Most operators know that the EPA is mandating that engines meet even stricter emissions standards for 2010, and MCI is getting ready. Terry Loewen, MCI powertrain commodity manager, notes that MCI has been working on its prototypes, including the Cummins engines that will enable MCI coaches to meet the new standards by reducing nitrogen oxide emissions by about 83 percent. The 2010 Cummins engines, which use a Selective Catalytic Reduction system that includes a urea-based Diesel Exhaust Fluid, are expected to show up in MCI coaches in mid  2010.

"The SCR urea system has been working great in Europe," says Loewen. "Their emissions standards are different, but this is the next step. It's a proven technology, which is one of the reasons Cummins has gone with it. We're working on tanks, heating systems and some slight frame modifications to make sure that we have a solution that works well for our customers." It's expected that by the time the new engine equipped coaches hit the streets, the U.S. will be well supplied with DEF fill facilities, as drivers will have to periodically refill their tanks.

Until then, operators continue to make the most of their current clean-air MCI coaches.

Ambassatours Gray Line is one carrier that's creating opportunities with its current fleet of clean-air coaches. On June 3, Canada's Clean Air Day, the company teamed up with IDLEFREE.org and the Children's Clean-Air Network to promote greener motoring.

"The media and public saw a big Idle-Free bus on Clean Air Day, but we've been working behind the scenes to train our drivers on the importance of cutting idle-time with the Children's Clean Air Network for weeks now," says Dennis Campbell, Ambassatours president.

Ambassatours has set its goal at five minutes of idling a day per coach. "The drivers have really bought in," says Gary Powell, Ambassatours vice president, who says that dashboard stickers and license plates help reinforce the message. Drivers have become adept at communicating the message to passengers, explaining why a few minutes on a warm or cool bus is for the public good.

Powell says there's been another benefit to reducing idling — it saves the company money. Ambassatours offers its drivers incentives to meet the idling goal, which onboard GPS units help track. Whether or not adopting a green policy helps bring in the business remains up for question. Powell doesn't expect that the idle-free campaign will translate directly into higher ridership, but the company has been building its name and goodwill with green-themed advertising and a sophisticated online calculator that helps passengers compare both emissions and dollar cost of their planned trip, depending on whether they're taking cars or riding with Ambassatours.

Says Powell, "We think that they won't make the decision to go by coach on green motivation alone, but if the cost of their trip is the same, or they save a little bit of money, they might decide that taking a coach is a good thing to do, because it's for their kids and for the future."

The green credentials of the coach industry got another shot in the arm recently when the Union of Concerned Scientists concluded that motor coaches are the greenest way to go. The report attracted a good deal of media attention, and it even included a few travel tips for green-thinking consumers. The UCS suggested pledging to travel in a green manner; sending e-cards to friends and family; and traveling in groups. Now that's something we all can get on board with.

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