When it comes to bus breakdowns, do you have a plan? By Dave Millhouser

“Do you know anyone from Long Island?”

It was a strange question, and the guy on the other end of the line sounded like he was near tears. He had a busload of students on the side of the road, out of fuel and gasping in the summer heat.

My friend is a large, powerful, mustachioed man, so the weeping thing gave a sense of urgency.

One phone call did it. And the chairman of UMA’s board of directors personally brought a replacement coach. He then fueled and primed my friend’s bus and swapped coaches with the charter later in the day. How’s THAT for service?

Sadly, bus breakdowns don’t always work out quite that well, but there are some things you can do that may help when you get into trouble.

A couple of years ago a Rensselaer, N.Y.-based operator snagged a lucrative contract to do coach tours of Nova Scotia. The two brothers who ran the company cleverly figured that, since Nova Scotia is sparsely populated, and they hadn’t operated coaches there before, a road trip was in order. They spent a week traveling and meeting folks who could help if something went wrong.

This is known as “preventative worrying,” and it worked. The tours went perfectly. You may not have time for the road trip, but meeting other coach operators by telephone, e-mail, or at bus shows can help. People are far more willing to help someone they know, particularly at odd hours.

When the Bus Fairy attacks, you’ll fair better if you have a plan. If you’re on familiar turf, things usually work out fine. You, or your driver, know who to call. One of the things that makes the charter business “challenging” (I HATE that term) is that often you’re not in friendly territory.

Your plan should include training drivers. Who in your company should they call? How do you want them to handle passengers? When is it appropriate to leave the coach, as opposed to staying on board? What repairs can a driver attempt? A bit of discussion now may prevent a bad decision on the side of the road.

Generally, when you’re in trouble, it’s best to call another coach company. Clearly, if you need a replacement bus, they can help. The other side of the coin is that, even if they don’t have the means to repair your coach, they can lead you to local resources that are bus friendly.

Repairing or towing coaches requires specialized skills and equipment that truck facilities may not have. A truck guy can make things much worse if he tows, lifts, or repairs your bus incorrectly.

You can tell your drivers that, when in trouble, “Bus” comes right after “Burglar” in the Yellow Pages.

When you do have to replace the coach, make sure you’re dealing with someone compliant with all regulations. Your customer chartered from you, and if something happens, it’s you who will be held responsible.

Make sure you know what the cost of replacing or repairing your bus will be. Sometimes invoices contain nasty surprises, so ask in advance. In ye olden days it could be difficult to get repairs done by companies that didn’t know you. Credit cards have helped solve this dilemma.

Some companies solicit emergency repair business, others do it only as a kindness. If you have a choice, use door number one.

If someone is kind enough to invoice you, pay them quickly. The new owners of a Syracuse, N.Y.-based coach company got in trouble, and were bailed out by a competitor on a Sunday. Monday morning they were waiting at their competitor’s office with a check. That may be overkill, but it’s fun, and cemented the relationship between the two firms.

Another local company is famous for not paying. They either delay or chisel. At the same time, when someone is in trouble near them, they pillage as much as they can. For them, the whole East Coast is a minefield … and every time they dispatch a charter, they have to give the driver a geography lesson. That’s because, if the driver picks the wrong place for service, the coach will be chained to the wall until things settle up.

One of the great things about our industry is that it’s small enough that relationships really count. If someone’s in trouble near you, and you bail them out, they remember. If you won’t come out, they remember.

You want to do all you can to have plenty in your account at the Karma Bank … because there are two kinds of bus companies, those that have broken down and those that will.

One thing we learned from the Long Island experience is . . . how to tell if a coach is out of fuel. Any time a driver says: “I can’t be out of fuel” … he is.

This Dave Millhouser column originally appeared in Bus and Motorcoach News on April 15, 2008.

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