Lancaster – The Antelope Valley Transit Authority (AVTA) Stuff-a-Bus is moving full speed ahead with its annual holiday toy drive! AVTA’s staff and charity volunteers have been busy collecting donations of new toys and clothing items for local children in need this holiday season. Their goal is to collect enough toys, clothing, and other gifts to fill up the 40’ specially decorated bus to the roof. With nearly $24,000 raised by community business sponsors to help purchase items for the toy drive, the bus is bursting with holiday cheer and the transit agency is more than halfway towards its goal.
The record number of toys and gifts collected so far would not have been possible without the generous support of major sponsors like Walmart, Complete Coach Works, BYD, Transdev, Granite Construction, Rally Chevrolet, and the Jethawks, who collectively donated more than half of the overall total cash raised to purchase gifts for the Valley’s less fortunate children.
The cities of Lancaster and Palmdale are also getting into the action by hosting special events to support AVTA’s Stuff-a-Bus. The City of Palmdale is again challenging its employees to donate to Stuff-a-Bus with a fun contest, and has pledged a minimum of 400 toys and gifts for the event, while officials from the City of Lancaster and Remax will join forces on a shopping excursion to help “Stuff That Bus!” even more!
“The AVTA holiday toy drive is an incredible community effort that highlights the unity of Antelope Valley residents,” said AVTA Chair Marvin Crist. “Stuff-a-Bus has been a success for more than 20 years, thanks to support from the business community and from local charity volunteers, who step up year after year to help without hesitation.”
AVTA officials estimate they have collected approximately 3,000 toys and gifts so far, but there is room for more and the agency hopes to fill in the gaps this weekend with two more opportunities for AV residents to donate to AVTA’s Stuff-a-Bus. On Saturday, December 12, the Stuff-A-Bus will take part in the Palmdale Chamber of Commerce William J. “Pete” Knight “Frozen” Christmas Parade. Later that same day, the bus will be part of “A Magical BLVD Christmas” on Lancaster Blvd. From 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., the Stuff-a-Bus will be ready and waiting for donations of new unwrapped toys and clothing. A large quantity of new toys will be on hand at this event, and for a small donation, folks can choose an item to stuff inside the bus. The final opportunity to help “Stuff That Bus!” will be on Sunday, December 13th, at the Antelope Valley Mall front entrance, from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Residents can also stop by Palmdale City Hall, Monday through Thursday between 7:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. until December 14, to drop off a donation.
“The holidays are the perfect time of year to do things for others,” says AVTA Executive Director Len Engel. “We provide a service to the community every day, but the holidays are when we try to do something special for those who need it most. It’s AVTA’s way of promoting goodwill and cheer within the community.”
All items donated will stay in the Antelope Valley, and will benefit children from Grace Resource Center, South Antelope Valley Emergency Services of Palmdale (SAVES), Children’s Center of the Antelope Valley, Children’s Bureau, the Child and Family Guidance Center and the Marco & Sandra Johnson Foundation. Volunteers from each charity, along with AVTA staff members, will gather in the AVTA Community Room on December 17 at 10:00 a.m. for the Bagging Party, to bag up all of the donated toys and clothes. Each charity will be prepared to haul their goodies away for final distribution to the families they serve. The public is welcome to attend.
AVTA provides local, commuter, and dial-a-ride service to a population of more than 450,000 residents in the cities of Lancaster and Palmdale as well as the unincorporated portions of northern Los Angeles County. Its total service area covers 1,200 square miles and it is bounded by the Kern County line to the north, the San Bernardino County line to the east, the Angeles National Forest to the south, and Interstate 5 to the West.
Riverside, CA – Complete Coach Works (CCW) is pleased to announce it has completed the installation of Diesel Particulate Filters (DPF’s) on 20 coach buses for El Paso-Los Angeles Limousine Express, Inc. (EPLA).
The project ensures that coaches operated by EPLA meet particulate emission standards for diesel-powered vehicles set by various regulatory agencies.
Several days of data logging on each engine was performed to obtain crucial information about the vehicle’s exhaust system.
The data logger, which is temporarily installed on each vehicle, documents exhaust temperatures during normal engine operation. Exhaust temperatures, which can be influenced by vehicle speed, load, idling, ambient air temperatures and driver tendencies, can impact the operation of the proper filter.
After data logging, each engine underwent an assessment for flaws such as oil leaks, heavy smoke and exhaust leaks.
The assessment was then preceded by the installation of the DPF, which is a three-day process. Every EPLA coach received the same type of passive filter, which can be removed, cleaned and replaced while the coaches are in the shop for routine maintenance.
“These are tour buses. They have a tight allocation for where the filter can be mounted, but even with that challenge we were able to complete a successful installation,” stated CCW Representative, Mando Aguirre.
The project has allowed CCW to prove its ability to provide sound, secure installations during a short time frame to avoid affecting the company’s scheduled operations.
Per Aguirre, “The most important thing is for our customers to know that if they have a diesel particulate filter installed at CCW, they will have a filter that has been installed in a safe process with all the due diligence done in regards to safety and the safe operation of that filter.”
Complete Coach Works is the largest U.S. bus remanufacturing and rehabilitation company and the leading provider of a vast array of transportation solutions with over 28 years of dedicated service in the transportation industry. Regardless of how small or large the job, CCW provides an exceptionally experienced team of over 350 experts, committed to customer service and satisfaction.
El Paso-Los Angeles Limousine Express, Inc. was established in 1966 to provide low-cost transportation between Los Angeles and El Paso with few stops. It has since expanded to more
than 20 bus terminals in six states, with main terminals in El Paso, Albuquerque, Denver, Phoenix, Las Vegas and Los Angeles. The company also offers fast shipping and charter services to schools, government agencies and professional sports teams.
Riverside, CA – Complete Coach Works (CCW) has completed its contract with Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority (DART) to rebuild six articulated low floor buses to help provide exceptional service to DART’s customers.
The 60 foot low floor buses are replacing high floor buses and include newly installed ramps, remanufactured power trains, transmissions, engines, brakes, and are equipped with two ADA compliant wheelchair positions.
CCW’s Regional Sales Manager, Jay Raber, said “this is a really exciting project because the improved ADA accessibility will bring satisfaction with new ramps that make onboarding and off-boarding easy, safe, and fast.”
Scott Reed, Maintenance Manager at DART, said this project was essential for DART because six buses were in need of replacement. He said that new bus “purchases would have had to be spread over, five years, but this enabled us to do our complete replacement within one year.”
Reed stated his satisfaction with the complete project, saying “the project went very smoothly, very much as planned, we are very happy with the final product… CCW has been very helpful, they had people on-site during the whole delivery, from bus one to bus six.
Besides being used on original high volume routes, the buses will also help Des Moinesians enjoy the state fair.
Complete Coach Works is the largest U.S. bus remanufacturing and rehabilitation company and the leading provider of a vast array of transportation solutions with over 28 years of dedicated service in the transportation industry. CCW a pioneer in the business and strives to continually provide cleaner air through innovative design and engineering resulting in the world’s first and only remanufactured all-electric battery powered bus. Developed exclusively by CCW, the ZEPS technology was integrated in order to provide customers an affordable route to eco-friendly transportation, potentially revolutionizing the transportation industry while supporting the environment for future generations. Regardless of how small or large the job, CCW provides an exceptionally experienced team of over 350 experts, committed to customer service and satisfaction.
The Des Moines Area Regional Transit (DART) Authority puts the customer first while providing safe, innovative and efficient public transportation service to the region. Local and state leaders created DART out of the Des Moines Metropolitan Transit Authority, or MTA, in 2006. DART is the largest public transit agency in Iowa, serving 18 cities in and around Polk County to varying degrees. DART is operated with the support of local property taxes and fare revenue.
Riverside, CA – Complete Coach Works (CCW) is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a contract to provide seven refurbished low floor buses to Metro St. Louis, MO.
“The 40-foot buses will be used in regular service in Metro’s St. Clair County Division in Illinois and to transport St. Louis Cardinal fans to the downtown St. Louis stadium on game days,” said Dale Schaefer of Metro St. Louis. “For a high-profile service like that, we like to use the newly purchased CCW buses.”
The buses will undergo a complete refurbishment at CCW that will include the power train and suspension, wheelchair fold-out ramps, and complete interior and exterior rehabilitation.
“This is our third project with St. Louis Metro in three years,” Jay Raber with CCW said. “They have been pleased with our work in the past and we strive to continue a successful relationship with them.”
In previous contracts with CCW, Metro St. Louis bought 10 buses for the St. Clair County Division and 15 refurbished articulated buses for use in St. Louis on routes with the heaviest passenger loads, Schaefer said.
Complete Coach Works is the largest U.S. bus remanufacturing and rehabilitation company and the leading provider of a vast array of transportation solutions with more than 28 years of dedicated service in the transportation industry. Regardless of how small or large the job, CCW provides an exceptionally experienced team of more than 350 experts committed to customer service and satisfaction.
Metro St. Louis operates the region’s public transportation system, which includes the 46-mile MetroLink light rail system; the 391-vehicle MetroBus vehicle fleet that operates on 77 routes in Missouri and Illinois; and Metro Call-A-Ride, a 120-van para-transit fleet. Metro is an enterprise of Bi-State Development, which also owns and operates St. Louis Downtown Airport, the Gateway Arch Riverboats and the Gateway Arch trams.
Riverside, CA – Complete Coach Works (CCW) is pleased to announce it has finished a contract from City Utilities of Springfield (CU) of supplying seven rehabilitated 35-foot low-floor buses.
The buses are equipped with remanufactured engines and rebuilt transmissions as a cost effective method of quickly acquiring improved buses.
The two-door 35-foot remanufactured buses will ease the onboarding process, expedite stops, allow an increase in rider capacity, and significantly improve wheelchair accessibility.
Jay Raber, CCW’s Regional Sales Manager, says “this project is outstanding because we were able to provide CU with their first set of remanufactured vehicles, which is not only economically convenient for them, but also helps the environment by allowing true recycling of buses.”
CCW’s rehabilitated buses will help alleviate City Utilities of Springfield’s four heaviest routes by providing reliable buses for years to come.
City Utilities of Springfield (CU) is a progressive, community-owned utility serving southwest Missouri with electricity, natural gas, water, broadband, and transit services. CU has operated the public transit system since 1945. The transit system offers both fixed day and evening routes, encompassing over 172 miles. Additionally, CU offers a paratransit service (Access Express) that provides rides to passengers who require additional resources to facilitate their bus travel.
Complete Coach Works is the largest U.S. bus remanufacturing and rehabilitation company and the leading provider of a vast array of transportation solutions with over 28 years of dedicated service in the transportation industry. CCW is a pioneer in the business and strives to continually provide cleaner air through innovative design and engineering resulting in the world’s first and only remanufactured all-electric battery powered bus. Developed and integrated by CCW, the Zero Emission Propulsion System (ZEPS) technology provides customers a cost effective alternative to green transportation, potentially revolutionizing the transportation industry while supporting the environment for future generations. Regardless of how small or large the job, CCW provides an exceptionally experienced team of over 350 experts, committed to customer service and satisfaction.
Riverside, CA – Complete Coach Works (CCW) has finalized their contract with Napa Valley Transit (NVT). The contract consisted of retrofitting Q’Pod wheelchair securing stations in thirteen NVT buses.
The project entailed the installation of 2 Q’Pod stations per bus on thirteen 35 foot buses. Four seats were removed to create the area designated for the Q’Pods, demonstrating CCW’s ability to reconfigure existing seating. These particular Q’Pods are known for their safety features such as the 3-point securement system, the stabilizing bumper, and the integrated shoulder belt. These components assure safety and reduce the risk of wheelchair tip-overs and are ADA compliant. Using expertise in the field, CCW sent technicians on-site to Napa’s facility to do the retrofitting, offering NVT a convenient and timely scheduled project.
CCW’s general sales manager, Kevin O’Brien, states “even though CCW has done retrofits and rehabs for NVT in the past, it has been an exciting project and a great opportunity for our team to supply NVT with a wheelchair system that cuts down time spent on securement.”
Tom Roberts, NVT’s Manager of Transit, shared “on-time performance is really important in the transit industry. The purpose of retrofitting our buses with the installment of Q’Pods was to make wheelchair loading faster and easier for disabled passengers. In the process, expediting the loading/unloading, and keeping our routes on time.”
CCW is proud to have been given the opportunity to support NVT in strengthening their service.
Complete Coach Works is the largest U.S. bus remanufacturing and rehabilitation company as well as the leading provider of a vast array of transportation solutions with over 28 years of dedicated service in the transportation industry. CCW is a pioneer in the business and strives to continually provide cleaner air through innovative design and engineering, resulting in the world’s first and only remanufactured all-electric battery powered bus. Developed and integrated by CCW, the Zero Emission Propulsion System (ZEPS) technology provides customers a highly cost effective alternative to green transportation, potentially revolutionizing the transportation industry while supporting the environment for future generations. Regardless of how small or large the job, CCW provides an exceptionally experienced team of over 350 experts, committed to customer service and satisfaction.
Napa Valley Transit (also known as VINE Transit) focuses on providing sustainable, accessible, community-focused transportation options that are innovative and environmentally responsible. Its routes offer service to people throughout the Napa County Region.
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