DALEVILLE, Ind. Ron Halbert, who founded Econoway Motor Coach here 30 years ago, has sold most of his coaches and other assets of the company to Star of America of Jeffersonville, Ind.

Halbert started his coach company with a single bus in August 1983 and it grew into a diverse business that included a tour company, a small school bus service, and a charter operation. At its peak, it had a fleet of 13 buses.

Star of America purchased the six MCIs Econoway was operating at the time Halbert decided to sell the company.

Halbert gave up the school bus contract he had with the school district in Richmond, Ind., which put the service out to bid; Star of America won the contract.

The tour operation, called Overland Tours and which had been started by Halbert in 1985, is being closed.

The Econoway name also will eventually be phased out.

"I would like to thank UMA, ABA and the National Motorcoach Network for the support they have given our company, and we would like to thank the many motorcoach friends and operators that have been so marvelous to meet and work with these past 30 years," said Halbert.

Star of America is a nine-year-old operation created by the Sodrel Companies and the Free Enterprise System of Jeffersonville.

The Sodrels purchased Star of Indiana, a charter bus operation based in Bloomington, Ind., and modified its name in May 2004.

Late in 2004, the Sodrels purchased two of the oldest motorcoach companies operating in Indiana, I-V Coaches of Indianapolis and Vincennes, Ind., and Illini Swallow Lines, which had facilities in Indianapolis and Champaign, Ill.

In 2005, the Sodrels purchased D&E Charter Service and Four Star Charter Service, both of Muncie, Ind.

All of the companies were folded into Star of America.

More recently, the Sodrels purchased Royal American Charter Lines of Lansing, Ill., which is south of Chicago, off Interstates 80 and 94.

"We will miss the challenges of the industry and the great satisfaction that comes from solving the problems faced by each operator," Halbert said. "The sale (of Econoway) was completed with the help of our advertising in Bus & Motorcoach News and we will eagerly look forward to receiving each edition and keeping up with the industry through this voice of the motorcoach industry," he added.

Separately, Halbert is selling three coaches not purchased by Star of America a 2000 Prevost XLII and two 1999 Setras. Contact him at (765) 425-4260.