Posted By ABA President & CEO Peter Pantuso, April 23, 2008

Ben Franklin once remarked, "When you're finished changing, you're finished." More than two centuries after he said those words, his statement is truer than ever.

Posted by ABA President & CEO Peter Pantuso, April 11, 2008

With Earth Day coming up April 22nd, there is no better time to tell our industry's green story - and leverage that story to attract new customers.

Every industry is trying to burnish its green credentials these days. But few have the facts to back it up. The motorcoach, tour and travel industry does.

Posted by ABA President & CEO Peter Pantuso, March 27, 2008

One of the greatest sources of pride for me in our industry is our commitment to building for its future. The motorcoach, tour and travel industry is, I’m pleased to report, always focused on building the next generation of leaders. And it’s in that spirit that the ABA Foundation scholarship program was conceived.

Guest Blog Posted By Don Meador, Director of Sales & Marketing, Landmark Hotel Group

Choosing associations in which to network your hotel product can be hit or miss. There are tons of them, each promising to give you the sort of exposure your company needs in order to at least justify the cost of your association membership. If your company is firm with the type of ROI they expect to see from your involvement with these groups, look no further than the American Bus Association.

For the first few years I was involved in group sales, I heard people raving about ABA, and the annual Marketplace event. I heard how amazing it was, how great the networking was, and how much of a return on investment it generated all throughout the year. But I worked for a smaller property, and we could never afford to attend. I always justified this decision as sound fiscal responsibility. I advised many similar small properties to avoid the big, expensive national shows as just not worth the cost.

Posted By ABA President Peter Pantuso, Feb. 27, 2008

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) proposed rulemaking on entry-level driver training calls for a lot of tests, among other things. But it has failed the first test of feasibility - acknowledging that driving a motorcoach is a heckuva lot different than driving a truck!

Posted by Don Meador, Landmark Hotel Group

Yes, we're having company in my hometown. About 3,000 of our closest friends are converging on Virginia Beach, Virginia for a week of networking, socializing, and getting down to business. This is one of my favorite trade "shows" each year, as I'm able to reconnect with old acquaintances and develop new relationships with motorcoach operators from across the United States.

Posted by ABA President Peter Pantuso January 15, 2008

The National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission today released its report, http://www.transportationfortomorrow.org, which recommends increasing fuel taxes 25-40 cents per gallon to be phased in over five years at a yearly rate of five to eight cents per gallon, per year.

Posted by ABA President & CEO Peter J. Pantuso, January 4, 2008

Most of the time when our industry wants information on its vital statistics, we have to commission an outside research expert to do it. The money we've spent on studies from MJ Bradley and Nathan & Associates has produced invaluable research and illuminating reports. But outsiders occasionally express skepticism at the findings showing the importance of our industry to society. Bought and paid for by the bus association, they argue, so it's not as credible as, say, a medical finding published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Posted by ABA President & CEO Peter J. Pantuso
December 19, 2007

Everyone in the motorcoach, tour and travel community should welcome the safety bill introduced recently by Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Penn.) as landmark legislation because it is the first-ever motorcoach safety bill calling for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to conduct comprehensive scientific research to determine the direction of future regulatory requirements.