Coach USA
Encyclopedia
Coach USA LLC is a holding company for various American
transportation service providers providing scheduled intercity bus service, local and commuter bus transit, city sightseeing, tour, yellow school bus, and charter bus service. It is owned by the Scottish
transport company Stagecoach Group
.
and later along the Jersey Shore
and throughout the New York metropolitan area
founded by Jim and Denis Gallagher. Community Coach
, today the headquarters of Coach USA, began operations in 1958 under Denis's brother, John. The latter took over the operations of Consolidated Bus Lines, using the operating authority of another company that the Gallagher family had purchased in Paramus, New Jersey
three years prior; through other acquisitions by the Gallagher family, six of these companies would become subsidiaries of Coach USA at its inception in 1995, when Frank Gallagher sold the firms to Notre Capital Ventures.
At its inception, Coach USA consisted of six companies: Suburban Trails
, Community Coach
, Leisure Line, and Adventure Trails in New Jersey, Gray Line of San Francisco, and Arrow Stage Line in Arizona (not to be confused with unaffiliated Arrow Stage Lines). Listing on the NASDAQ
in 1996 under ticker TOUR, and later switching to the New York Stock Exchange
under stock ticker CYI, Coach USA, under the leadership of Richard Kristinik, would expand quickly, acquiring companies throughout the United States in the next three years to expand to over 5,000 buses and many more taxicabs, as its acquisitions also included yellow cab firms throughout the United States. During this time, the Gallagher family would start another company, Student Transportation of America
, based in the area of its Coast Cities operation.
In 1998, Kristinik retired, and Larry King succeeded him. Stagecoach Group
would purchase Coach USA in mid-1999 for $1.88 billion USD
.
Under Stagecoach ownership and the helm of Frank Gallagher, the owner of its predecessors, Coach USA sought to continue expansion, but the company, hit hard by the loss of charter business after the September 11, 2001 attacks
, caused Stagecoach to crash to a loss of over ₤
524 million, at which point Stagecoach, having lost over 70 percent of its investment and now under the leadership of its founder, Brian Souter
, after the downturn cost the previous CEO of Stagecoach his job, announced that all of the taxicab operations and most of Coach USA's subsidiaries were for sale, as Stagecoach sought to focus mostly on operations in the northeast, where Coach USA today maintains subsidized transit operations and scheduled service.
Retrenching, Stagecoach sold its companies in New England
to Peter Pan Bus Lines
. Companies in the Southwest, West, and Rocky Mountain regions were sold to Kohlberg Kravis Roberts to form Coach America
, and companies in the southeastern United States were sold to Lincolnshire Management
, rebranded as American Coach Lines (which was merged with Coach America in 2006), all at heavy losses. The contract transit division was flipped to competitor First Transit
. As a result of the sale of most of Coach USA's operations, the company's headquarters were relocated from Texas to the Community Coach
garage in Paramus, New Jersey
.
Coach USA's operations today consist primarily of scheduled services in New York metropolitan area
and Chicago metropolitan area, with a number of charter operations near Pittsburgh
and scheduled operations in the Southern Tier
of New York and southern Wisconsin
.
), Northeast, North Central, Southeast (now under the American Coach Lines brand of Coach America
), South Central (now owned by Coach America), and West (now owned by Coach America)), now operates all of its operations in two divisions, Northeast and North Central.:
, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC, servicing cities in the Midwest from a hub in Chicago and in the Northeast from a hub in New York City. Megabus also operated from a hub in Los Angeles
to points in California, Arizona, and Las Vegas, Nevada
(contracting with Coach America
to provide the service), but because of insufficient ridership, service in the western United States was withdrawn on June 22, 2008 after only 10 months.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
transportation service providers providing scheduled intercity bus service, local and commuter bus transit, city sightseeing, tour, yellow school bus, and charter bus service. It is owned by the Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
transport company Stagecoach Group
Stagecoach Group
Stagecoach Group plc is an international transport group operating buses, trains, trams, express coaches and ferries. The group was founded in 1980 by the current chairman, Sir Brian Souter, his sister, Ann Gloag, and her former husband Robin...
.
History
Coach USA traces its history back to 1922 as Lackawanna Bus and later Consolidated Bus Lines, a small outfit operating local service in Bergen County, New JerseyBergen County, New Jersey
Bergen County is the most populous county of the state of New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 905,116. The county is part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Hackensack...
and later along the Jersey Shore
Jersey Shore
The Jersey Shore is a term used to refer to both the Atlantic coast of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the adjacent resort and residential communities. . The New Jersey State Department of Tourism considers the Shore Region, Greater Atlantic City, and the Southern Shore to be distinct, each having...
and throughout the New York metropolitan area
New York metropolitan area
The New York metropolitan area, also known as Greater New York, or the Tri-State area, is the region that composes of New York City and the surrounding region...
founded by Jim and Denis Gallagher. Community Coach
Community Coach
Community Coach is a bus operator in northern New Jersey owned by Coach USA, operating fixed route and charter service.-Directly controlled:Community Coach, as Community Transit Lines, operates a single line run from New York to Morristown, the #77 line, via Main Street in Orange, Route 10, and...
, today the headquarters of Coach USA, began operations in 1958 under Denis's brother, John. The latter took over the operations of Consolidated Bus Lines, using the operating authority of another company that the Gallagher family had purchased in Paramus, New Jersey
Paramus, New Jersey
Paramus is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 26,342. A suburb of New York City, Paramus is located between 15–20 miles northwest of Midtown Manhattan and approximately west of Upper Manhattan.Paramus is one of...
three years prior; through other acquisitions by the Gallagher family, six of these companies would become subsidiaries of Coach USA at its inception in 1995, when Frank Gallagher sold the firms to Notre Capital Ventures.
At its inception, Coach USA consisted of six companies: Suburban Trails
Suburban Trails
Coach USA Suburban Transit , a bus operator in central New Jersey providing line run service from Middlesex County to New York City and local bus service along the Lincoln Highway and Route 130 in Middlesex County.-Routes:-External links:**...
, Community Coach
Community Coach
Community Coach is a bus operator in northern New Jersey owned by Coach USA, operating fixed route and charter service.-Directly controlled:Community Coach, as Community Transit Lines, operates a single line run from New York to Morristown, the #77 line, via Main Street in Orange, Route 10, and...
, Leisure Line, and Adventure Trails in New Jersey, Gray Line of San Francisco, and Arrow Stage Line in Arizona (not to be confused with unaffiliated Arrow Stage Lines). Listing on the NASDAQ
NASDAQ
The NASDAQ Stock Market, also known as the NASDAQ, is an American stock exchange. "NASDAQ" originally stood for "National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations". It is the second-largest stock exchange by market capitalization in the world, after the New York Stock Exchange. As of...
in 1996 under ticker TOUR, and later switching to the New York Stock Exchange
New York Stock Exchange
The New York Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located at 11 Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, New York City, USA. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed companies at 13.39 trillion as of Dec 2010...
under stock ticker CYI, Coach USA, under the leadership of Richard Kristinik, would expand quickly, acquiring companies throughout the United States in the next three years to expand to over 5,000 buses and many more taxicabs, as its acquisitions also included yellow cab firms throughout the United States. During this time, the Gallagher family would start another company, Student Transportation of America
Student Transportation of America
Student Transportation Inc. , doing business as Student Transportation of America and Student Transportation of Canada , is a school bus contractor based in New Jersey.- History :...
, based in the area of its Coast Cities operation.
In 1998, Kristinik retired, and Larry King succeeded him. Stagecoach Group
Stagecoach Group
Stagecoach Group plc is an international transport group operating buses, trains, trams, express coaches and ferries. The group was founded in 1980 by the current chairman, Sir Brian Souter, his sister, Ann Gloag, and her former husband Robin...
would purchase Coach USA in mid-1999 for $1.88 billion USD
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
.
Under Stagecoach ownership and the helm of Frank Gallagher, the owner of its predecessors, Coach USA sought to continue expansion, but the company, hit hard by the loss of charter business after the September 11, 2001 attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
, caused Stagecoach to crash to a loss of over ₤
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
524 million, at which point Stagecoach, having lost over 70 percent of its investment and now under the leadership of its founder, Brian Souter
Brian Souter
Sir Brian Souter , is a Scottish businessman. He is the co-founder of the Stagecoach Group, along with his sister, Ann Gloag. He is also widely known for his controversial public statements and for his attempt to keep Section 28 in law, which led to widespread accusations of homophobia...
, after the downturn cost the previous CEO of Stagecoach his job, announced that all of the taxicab operations and most of Coach USA's subsidiaries were for sale, as Stagecoach sought to focus mostly on operations in the northeast, where Coach USA today maintains subsidized transit operations and scheduled service.
Retrenching, Stagecoach sold its companies in New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
to Peter Pan Bus Lines
Peter Pan Bus Lines
Peter Pan Bus Lines is a long-distance bus carrier headquartered in Springfield, Massachusetts. It operates in the northeastern United States. Over four million passengers per year travel on Peter Pan's bus routes....
. Companies in the Southwest, West, and Rocky Mountain regions were sold to Kohlberg Kravis Roberts to form Coach America
Coach America
Coach America, also doing business as American Coach Lines, is a holding company for American bus services owned by New York-based private equity firm Fenway Partners operating under the Coach America, American Coach Lines, and Gray Line names...
, and companies in the southeastern United States were sold to Lincolnshire Management
Lincolnshire Management
Lincolnshire Management is a private equity firm focused on leveraged buyout investments in middle-market companies across a range of industries.The firm, which is based in New York City, was founded in 1985 by Frank Wright and Steven Kumble...
, rebranded as American Coach Lines (which was merged with Coach America in 2006), all at heavy losses. The contract transit division was flipped to competitor First Transit
First Transit
First Transit, a division of FirstGroup America, is a United States-based subsidiary of the United Kingdom-based FirstGroup. It provides contract public transit and paratransit services, transit management services and transit consulting throughout North America...
. As a result of the sale of most of Coach USA's operations, the company's headquarters were relocated from Texas to the Community Coach
Community Coach
Community Coach is a bus operator in northern New Jersey owned by Coach USA, operating fixed route and charter service.-Directly controlled:Community Coach, as Community Transit Lines, operates a single line run from New York to Morristown, the #77 line, via Main Street in Orange, Route 10, and...
garage in Paramus, New Jersey
Paramus, New Jersey
Paramus is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 26,342. A suburb of New York City, Paramus is located between 15–20 miles northwest of Midtown Manhattan and approximately west of Upper Manhattan.Paramus is one of...
.
Coach USA's operations today consist primarily of scheduled services in New York metropolitan area
New York metropolitan area
The New York metropolitan area, also known as Greater New York, or the Tri-State area, is the region that composes of New York City and the surrounding region...
and Chicago metropolitan area, with a number of charter operations near Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
and scheduled operations in the Southern Tier
Southern Tier
The Southern Tier is a geographical term that refers to the counties of New York State west of the Catskill Mountains along the northern border of Pennsylvania. It is a loosely defined term that generally includes the counties that border Pennsylvania west of Delaware County inclusive...
of New York and southern Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
.
Divisions
Coach USA, which once had six divisions (New England (now owned by Peter PanPeter Pan Bus Lines
Peter Pan Bus Lines is a long-distance bus carrier headquartered in Springfield, Massachusetts. It operates in the northeastern United States. Over four million passengers per year travel on Peter Pan's bus routes....
), Northeast, North Central, Southeast (now under the American Coach Lines brand of Coach America
Coach America
Coach America, also doing business as American Coach Lines, is a holding company for American bus services owned by New York-based private equity firm Fenway Partners operating under the Coach America, American Coach Lines, and Gray Line names...
), South Central (now owned by Coach America), and West (now owned by Coach America)), now operates all of its operations in two divisions, Northeast and North Central.:
- Northeast: Based in Paramus, New Jersey, this division consists of Coach USA companies based in the New York metropolitan areaNew York metropolitan areaThe New York metropolitan area, also known as Greater New York, or the Tri-State area, is the region that composes of New York City and the surrounding region...
and the Southern TierSouthern TierThe Southern Tier is a geographical term that refers to the counties of New York State west of the Catskill Mountains along the northern border of Pennsylvania. It is a loosely defined term that generally includes the counties that border Pennsylvania west of Delaware County inclusive...
of New York State.- Community CoachCommunity CoachCommunity Coach is a bus operator in northern New Jersey owned by Coach USA, operating fixed route and charter service.-Directly controlled:Community Coach, as Community Transit Lines, operates a single line run from New York to Morristown, the #77 line, via Main Street in Orange, Route 10, and...
(headquarters of Northeast Division and Coach USA) - Twin America LLC (operator of Gray Line New York Sightseeing, joint venture with New York Airport Service)
- Olympia TrailsOlympia TrailsOlympia Trails, also doing business under the brands Orange Newark Elizabeth Bus for local bus service in Essex and Union counties in New Jersey, Red & Tan in Hudson County for operations in Hudson County, New Jersey, and Megabus Northeast, LLC for the Megabus service that it directly operates,...
(also includes Red & Tan in Hudson County, ONE/Independent Bus, and Megabus Northeast) - Rockland Coaches (also includes dedicated Transport of Rockland operations)
- Short Line Bus (also includes Chenango Valley Bus Lines)
- Suburban TrailsSuburban TrailsCoach USA Suburban Transit , a bus operator in central New Jersey providing line run service from Middlesex County to New York City and local bus service along the Lincoln Highway and Route 130 in Middlesex County.-Routes:-External links:**...
(also includes Cape Transit)
- Community Coach
- North Central: Based in Des Plaines, Illinois, this division consists of Coach USA companies based near Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaPittsburgh, PennsylvaniaPittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
and ChicagoChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, IllinoisIllinoisIllinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
.- Butler Motor Transit (also includes Coach USA Erie and Gad-About Tours)
- Keeshin Charter Service (Coach USA Chicago and Megabus USA (Midwest operations))
- Central Cab Company (also includes Country Road Tours, Mountaineer Coach, and Park Tours)
- Lenzner Coach Lines
- Tri State/United Limo
- Sam Van Galder, Inc.Van Galder Bus CompanyVan Galder Bus Company, legally Sam Van Galder, Inc. is a subsidiary of Coach USA, headquarterd in Janesville, Wisconsin. It had been a family-owned business for over 50 years, until it was sold in 1999 to the Stagecoach Group, who retained Stephen Van Galder as president, under the Coach USA banner...
- Wisconsin Coach LinesWisconsin Coach LinesWisconsin Coach Lines is a commuter bus service, intercity carrier, and school bus company based in Waukesha, Wisconsin. WCL, founded in 1941 as Waukesha Transit Lines, is a subsidiary of Coach USA.- Overview :...
Megabus
In the midwestern and northeastern United States, Megabus, a no-frills intercity bus service, consists of two networks of services based out of Chicago, New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC, servicing cities in the Midwest from a hub in Chicago and in the Northeast from a hub in New York City. Megabus also operated from a hub in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
to points in California, Arizona, and Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
(contracting with Coach America
Coach America
Coach America, also doing business as American Coach Lines, is a holding company for American bus services owned by New York-based private equity firm Fenway Partners operating under the Coach America, American Coach Lines, and Gray Line names...
to provide the service), but because of insufficient ridership, service in the western United States was withdrawn on June 22, 2008 after only 10 months.
See also
- Coach AmericaCoach AmericaCoach America, also doing business as American Coach Lines, is a holding company for American bus services owned by New York-based private equity firm Fenway Partners operating under the Coach America, American Coach Lines, and Gray Line names...
- owner of former Coach USA West, South Central, and Southeast Divisions - Peter Pan Bus LinesPeter Pan Bus LinesPeter Pan Bus Lines is a long-distance bus carrier headquartered in Springfield, Massachusetts. It operates in the northeastern United States. Over four million passengers per year travel on Peter Pan's bus routes....
- owner of former Coach USA New England Division - Student Transportation of AmericaStudent Transportation of AmericaStudent Transportation Inc. , doing business as Student Transportation of America and Student Transportation of Canada , is a school bus contractor based in New Jersey.- History :...
- another company founded by the Gallagher family