Loyalist-Cataraqui Community Association Meeting, 2008-05-18 [Archive] - Kingston Electors, Civic Comment Forums ---- Kingston Ontario Canada

Lydia

05-18-2008, 08:07 PM

McCoy Bus Service
Public Hearing with the Ontario Highway Transport Board
Wednesday May 28, 2008
Kingston Independent Nylon Workers Hall
Between 3:00 pm & 8:00 pm

Background Information by Shawn Geary – Owner, McCoy Bus Service & Tours.
The passenger transportation industry in Ontario is regulated by the Ontario Highway Transport Board (OHTB). The way the OHTB licenses companies is through an application process whereby the company seeking a license must apply to the OHTB and include with their application letters of support from the public who can testify that there is a need for another licensed bus company operating in the area the applicant is applying for. The application is advertised and any bus company that is currently licensed to operates in the area being applied for can oppose the new application on the grounds that there is not sufficient public support for another licensed company in the area. Existing licensed bus companies can also oppose and application on the basis that the licensing of another company could have a serious economic impact on the company currently licensed in the area applied for and therefore the license should not be granted.

I grew McCoy Bus Service from a limousine service with the purchase of my first mini bus in 1994. At the time, I applied for and was granted a license from the OHTB to operate “Class D” vehicles, most commonly known as school bus and mini bus type vehicles. In an attempt to get into the motor coach business, I submitted many applications for a bus operating license to the Ontario Highway Transport Board in the early 1990’s that would allow McCoy to operate “Class A” regular motor coach type buses. Each time I applied, the existing licensed companies such as Coach Canada (Trentway-Wager at the time), Franklin Bus Lines from Belleville and Regan Bus Lines of Kingston continuously opposed my application. The only way I could secure a license to operate motor coaches was to exploit a loophole that permitted McCoy Bus Service to only operate highway coach type buses without reclining seats.

The concept of having a highway coach considered Class D “without reclining seats” was upheld when challenged by Coach Canada. A couple of years after the “Class D” - no reclining seats ruling was
upheld, I re-installed the reclining mechanisms on the buses I had and didn’t remove the recliners from
buses that were added to the fleet. Over the many years that followed, there were no challenges or
complaints from any other bus companies about us operating buses with reclining seats. No other
company seemed to notice and no other bus company’s seemed to care.

McCoy Bus Service currently operates a fleet of 23 buses consisting of eleven 56 passenger coaches
(Class A vehicles), five 49 passenger coaches (Class B vehicles), four 24 passenger mini coaches and
three 44 passenger activity buses (Class D vehicles). In March of this year I applied to amend our operating license with the Ontario Highway Transport Board to allow us to match our license to the service we provided which was operating motor coaches with reclining seats. Our application has been opposed by 3 companies from outside of the Kingston area. Greyhound Canada, Franklin Coach Lines of Belleville and Joe Foley Bus Lines of Madoc are all trying to prevent the continued success and growth of our company.

On Wednesday May 28th the Ontario Highway Transport Board is holding a public hearing in Kingston
to determine whether there is sufficient support from the community to grant McCoy Bus Service a
license to operate motor coaches with reclining seats. We need as many of our Charter and tour clients
to come to the Kingston Independent Nylon Workers Hall – 725 Arlington Park Place (between 3pm
and 8pm – you don’t need to stay for the entire time, just make an appearance and see your tax dollars
at work) to attend the hearing on May 28th in the late afternoon or early evening to show their support
for a family owned local Kingston company. Don’t let these out of town bus companies hold back a
successful local Kingston family business.

At the hearing on May 28, lawyers for Greyhound, Franklin and Foley will try to discredit McCoy Bus
Service by saying things such as; we operated illegally by having reclining seats, we broke the law by
having seats on our coaches that recline and that we should not be allowed to operate buses with
reclining seats as it will harm these out of town companies. McCoy Bus Service operated for at least
seven years with reclining seats and no other company even noticed. The fact that I have to apply for a
license to do exactly what I have been doing for about seven years is nothing more than a waste of time
and money for me, my staff, the members of the Ontario Highway Transport Board and the tax payers
of Ontario. The out of town companies that have opposed McCoy’s application to have the Class D (no
reclining seat) restriction removed are attempting to suppress the growth and success of this company.
As a valued customer, I am asking for your support in our attempt to correct our Operating License. I
would like to ask you to come out on May 28th to the Nylon Worker’s Hall on Arlington Park Place to
show the Ontario Highway Transport Board that you would like to support my efforts to have the
“Class D” restriction removed and allow us to operate motor coaches with reclining seats.
If you have any questions or would like additional information, please don’t hesitate to call me at any
time. I can be reached at the office most days between 8am and 5pm. I will be calling you over the
next couple of weeks to discuss the possibility of having you come to the hearing on May 28th.
Thank you in advance for you assistance and support.

Sincerely,
Shawn Geary
Ontario Public Vehicles Act
Definition of Public Vehicles

(i) “Class A” means a public vehicle equipped with air-ride or torsion-bar suspension, reclining seats, baggage capacity separated from the passenger cabin, motive power that is mounted to the rear of the front axle, washroom facilities and air conditioning,
(ii) “Class B” means a public vehicle equipped with air-ride or torsion-bar suspension, reclining seats, baggage capacity separated from the passenger cabin, motive power that is mounted to the rear of the front axle, and either washroom facilities or air conditioning,
(iii) “Class C” means a public vehicle equipped with air-ride or torsion-bar suspension, reclining seats, baggage capacity separated from the passenger cabin, motive power that is mounted to the rear of the front axle, but neither washroom facilities nor air conditioning, and
(iv) “Class D” means a public vehicle that is not a Class A, B or C public vehicle; hen you take a “Class A” motor coach type vehicle and remove one of the defined features listed above such as reclining seats then it is no longer a “Class A” vehicle. McCoy Bus Service has a Public Vehicle License for “Class D” vehicles as defined above. McCoy Bus Service has applied to the Ontario Highway Transport Board to
remove the class restriction completely from their operating license. The removal of the class restriction will allow McCoy Bus Service to continue to do what they have been doing for many years - provide safe reliable transportation in quality equipment at a fair price.