Two outstanding motorcoach companies, Anderson Coach and Travel of Greenville, Pa., and Northeast Charter and Tour Co. of Lewiston, Maine, were honored at the American Bus Association’s annual Marketplace, which took place from Jan. 5 to 9 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.

Anderson Coach and Travel was selected in the large category of motorcoach operator, those 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 day-to-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, 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.