AUGUST 2011

One option to help keep costs down is replacing older vehicles through an accelerated vehicle acquisition plan that uses municipal leases. With tight credit markets and limited access to capital markets, this is an efficient, less costly option.

About 1 percent of all buses suffer some form of fire incident each year. For many years, the SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden has been at the forefront of research on improving bus fire safety. The organization has an ongoing project with the intention of creating an international standard for fire suppression systems in engine compartments of buses and coaches.

School budgets are declining, leaving many with no choice but to cut activities such as class trips and summer school. Carriers are negotiating fuel payments and benefiting from alternative vehicle scheduling.

Major challenge is the surge of competition that has surfaced in the industry vying for a piece of the high-speed rail industry, which hasn’t materialized yet.