Editors Note – March/April 2024
Nominations are now open for Busline Magazine’s inaugural “Women To Recognize In Busing” award, which spotlights female leaders and executives whose accomplishments set a foundation for women in all levels of service to the bus industry. Entries are due August 1, 2024, and can be made by visiting buslinemag.com/women-to-recognize-in-busing/. Post-award coverage will take place in the September/October 2024 issue of Busline, as well as at www.buslinemag.com, and in our Busline enewsletter.
This award is open to all female leaders in both the private and public bus transportation systems. Those eligible to be nominated are: Executives, operators, managers, bus drivers, back-office workers and more. If a female nominee works in the bus industry, she is eligible. Nominees can be located anywhere in the USA. Applications are free; there is no charge/fee to apply. Individuals can self-nominate. Nominations can also come from suppliers, vendors, motorcoach/tour companies, mass transit systems, customers, co-workers, PR/marketing firms and/or the companies themselves. Nominees working for PR/marketing firms/agencies are not applicable. Honorees will be vetted by the Busline editorial staff. More information is available by visiting buslinemag.com.
The cover story for the March/April 2024 issue of Busline Magazine focuses on Napa Valley Transportation Authority (NVTA), based in Napa, CA, in the world-renowned Napa Valley wine growing region. NVTA’s service includes the Vine Transit bus system, of which Vine fixed-route, on-demand shuttle and VineGo door-to-door ADA paratransit all fall under. NVTA also provides regional and express bus service to key transportation hubs such as the Vallejo Ferry Terminal, BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) system, and Amtrak.
Recently, NVTA purchased five RIDE K7MER 30-foot electric buses, which are now being used for on-demand shuttle and fixed-route work.
“We’re happy with the size and look of these vehicles from RIDE. It’s also a good way to ‘dip our toes’ into the electric vehicle transition. They are nice-sized vehicles for us, meeting the demands of our county’s approximate 120,000 residents. The 30-foot bus makes a lot of sense for our operation,” NVTA Program Manager – Transit & ADA Compliance Coordinator Rebecca Schenck said, during a recent interview. “NVTA is proud to be partnering with RIDE involving our first-ever electric vehicles.”
Speaking of electric vehicles, this issue also focuses on emerging electric bus use for both public transit as well as the private motorcoach sector. Thought leadership articles have been written by Jeremy Butzlaff, President of MTRWESTERN, a privately-owned Pacific Northwest-based motor coach operator; and Melinda Metzger, Executive Director of Pace Suburban Bus, which provides public transportation for residents of 274 municipalities within several northeastern Illinois counties in the Chicago area.
Both Butzlaff and Metzger provided key insight on opportunities and challenges they have found while starting electric bus operations, including the infrastructure needed before the first electric vehicle is delivered.
I would like to thank everyone for their continued support of Busline Magazine. Please send news items and story ideas to my email address at: harrellk@rdgmedia.net.
Harrell Kerkhoff Editor, Busline Magazine