In June and July of 2009, a survey was conducted to better understand business and environmental concerns among North American motorcoach operators. This survey is part of the Green Coach Certification research program led by a team at the University of Vermont.
The Green Coach Certification program hopes to develop, test, and evaluate standards and protocols for a Green Coach Certification program, which will offer recognition to any motorcoach complying with its specific standards. See the pilot GCC labels.
Program specifics
Why green certification and motorcoaches?
How does this effect CTI clients?
More information
Program specifics
The Green Coach Certification Research initiative (GCC) is part of a multi-year project being developed at the University of Vermont, in close collaboration with the American Bus Association (ABA) and the United Motorcoach Association (UMA).
This research focuses on the following:
• the interplay of business and environmental concerns among motorcoach operators, tour operators, and riders.
• the development, testing, and evaluation of an 18 month pilot “Green Coach Certification” program for the motorcoach industry.
Why green certification and motorcoaches?
Increasing the use of alternative-fuel technologies and multimodal transportation systems are, at present, national priorities for the United States Department of Transportation, which ultimately hopes to reduce our nation’s reliance on foreign oil and decrease greenhouse gas emissions.
Motorcoaches carried more passengers in 2005 than either the airline industry or Amtrak and commuter rail combined. In addition to being the most utilized form of mass transportation, motorcoaches may also be the most fuel efficient, averaging about 150 passenger miles per gallon (Nathan Associates, 2007).
Green Coach Certification for Premier Coach Company
During scoping sessions conducted by the University of Vermont, anecdotal evidence suggested that most consumers do not make a strong connection between motorcoach travel and sustainable transportation.
Although it is perhaps the greenest form of mass transportation, the motorcoach industry is estimated to consume more than 400 million gallons of petroleum fuel each year. What is encouraging to many motorcoach operators is that, for relatively little effort, they can reduce their environmental impacts and capture positive attention from the press and potential consumers.
The idea behind this research is to better understand if a pilot certification program can help the motorcoach industry’s reputation as an environmentally-friendly mode of transportation that can move travelers from place to place while reducing consumption of petroleum fuels and minimizing greenhouse gas emissions.
How does this effect CTI clients?
As an added value to the project, grant sub-applicants across all regions will benefit from additional one-on-one consultations, education and retrofit guidance from the University of Vermont as part of their Certification (GCC) pilot program for the Motorcoach Industry.
For more information, contact:
David Kestenbaum
University of Vermont Extension
E-mail: David.Kestenbaum@uvm.edu
Telephone: (802) 656-9141
Note: information taken the program packet for field test participants