Together,Robert and Stephen Brown have built Brown Coach, and its affiliate Upstate Transit of Saratoga LLC, which the brothers purchased in 2005, into a fleet of 49 vehicles, providing charter, commuter and tour services, focusing primarily on the northeastern U.S. and eastern Canadian provinces.
From left to right: UMA Chairman Brian Annett; Stephen Brown, VP Brown Coach; Robert Brown, president Brown Coach; and METRO's GM James Blue.
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From left to right: UMA Chairman Brian Annett; Stephen Brown, VP Brown Coach; Robert Brown, president Brown Coach; and METRO's GM James Blue.
METRO Magazine's GM James Blue presented Robert and Stephen Brown of Brown Coach in Amsterdam, N.Y. with the 2015 Motorcoach Operator of the Year award at the UMA Expo at Travel Exchange in New Orleans this week.
Robert, who serves as president of Brown Coach, got his start in the school bus business prior to serving in Vietnam, and returned to eventually open his own school bus operation in 1976. In 1980, an opportunity arose to purchase a nine motorcoach chater business and thus was born Brown Coach.
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Together, the Browns have built Brown Coach, and its affiliate Upstate Transit of Saratoga LLC, which the brothers purchased in 2005, into a fleet of 49 vehicles, providing charter, commuter and tour services, focusing primarily on the northeastern U.S. and eastern Canadian provinces. It has also maintained its 225-vehicle school bus businesses and operates Brown Tours, which offers motorcoach tours to destinations all over the country. The company has offices in Schenectady, Saratoga Springs and as well as its headquarters in Amsterdam, N.Y.
In addition to its successful businesses, both Robert and Stephen are actively involved in the industries they are part of, including in the motorcoach sector, the International Motorcoach Group, the United Motorcoach Association, the American Bus Association and Bus Association of New York.
Premiums remain elevated. Underwriting scrutiny is intense. And claims costs continue to rise at historic levels. Behind those numbers lies a complex mix of legal, medical, and cultural forces reshaping the commercial landscape.
The company said it has remained the most widely purchased model in the new coach market across the US and Canada, according to historical data from the Motorcoach Builders Survey conducted by the American Bus Association
A phased approach to technology, in-house capabilities, and workforce investment is helping transportation leaders break the reactive cycle and build more resilient, revenue-focused operations.
The company's flagship H3-45 is also the best-selling 45-foot motorcoach in North America, according to vehicle registration data from S&P Global Mobility (Polk).
METRO’s Executive Editor Alex Roman spoke with Mueller about the opening event, the company’s progress since launching in late 2022, and the road ahead.
METRO Executive Editor Alex Roman presented the award to the operation’s President/CEO Scott Parsons at the United Motorcoach Association’s EXPO in Birmingham, Alabama.
