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How rapport, responsiveness and customer solutions forge relationships that last

In 1936, Burlington Transportation and the Frank Martz Coach Company helped found the Trailways system. They remain two of the best-known and respected names in the travel industry, speaking volumes about the Trailways brand and its legacy as a membership-based organization.

“We are made of like-minded carriers, determined to maintain their operational independence, yet unified by the service standards and operational integrity by those early founders,” said Amy Brooks, Trailways Board Chair and Susquehanna Trailways’ Vice President of Sales. “They’ve been ambassadors for future Trailways members, and we all succeed because travelers trust us.”

Trust is the foundation of everything Trailways does. So here are tips to consider when building long-term trust with others, from the teachings of business coaches and communication experts.

Establish rapport

• When connecting with customers either in person, remotely by phone or virtually, avoid the impulse to get right down to business, and instead begin with welcoming conversation that sets the tone for a lively give and take
• Listen attentively.  Don’t be distracted by thinking about what you want to say in reply
• Avoid interrupting. Let clients set the conversational pace

Provide responsive service

• Texts, phone calls and video chats are today’s tools for quick response
• Respond within a day
• When you make a promise, do what you say you will

Find solutions

• Validate the problem a customer is trying to solve by choosing words such as “I understand you” and, “Let me know if this is what you are looking for”
• Communicate your action plan with your client before you execute to make sure it fits them. Make it a collaboration
• Complete the job and get feedback
• If relevant, keep notes on solutions and approaches that can help all of your customers

Customers stay with companies they trust to offer value and solve problems quickly. View every client contact — written, verbal or in person — as a chance to build that trust.

For more than 85 years, Trailways has helped launch many successful bus businesses. But did you know Trailways helped start Unclaimed Baggage, the nation’s only discount retailer of lost luggage items?

Unclaimed Baggage is a thrift store shopper’s dream come true. It attracts over one million tourists annually who shop the 50,000-square-foot-store for the weird and wonderful contents of lost luggage. The business got its start with a truckload of luggage left behind at a Trailways depot in Washington, D.C. more than 50 years ago.

“It’s amazing to see how even here, in Scottsboro, Alabama, Unclaimed Baggage could grow into an international tourist destination,” said Bryan Owens, owner of Unclaimed Baggage and son of the retailer’s founder, Hugo Doyle Owens. “It all started with my father’s big idea, a borrowed pickup truck and a $300 loan to go to Washington, D.C. and buy his first load of unclaimed bags from Trailways Bus Line.”

Now, Unclaimed Baggage is marking its 50^th anniversary with the launch of an online store and a 50-state road tour, and traveling pop-up shop. Shoppers can get their picture taken with Hugo, the store’s 1965 Chevy truck that picked up the first load of unclaimed bags at Trailways in 1970. The tour runs through August.

Said Sabina Dhami, Trailways Director of Accounting and Office Management, “Great ideas can come from anywhere in travel because we’re so focused on customers, and Unclaimed Baggage is proof of that. We couldn’t be more pleased to help Unclaimed Baggage celebrate 50 years of making people happy.”

Sonni Hood, head of public relations and community involvement for Unclaimed Baggage, said: “With just an ingenious idea and $300, Mr. Owens made orphaned bags with anonymous possessions into a unique, sustainable business and helped millions of people stretch a dollar over the last 50 years. We are taking our tour city to city to celebrate with our customers and hear their stories. It’s been great to stop at Trailways where everything started in 1970.”

Learn more about Unclaimed Baggage founder Hugo Doyle Owens (1931-2016) in this tribute video, where he explains the tremendous success of the opening day, knowing a great business was born.

With the majority of bags coming from airlines, the company reports it still has products coming from bus lines and depots. Over 99.5% of domestic airline’s checked bags are picked up at the carousel. After the airlines conduct an extensive 3-month tracing process and travelers are compensated, Unclaimed Baggage purchases the orphaned items from the airlines.

With the prolific growth of independent film companies and a wave of nostalgia in movie scripts, Flagship Trailway’s vintage buses are busier than ever. “This year has just been on fire,” said Tom McCaughey, owner of Flagship based in Cranston, RI, who finished up a March shoot in Deerfield, Massachusetts, with his 40-foot, 92-inches wide 1958 GM for “The Holdovers.”

A comedy-drama that takes place over the Christmas holidays in 1970, the movie stars Paul Giamatti as a disliked professor at a prep school, who along with the school’s head cook and a 15-year-old trouble-making student are the only “holdovers” left at the school. The movie’s release date is still to be announced.  

McCaughey’s 1975 Silver Eagle 05 was also in upstate New York this year on the set of “Three Women,” a Showtime hourlong series based on the No. 1 Nonfiction Bestseller by Lisa Taddeo, who has adapted her book that covers the emotional lives of three women from different backgrounds and stars Shailene Woodley.

McCaughey was also behind the wheel of his Silver Eagle in episodes of “Castle Rock,” a former Hulu® show inspired by stories created by Stephen King.

Flagship also owns a 1953 GM TDH 5106 and a 1964 GM Fishbowl.

Other shows featuring Flagship buses include Hulu’s “Only Murders in the Building” starring Steve Martin, three episodes of “Julia,” a documentary about chef Julia Child; and “Black Mass,” a Johnny Depp film based on the life of Boston mobster Whitey Bulger.

McCaughey bought Flagship, founded in 1981, from its previous owner in 2001, after selling a waste management fleet business he founded.  He got into collecting vintage buses by chance, learning of an Eagle bus for sale in Denver, and then heard from a business acquaintance in Connecticut of seven vintage buses in good condition for sale.

“I bought three of the buses and he closed on the other four,” said McCaughey, who said getting into the film business was just as fortuitus. “It’s a small industry, and as they say: Once you know a guy, it just grows from there.”

McCaughey advises operators interested in featuring equipment in films to check if their state has an official Film Office with a film production resources department. He noted his close proximity to Massachusetts and added that the state’s highly competitive package of tax breaks is the reason it’s a popular place for filmmakers today.

Even with all those high-profile sets and film credits, McCaughey’s showstopper moment is one closest to home. “Last year, I started going to car show cruise nights. I pull up in my 1958 GMC 5106 and it brought the house down,” he laughs. “The one thing about the film business is that it pays for the upkeep of the vintage buses, and I have a lot of fun doing it.”

A Trailways member since 2005, Flagship operates a modern, versatile fleet of 18 coaches and specializes in short or a long-distance charter trips, meetings and conventions, school trips and weddings.

With a Board seat open to industry vendors, Trailways elected Brad Wiese, Prevost Vice President, New Coach Sales and Funding, North America, as a new Board Member for a two-year term.

Wiese, who joined Prevost in January 2020, was previously a management consultant focusing on strategy and sales and has a 20-plus-year career in the banking industry. This included a position as a C-level officer with a bank in Nashville, TN, where Wiese represented the bank as a lender to businesses purchasing Prevost seated motorcoaches and conversion shells.

“As our portfolio grew with Prevost, I was sent to Quebec to meet its leadership and tour the manufacturing facility, and that started my relationship with Prevost and the industry,” recalls Wiese. “As time went on, I consulted with other banks and put effective sales teams in place that also saw the value in lending to businesses running Prevost equipment.”

Now, as head of new coach sales teams at Prevost, Wiese, whose home base is Wildwood, MO, 40 miles west of St. Louis, is also responsible for Prevost’s Funding team which finds the best financing options and solutions for customers either through its equipment finance arm, Volvo Financial Services, or alternative outside services.

Wiese sees his career expertise as bringing a new kind of talent to Trailways Board. “From what I’ve already seen, Trailways wants to conduct its business in new ways, and I bring decades of knowledge from multiple lines of business to deliver a fresh perspective and new ideas to the bus industry and in particular, Trailways, for additional marketplace successes.”

His competitive edge stems from his athleticism. Wiese is a former NCAA Division I baseball player. This fuels his desire to be a part of a high-performing organization and work as a team with Prevost and Volvo customers to create a mutual partnership benefiting both manufacturer and operator.

He is a devoted dad to his three daughters, ages 14 to 20 years old, and involved in supporting two of his daughters’ nationwide club volleyball games when time permits. His eldest daughter is on a college internship at Disney®.

When it comes to Trailways, Wiese, says: “I know the history of challenges this industry has faced and the way it has adapted and how Trailways endured the test of time with so many leading carriers. I’m honored to be a small part of it.”

For years, brokers have gained tremendous ground capturing customers in the ticketing and charter segments with superior technology, selling them back to operators at a 20-30% premium or more.

Trailways now has the tools to connect these same customers to our Trailways network directly, taking back control over the entire charter transaction for you to keep and capture more customers.

In collaboration with Busie, a leading cloud-based charter software company, Trailways has started a live pilot of the first-of-its kind charter-lead and booking platform on Trailways.com with the seven operators who were involved in the two-year development phase of the system. This new system will replace the old charter lead dashboard sometime in mid to late summer. In the meantime, operators not on the new charter platform will continue to have leads forwarded to them by the Trailways team.

Trailways will launch a series of webinars over the next couple of months with the Busie team for operators to see the platform in action. You can become part of the next group of operators to go live. Fill out this wait list form and a member of the Busie team will contact you. Here’s what the new system will offer:

Transparency + Improved Information Capture

Our charter lead platform has been updated for greater information transparency. You’ll have real-time visibility with customers and their trip needs, providing more thorough and accurate details when it’s time to book.

Improving Conversions + Margins

You’ll convert more leads. With Trailways.com’s new streamlined experience, trip organizers will be able to move through the quote and booking process quickly and efficiently. The system saves your teams time and money on quotes you don’t end up booking. The software provides instant quote capabilities, allowing customers to make decisions in real time. This will decrease customer quote-shopping and improve the quality of leads that convert to bookings.

Revenue Generation

Our goal is to drive more revenue directly to you with broker-equivalent technology throughout the Trailways system. With this new platform, you control and own every step of the process with a customer, not the broker. You also have total control of your rates, profit margins, and inventory availability.

“The Busie Charter platform is easy to use, saves substantial time in the quoting process, and offers a modern, online experience to our customers,” says pilot member Sarah Ring of Dean Trailways.

Want to be a part of the first group of operators onboarded to this platform? Please fill out this quick form to get on the waitlist.

Want to learn more? Reach out to Trailways@getbusie.com.

Trailways’ signature red logo grabs attention and conveys fun. But that’s not the only reason Trailways-branded coaches look so good going down the road.

Credit also goes to knowledgeable, seasoned mechanics and maintenance teams who can’t be beat for keeping Trailways’ fleets pristine and running to perfection.

Meet Dave Meyerhofer, a lead mechanic at Kobussen Trailways in Kaukauna, Wisconsin. He took first place at the 2022 Maintenance Interchange at UMA Expo in Long Beach, California, marking his third first-place win and seventh trophy in his eight years participating in the industry’s most challenging maintenance competition. Meyerhofer also holds several amateur racecar trophies and works on racecars as a hobby he enjoys with his son.

Sponsored by ABC Companies, the 24th annual UMA competition includes nearly two dozen professionals, representing motor coach companies across North America, who compete by answering 50 questions on a written test and finding eight to 10 rigged defects on two motor coaches in the fastest time. In the 2022 challenge, Dave Meyerhofer, Kobussen Trailways, was the only one to catch an incorrect rear backup light and achieved the highest overall score, winning the championship and a cash prize of $2,500.

Meyerhofer attributes his mechanical aptitude to growing up on farm where he fixed and repaired machinery. He joined Kobussen Trailways as a mechanic in 1990 out of high school, working on school buses. Now, with a fleet of 1,000 buses of all types, Meyerhofer focuses on his company’s 25 motor coaches and leads a team of technicians at the company’s headquarters. He also trouble-shoots equipment issues at the company’s 22 locations throughout Wisconsin. “I got in with a very good company and plan to finish out my career here,” says Meyerhofer. “I like my work and I treat the coaches like they are my very own.”

Meyerhofer, who has taken “as many technical training courses from manufacturers as possible,” recommends mechanics focus on electronics. “Anybody can change nuts but today’s new buses have 15 computers. You have to keep up your education to excel,” he says.

Excellent roadside assistance is never far away when you’re a Trailways carrier. Meyerhofer knows first-hand the value of Trailways membership. “Breakdowns happen and just recently I contacted Thrasher Brothers Trailways in Alabama for assistance. Alan Thrasher himself went out to look after our coach,” said Meyerhofer. “No one (in Trailways) ever turns anyone away and we won’t either.”

When not at a Kobussen garage, you’ll find Meyerhofer working on his two street stock Chevys, a ’99 Monte Carlo and 2020 Camaro. His racing hobby started when he was 35, leading him to 10 stock car racing wins. Now retired from racing, Meyerhofer volunteers as crew chief for his son and nephew’s racing team that participates in nearly 40 stock car races in the Mid-Am Racing Series each year in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Iowa.

It’s no surprise to learn, after UMA Expo ended and Meyerhofer’s big win, he and his girlfriend hopped in a Ford Explorer rental for a drive-up Pacific Coast Highway to enjoy the open road and scenery all the way to Sacramento. “It was nice to be back at EXPO and represent Kobussen,” he said.

To learn more about the UMA Maintenance challenge click here.

Robert (Bob) Brisman, President of West Point Trailways, who served on Trailways’ Board more than a decade ago, has rejoined the Board with a major mission in mind — to serve and help further the brand with industry-leading technology that boosts revenue while appealing to new generations of riders.

“We get a lot of leads coming from Trailways,” he said. “In the age of apps and technology, customers expect immediate replies. They don’t want to speak to anyone, either. They just want the data, quickly.”

Brisman, the third generation to run West Point Trailways, Vails Gate, New York, is most interested in the organization’s two newest technology ventures, the Trailways.com website and fulfilling Trailways vision for its Busie cloud-based, trip-planning and charter booking future. He knows internal and systemwide technology are important to a company’s future.

About West Point Trailways

West Point Trailways story begins with Brisman’s industrious grandfather. Max Weiner was busy in the 1920s building bus bodies, parlor cars and transit vehicles before starting a bus service in 1947 for mason workers at expanding postwar construction sites in the West Point and Highland Falls, NY area.

Brisman’s father Jerome Brisman, who graduated from the United States Military Academy West Point in 1952 with a degree in engineering, worked as an engineer around the country for a decade before joining the business in 1962. At that time, the company’s school bus operations began taking off and many of those contracts won back then are still in place with West Point Trailways today.

Bob Brisman and his brother Jay now lead West Point Trailways. Brisman joined after earning a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Syracuse University and a career in finance working for firms in Manhattan and White Plains, New York. “When the insurance market spiked in 1987, I called my father asking if he had any interest in me coming to work for him,” recalls Brisman. “My father was happy to have me on board. We had a good father-and-son relationship. I like the risk and reward along with the diversity of our business.”

A fourth generation has joined the ranks. Brisman’s son Ethan is learning the ropes starting in office reception booking trips. “We’re not letting him drive, that’s not his talent,” jests his dad, who got his CDL when he was 30 years old to drive school bus routes.

Primarily a school bus company, West Point purchased its first motorcoach in 1993 from Chuck Toohy, MCI’s East Coast representative, who Brisman fondly recalls as having a John Wayne persona. They became a Trailways operator in June 2000.

Today, West Point has a fleet of 220 vehicles, including 16 motor coaches for school, charter and tour operations. They keep three coaches exclusively for its contract with the military academy. The company operates Blue Bird activity buses for its daily West Point Tours operations serving West Point’s campus and historical sites.

Describing himself as an escape artist by nature, Brisman is a big reader of novels. His two favorites are author’s Jonathan Franzen’s Crossroads and John Irving’s The World According to Garp. “They write about life experiences and enjoyable challenges,” said Brisman, who began playing guitar at the age of nine. He now owns four guitars including Fender electrics and likes to play in the style of Derek Trucks, a top guitarist whose music encompasses blues, rock, jazz and soul. Brisman jams with a group at a local school on Tuesdays. “Escape in the form of music keeps you in a good mood,” he reasons. When it comes to business life, these are his three philosophies: anything is possible; start each day as if it is your first and have a purpose to be of service.

Sometimes the best opportunities are right where we are now. For Huskey Trailways, 2019 was a traumatic year. Kent Huskey, who co-founded the Festus, Missouri charter bus company, died at the age of 55 after routine back surgery. His wife Julie Huskey, who started the business with him in 1996 working side by side, then faced managing the business through COVID-19 lock downs in 2020. Today, driver shortages and increases in fuel costs are among the company’s concerns. Yet through it all, Julie Huskey, who runs the business with her with daughters Katie Brunner and Mollie Pruneau, approaches obstacles with optimism and persistence, finding solutions as she has done since Huskey’s start.

A Trailways member since 2008, Huskey appreciates the long-standing name recognition, networking camaraderie and road support the affiliation brings to her business. “Trailways members think the same way and hold to a higher standard of customer service,” she says.

Those standards, business strategies, and Huskey Trailways dedicated employees, are the reasons Huskey Trailways is enjoying a much-needed, busy spring season. “The first half of 2022 has been really good. Everything is moving,” reports Huskey. “Schools are calling with big trips for band and sports competitions and preferring motor coaches rather than school buses.” But that doesn’t mean business is back to pre-COVID levels. “We are about 60 percent of the way there.” Tours are picking up. Huskey’s April bookings include week long trips to Washington D.C., Florida, Nashville and Branson, among many other local places they travel to in Missouri. The company also provided military transport all through COVID and continues to bid on new contracts.

Huskey shares insights on what’s keeping her fleet rolling:

Never underestimate the power of first impressions

Newer, good-looking motorcoaches, sparkling clean interiors and neatly dressed, personable drivers are Huskey’s rules of the road. “Appearance is everything,” says Huskey. “Our fleet averages around 6-years old or newer. Our vehicles are disinfected daily and smell fresh and clean for our passengers.” Huskey also states, “We are always on the search for more friendly and professional motorcoach operators to join our growing team.”

Office interactions are just as important. “We respond to customer inquiries the same day. I can’t stress that enough,” she adds. “Millennials are beginning to run things and they don’t wait. They want to book charter business quickly or they’ll move on to another (company’s) quote regardless of the price.”

Never stop thinking out of the box

After spending thousands of dollars on help-wanted ads for drivers on Facebook®, newspapers and other media outlets without results, Huskey decided to give Kelly Anderson Impact Solutions a try. Specialists in driver recruitment for the transportation industry, Kelly Anderson takes charge of advertising, finds and pre-screens candidates. Huskey met their representative at UMA EXPO in Long Beach, CA. “We’ve just hired two new drivers they sent our way,” says Huskey. “It costs nearly the same as our ad budget. There are no guarantees, but the firm sent us qualified candidates who were a good fit for us.” Huskey said the female applicant previously drove school buses and wants to switch to driving motor coaches. The other candidate lost his job at a much larger motor coach carrier during COVID and wants to return to driving part-time. Huskey training mandates for drivers include hands-on instruction plus online learning via Trailways new driver training modules and programs offered through MCI Academy as well as other industry suppliers.

Huskey gave its motor coach drivers, who are paid by the day, a significant increase this year. Motorcoach drivers also get a per diem for overnight stays. Huskey offers all employees (who stay beyond 90 days) a simple IRA and three percent match along with supplemental insurance at a self-pay, group rate. Full-time drivers are also eligible for partial pay health insurance.

Manage fleet size and fuel costs with an eye on the future

Half of Huskey’s 50-vehicle fleet include large 56, 40, and 24 passenger motor coaches. COVID caused a pause in Huskey’s ongoing fleet renewal strategy. So today, Huskey is looking to replace older coaches with brand new models to better serve their customer’s needs.

Fortunately for Huskey, the company added a fuel surcharge to its contracts to combat the 2008 financial crisis when the price of crude oil rose. The clause allows the company to add an adjustable percentage increase if fuel rises above $3.50 a gallon. Huskey has also increased rates. “Our customers understand the economic situation and have no problem with our charges,” says Huskey, who sees the acceptance as a good sign for the industry. “Some customers want us to calculate the fuel surcharge another way, but even still we are finally charging what we should have always been paid.”

With the passing of her husband, Huskey’s daughter Mollie, who also worked side by side with her dad, stepped right into his role, managing operations, sales and marketing, and equipment purchasing. Daughter Katie, a former Kindergarten teacher, stepped into the company full-time in 2020 and applies her talents to HR and compliance. Huskey now holds Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Certification. “The certification has allowed us to capitalize on more opportunities, and it took a great deal of effort to become certified. I’m proud that we have it,” she adds.

Huskey and her daughters also own a few other businesses including an online fashion boutique and a vinyl graphics company, which kept them busy during COVID. With six grandchildren and parents to care for, Huskey extends the same kind of protection to customers and colleagues. “We think of everyone as family in our business and treat them that way,” she adds.

As a longtime Texas rancher and high school football coaching legend, Ken Purcell knows how to win and inspire teams.

Purcell’s 40-year career in Texas high school athletics earned him nine championship rings, athletic director hall of honor recognition and a Fox Sports TV commentator slot for local Friday night football games.

In his opening remarks as Trailways annual meeting’s keynote speaker, Purcell praised members as the risk takers of the world. “You’re the type of person who I’ve always wanted to play for me,” he said. “You are not afraid of facing challenges.”

Purcell, who also co-authored “All I Need to Know I Learned from My Texas High School Football Coach” in 2017, stressed six traits for building a vision and a philosophy for one’s business and life:

1. Keep your eye on short and long-term goals. When plowing a field, furrows will be crooked if you keep your eye only on the plow blade. “The key is you’ve got to look down and up to plow straight, said Purcell. Continuous review of short- and long-range goals helps you achieve them.
2. Plant seeds. Don’t wait for things to happen, share your plans with those who may be able to help. Purcell landed at Fox Sports after mentioning to the TV producer of his championship games that he would be retiring from coaching and still wanted to be part of the sport. Fox picked Purcell as a commentator without an audition. 
3. Put others first. “People don’t care how much you know until you show them how much you care,” he said. Putting this creed into practice with colleagues and customers builds lasting relationships.
4. Respond, don’t react. By keeping calm, you’ll think more clearly and solve most problems.
5. Make everyone part of your team.  Anyone who gets a check from your company is someone on your team. Treating each individual as part of your team improves morale and increases productivity.
6. Don’t be afraid to fail. Many of life’s greatest achievements require going outside of your comfort zone. Risk takers accept losses and move on to the next challenge.

“In coaching, it’s all about impacting kids’ lives,” said Purcell. “I always told the kids on my teams; be happy with who you are today. Happiness is a philosophy. I hope I’ve brought happiness to you today and wish the same for you all the way to 2023.”

In a follow up email to John Zaworski, Dean Trailways, Purcell, who speaks to a lot of groups throughout the country wrote that Trailways is a special group. “They are the hard workers of our country and I have great respect for them.” He thanks Trailways for the opportunity to be the keynote speaker at the 2022 annual meeting.