Arrow Stage Lines was recently awarded ABA’s (American Bus Association) Green Spirit Award for 2017. The Green Spirit Award was presented to Arrow Stage Lines for their environmentally friendly practices in both operations and motorcoaches.
The award was presented at ABA’s Annual Meeting & Marketplace 2017 event which was held in Cleveland, OH January 14-17. The award was presented on January 15th at the Cleveland Convention Center during an all-operator breakfast, sponsored by Motor Coach Industries, Inc. The presentation ceremony was attended by over 800 operators to help showcase Arrow Stage Lines for their commitment to “Going Green.”
“Going green has never been something we do just to look good,” said Arrow Stage Lines’ COO, Luke Busskohl. “In both our operations and motorcoaches, we see it as our duty to be as environmentally friendly as possible.”
To enhance Environmental stewardship at Arrow, specifically their shops, they have progressed in many ways over the past few years. One example is the spill kits we have implemented at all locations. These spill kits are in place to recover any unexpected leaks that could be bad for the ground, fuel, and many other areas. We use a coolant recovery machine, along with an oil recovery machine, to complete the process. This insures that there is no spilling or loss of fluids while we are changing them, and then recycling those fluids.
“What many people don’t realize is that the scheduled maintenance on all of our vehicles, otherwise known as preventative maintenance, makes a huge difference.” said Arrow Stage Lines’ Director of Maintenance, Gene Wordekemper. “We ensure that there are minimal breakdowns, emission leaks, or fluid issues with all of our motorcoaches.”
Another example of going green; all of Arrow Stage Lines’ 13 locations, are progressing to use all LED lighting, which is saving a significant amount of energy, that would otherwise be used by the old lighting in place.
In March of 2016 Arrow Stage Lines launched a learning partnership with the University of Vermont’s (UVM) Certification for Sustainable Transportation Program (CST) to deliver improved eco friendly transportation. This Sustainable Transportation course provides our drivers with the knowledge to be as environmentally friendly as possible while operating such a large vehicle. Although Arrow has equipped most of their coaches with an idle shutdown, their motorcoach operators are well aware that any idle time without passengers is wasting fuel, and is also hurting our environment.
“Our team has put this knowledge to use, and it has been an excellent way to save on fuel and emission issues in our world today,” said Luke.
The motorcoaches in Arrow’s fleet are all set with a maximum speed of 68 miles per hour, which is another way that they are saving the environment. Most coaches hold about 54 passengers, and when full, is one of the most enviromentally friendly ways to travel. It has been said that a full bus could possibly eliminate possibly up to 50 cars on the road. Not only are they traveling “green” by riding a motorcoach, but they are riding in luxury and comfort with Arrow Stage Lines. With a fleet of coaches which is 70% are model years 2010 or newer, passengers know that they are getting top class comfort and service with Arrow.
“Here at Arrow, we are thankful for our team that is pushing themselves every day to be safer, better, and “greener.” said Arrow Stage Lines’ CEO and President, Steve Busskohl. “With a company our size, we could make a big dent and be a great example to our peers on how to provide environmentally friendly practices in both operations and motorcoachs. We are proud to receive such a great award and we will record this as a great milestone in our “going green” process.”
