Wrong about Bobb

It felt like my bosses would kill me (firing being too gentle).

We were meeting with a big customer who asked what I thought of the “cutaway” that we sold.

“I call it Bobb… the Best of a Bad Bunch.”

As someone who’d spent his life in the coach business, I couldn’t bring myself to love any bus with the engine in front. But if their customers wanted that size vehicle, this was the best one to buy.

Cutaways have improved since then, and smaller, semi-monocoque coaches have entered the market. I admit to retaining a flawed gene… If it doesn’t consist of a bazillion pounds of stainless steel, with a driver’s seat in front of the steering axle, where nature intended, it ain’t a bus.

Regular readers of this column realize I am often wrong, however, this being an example.

There are operations for which a heavy duty bus doesn’t make sense. One hallmark of our business is the longevity (and cost) of our equipment. It may not be fair, but customers perceive a 10-year-old coach as ancient. This can be awkward since the economics of operating coaches depend on a 20-year life cycle.

Passengers also want the bus to match the group size. In addition to saving money by operating a smaller vehicle, groups don’t want to feel they are rattling around in a 45 foot barn.

For certain types of work, properly configured cutaways can be better for both the operator and the customer. Many operators who shared my aberrant stainless steel gene would call and say “sell me another one… I don’t love it like a coach, but it makes so much money.” It’s about making customers happy, not having a gigundous coach, just so you can paint your name bigger.

Though generally not great for long-distance work because of limited or nonexistent luggage space, smaller buses do a fine job of shuttle and mid-length trips. Suspensions, sound suppression and other amenities have improved.

You’re only maintaining two axles, and often can use drivers who don’t have air-brake certification. You can order nearly all the options available on a full-sized coach. You actually have more choices, and should pick the ones that fit the kind of work you’re doing. Pick passenger-pleasing plug doors versus simpler hand cranked ones, for example, BIG HVAC versus less powerful… you get it.

In the olden days, bodies were mounted on a souped-up van chassis and often outlived the drive-train. Many builders have stepped up to the heavier duty chassis now available, which cost more but live longer (sometimes outliving the body).

The rub is that, in a serious environment, these jewels only live five to eight years and residual value isn’t terrific. In the right application, though, they will do nearly the same job as coach, and cost a ton less. When they’re worn out, sell them to a church. (They HAVE to forgive you).

Fiberglass bodies don’t rust, but electrical systems tend to be more complex because you need ground wires. Metal bodies are tough, but you may have noticed that salt is NOT a preservative. Choose what fits your environment and application.

Years ago a guy had two perfect GMs. You could have eaten off the floor…if he’d allowed food on the bus. He didn’t allow smoking, alcohol, anything that was fun. (Fun was legal back then). He was enormously proud of his coaches, but quickly went out of business, because they weren’t what his passengers wanted.

We need to operate the type of equipment that best serves our customers’ needs. It ain’t about us.

—Dave Millhouser

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