Bus & Motorcoach News, January 22nd 2007
Operator offers high-tech view of industry future

NEW ORLEANS – Hang on to your steering wheel because the world of high tech may be about to give the motorcoach industry a boost.

That, anyway, is what one coach operator thinks, and he provided attendees at Motorcoach Expo with a hands-on glimpse of his vision of the industry future.

And that vision consists of a coach outfitted with the latest cellular and satellite technology; large, high-definition television monitors, and a personal computer that uses a touch-screen to operate a system that serves up vast amounts of information and entertainment to passengers and new revenue opportunities to operators.

The multi-purpose electronic system that was two years in the making is called VuStar and is on the verge of being taken commercial by an operator who in years to come could be seen as a pioneer in the industry.

"I'm just taking a chance with it," says Dave Bolen, president of New World Tours of Bristow, Va., who unveiled his brainchild at Expo.

"Who knows where it will go. Its future is virtually unlimited," adds Bolen, who led development of the system and is installing it on 32 of his coaches.

The VuStar-equipped Van Hool C2045E that New World had on the Expo showroom floor drew large crowds and considerable interest from operators who grilled Bolen and VuStar executives about the system's potential.

Driving for dollars

Bolen said he came up with the concept while searching for new revenue streams for his company. After lengthy exploratory talks, he partnered with high-tech innovators VuStar to develop the system and ABC Companies and Van Hool to help integrate it into a coach.

"I figured from the start that it was something that could get my passengers to want to ride again and help attract new customers as well," he said.

Since then, it has evolved further and Bolen and his partners see far more potential, including drawing in hundreds of tourism-related businesses that would like to market to a captive audience.

"I can't really do this alone," he stresses. "It's going to take bus companies and destinations working together to develop the potential and take it to where it goes."

For passengers, the system offers entertainment options that range from compact discs, to satellite television and radio broadcasts, to the Internet. The six, 23-inch monitors on the buses can be tuned to different stations at the same time and passengers can connect their head sets into any one of them or any number of satellite radio stations from their seats.

Size impresses

The integration of the oversize monitors into a traditional seated-coach interior is a masterpiece of design. The parcel rack system was extensively modified, opening up space for the monitors. The impact of the large viewing screens on passengers probably cannot be overstated.

A group leader can use the touch-screen control unit mounted in front of the passenger-side front seat to play movies or special tapes specific to the people onboard the coach.

Business groups traveling together can skip the entertainment and conduct meetings, complete with special videos and slideshows and connections to the Internet.

"It's all about options for the passengers," says Matt Duff of Falls Church, Va.- based VuStar.

While such a system could help retain existing customers and attract new ones, it also opens up an opportunity that Bolen and his partners say has the potential of increasing revenue streams.

Endless possibilities

The idea is to sell video airtime to travel-related businesses such as motels and hotels, restaurants, destinations, sports venues, theaters and many others. Passengers could look at menus and order food that could be ready when the bus arrives, check out hotels and book rooms while on the road, and review the highlights of activities planned at the next destination where the bus is headed.

Bolen says the interactive feature of the system also would allow theaters to message the bus whenever they have extra seats for a performance and offer them to passengers who are heading to town.

While the system is aimed at providing passengers with new services and operators with new revenue potential, it also can help save bus owners operation and maintenance expenses.

Using VuStar's operation center, the system can monitor each vehicle within an operator's fleet. It can track the location of each vehicle, predict vehicle maintenance needs, schedule parts purchases, and provide assistance during breakdowns.

"We have all of our chips on the table, we're all in and hopefully we'll be successful," Bolen said.