You don't want to miss the PBA 2023 Annual Conference, scheduled for June 18-21, 2023! We will be in the hometown of Lucille Ball and staying in a luxury resort on the lake. Our theme this year: Keeping a sense of humor in business! We all need a reminder now and then. Read the May 17 article in the Observer!

Long-time Prevost Partner Receives First All-new H3-45

PBA Member, Prevost has provided coach solutions for nearly a century with an uncompromising commitment to quality, a drive for constant innovation and improvement, and dedication to safety and sustainability in every business aspect. 

Shortly after their redesigned Prevost H3-45 was unveiled, it started to appear on roads across the country. In late January, Village Travel was the very first tour operator in the United States to take delivery of an updated H3-45.

“The Prevost coaches are well engineered and the Volvo engine is reliable and has the torque and power we’re looking for,” said Arensdorf. “We are in the middle of the country so our seated coaches go a long way. Because we travel almost everywhere – from Canada to New York to Las Vegas – reliability and service are extremely important to us.” Read more...

Read the letter of support for Senate Bill 656, which was referred to the Senate Transportation Committee on May 1, 2023. Senate Bill 656 (Rothman-R) amends Title 75 (Vehicles) eliminating the alternative fuel tax on electricity for noncommercial vehicles. It defines “Electric vehicle road use fee” as the annual fee imposed under Subchapter C (relating to electric vehicle road use fee) in place of a tax on alternative fuels assessed upon electricity used in an electric vehicle. 

Registration is open for the 10th Annual PBA Motorcoach Safety & Preparedness Workshop scheduled for August 16, 2023.

This year's sessions have been designed to address issues that a variety of our motorcoach members are seeking. Motorcoach owners and their key staff will be able to pick and choose which topics are most relevant to their job responsibilities. Get more information and register today!

A new member benefit was announced recently: the PBA Scholarship Program. The goal of the PBA scholarship is to support Member education goals and to encourage the pursuit of formal education. Formal education includes trade certification, specialized training and of course, college. There will be two annual scholarships awarded. 

The first scholarship will be awarded in 2024, while fundraising will start this year. The PBA Executive Committee will accept applications between January 1 and April 30 annually. Read the Announcement.

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Organizational Information Updated in the PBA Member Portal

When was the last time you checked out the benefits of PBA Membership? Take a peek!! Also, read what some Members have to say about what PBA Membership means to them! We would love your testimonial too, click here to submit yours.

Pennsylvania Bus Association has an active Motorcoach PAC.

Your contributions enable the PBA to advance the industry’s agenda while also stopping legislation that would be harmful to our industry.



PBA’s board of directors, staff and lobbyists will continue to advance the industry’s agenda and push for positive change, but your individual financial commitment to Motorcoach PAC is needed.

Please consider donating (corporate checks are prohibited by state law) to Motorcoach PAC, for $50, $100, $250, $500, or $1,000 today and mail a check payable to "Motorcoach PAC" to 200 North Third Street, Suite 1500 Harrisburg, PA 17101. This is our lobbyist firm's address. Alternately, we have a new payment method: you can pay online via PayPal.

PBA’s 100th Anniversary Family Day on Saturday June 10, 2023 will run from 12:00PM - 3:00PM at the Museum of Bus Transportation in Hershey, PA. We are delighted to join our friends at the museum to celebrate our 100th anniversary during their Annual Spring Fling.

Please join us for a Cake and Ice Cream Social, a fun Scavenger Hunt with prizes and more!

The Museum of Bus Transportation/AACA Museum will be presenting commemorative coins to every "visiting bus" at this year's Spring Fling, June 9 and 10. PBA Member, Hershey's Chocolate World will hand out special Hershey candy bars and will host PBA’s 100th Anniversary Family Day participants to their new attraction, HERSHEY’S Great Candy Expedition at 4:00PM.

Get full details!

The meeting will be held September 6, 2023 at the Spa at the Norwich Inn, Norwich, CT.

There will be something for everyone including owners, operations staff, maintenance staff and safety staff. Come learn about Carb-24 and how it will affect you, upcoming changes in regulations for northeast operators, knowing your rights when pulled over by the police, the latest information from CVSA, plus panel presentations, roundtable discussions and much more!

Click here for more information and to register. Early bird pricing expires June 30th!

Our friends from the National Association of Motorcoach Operators (NAMO) will be holding their Annual Conference in Atlantic City this year.

They are extending an invitation to PBA members to participate in an Active Shooter/Assailant training.

The program is scheduled September 12th at Resorts. The program will run 10AM-3PM and the cost is $99.00/per person (includes lunch).

This program is suitable for Motorcoach Operators, Transit Bus Operators, School Bus Operators, and any personnel responsible for safety and security planning.

While we are gathering the registration information from our members, Mary of NAMO will be handling other details including payment.

We thank NAMO for extending this invitation to our members! Register here.

Marketplace - March 25-26, 2024

The 2024 Marketplace will be hosted by Happy Valley Adventure Bureau at the Nittany Valley Sports Centre in State College, PA on Tuesday, March 26.

Annual Conference - June 17-20, 2024

The 2024 Annual Conference will be hosted by Visit Ithaca in Ithaca, NY! While we will be experiencing the area with FAMS, Dine-Around Night and Opening & Closing venues at area partners, the meetings will be held at Hotel Ithaca. The beautiful, renovated Hotel Ithaca is located in the heart of downtown Ithaca and is less than 1 mile from both Cornell University and Ithaca College.

Re-Introduction of CERTS Tax Fix Legislation in the House

PBA had the opportunity to discuss CERTS during our meetings with House Representatives at the UMA Annual Fly-in last month, as well as many other associations.

We applaud the efforts of Reps. Darin LaHood (R-Ill.); Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.); Mike Kelly (R-Pa.); Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.); John Rose (R-Tenn.); and Jared Golden (R-Maine) to reintroduce the Coronavirus Economic Relief for Transportation Services (CERTS) Tax Exemption Act from last Congress.

This legislation would eliminate the tax burden associated with the $2 billion CERTS grant monies provided to the motorcoaches, school buses and passenger vessels industries.

Neilson Moves To Free Up More Money To Fix Roads and Bridges

The leader of the House Transportation Committee introduced a bill to ensure more of the tax revenue already collected to fund the construction and maintenance of Pennsylvania’s transportation infrastructure is used for its intended purpose. Read more...

US States Looking To Boost Minimum Wage to $20 As Inflation Issue Continues

Inflation has meant something that cost $15 in 2012 would probably cost around $20 today. Read more...

US States Looking To Boost Minimum Wage to $20 As Inflation Issue Continues

Inflation has meant something that cost $15 in 2012 would probably cost around $20 today. Read more...

CVSA Files Petition with FMCSA - Clarify What Qualifies as a Valid CDL 

Read the petition.

EPA Announces New Grants for Zero-Emissions School Buses

Another $400 million for electric school bus purchases is available to school districts nationwide through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's 2023 Clean School Bus (CSB) grant program.  Read more...

MTA Releases Final NYC CBD Tolling Program Environmental Assessment

The MTA published its final version of the environmental assessment for the Manhattan Central Business District Tolling Program. The release comes more than four years after lawmakers in Albany first approved the program. Read more...

Feds Give MTA Final Blessing to NYC Congestion Pricing

The Federal Highway Administration told the MTA that its environmental assessment for congestion pricing was ruled sufficient, setting up a long-awaited “finding of no significant impact” (FONSI) for congestion pricing, the last federal hurdle before the MTA can establish a toll for driving south of 60th Street in Manhattan. Read more...

FMCSA: HOS Violations Rise After Rule Change

Many experts can't pinpoint the reason after amendments. Read more...

East Coast Bus Depot Will Make Its Own Carbon-Free Fuel

A first-of-its-kind bus depot near Washington, D.C. will soon produce its own zero-emissions fuel to replenish its public bus fleet. Read more...

America’s Trains and Buses Are Speeding Toward a Cliff

The pandemic chased riders from subways and buses; then the rise of remote work kept them away. Nationwide, ridership sits at about 70 percent of pre-pandemic levels. Read more...

ICYMI

Alerts, Invitations, Press Releases, and more are sent out to our Members as needed. Here are the emails we sent out since last Go News below.

• PBA 100th Anniversary Family Day, June 10th! Can You Assist with Giveaways?
• Registration is Open for the PBA 10th Annual Motorcoach Safety & Preparedness Workshop!
• Annual Conference Registration CLOSES in 3 Weeks!
• You’re Invited to All Joint Association Meeting in September