robot Cantina did experiments with something they call a Robo-Throttle. Sadly this won’t help with diesel-based vehicles (as they don’t use throttle bodies), but it might be worth looking into for anything you use running on gasoline.
As for the motorcoaches themselves, you could try some tricks with DIY cardboard aerodynamics (wheel covers, boat tails, teardrop shape, etc) and replacing metal panels with fiberglass. It'd be labor-intensive upfront, but this could probably save a fair amount of fuel in the long run. A small scale test might be worth it.
As for looking for good people I feel some are not looking hard enough or still are hung up on favorites. I have 30 years experience driving buses more with school buses...I have a perfect driving record and many customer service letters from previous trips I've done....i keep applying for motor coach work and even city transit work....i get 0 phone calls....so my question is how hard are they looking for good people?
Hey Brian. That's weird. I'm sorry to hear that. I thought you were driving school bus?
@@MotorcoachWorld I think we in Canada are somewhat behind abit the usa has been a step ahead of us with lifting restrictions and how fast things pick back up I don't feel we are at 100 percent yet....I am hoping these companies start getting desperate and my phone starts ringing. I would move to usa to drive and possible with demand and skill shortage this might be possibility to become American citizen:)
Hey Brian have you called where you used to drive as a part time driver? Maybe some full time work is available. Rick
@@motorcoachtech7615 I am driving for Ayr on the weekends. I have asked to move up to coach again and again and again and it falls on deaf ears I've given up. Badder has shown some interest in having me try out as a coach driver so that would be great as the yard is 5min away and I can make more money driving a coach bus....see what happens
I'm also a school bus driver, I haven't applied to many motor coach positions but when I did, I haven't been called back. Clean record and I also have experience training drivers.
I just got to inspect school bus fire extinguishers last week and me being a bus nut myself it was so much fun especially when it was hot on the bus being able to open the exit windows and jump out the back door because front doors were locked it was very fun
👍
Build a double deck Trailerbus that can take 150 people plus their bikes and mobility scooters to go across town or interstate even with big batteries in the prime mover.
Another reason people are not returning is because of businesses are requiring the poke. If they took away that "requirement", I'm sure people would return.
I know I've opted out of travel on account of rising prices. The cost to travel to where I am to a nearby major city has gone up by roughly half. When you count two passengers (as we can't afford a car), then the tab is just too high. It means we can't go to visit family, and when you're low income, meaning life is already very expensive, it bites even more. A lot of people use buses because they cannot drive for various reasons.
Also, when you mentioned the toilet paper hoarding, I had to grin like a jerk. We long ago got one of those bidet attachments to put on a standard toilet, so we had no issues at all. They're cheap, too, and easy to install. You'd've thought that might get people to reconsider using them, but I'm not sure it has. You're not wrong about people not thinking critically about things.
Being a drive in NZ and currently in Aus the same problems exist here as well, one small issue could be the lack of the working tourists who often filled spaces in various industries and freed up people to look for work elsewhere.
Further to this many bus and coach operators no longer want to work for the big multi national companies, too many years of low wages, bullying, long hours, 6 day weeks, rotating shifts and far too much time away from families. Bus driving is often seen as a job of last resort and as such 50% of the drivers employed by one major NZ company never saw their 1st anniversary.
Here in the UK we have the same staffing issues along with fuel price escalation, massive devaluation of pre-owned stock due to the liquidation of a few major tour companies during lockdown. Even worse here is the sudden requirement for a wheelchair lift etc costing $30K which will never be used plus many clean air zones cropping up, who instead of encouraging motorists out of their cars, punish operators who spent $1,000s to modify exhaust systems a few years back which are now suddenly obsolete‼️
Same here. I drive a transit bus in Austin, TX. Driver shortage and bus shortage beyond belief. Daily runs canceled and the drivers working in toxic environments due to the lack of man power.
My own experiences in desiring to drive a coach: Even today companies aren't willing to just fork over the few bucks to get an otherwise qualified, experienced cdl driver a damn passenger endorsement. Things can't be that desperate for them if they're still playing these stupid games.
Sorry for the rant😕
Otherwise, I agree with everything you said. Well done and thought out.
And not to get overly "conspiracy theory" here, let's just say if you want to destroy or cripple a huge economy, the past couple years have been the perfect recipe.
Thanks!
not sure where you’re at, but lots of the ones i know of are helping people add endorsements, and even offering grounds up training. 🤷🏻♂️
I agree with you I can't get a job for the life of me I have to resort to panhandling and donations to get by
I work for a family run coach company in West Sussex, England. I don't know about the spares issue, but certainly driver shortage and fuel costs are just as relevant here as they are with you in North America.
Hi, been tuning in to your posts. Great content. If i may ask are there any MCI or prevost coaches with right hand steering wheel, and left door, I'm from Kenya, it would be good having this buses on our roads
Thank you for the kind words. Welcome aboard.
I don't believe there are any built with that configuration.
I know for where I live Ireland the average age is definitely a factor on lack of drivers, the average age of a bus/coach driver is late 50's early 60's we do CPC modules each year and every year I sit a module I get told I'm the youngest at 29 the CPC trainer has seen in the bus industry. There's no young blood coming into the industry theres no incentives.
Hey Brian. Thanks for posting. Wow that's so interesting that it's such a similar trend here. Just like you said there are no young bloods coming into our industry
23 years as a schoolbus/charter driver i've noticed a lot of change in how we work and how our interactions with clients have changed. i no longer do charter work because ppl have become a whole new thing, at first i thought it was me getting older and cruster but i'm hearing tails from all over how ppl have changed, and i'm to old to drfend myself if someone should decide that my nose is too straight and wants to change that,,, i'll stick with my hs bus run till next year when i retire. no more drunks and ankle biters for me
Trucking industry is hurting, company I'm with struggling to find drivers but on the flip side loads are far and few between, by thar I mean we'll have loads but then those trailers sit and wait a week or 2 to be delivered. Get 100 200 plus trailers on the yard not moving and then the customers thar have drops have those sitting with loads loaded but not ready to ship out, or just haven't unloaded, then other customers that need empty dropped trailers don't have them and then it's a struggle to find empty. And a lot of my loads last few months have been live loaded abs unloaded. And the sitting and waiting cause either nor enough forklift operators or fork loft down or whatever the reason. Killing my miles and is killing my pay. For a bit it's been a struggle on bills but I have an awesome mortgage/finance company that said hey if you do this and that we can kill those loans and save you this much. So hopefully soon I won't really have to worry about much while we deal with this ongoing problem. Which with that not being an issue will allow me to work on transferring some of the things I do in tiktok over on to RUclips to be longer videos.
Before The Wuhan Croup hit charter companies relied heavily upon retired individuals who were willing to work for low wages and no benefits. Those days are over for the foreseeable future. My average day on a trip is usually 15-20 hours long. Stress levels dealing with the public, traffic, and trying to beat the elog that’s constantly reminding me that I’m about to run out of hours.
Fuel costs are part of the the problem but it’s just one thing. I tried to train two young guys,(in their 20s) , and finally lost my patience with both. They thought that it was grossly unfair that they couldn’t wear shorts and flip flops on duty and couldn’t do overnight trips unless they were allowed to take their “emotional support dog”. I finally turned them over to another guy to babysit. Many young people today are totally unprepared for the real world which is why Socialism appears so viable to them.
We are struggling to keep our noses above water. I honestly don’t know if we’re going to make it. I don’t think that the current trends are going to change anytime soon. Our whole country is on the wrong track and I don’t see any great revival of Americanism any time soon.
The "can't find people" is quite common and many people will simply say "if you paid more you'd not have a shortage" just don't understand the true issue
Wages are important but there are also greater needs. With the pandemic it killed many training schedules as well and in various industries that can take years to fix
Well said. Thank you. That is so true.
@@MotorcoachWorld a core issue most don't see is how a single issue can disrupt a whole chain
In the case of repair/replacement parts a simple shortage of a single item -- such as the aluminum shortage early last year -- can delay or shutdown production lines that in turn delay those finished parts getting to the distributor or service tech
I work as a service tech for a restaurant group and I have several refrigerators/cold cabinets that we are waiting on new temperature probes and control boxes. Just to keep them running we are using spare parts from other units or making work arounds that we have to monitor frequently
Being visually impaired I have to rely on public transport.
I previously worked for Greyhound out of Las Vegas. i am going on 77 years old and retired. I would consider going back to work if a company offered me a nice pension after 30 years. Interesting video, thanks.
I've always wondered how a coach operator deals with a breakdown a long way from home. Do they hire another local company to subcontract and take a loss on the run?
How have you seen the entry-level driver training requirements impact your potential applicant pool? At least from my very superficial searching it seems that the cost of CDL school has nearly doubled (or more than doubled in some cases). Very large organizations may run their own schools, but it still takes more time, fuel, and vehicle maintenance to train the candidates. I may decide at some point to add the H endorsement, but I highly doubt that I will ever add P or S.
I've been a taxi driver for 15 years and the exact things are plaguing that industry as well. Currently my company is back to about 3/4 of its fleet(it was down to about 1/4 during the lockdowns), I doubt we will ever have a full again. In my City , its extremely difficult to get a cab, even moreso during tourist season (we do not have Uber or Lyft, mercifully). The entitled people are causing many people to quit driving cabs or not even apply to begin with. I have been telling these customers to quit their BS or Im not driving them and they can wait even longer. Dealing with the public has never been easy, but these days,it's brutal.
Yes, my experience as well.
What are good fuel prices for coach buses?
We Just In Time (JIT)'d everything like the MBAs said to reduce overhead and align operations to eliminate excess product in flow (overhead and inventory) and as a result experience shutdowns and shortages.
What kind of ENDORSMENT do I need to drive a Bus?
I have a CDL with 20 year exp. SEMI TRUCK.
Passenger and C endorsement.
Greyhound seems to be on a painfully slow rebound but they are still a shell of what they were pre-pandemic. And even then they weren't the healthiest specimen. The big truth is that with a little pre-planning air travel beats motorcoach travel just about every time in line service. Charter business is still slow too. I don't notice many charters on the highways and byways. I'm guessing group travel isn't as big a thing anymore.
Or it could be that we're winding into fall and travel is gonna slow down... This is why I went back to public transit (one of reasons)
@@Railfan56 I'm predicting charter service will continue to ratchet up, even if slowly. But line service will never fully recover, especially for Greyhound. Intercity motorcoach travel is all but extinct. The new owner will sell off Greyhound in pieces or franchise it out, but I don't think Greyhound will be around another 10 years.
Grey hound has been crappy since 04 I think glad I own a 98 Ford e250 van now my camper van and I can travel that Way