It Is Renewal Time! October Membership Renewal and Directory Updates

Invoices were emailed on August 2nd and are due October 1. We are also starting to prepare the Membership Directory for print. Please make sure to review your member profile to ensure all of the information is correct. This information is used in the printed Membership Directory and our digital directory.

The deadline to make your updates for the printed Membership Directory is October 15.

If you need instructions on how to retrieve your invoice in the InfoHub and/or update your member profile, please click here. If you have any questions or want us to email you a copy of your invoice, please contact us.

PBA Member, Campbell Bus Lines recently visited the Prevost production facility in Quebec City, Canada to take delivery of 3 new 2024 H3-45 motorcoaches and their partners were there to listen and ensure they had the tools necessary to be successful on the road. Having the newest motorcoach fleet in the industry will allow Campbell to continue providing world class customer experiences and their team is excited to share these new motorcoaches with their amazing customers! View their Facebook post and see the pictures!

The actor apparently hopped on Greyhound, a PBA Member bus and traveled from the Port Authority bus terminal in New York to Toronto after learning a number of flights had been delayed or cancelled. Read more... 

At Busworld Europe 2023 in Brussels, PBA member Daimler Buses will be showcasing a comprehensive range of new and enhanced assistance systems.

The new Active Brake Assist 6 (ABA 6) emergency braking assistant for touring coaches and high-floor buses uses a combination of short and long-range radar sensors as well as a camera. Daimler Buses states: “ABA 6 can now independently implement emergency braking in reaction to all kinds of pedestrians and cyclists. It also reacts even more accurately to stationary obstacles along wide bends and even more reliably to multi-lane traffic, lane changes and alternating traffic”.

Daimler Buses is also introducing Preventive Brake Assist 2 for low-floor buses, the next generation of the world’s first active braking assistance system for specialized regular-service buses. This system can react to stationary and moving objects, including pedestrians and cyclists. It can now handle several objects at the same time and, within the system limits, offer improved detection of objects beyond the carriageway. Read more...

PBA Meets with Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association

The PMTA is suing state over carb regulations, and you can read more here. PBA Executive Director, Pattie Cowley traveled to Camp Hill with PBA Chair Tammy Wolf-Baker (PBA Chair) and John Bailey (Immediate Past Chair) in August to meet with the President and Chair of Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association to discuss how we can band together on this issue. 

Pictured below from left to right: Phil Garber (Chairman of GFI Transport), Tammy Wolf-Baker, Pattie Cowley, Rebecca Oyler (President & CEO of PMTA), and John Bailey.

PBA Represents at Joint Meeting Held September 6th

PBA joined the New England Bus Association, Connecticut Bus Association, Greater New Jersey Motorcoach Association, Bus Association of New York, and the Massachusetts Bus Association on September 6, 2023 in Norwich, CT for the annual Joint Meeting.

The event included an array of sessions featuring tips on what to do when stopped by law enforcement, congestion pricing/tolling, wheelchairs, CARB, CVSA inspections, technology, and electric vehicles. 

A highlight of the event were the closing roundtable discussions that covered topics including recruiting, artificial intelligence (AI), parts, hours of service, and managing last minute cancellations.

Dozens of vendors from a multitude of industries were present with displays, allowing attendees to learn about the products and services they need for a successful year ahead.

Have You Contacted Your Senators and Representatives Yet?

Senators. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Bob Casey, Jr. (D-Pa.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) introduced the Coronavirus Economic Relief for Transportation Services (CERTS) Tax Exemption Act in the Senate (S.1944). S.1944 is companion legislation to the House bill (H.R. 3510) re-introduced in May.

Bill H.R. 3510, reintroduction of a bill that would eliminate the tax burden for those who received CERTS Act money during the pandemic, was referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means after being sponsored by Rep. Darin LaHood (R-Ill.). The bill has since garnered the support of Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), Jared Golden (R-Maine), Mike Kelly (R-Pa.), Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.), and John Rose (R-Tenn.).

The House bill currently has 13 sponsors, and the Senate bill has 5 sponsors. We need your help to advocate for our industry! Please contact your Senators and ask them to support S. 1944 and contact your Representatives and ask them to support H.R. 3510. Below are two easy forms that will only take a few minutes of your time to complete.

The PBA Marketplace two-day event will be held March 25-26, 2024, hosted by The Happy Valley Adventure Bureau!

Monday, March 25th will be set-up day for exhibitors, educational seminar on tourism, Best Practices Sharing Round-table for experienced professionals, Board of Director's meeting and an evening reception at our host hotel venues.

Tuesday, March 26th will be the main event, our Group Leader Marketplace at Nittany Valley Sports Centre in State College, PA!

Bipartisan Budget Follows Through On Shapiro’s Promise To Protect PA’s State Parks & Forests and Spur Economic Development

Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn highlighted the significant investments in public lands and outdoor recreation in the commonsense bipartisan budget recently signed into law by Governor Josh Shapiro. Read more...

Federal Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Funding Announced in Pennsylvania

A recent press release highlighted how Pennsylvania will use a $33.8 million National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) federal investment to create good-paying jobs and improve the Commonwealth's infrastructure. Read the press release.

PUC Elects Commissioner Kim Barrow as Vice Chair

Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) Chairman Stephen M. DeFrank announced the commissioners’ election of Kim Barrow as vice chair of the PUC, effective immediately. She succeeds DeFrank, who served as vice chairman from October 2022 until yesterday, when he was appointed by Gov. Josh Shapiro to lead the Commission as chairman. Read more...

Availability of Grants through the Driving PA Forward Initiative; Fiscal Year 2021-2022 Pennsylvania State Clean Diesel Grant Program

The Department of Environmental Protection (Department) announces an opportunity to apply for $3,659,904 in grants offered through the Fiscal Year 2021-2022 Pennsylvania State Clean Diesel Grant Program (Grant Program). Read more...

House Conservatives Flirt with Shutdown: ‘So Be It’ 

Congress is racing the clock to fund the government ahead of a Sept. 30 deadline as the threat of a shutdown looms — but to some House conservatives, a shutdown isn’t much of a threat at all. Read more...

US Dedicates $12 Billion to Retrofit Auto Plants for EVs 

The Biden administration is making up to $12 billion available for automakers to retrofit their facilities to make electric vehicles and hybrids. Read more...

Cortez Masto, Cornyn Reintroduce Bipartisan Bill to Combat Human Trafficking at Transit Hubs 

U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas) reintroduced legislation to help airports, bus stations, and other transit hubs identify signs of human trafficking, engage in public awareness campaigns, and provide support to victims and survivors through the U.S. Department of Transportation. This legislation is modeled on successful human trafficking prevention policies in the state of Nevada. Read more...

FMCSA Safety Fitness Determinations Comment Period

FMCSA is interested in developing a new methodology to determine when a motor carrier is not fit to operate commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) in or affecting interstate commerce. FMCSA requests public comment on the need for a rulemaking to revise the regulations prescribing the safety fitness determination process; the available science or technical information to analyze regulatory alternatives for determining the safety fitness of motor carriers. Comments on this notice must be received on or before October 30, 2023. Read more...

Think Tank Urges DOT to Begin National VMT Fee Pilot

A Washington think tank is encouraging the federal government to proceed with a legislatively mandated national pilot program to explore the viability of a vehicle-miles-traveled fee, a system viewed by some as a potential replacement for current federal fuel taxes on diesel and gasoline at the pump. Read more...

Online Commercial Use Authorization Application and Reporting System 

NPS is seeking comments on the online Commercial Use Authorization (CUA) system it has developed to standardize, modernize, and streamline the CUA application and reporting process. NPS has extended the public comment period through Sept. 20. Read more...

Air Brake Renewals Are Changing in Ontario

On September 1, 2023, Ontario is introducing a new air brake learning module to replace the current air brake knowledge test for driver’s licence renewals. Read more...

Tour Bus Driver Helps Catch Suspect Tied to Stolen MBTA Transport Vehicle 

Clinton Crocker, who drives for Bloom Bus out of Fairhaven, helped police catch the suspect tied to a stolen MBTA transport vehicle told Boston 25 News he’s glad his instincts kicked in. Read more...