OMAHA, Neb. — Over nearly a century, Arrow Stage Lines has been moving people across the country. It built a reputation for reliability and service passed down through four generations of the Busskohl family.
President and CEO Luke Busskohl is continuing that legacy by guiding the Omaha-based motorcoach company through a different kind of transition. He’s modernizing the technology that connects the company’s fleet of more than 200 vehicles.
The company recently completed a comprehensive migration to a cloud-based IT system for its operations across seven states. The investment replaces legacy infrastructure that had supported operations for years but became increasingly strained as the business expanded.
The transition was completed in partnership with Cox Business and RapidScale, a managed cloud and professional services provider.
Technology to match company’s needs
Founded in Omaha, Arrow Stage Lines operates 12 locations across the Midwest. Its wide range of customers includes college athletic programs, show choirs, corporate groups, tour operators, and private event clients such as wedding parties.
Managing transportation for those groups requires real-time communication among dispatchers, drivers, operations teams, and customer service staff.
“In transportation, everything is time-sensitive,” Busskohl said. “You’re managing people, vehicles, and schedules simultaneously. If your systems aren’t reliable or responsive, it impacts the customer experience very quickly.”
Arrow Stage Lines used to rely on a centralized server room in Nebraska to support all locations. While functional, the system became a growing concern as the company added routes, vehicles, and staff across state lines. An outage or slowdown at the central site could affect operations nationwide. And that could create a single point of failure for a company dependent on constant connectivity.
“As we grew, it became harder to scale and harder to predict what our technology needs would be,” Busskohl said. “We were spending more time maintaining infrastructure instead of focusing on running the business.”
The cloud migration eliminated the need for on-site servers and shifted operations to a secure, scalable environment designed to support expansion and reduce operational risk.
The new system delivers high-speed connectivity across all locations, enhanced cybersecurity protections for company and customer data, and a centralized phone platform intended to improve response times.
The cloud-based setup also allows Arrow Stage Lines to adjust computing capacity as needed, rather than investing in hardware that could quickly become outdated or insufficient.
Improved security
Duane Barnes, president of RapidScale, said the transition addresses challenges common in transportation and logistics companies, where assets are constantly in motion, and downtime can have immediate consequences.
“Unlike many businesses, their vehicles and employees aren’t in one place,” Barnes said. “They need to know where assets are at all times, maintain secure connectivity, and ensure systems are always available. Cloud infrastructure gives them that flexibility and resilience.”
Cybersecurity was another major consideration in the decision to modernize, Busskohl said.
Like many businesses, Arrow Stage Lines faces growing threats from cyberattacks that can disrupt operations or compromise sensitive information.
“Cybersecurity isn’t optional anymore,” he said. “If something happens, the ramifications can be significant. Having that layer of protection in place gives us peace of mind.”
Although Arrow Stage Lines has adopted new technology, Busskohl emphasized that the transition was not about replacing people, but supporting them.
The company’s IT staff continues to play a critical role, with cloud services extending internal capabilities rather than replacing them.
‘The technology is here’
As a fourth-generation leader, Busskohl said the investment reflects a long-term outlook informed by the company’s history.
“When you’re running a family business, you’re always thinking about what comes next,” he said. “This wasn’t just about solving today’s problems. It was about making sure we’re positioned to serve our customers well into the future.”
Since completing the migration, Arrow Stage Lines has reported improved reliability and agility across operations. This has allowed teams to focus more on service and less on system maintenance.
Busskohl said the experience reinforced his belief that modernization is necessary, even in traditionally conservative industries.
“If I were giving advice to other operators, I’d say don’t wait,” he said. “The technology is there, and the benefits are real. It makes things run smoother, more securely, and allows you to grow without being held back by infrastructure.”
As Arrow Stage Lines continues to expand, Busskohl said the company remains focused on the principles that built its reputation. But he acknowledges the increasing role technology plays in delivering them.
“Our business is still about people,” he said. “Technology is just one more way we make sure we’re doing right by them.”
