By Dave Millhouser

It seems like every time theres a big motorcoach-oriented meeting, local media briefly swarm the venue and gush about how nice buses have become. They top it off by saying: "Ooops. ... Were not supposed to call them buses anymore. Theyre motorcoaches!"

Funny, if it werent so sad.

Those two phrases seem to be the bulk of what we, as an industry, have been able to muster as a marketing plan during the past decade.

Comedians have described us as a "bad neighborhood on wheels" ... and if you want to read a really troubling take on the industrys image problem, go to http://www.theonion.com/content/news/30_miserable_lives_lost_in.

In recent months, however, articles in Bus & Motorcoach News have highlighted what appear to be glimmers of hope.

In one, a study points to increased ridership and sees evidence this modest trend will continue. Good news but with a couple of caveats. The gains seem to be in the line-haul and commuter segments. Airline incompetence and fuel prices have driven folks on to buses; now its our job to hold em.

With effort and luck these new customers might consider taking bus tours or chartering coaches as an attractive alternative for leisure travel. Thats critical because the line and commuter segments are a fraction of our business.

The other ray of sunshine is the Green Operators Motor Coach Council newly renamed and retooled as the Motorcoach Council. (See story on Page 1.)

This enlightened group is beginning an effort to garner national attention for the motorcoach industry and its positive impact on the environment when compared to other forms of passenger transportation. Reducing air pollution and dependence on foreign oil now thats a godsend for us tree-hugging patriots.

Good stuff, but we offer so much more.

Buses are safer, quieter and more comfortable than virtually any other form of passenger transport. Were flexible. We can pick you up anywhere theres asphalt, no hassle with airports or train stations. We provide modern entertainment systems, and trump automobile travel with the ultimate answer to "are we there yet?" -- the lavatory.

Early in my career I sold charters for a small bus company. The only other operator in town parked at our facility, so it was pretty simple to track literally every trip in the market. My approach was simple. I called on everyone who ever chartered a bus and offered to do exactly the same job for less money.

That was a horrible idea. It would have been smarter to ask for the same, or a bit more, and then sell the customer on all we had to offer -- nicer buses, uniformed drivers, personal service.

Theres an old saying: When youre in a hole -- stop digging. As an industry weve been burrowing deeper, spending a great deal of energy trying to be the cheapest way to travel. We react to highly visible accidents, instead of (on better days) telling the real story ... that even on a bad day were about the safest way to travel.

We should be talking, in an organized way, about all we do better than any other form of transportation. We are economical but were also safe, quiet, comfortable and flexible. Buses often finish trips while planes, trains and automobiles are hung up by weather. Were good but we havent done enough to make sure the public knows.

One of the guys I respect most in the business once told me that his major competitor targeted the bottom 10 percent of the economic spectrum. My friend targeted the bottom 80 percent. He doesnt apologize for his service, he SELLS it (while the other guys wait hopefully for folks who cant afford a car). Guess whos winning that market?

Coach builders have produced a generation of motorcoaches that offer a stunning array of creature comforts. Youve paid tons of money to buy them but somehow theyre still perceived as people trucks.

What to do? Im not certain but it will require a consolidated effort by the whole industry. Manufacturers, vendors and operators all need to work together to tell our story. Best guess is there are dozens of ideas out there; some already have been implemented regionally by creative companies.

The Motorcoach Council is a step in the right direction. We need someone to sell the whole package. It should be a source of great pride to be part of the bus industry.

We take people to work, to see wonderful things and to be with their loved ones. Nothing could be more honorable than that, and yet our virtues remain one of Americas most closely guarded secrets.

Somehow we need to get the defense off the field and play some offense.

Saying "this is NOT your fathers Oldsmobile" doesnt cut it as a marketing plan; after all, Oldsmobile has moved on to vehicle heaven.

Dave Millhouser is a bus industry marketing consultant and freelance writer. Contact him at: dave_millhouser@hotmail.com.