Granada Nicaragua & Spain Colonial City

I get on an accessible bus in Vancouver!

Whenever travel on the highways is involved safety should be a top priority. That is no less so when selecting a bus company for your tour. Several elements are involved in the issue of safety when bus tour companies are concerned. They are: The condition of the bus itself The driver The length of time a tour bus company has been in business and that company’s safety record A bus tour company’s understanding of laws and regulations A company’s involvement in such organizations as the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Its compliance to U.S. Department of Transportation and Department of Defence regulations

The Bus
One issue that is up front for you to actually see is the tour bus itself.
The age of the fleet of buses used by a tour bus company should be considered. It should be obvious that the latest models of buses should be in the fleet. The latest, the better. Many companies like USA Bus Charter says that they replace their buses after 10 years of service. They also point out that there are bus companies that own buses that are as old as 25 years. In short, you don’t want the transportation you will be using to be too old. Inquire with the Bus Tours company about the age of their fleet.

If at all possible, go to the tour bus company and inspect their buses. Check the interior, the exterior and underneath. Look at the tires including the tread depth and examine the seat covers, dents, bumps, scratches and cleanliness. If all of that is not up to your standards, then it is possible that the company is not concerned with safety and appearance as a top priority.

If things look good after a visual inspection, don’t be afraid to ask questions concerning things you don’t see.
And that would be how often the buses are analyzed by the company’s mechanics. It is not uncommon for well managed tour bus companies to have their mechanics inspect things every time a bus returns to the garage.

The Driver
The driver of a tour bus, not the president of the tour bus company, is probably the most important employee.
When push comes to shove, it is the skills of the driver that assures that the bus gets to its destination on time and that the trip is safe.

Of course, you would expect that the driver has experience. Industry standards call for the driver to have at least three years experience. Some companies are stricter than that and call for them to have a little more.
This could be as much as five years or more. Of course, the more experience they have, the more skilled they are in driving the bus. But they are also knowledgeable of the routes they are expected to drive and would be well seasoned to be able to find alternative routes should the need arise.
An important element in assuring that you get to the destination on time.

You will want the driver to be emotionally balanced. It’s been said that there are three types of drivers (not necessarily bus drivers): the passive, the aggressive and the hostile. Of course, you want a driver who is passive. You would expect him to keep a safe distance from the vehicle in front, not speed, slows down when it is raining, drive with caution at night, etc.

You also want the driver to be alert when he is driving and drug free. To assure that drugs are not an issue there are laws the require companies test prospective drivers during the hiring process and then to administer random drug tests.

You want the driver’s schedule to be such that it doesn’t change his sleep patterns.
Commonly, drivers are expected to drive 10 hours. A driver who has a schedule of sleeping at night should stick to that. He should not be expected to drive all night. It is better to be safe and permit the driver to either share the duties with some one who could drive at night or allow him to pull the coach into a motel where he and the passengers can get a good night’s sleep before proceeding on a gruelling trip of let’s say 1,000 miles without rest.

Making certain that the passengers of the bus – that means you -- stays on their best behaviour is another perhaps overlooked responsibility of the driver. How you act can be a safety issue. It is not a bad thing for the driver to pleasantly remind passengers of such etiquette as remaining seated when the bus is in motion, move to the restroom by holding on to overhead racks,
handrails or headrests to assure good footing, never stand up before the bus has come to a stop, and activity that could prove to be distracting to the driver be minimized if not totally avoided.

A Company’s Record
The longer a company has been in business the better chance that it will be well managed and have a good safety record. The companies that don’t have a good safety record won’t be in business for any length of time.

One entity that assists you in the research of a company’s record is the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov).
The organization’s website includes a safety and security page that provides you with all sorts of information including a safety database, a snapshot or profile of particular companies and safety initiatives.

Moreover, the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Department of Defence have regulations that tour bus companies are expected to follow. For example, the Department of Transportation requires tour bus companies to assure that their drivers are fully qualified. Companies that comply urge that their drivers have a current commercial driver’s license with a passenger endorsement, undergo a thorough physical and hold a valid medical certificate.

You can find out more by visiting the U.S. Department of Transportation website at http://www.ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/Passenger/home.asp.

The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) is involved in regulating motor coach safety because these companies are often used by military personnel and the DOD wants to make certain that their troops are safe. The DOD monitors the bus industry through the Military Traffic Management Command (MTMC). This part of the DOD implements and maintains a “pre-qualification” process.
The DOD will not allow any bus company to transport military personnel until its buses have been inspected by the MTMC. The MTMC also analyze a carrier’s performance, reliability and responsiveness. The MTMC has a rating system using a scale of 1 to 5.The best rating is 1 and the worst is 5. Companies rated from 1 to 3 are approved to transport military personnel. More on the MTMC can be found at their website.

Finally, nothing is perfect. Things go wrong. The best companies, however, provide a mechanism to make the wrong right. To assure that such a remedy can take place, you should find out who to contact in the company when something does go wrong. Some companies equip their drivers with cell phones that permit them to call the company to help solve a problem that the driver can’t. Later, if you have a complaint or a comment you can call the designated employee who you can alert to a problem and who work with you to solve it.

The mission of a tour bus company is to provide you with a service that will make your tour as pleasant as possible.

Tire blows on Louisiana bridge, catching bus on fire - Houston Chronicle
MyFox HoustonTire blows on Louisiana bridge, catching bus on fireHouston ChronicleAll 25 students and seven chaperones on board were able to get out of the vehicle safely. The bus was one of two returning to Houston from Walt Disney World ...Close call for local students returning from Floridaabc13.comall 5 news articles »

Take a Taxicab to Work? More New Yorkers Walk - New York Times
Take a Taxicab to Work? More New Yorkers WalkNew York TimesNearly 37 percent use the subway and 11 percent commute by bus — both have an annual median cost that the city estimates at $965. ...and more »

Real hoping Valladolid take a bus or two to Barcelona - Times of India
Real hoping Valladolid take a bus or two to BarcelonaTimes of India"Let's see if Clemente gives us a hand and parks a bus or two in front of the goal," Real defender Alvaro Arbeloa told reporters after the Bilbao game. ...and more »

Public transportation for Bakersfield, California. Includes route, schedule, fare, and policy information.Maps & Timetables - Fares & Passes - Job Opportunitieswww.getbus.org/ - Cached - SimilarGET: : Maps & Timetablesfor customer service and schedule information. Mon. - Fri. - 6:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.. Sat. - Sun. - 6:30 a.m. - 7:15 p.m.. GET Administration Office www.getbus.org/maps - Cached - SimilarGet on the - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaGet on the is a 1996 film about a group of African-American men who are taking a cross-country bus trip in order participate in the Million Man March en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Get_on_the_Bus - Cached - SimilarVideos for what getDestiny's Child - on the bus4 min 6 sec - Feb 10, 2007www.youtube.comGet On The Bus - The Doodlebops1 min 40 sec - Dec 30, 2006www.youtube.comGet on the Bus (1996) Rating: 6.7/10 from 2,663 usersDirected by Spike Lee. With Richard Belzer, De'aundre Bonds, Andre Braugher. Visit IMDb for Photos, Showtimes, Cast, Crew, Reviews, Plot Summary, Comments, www.imdb.com/title/tt0116404/ - Cached - SimilarGet on the BusGet On The can only take place through the generosity of individuals and groups who have a heart for this special event. Here are some ways that you can www.getonthebus.us/ - Cached - SimilarMetro | around | LA Metro HomeMay 7, 2010 The 39 Steps At The Ahmanson: Get $39 Tickets To The 39 Steps At The Ahmanson Metro buses sub for Blue Line service in downtown L.A. btn Maps & Timetables - Getting Around - Fares, Passes & TAPwww.metro.net/ - Cached - SimilarGotoBus - Bus tickets, bus tours and vacation packages - List, search and buy tickets, tours, and vacation packages.New York - Tours - Los Angeles - Chinatown Buswww.gotobus.com/ - Cached - SimilarNew York Tours and Vacation Packages Niagara Falls East Coast Buy an affordable New York tour, vacation package, or ticket on GotoBus. Our New York tours travel Boston, Washington DC, Niagara Falls, Philadelphia www.gotobus.com/newyork/ - Cached - SimilarGet on the Bus NYC for Human Rights - Amnesty InternationalJan 25, 2005 Join Amnesty International in New York City for Get on the - a day of human rights action, demonstration, protest, and education.www.gotb.org/ - Cached - Similar Sponsored linksWhat Car Should I Buy?Find the best new car for youbased on your unique preferences. Brooklyn, get directions. icon - i. Address: 1 Beard Street From there, jump on the free shuttle bus that will take you right to IKEA Brooklyn. info.ikea-usa.com/brooklyn/ - CachedTriMet: Public Transportation for the Portland, Oregon, Metro AreaIt's easy get around on TriMet using buses, MAX Light Rail, WES Commuter Rail, and the Portland Streetcar. Welcome aboard!trimet.org/ - Cached - SimilarGo Big, Get Your Employees on the Bus or Go Home - The Steve Rubel Feb 3, 2010 In short, to revisit the aforementioned metaphor, you must go big, get your employees on the bus, put more buses into the traffic flow or go www.steverubel.com/go-big-get-your-employees-on-the-bus-or-go-ho - Cached - SimilarGet On The Is Back In North America - Springboard Series Blog Apr 13, 2010 The On the Bus Tour is back home and we're kicking off our new tour with a visit Canada! Montreal marks our first location on a windowsteamblog.com//get-on-the-bus-is-back-in-north-america.aspx - CachedDART.org - Dallas Area Rapid TransitThe DART Travel Agent shows how visitors, shoppers, fun-seekers and sports fans can get around by bus, train or a combination of both. www.dart.org/ - Cached - SimilarLondon to Dublin by train+ferry | Only £30.50 each way, any day The train journey takes 3h40, time some work done or catch up on your .. Take a taxi or shuttle from central Dublin Dublin Ferryport. www.seat61.com/Ireland.htm - Cached - SimilarLos Angeles to San Francisco - by Bus Train Air - Travel OptionsGet a quick comparison of the ways get from Los Angeles to San Francisco (or vice versa) by bus, train and airplane.gocalifornia.about.com/od/topcalifornia/qt/la_to_sf.htm - Cached - SimilarAirports of Paris - Orly, CDG (Charles de Gaulle)The one-way fare from CDG Paris is €4.80 — or three (3) métro tickets. . Paris — assuming you'd like get a flavor of the city's character and www.discoverfrance.net/France//Air/airports_Paris1.shtml - Cached - SimilarAthens Guide: Public Transportation, buses, trolleysYou can also use the Sounion to coastal towns like Varkiza, Lagonissi, Saronida, and Anavissos where you can swim and go seaside fish tavernas www.athensguide.com/buses.html - Cached - SimilarGet on the bus, or chopperMar 21, 2010 Rangers vs. Bruins coming up in about an hour from here in Boston, and a game for the Rangers that will go a long way toward determining www.nydailynews.com/blogs//03/get-on-the-bus-or-chopper.html - Cached Sponsored linksWhat Car Should I Buy?Find the best new car for youbased on your unique preferences. The Doodlebops perform Get On The Bus. queueDOODLEBOPS - GET ON THE BUS (SING-A-LONG)105361 viewsamsk28 · BOW WOW WOW Wiggles & Wags The Dog 1:32 www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjKzU51t7ws - Cached - SimilarHow do you take a bus? - Yahoo! UK & Ireland AnswersFeb 20, 2010 Alright, well I am 14, and I have never had take a bus by my self As previously mentioned http://www.tfl.gov.uk/ is not only a lifesaver, uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid - United Kingdom - CachedHopStop.com - Subway Directions and Directions for New York HopStop provides subway and directions for New York City (NYC) As well as Subway and maps for Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, Bronx and Staten Island.www.hopstop.com/?city=newyork - Cached - SimilarGranada Spain, How to get there. Train , Bus, PlaneJul 10, 2009 First you get a or taxi from the airport Malaga station, (estación de autobuses). There is a bus every hour from 7am until 9pm www.granadainfo.com/granadatravel.htm - Cached - SimilarKids Catch The 'Walking School Bus' To Get Class - WPIXMay 7, 2010 Catching the school was never as easy as this. Friday morning students, parents, volunteers and administrators at PS 6 in the South www.wpix.com//wpix-walking-school-bus-050710,0,508315.story - CachedGuangzhou Transportation: Guangzhou Flights, Train, Bus, Subway You can take the and get off at the Guangzhou Hotel Stop, it is about 600 meters far from the Lido Hotel. It takes about CNY50-60 per person. www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides//getting-there.htm - Cached - SimilarMetropolitan Council - Transit+Transportation index page: Twin Metro Transit bus photograph. About Us · News+Events · Transportation · Wastewater+Water · Parks · Planning+Development · Housing · Reports+Data www.metrocouncil.org/transit/ - Cached - SimilarShuttles - Guide Free Las Vegas Shuttles Trams and Buses for Tips on free Las Vegas shuttles and trams, hotel shuttle services and trollies, and public transportation.www.goingtovegas.com/kpv-get.htm - Cached - SimilarLaGuardia Airport, New York CityYou can also take the Q33 bus to Roosevelt Avenue-Jackson Heights or 74th Street and Broadway in Jackson Heights Queens. If you off the at Roosevelt www.ny.com/transportation/airports/LGA.html - Cached - SimilarJFK Airport TransportationMay 9, 2010 Is it better and cheaper going by greyhound bus or amtrak? Where is the nearest greyhound stop and how to get there? www.jfk-airport.net/bus.html - 8 hours ago - Cached - SimilarGet more results from the past 24 hours Sponsored linksWhat Car Should I Buy?Find the best new car for youbased on your unique preferences. Bus Icon; Subway Subway Icon; Boat Boat Icon . 555 - EXPRESS Riverside Downtown Boston via Newton. . Logan · Accessibility Services www.mbta.com/ - Cached - SimilarHow to Take the in NYCOct 7, 2008 NYC has lots of public transportation options. Alexis Wolff teaches you about taking the bus.thetravelersnotebook.com/how/how-to-take-the-bus-in-nyc/ - Cached - SimilarAre You Ready To Get On The for Microsoft Windows 7 and Office Apr 13, 2010 Are you ready to get the scoop on Windows 7 and Office 2010? Well then you need catch the bus. The Get On The Tour is an opportunity www.windowsobserver.com//are-you-ready-to-get-on-the-bus-for-microsoft-windows-7-and-office-2010/ - CachedDirections LaGuardia Airport - How to Get La Guardia Airport Jump Subway / Combo‎: All in all, using the bus/train combination to get LaGuardia is usually relatively painless, except of course during the www.nysubway.com/airport/laguardia.html - Cached - SimilarGirona Airport BarcelonaThe stops right outside the airport and will take you Estacio d' Autobusos Barcelona Nord (Barcelona's main terminal) in Barcelona city centre. www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com//girona-airport-barcelona.html - Cached - Similarcta | Chicago Transit Authority | 1-888-YOUR-CTAInformation about CTA and train service. Stay up-to-date with our system status and Get directions with: About trip planners (and more options). www.transitchicago.com/ - Cached - SimilarGet on the | Observations on schools, kids, teachers, teaching May 14, 2009 Dayton Daily News education reporter Scott Elliott writes about schools, kids, teaching and learning. Quick news updates by e-mail Start www.daytondailynews.com › Blogs - CachedThe Energy Bus: 10 Rules Fuel Your Life, Work, and Team with Discover keynotes, training and consulting programs get your team on the and moving in the right direction with vision, focus, purpose and positive www.jongordon.com/theenergybusbook.html - Cached - SimilarKTEL Regular Service on Crete, Greece: Hania-Rethymnon KTEL Public bus service Hania - Rethymnon - Heraklion and to the villages of Get yourself your good deal near the Old Venetian port in Rethymnon. bus-service-crete-ktel.com/ - Cached - SimilarLondon Gatwick - Heathrow Airport Transfers - Shuttles, Train Its a 10 minute walk between the station and these terminals underground using moving walkways and lifts. You can also a free train every 15 minutes www.londontoolkit.com//heathrow_gatwick_transfer.htm - Cached - Similar Sponsored linksWhat Car Should I Buy?Find the best new car for youbased on your unique preferences. Prolific director Spike Lee (Do the Right Thing, Malcolm X) offers the fictionalized account of the pilgrimages black men all across the country made the www.amazon.com/Get-Bus-Ossie-Davis/dp/B000051YMP - Cachedredhat.com | on D-BUSOther applications can even use NetworkManager's D-BUS API get information on devices and link status or even control those devices with ease. www.redhat.com/magazine/003jan05/features/dbus/ - Cached - SimilarGreyhound Line the largest North American intercity company, with 16000 daily departures 3100 destinations in the Atlantic Casinos · on the NeON www.greyhound.com/ - Cached - SimilarGet On the Bus: The Freedom Riders of 1961 : NPRJan 12, 2006 In 1961, the Freedom Riders set out for the Deep South defy Jim Crow laws and call for change. Their efforts transformed the civil rights www.npr.org › News › Race - Similar - Add iGoogleGet Off the Bus : CJRMar 5, 2009 Clearly, this is a brilliant young lady and --after becoming an avid reader of Off The Bus and not a contributor-- I understand why it made www.cjr.org/feature/get_off_the_bus.php - Cached - SimilarJim Collins - Video/Audio - First Who, Then WhatGetting the Right People on the - And the Wrong People Off the Bus - In a Family Business Why You Can't Get a Yellow Shirt | 02:06 | Download MP3 www.jimcollins.com › VIDEO/AUDIO - Cached - SimilarBuses | Transport for LondonFind which bus you need and where to get on and off. Search by route number, postcode, landmarks, and more. Find a route www.tfl.gov.uk/modalpages/2605.aspx - Cached - Similarmta.info | Home PageNew York City Transit · Long Island Rail Road · Long Island · Metro-North Railroad · Bridges and Tunnels · Capital Construction · Company www.mta.info/ - Cached - SimilarGet on the D-BUS | Linux JournalD-BUS is an interprocess communication (IPC) system, providing a simple yet powerful mechanism allowing applications to talk one another, www.linuxjournal.com/article/7744 - Cached - SimilarScholastic's The Magic School Bus BooksChickens make chicken sounds, babies make baby sounds, and buses make sounds. Find out by playing Scholastic's The Magic School Gets an Earful www.scholastic.com/magicschoolbus/games/sound/index.htm - Cached - Similar Sponsored linksYour Bus Is Here at NWBusUsed Buses Of All Types Ready GoSpecial Prices on MCI D Coaches Now