BISC History

About BISC

A SUMMARY OF THE HISTORY OF THE BUS INDUSTRY SAFETY COUNCIL (BISC)

Compiled by Stephen Evans, (with special thanks to Pete Worthington’s contributions)

In 1926, what eventually would become the American Bus Association (ABA), started as a division of the American Automobile Association (AAA). Later this division became the National Association of Motor Bus Operators (NAMBO). And then in the late 1970’s it transformed into the ABA you know today.

In the early years, NAMBO put together a safety committee of a few members that met a couple of times a year. This committee primarily answered occasional questions and provided suggestions and/or direction when requested.

When NAMBO became the ABA in the late 1970’s, the safety committee was officially organized into the “Safety Committee of the ABA”.

In the mid 1980’s, ABA disbanded this committee and replaced it with the position of “ABA Safety Director”. This person was the safety ambassador for ABA and traveled extensively on their behalf. There were no major events or regular meetings held during this time, but the ABA Safety Director was expected to assist and problem solve for ABA member companies on safety issues as best he could. Unfortunately in 1991 he died unexpectedly. In 1992, ABA resurrected the safety committee format.

This re-formed ABA Safety Committee started with about 12 operator members and was focused mostly on vendor presentations and researching safety products. At that time FMCSA did not exist, but the 14 members of the Technical Assistance Group Team (TAG) from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) did regularly attend the biannual meetings, one of which was always held in Arlington VA.

The ABA Safety Committee created a Bus Roadeo competition and also the Golden Wrench Award. Competitions were held all over the country with the finals held at locations such as Nashville (TN) and Biloxi (MS). During this time, the focus of the Safety Committee continued to expand and tackle the safety issues of the day, while vendor presentations were scaled back and limited.

In 1999, ABA decided to create the Bus Industry Safety Council (BISC) as a stand-alone Council, with its own bylaws and staff, with a special focus of improving safety in the bus and motorcoach industry. And after an organizational first year of developing and fine tuning the structure, it became the BISC we know today.

A CHRONOLOGY OF BISC CHAIRS

Early 1970’s:

Safety Committee of NAMBO – National Association of Motor Bus Operators

Chairmen were:

Bill Bolling, Trailways

Bob Foreman, Greyhound

Late 1970’s:

Safety Committee of the ABA

Chairman was:

Jack Dwyer, Vermont Transit Lines

1980’s:

Safety Director of ABA

Safety Director was: Doug Turner, Bonanza Bus

1990’s:

Safety Committee of the ABA

1992 – 1994         Chairman Peter Crosson, Michaud Bus Lines

1995 – 2000         Chairman Peter Worthington, DATTCO

2000’s:
Modern BISC was created:

2000                           Peter Worthington, Chairman
DATTCO

2001 – 2002                Jeffry Barnett, Chairman
Yellow Transportation

2003                            Chris Crean, Chairman
Peter Pan Bus Lines

2004- 2005                  Alessandro Guariento, Chairman
Greyhound Lines

2006                            Graham Dunnege, Chairman
Adirondack Trailways

2007 – 2008                 Lorraine Card, Chairman
Pacific Western Transportation

2009 – 2010                 Chris Crean, Chairman
Peter Pan Bus Lines

2011 – 2012                 Charles Corder, Chairman
Coach USA

2013 – 2014                 Michael McDonal, Chairman
Eyre Bus Service

2015 – 2016                 Stephen Evans, Chairman
Pacific Western Transportation

2017 – 2018                Alan Smith, Chairman
Greyhound Lines

2019-2020                 Pam Martinez, Chairman
DATTCO

Visit the BISC Photo Gallery to View Scenes From BISC Meetings Over the Years