With the delivery of two 2024 MCI J4500 coaches to Peoria Charter, Motor Coach Industries (MCI) marks a milestone of 60 coach deliveries to Peoria Charter over the course of the companies’ long-standing relationship.
“We have had more MCI models in our fleet than any other,” said Bill Winkler, the third generation of the Winkler family to lead Peoria Charter since its founding in 1941. “We are thankful to be able to purchase new coaches again. We are back running strong.”
As of June 2023, Peoria Charter, the largest privately owned charter bus company headquartered in Illinois, achieved a 96% gain in revenue while returning to pre-COVID-19 2019 earnings, Winkler said.
“MCI and Peoria Charter have a long-standing relationship that spans several decades,” said Brent Maitland, Vice President of Private Sector Sales and Marketing, MCI. “We are proud to have consistently been a part of their history and reputation for service and safety throughout the Midwest.”
“We are especially grateful for the opportunity to continue our partnership into the future. Bill and his team push us to be better, and we are proud to deliver this latest clean-diesel motorcoach, one of the safest and most efficient modes of transportation,” Maitland continued. “Peoria Charter’s decision to continue working with MCI today demonstrates their trust in our reliability-driven products, service and support, and further strengthens our partnership to serve Peoria Charters for decades to come.”
An eye on conservation
Peoria Charter’s newest MCI J4500, displayed at the recent International Motorcoach Group meeting in Green Bay, Wisconsin, features 56-passenger seating, a 180-degree color backup camera and a Cummins clean-diesel engine.
At the beginning of 2023, Peoria Charter was honored by industry peers at the United Motorcoach Association EXPO 2023 with an environmental award sponsored by MCI.
The award recognized the transportation provider for its fuel conservation policies, which include a proprietary software system that plans routes to minimize trip miles and biodiesel fuel usage that keeps its fleet running clean with near-zero emissions.
Serving private and public universities, sports teams and daily routes 365 days a year – along with shuttles to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport – Peoria Charter operates from three locations in Illinois, including a new office in Chicago, and transports 500,000 passengers each year.
