Arrow Stage Lines part of Green Operators Motorcoach Council

I wanted to let all of you know that Arrow Stage Lines is part of the Green Operators Motorcoach Council. In September 2007, several motorcoach owners gathered at an MCI Inaugural motorcoach Marketing Council. From that meeting, an idea grew to promote national awareness of coach travel and operators dedication to running green.

Our coaches are green by nature. We carry multiple passengers that keep numerous cars off the road. This efficiency results in a reduction of emissions and crowding of highways.

Our investment in state-of-the-art equipment and commitment to our environment must be shared with the media, civic groups and passengers. By uniting together in a grass roots organization, coach operators will benefit through national exposure to our industry, an industry that is growing and is committed to being green.

There has never been a more important or real opportunity for our industry to unite and grow by informing the traveling public of our environmental solution.

To read more about the council, please visit http://www.gocoach.org/index.htm

Diesel Fuel - Finding the Right Place to Fill Up

I was leaving the office the other day (in Omaha, NE) and came across a Gas Station that was selling Diesel fuel for $4.85 per gallon. Wow! As most of you know, the fuel costs are out of control and its affecting our business in a negative way. Fortunately, we have great people that are helping offset the addition fuel costs.

I am writing because we talked a driver the other day that filled up a tank in the Chicago area for $5.00 a gallon. I know that there are places in the US that have Diesel prices that are $5.00 and higher and sometime we cannot avoid those prices but I wanted to encourage each driver to be proactive where he/she fills up the motorcoach. There are many websites that give you the average fuels costs for wherever you are going. A good site that I look at on a regular basis is http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/oog/info/gdu/gasdiesel.asp. By being proactive at finding the low price for fuel in whatever location you are in can help save the company a lot of money in the long run. For example, I know that in Illinois, the average cost for diesel is 4.85-4.90. If we would have filled up at the station for 4.85 instead of 5.00 we would have saved .15 cents per gallon. A motorcoach will hold around 230 gallon which would be a savings of around $35.00. I know that does not seem like much but in the long run that number really adds up. Also, if we run our motorcoaches on the top half of the tank, the more options we have to fill up at cheaper stations.

I will be back with more fuel saving ideas in the near future.

Luke B.

New Website Post

I just posted new pictures of the LX motorcoach that we are currently running out of our Kansas City Market. If you get a chance, check out http://www.arrowstagelines.com/services-luxury.asp to see the pictures. Have a good weekend!

New CTNT AD for Arizona Diamondbacks

Our Phoenix Division, Corporate Transportation 'N Tours, was awarded the Official Transportation Provider of the 2008 Arizona Diamondbacks Hometown Tour. I must admit that I love doing transportation for Sports teams. If its the NBA, NFL, MLB, NCAA, etc... I love it! When we were awarded this business, we decided to put an AD together for the program and I wanted to share it all with you. I think it came together really nice.

DriveCam Update - Great Job Pete!

Here is an portion of our Safety Directors newsletter article coming out this month. Great job Pete!!!

I’d like to take a moment to emphasize once again what I’ve been saying all along. DriveCam is a driver’s best friend! Any effort to circumvent the camera, such as covering the interior lens, is extremely foolish. The DriveCam footage from the Utah accident has been invaluable.

I’d like to publicly acknowledge one particular individual who has completely bought in to the DriveCam system and concept, and that is Lincoln Transportation Supervisor Pete Wooley. Pete has done a phenomenal job with DriveCam, and has made it a priority in the day to day operations at the Lincoln location.

Pete is definitely in the lead when it comes to using DriveCam as the tool it was intended to be. Pete regularly monitors his system, working directly with DriveCam when there is an issue with the system. He keeps DriveCam personnel regularly updated on equipment changes and staff changes. Most importantly, he is the most consistent with face to face coaching of drivers.

At a recent drivers meeting, Pete asked all of the drivers to raise their hands if they felt DriveCam has changed the way they drive. Almost every hand in the room went up. Pete also explained that the Lincoln location had over 800 triggered events in 2007. Right now, although it’s early in the year, they are tracking to have less than 400 by the end of 2008! DriveCam personnel once called Pete to ask if his system was working. They had not seen any triggered events in several days and wondered if the system was down! Next month I’ll share more details regarding Pete’s management of the DriveCam program, which includes survey results.

Pete is a prime example of how we’re trying to incorporate DriveCam into our company culture. Pete has taken complete ownership of DriveCam in his location. We applaud your efforts Pete! Keep up the great work, and thank you!

New School Buses Have Arrived!!

The new Air Conditioned School Buses have arrived! They are hands down the nicest school buses I have every seen.

Regarding the motorcoach accident in Utah

On behalf of everyone at Arrow Stage Lines, we want to express our deepest condolences to the family members that are dealing with this loss and the injuries sustained in the accident. Our prayers are with you during this tragic time. We are devastated that something like this has happened.