Need Help with Passenger Bus / Package Express

If you are running regular routes, maybe some local pack and ship type places would be interested.

 

I have sent car parts on a greydog before. That's a similar situation as you are looking for right? With that you would just go to the terminal and tell them you had something to send. I would start putting out the word with local courier services with what lanes you will be running, they could probably send stuff with you cheaper then sending their own van on longer runs. As far as mixing passengers and cargo upstairs they is probably a bad idea. I only say that because what happens if you hit something and the wall breaks and the cargo kills you and your passengers. Just looking at a worst case scenario.

 

I'll tell you as a passenger if I had to wait for the bus to get packages loaded or unloaded I'd be pissed. Or even going out of route to a warehouse, etc. Never use the service again and I'll make sure everyone I know doesn't.

Plus, what warehouse would let a bus full of people in the warehouse anyway. I mean we are talking needing to go to warehouses aren't we? Where else would you get 1/2 a bus worth of stuff to haul?

And last, how would HOS be handled? Passenger and property have two different requirements. Which one will the officer on the side of the road apply, and do you have a recovery plan when you are placed OOS for 10 hours because the officer chooses to use the other set?

 

I do not know of any small package brokers. Perhaps joining a motor coach teade association could help you network and learn of these opportunities.

As for removing half your seats, no it will not reduce your insurance requirements as they are based upon design capacity of the motor coach. Further, you would have to get a final stage manufacturer to sign off on the conversion from passenger to cargo space, which may not be possible. Actually, I doubt you could make the conversion legally.

As for DOT compliance, you are a passenger carrier and as such are only authorized to carry small parcels along regular routes. If you want to haul cargo then get a truck and add property carrier authority to your company.

If your regular route service only calls for 15 passenger seating why not downsize to a smaller bus and save yourself the costs of operating the larger coach? Otherwise you need to find other passenger carriers to interline with.

 

people ship stuff all the time with grave h. some of the express carrier parts people order. are put on a bus and shipped

 

Have you spent any money on marketing? I would think that making sure your company comes up when someone Googles “express shipping from x to x” would be money well spent. You need to make sure that people think of you when something has to get there faster than overnight. You’re competing with companies that offer door to door overnight service, so you need to advertise your speed.

And if you don’t have the passengers for a large bus I would look into downsizing. Surely a Sprinter would be cheaper to operate than a regular bus.