Jump to content

Starting A Privite Bus Company With Passenger Service.


N-Trizzy2609

Recommended Posts

Alight lately I've been working on plans to run a bus service out in central Jersey. It will be a rush hour and midday service, it's route shall remain withheld but it does cross two states. Now here's what I've racked up so far.

 

The Needs:

-State Approval

-County Approval

-Funding and tons of it.

-A small bus garage.

-A good fleet with about 7-8 buses.

-A good list of bus drivers, mechinics, and washmen.

 

What else am I missing? Note that this line will be service and would operate similar to Private Transportation B110 Line cept not limited to any religion lol.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Ok, so it may have been a good idea you drew up on paper but:

 

Running a bus company aint as easy as it looks. Alot of bus companies fold because simply they aint making the money due to other companies. Maintaining 7-8 buses aint cheap, buying the buses aint cheap, you need lawyers, you need accountants, you need money to cover the payrolls, you have to pay to advertise this company, and the biggest issue of them all is none other then the TOWNS!

 

Your 18 years old, you got 3yrs before you can even drive a bus; you cant even apply for a CDL with Air Brakes and Passenger endorsements yet. You need a DLs for atleast 3 years. Do some growing first, wait til you turn 21, get a CDL and work in a company so you can see what is going on. This idea may have sounded good talking to a couple friends, but you have to wake up and smell the coffee. Apply at NJT for a bus cleaner, we have a ton of 18yr olds as cleaners, however most of them are friends and family of drivers. Go to Academy, I saw some young guys in there cleaning those buses.

 

On that list of yours i didnt even see the D.O.T Approvals, man you have alot of growing to do. Starting a mini transit agency you will have to get past NJTs bullshyt if your going to even consider running on a route that even crosses a NJT route(let alone run on one with a NJT bus). You think Academy had a easy day?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I say this. You have a good idea there, but even before the CDL and all that, you need to address funding. If you are not driving, then you don't have to worry about the licence issue.

 

I personally don't think you are too young at all. I started working on my dreams when I was 18, and they have become a reality. Never let anyone discourage you!

 

My first question would be how serious are you, and what kind of timeline are you looking at?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I say this. You have a good idea there, but even before the CDL and all that, you need to address funding. If you are not driving, then you don't have to worry about the licence issue.

 

I personally don't think you are too young at all. I started working on my dreams when I was 18, and they have become a reality. Never let anyone discourage you!

 

My first question would be how serious are you, and what kind of timeline are you looking at?

 

Its not a point of discouragement, he just needs to be serious about it. Yeah its a good idea, but he does need to look at everything step by step and funding its the biggest of them all that has to be addressed before all of the above. My point is it would be best to work in a bus company first to see how things are ran to the T.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You are missing proper spelling and grammar, now go back to playing

your video games.

 

Its not a point of discouragement, he just needs to be serious about it. Yeah its a good idea, but he does need to look at everything step by step and funding its the biggest of them all that has to be addressed but all of the above. My point is it would be best to work in a bus company first to see how things are ran to the T.

 

I know where you are coming from, and I think what you suggest is a great idea. Especially if he doesn't know that much about the inner workings of transit. I was more so referring to the above comment yours.

 

And I agree with you 100%. That's why I asked him what I did. His response will tell us how serious he truly is.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ok, so it may have been a good idea you drew up on paper but:

 

Running a bus company aint as easy as it looks. Alot of bus companies fold because simply they aint making the money due to other companies. Maintaining 7-8 buses aint cheap, buying the buses aint cheap, you need lawyers, you need accountants, you need money to cover the payrolls, you have to pay to advertise this company, and the biggest issue of them all is none other then the TOWNS!

 

Your 18 years old, you got 3yrs before you can even drive a bus; you cant even apply for a CDL with Air Brakes and Passenger endorsements yet. You need a DLs for atleast 3 years. Do some growing first, wait til you turn 21, get a CDL and work in a company so you can see what is going on. This idea may have sounded good talking to a couple friends, but you have to wake up and smell the coffee. Apply at NJT for a bus cleaner, we have a ton of 18yr olds as cleaners, however most of them are friends and family of drivers. Go to Academy, I saw some young guys in there cleaning those buses.

 

On that list of yours i didnt even see the D.O.T Approvals, man you have alot of growing to do. Starting a mini transit agency you will have to get past NJTs bullshyt if your going to even consider running on a route that even crosses a NJT route(let alone run on one with a NJT bus). You think Academy had a easy day?

 

I know It's not cake. I did consider the above. I'm already typing up letters for all levels of approval. I'm slowly learning names and addresses to send them too. I'm not just doing this alone. I have a few people who are willing to support this father included. And don't understand estimate me for my age, I honestly act 10x mature then any other 18 year old I know.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I know It's not cake. I did consider the above. I'm already typing up letters for all levels of approval. I'm slowly learning names and addresses to send them too. I'm not just doing this alone. I have a few people who are willing to support this father included. And don't understand estimate me for my age, I honestly act 10x mature then any other 18 year old I know.

 

Do you even have a license let alone a cdl? or commercial credit to get financing for buses? A dot# ect....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I know It's not cake. I did consider the above. I'm already typing up letters for all levels of approval. I'm slowly learning names and addresses to send them too. I'm not just doing this alone. I have a few people who are willing to support this father included. And don't understand estimate me for my age, I honestly act 10x mature then any other 18 year old I know.

 

I never did that. I was simply saying what you need to take into account. I also hear alot of 18yr olds saying they are much more mature then other 18yr olds(not saying your not). But the fact of the matter is, business people will think your a joke. This isnt any knock on you, thats just how they think. You have to prove yourself to them.

 

If you serious go for it, but if you hit any brick walls you have to fight through it cause its not going to be easy.

 

Your typing up letters of approvals, if I were you get a lawyer to proof read it for you, last thing you want is a letter talking up gibberish; sending it as a letterhead ect. You better be sure those other people(not including your dad) are willing to stay in it. Last thing you want is people fighting over who owns what in a business. Because once they name are in that business they can quit on you at anytime because they know they are due 10% or however you'll split it, and can sue you if they feel they are due more.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I never did that. I was simply saying what you need to take into account. I also hear alot of 18yr olds saying they are much more mature then other 18yr olds(not saying your not). But the fact of the matter is, business people will think your a joke. This isnt any knock on you, thats just how they think. You have to prove yourself to them.

 

If you serious go for it, but if you hit any brick walls you have to fight through it cause its not going to be easy.

 

Your typing up letters of approvals, if I were you get a lawyer to proof read it for you, last thing you want is a letter talking up gibberish; sending it as a letterhead ect. You better be sure those other people(not including your dad) are willing to stay in it. Last thing you want is people fighting over who owns what in a business. Because once they name are in that business they can quit on you at anytime because they know they are due 10% or however you'll split it, and can sue you if they feel they are due more.

 

You have 0 experience on how to drive a bus let alone start a bus company, I know sometimes I dream in the shower also but the reality is just the cost of fuel each day will put you out of business in 1 day. insurance, especially you carrying passengers. Maintenance, payroll ......its not as easy as it looks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree with what most people are saying here. You have to learn before you start a company. I suggest you go to college and take Entrepreneurship first and many other business classes. Not just that during your spare time you should work for an existing bus company first so you can understand the basics. Once you learn on how to run a business and on how to run a bus company then you can start up a successful company that won't go bust in 2 months. Remember this one fact too that for every 10 businesses only 1 will succeed so you might have to swing and miss for a while.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would agree with the others here; setting up your own PBL is a good idea but don't get any ideas about having your first bus on the road anytime soon. I came up with a related idea about two years ago through an art/technology center I was interning at; I saw a for-sale ad on one of the old Orion VI buses we used to have for $15,000 and suggested to the people there that we buy it, fix it up again, strip out the seats, and convert it into a traveling ecology exhibit akin to Columbia University's BioBus. The whole thing ran for a couple of weeks, and I got really excited, and then we inevitably took a good look at the personnel and funding needed to make it happen (compared to the center's own short staff and shoestring budget) and the idea fizzled.

 

This academic year my mom landed a position at a struggling charter school, and I landed a one-time data entry gig to help the administrators get their accounts payable organized and digitized. I can't disclose exactly what I saw, but let's just say it was hardly a pretty picture. The school closed for good this June in the kind of financial shape that gives managers nightmares. Having had these two experiences I quickly picked up that coming up with an idea, however well-planned, specific, and even well-funded it may be, is in no way the sole qualification needed to manage the ensuing project or business.

 

If this is something you really want to do, then here's what I would suggest you do:

 

1) When you get into college, you should pursue a dual major or major/minor of business/urban management or planning for undergrad and if possible go for a master's degree in at least one of these areas. The business degree should give you a fair enough understanding of how to manage and run a company to go ahead, and the urban planning degree should give you a general idea of how to plan transit services that will draw in the most riders for the cost.

 

2) Take on an internship at an existing PBL while in college; perhaps you and Mr. Azumah could work something out. It doesn't really matter whether you get paid there or not; you're there to learn those nuts and bolts particular to running a bus company and you're not really ready to leave until you've spent weeks or months in almost all the different departments. Again, this is from experience: I learned how to do independent research not by running around on my own in some uncommonly well-furnished basement somewhere, but by spending well over a thousand hours over the course of three years in a lab working my way up the totem pole.

 

If you can do these things successfully, and by the end of it you still really want your own PBL, then you'll be really ready to start working on proposals, approvals, procurement, etc. because you'll know most if not all of what you're doing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You have 0 experience on how to drive a bus let alone start a bus company, I know sometimes I dream in the shower also but the reality is just the cost of fuel each day will put you out of business in 1 day. insurance, especially you carrying passengers. Maintenance, payroll ......its not as easy as it looks.

 

LOL...

 

I know It's not cake. I did consider the above. I'm already typing up letters for all levels of approval. I'm slowly learning names and addresses to send them too. I'm not just doing this alone. I have a few people who are willing to support this father included. And don't understand estimate me for my age, I honestly act 10x mature then any other 18 year old I know.

 

I say go for it. As a young person, I always hated older people telling me what I couldn't do just because they're jealous old farts. If you've got your dad backing you, that's a start. You do need someone who is going to be loyal in your corner and who better than your dad to be one of them. As the others have said it won't be easy and you do need some experience and have some tough decisions ahead, but I think the fact that you're even thinking about it shows that you're a go getter and I salute you for that. :cool:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You have 0 experience on how to drive a bus let alone start a bus company, I know sometimes I dream in the shower also but the reality is just the cost of fuel each day will put you out of business in 1 day. insurance, especially you carrying passengers. Maintenance, payroll ......its not as easy as it looks.

 

See, I'm not trying to spark light to a pipe dream. Even without experience, if I show the proposed route to the state, dot, county, ect I'm sure they will take a look. It's not like I don't what I'm talking about. I've had this idea for over two years now drawing up plans and working out how am I going to approach this. I DAMN WELL know this isn't like slicing a cake or turning or a screw. So with alot of mind and thought, plus the pick up (The line being a cheaper alternative to get to Lower Manhattan then NJT or PATH,) I'm sure both New York and Jersey will agree on it. The main problem is the DOT and the counties. They both can either deny or give funding. I've learned from higher ups, if it's a vital enough and doesn't follow a current NJT line, then they might fund it well. I see both of those in that plan. (Only one NJT comes close but doesn't even equal half the line.)

 

I would agree with the others here; setting up your own PBL is a good idea but don't get any ideas about having your first bus on the road anytime soon. I came up with a related idea about two years ago through an art/technology center I was interning at; I saw a for-sale ad on one of the old Orion VI buses we used to have for $15,000 and suggested to the people there that we buy it, fix it up again, strip out the seats, and convert it into a traveling ecology exhibit akin to Columbia University's BioBus. The whole thing ran for a couple of weeks, and I got really excited, and then we inevitably took a good look at the personnel and funding needed to make it happen (compared to the center's own short staff and shoestring budget) and the idea fizzled.

 

This academic year my mom landed a position at a struggling charter school, and I landed a one-time data entry gig to help the administrators get their accounts payable organized and digitized. I can't disclose exactly what I saw, but let's just say it was hardly a pretty picture. The school closed for good this June in the kind of financial shape that gives managers nightmares. Having had these two experiences I quickly picked up that coming up with an idea, however well-planned, specific, and even well-funded it may be, is in no way the sole qualification needed to manage the ensuing project or business.

 

If this is something you really want to do, then here's what I would suggest you do:

 

1) When you get into college, you should pursue a dual major or major/minor of business/urban management or planning for undergrad and if possible go for a master's degree in at least one of these areas. The business degree should give you a fair enough understanding of how to manage and run a company to go ahead, and the urban planning degree should give you a general idea of how to plan transit services that will draw in the most riders for the cost.

 

2) Take on an internship at an existing PBL while in college; perhaps you and Mr. Azumah could work something out. It doesn't really matter whether you get paid there or not; you're there to learn those nuts and bolts particular to running a bus company and you're not really ready to leave until you've spent weeks or months in almost all the different departments. Again, this is from experience: I learned how to do independent research not by running around on my own in some uncommonly well-furnished basement somewhere, but by spending well over a thousand hours over the course of three years in a lab working my way up the totem pole.

 

If you can do these things successfully, and by the end of it you still really want your own PBL, then you'll be really ready to start working on proposals, approvals, procurement, etc. because you'll know most if not all of what you're doing.

 

While all of the above is true, I've already had experience for a PBL. I worked two months at Rartian Valley Bus Service last summer before I quit to go to College and this is what intensified the idea. The owner told me the company does well with just doing charter service and they use to bank on a line that went from Plainfield to Newark before it was discontinued in 2005. I asked him why, he told me not many people like the area when the buses dropped them in Newark. Keep in mind, IT'S NOT JUST ME PUTTING INPUT TO THIS IDEA. I have five other loyal people who are willing to invest and help get this off the ground. I don't see any my buses running till at least 2013 if all goes Right! Trust me, We're gunna try and if we fail, at least we can say we still got it looked at. Success or fail I'm here for it all.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

See, I'm not trying to spark light to a pipe dream. Even without experience, if I show the proposed route to the state, dot, county, ect I'm sure they will take a look. It's not like I don't what I'm talking about. I've had this idea for over two years now drawing up plans and working out how am I going to approach this. I DAMN WELL know this isn't like slicing a cake or turning or a screw. So with alot of mind and thought, plus the pick up (The line being a cheaper alternative to get to Lower Manhattan then NJT or PATH,) I'm sure both New York and Jersey will agree on it. The main problem is the DOT and the counties. They both can either deny or give funding. I've learned from higher ups, if it's a vital enough and doesn't follow a current NJT line, then they might fund it well. I see both of those in that plan. (Only one NJT comes close but doesn't even equal half the line.)

 

 

 

While all of the above is true, I've already had experience for a PBL. I worked two months at Rartian Valley Bus Service last summer before I quit to go to College and this is what intensified the idea. The owner told me the company does well with just doing charter service and they use to bank on a line that went from Plainfield to Newark before it was discontinued in 2005. I asked him why, he told me not many people like the area when the buses dropped them in Newark. Keep in mind, IT'S NOT JUST ME PUTTING INPUT TO THIS IDEA. I have five other loyal people who are willing to invest and help get this off the ground. I don't see any my buses running till at least 2013 if all goes Right! Trust me, We're gunna try and if we fail, at least we can say we still got it looked at. Success or fail I'm here for it all.

 

Oh, OK. In that case I wish you the best of luck with this endeavor; I just wanted to know that you were sure you knew what you were proposing to get yourself into with this and apparently you have a clearer head and a better plan than half of us on here expected. -_- In that case, I look forward to fanning your line when I come back from MIT in 2015! :cool:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.