Bus & Motorcoach News Podcast B&MCNews

UMA’s Maintenance interchange, is how maintenance professionals stay on top of things like the latest ways to use ground breaking technology and simple solutions for pesky problems. It’s where a maintenance manager can pick up critical tips that can save thousands of dollars and countless hours of down time for your fleet. Tricks on how to save money on balancing tires and keeping your lavatories working, and tips about how to get the most out of your time when you’re attending this most popular of sessions.

Join me for an interview with Rich Tisone, from Stout’s Transportation as we discuss all of these things and I get schooled on how it all comes together at the UMA Expos Maintenance Interchange.

Welcome to the Motorcoach Minute a podcast from the folks at UMA and Bus & Motorcoach News, it’s designed to make it easier for you, the Owner/Operator to get to the meat of the issues affecting the Motorcoach Industry.

The saying goes, give a person a fish you feed them for a day, teach them how to fish and you feed them for a lifetime. I really believe in that saying, however… and that’s a big however, teaching someone the kinds of fish to catch and which ones to avoid, is a whole other matter.

The world of Search Engine Marketing is very much like that. A complicated and in some cases dangerous ocean to find yourself in.

I am not trying to scare anyone here but the world of search engine marketing, or SEM, is full of of potholes and deadends, bad actors and outright deception. These “problems in SEM” can come at you from all different directions, from both friend and foe, legitimate businesses and fly-by-nights. Good news is, there is a lot you can do to help you avoid those problems and the costly mistakes that can result. How do you do that? Well, when it comes to embarking out on your own in the wide open SEM seas? Having some help is definilty a good thing. Sites like BusRates that basically does all the SEM for you through it’s long list of keywords and phrases that we’re ranking for and constantly working on weekly and monthly can help you make this game much easier to deal with.. and that’s why you’re on it, BusRates that is, right?

Join Chris Riddell and I as we talk about some of the latest issues going on in the Serch Engine Marketing world and how you can take advantage of it and what you may want to avoid.

Welcome to the Motorcoach Minute a podcast from the folks at UMA and Bus & Motorcoach News, it’s designed to make it easier for you, the Owner/Operator to get to the meat of the issues affecting the Motorcoach Industry.

Podcast 013 - 6/30/2018: SEM, The what to know and what to avoid session with Chris Rydell
To learn more about Motorcoach Marketing: http://motorcoachmarketing.org/
Contact:
For more information about UMA: info@uma.org 
To talk with someone about possibly sponsoring or advertising in the Motorcoach Minute contact us at: info@busandmotorcoachnews.com

The Motorcoach Minute presents:
Upholstery and how to care for the interior of your vehicles
an Interview with: Lou Sardo

We’ve all used them. Sat on them, relaxed on them, and basically never gave them a second thought, what I am talking about? Bus Seats of course.

The interior of a bus isn’t something we ever really give much thought to, it’s just, well it’s just there. That being said we do however notice it when it thread bare and ratty or worn our, dirty or stained, then we do notice it.

That’s where our next guest comes in: Lou Sardo

He’s a legend in this industry and there isn’t a bus interior he or his team of professionals haven’t seen or will ultimately see at some point in it’s life span. Lou sat down with us and talked about his history, his teams, and their attention to detail and renowned customer care and of course Lou told me some of his jokes. Join me and our friends from Sardo Bus & Coach Upholstery as we talk about the interior of the industry.

Welcome to the Motorcoach Minute a podcast from the folks at UMA and Bus & Motorcoach News, it’s designed to make it easier for you, the Owner/Operator to get to the meat of the issues affecting the Motorcoach Industry.

The Motorcoach Minute presents:
A New Member Exclusive Benefit - Travel Insurance
an Interview with:
Sharon Broo of USI, Affinity, Travel Insurance Services

In the recent past, the members services department at UMA was frequently asked about insurance providers who could help them to offer travel insurance to their clients. UMA explored this concept, but could not identify adequate programs available in the marketplace. That is no longer the case.

In response to this need, UMA partnered with USI Travel Insurance Services to offer two specially designed insurance products exclusively for UMA members. The Comprehensive Travel Protection Plan for Tours includes coverage for trip cancellation and interruption, baggage loss/delay, medical expenses and much more. For Charter Bus Trips, USI has designed a custom high-limit medical evacuation plan and baggage plan. UMA members who sign up to offer these plans receive a program fee from each sale.

These represent a way to add value for your clients and generate new revenue to help your bottom line. These insurance products were developed in response to operator demand for ways to give customers more peace of mind when booking group travel. They are only available to members of the United Motorcoach Association, giving members a clear edge when it comes to being able to offer consumers better products and services in a competitive marketplace. Offering these products can put you in the driver’s seat when it comes to closing a sale.

So, I have good news and bad news, I’ll start with the good news first;

You have a successful Motorcoach business and you’re thriving. You started the company on a shoestring and a prayer, and now? Now you have multiple vehicles, a list of return clients, and you’ve consistently turned a profit. During your tenure, you weather a bevy of issues and come out stronger for it. You’ve been through all the bad times and the good ones and now you’re ready to sell. Your reasons may be private or public but either way you’re putting the for sale sign out.

You’ve made up your mind… not so fast…. Now the bad news.

Even though your business is on solid ground you may not be ready from a buyer’s viewpoint.

Why? Well it could be a whole host of issues.

Poorly filed paperwork, incomplete tax returns, missing licenses and certifications, un-updated employee files, lost receipts, past due inspections… all your business records should be in order before you even start. Not only that but you’ll need to find the right company to work with you as you go through this process and that in itself can take a few months.

So, this is not a 3, 6, 8-month effort… this is an ongoing effort that truth be told should have started from the moment you hung out your shingle.

With that in mind join me as I talk with Gladys Gillis, CEO of the Starline Collection, & UMA Chairman and Charles Tenny, Senior Managing Partner of the Tenny Group as they outline a plan for what it takes to sell your Motorcoach business.

Welcome to the Motorcoach Minute a podcast from the folks at UMA and Bus & Motorcoach News, it’s designed to make it easier for you, the Owner/Operator to get to the meat of the issues affecting the Motorcoach Industry.

The trick to owning a bus or Motorcoach is always keeping it full and running… wait, did you hear that? I think there was a collective groan that just went up out in the country of no-duh Steve.

If that’s an obvious statement, wait it gets better, because there’s another aspect to it… that aspect being that whatever source you’re using to fill your bus or buses with it needs to be a previously untapped source. Meaning you need to find business where it didn’t exist before, that’s the real trick… I know I know, way to state the obvious, right?

So, what if I told you there was a source out there that could do just that and be that? I think like most people you’d say, bring it on!

If you haven’t heard of them, Rallybus is that source.

Some of you have seen Numaan Ukram speak at UMA functions and at other Motorcoach gatherings. It’s Numaan’s Rallybus technology that’s bringing an emerging market or new source of business to the bus industry and he’s doing it at a time that it is most advantageous for every owner operator out there.

The Rallybus service, is geared towards helping the last minute, un-organized, small group, that Is of a younger age known as digital natives or as Gen Y and millennials find buses. This audience doesn’t own cars, they do not plan ahead, they are not joiners, but they are big travelers, they relish the individual travel experience as much as the group travel experience, and they have a desire to use technology to solve their problems… in short, the perfect source for the bus owner operator to tap into.

If only there was an easy way to do that…

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Rallybus.

Welcome to the Motorcoach Minute a podcast from the folks at UMA and Bus & Motorcoach News, it’s designed to make it easier for you, the Owner/Operator to get to the meat of the issues affecting the Motorcoach Industry.