SAN FRANCISCO Motorcoach operators face tough business challenges every day.

None, though, may be more important for long-term success than getting new people on board their buses.

That was the consensus of three veteran and successful operators who participated in a wide-ranging discussion on the future of the industry at the opening session of last month's UMA Motorcoach Expo here.

Dave Bolen of New World Tours in Bristow, Va., Dale Moser of Coach USA and megabus.com in Chicago, and Jack Wigley of All Aboard America! in Mesa, Ariz., stressed the importance of attracting new customers rather than simply trying to win over another carrier's riders.

"The value is in those hundreds of millions of people in cars and planes," Moser stressed, adding he would rather have 5 percent of those than 50 percent of somebody elses business.

The low-cost intercity service that megasbus.com began offering in the Midwest in 2006, and expanded to the West Coast last year, was built on getting people to take the bus for short city-to-city trips rather than drive their cars or fly commercial airlines.

Wigley emphasized that the motorcoach industry today is about making first-time riders, as well as those who have not ridden for many years, aware of what contemporary bus travel is all about. "It would blow them away," he said.

Bolen agreed and said one of the keys to attracting new customers and retaining existing clients is by finding out what they want out of a motorcoach experience.

It was that approach, he said, that helped convince him to introduce high-tech entertainment and communications equipment on his coaches that offers a wide variety of services ranging from making reservations for a restaurant just down the road, to purchasing tickets for a play or sports event being held in a city two days away.

Finding out what customers want and then setting up and adjusting the business to meet those needs also has played a major role in the success of megabus.com, according to Moser. He said it was customer input that helped the company decide to make its reservations and ticket purchases available only on the Internet.

The three panelists suggested, too, that promoting motorcoach travel is becoming increasingly more important and operators should consider new ways to market their businesses to win over new riders and bolster revenues.

"And once we get them on the bus, I guarantee that they'll be back," maintained Moser.

The discussion also tackled other challenges operators should be prepared to address.

Among them was making sure that as job duties change and expand, all of their employees continue to work as a team and help move the company forward.

"Some employees will embrace change and others won't," said Bolen, who told of a former driver who refused to learn how to operate the new electronic equipment on his buses.

The problem turned positive, however, because the driver had to be replaced during the middle of one trip by a driver who knew how to use the equipment. His knowledge impressed the passengers so much they have become return customers.

"It started out as a complaint but turned into a compliment," said Bolen.

The panel presentation, which has become an established feature of Motorcoach Expo, was moderated by Victor Parra, president and CEO of UMA, and Steve Klika, president of International Motor Coach Group of Overland Park, Kan.