Indian Trails Blog

When you think about it, the guys and gals who take on professional charter bus driving jobs are really the unsung heroes of the long haul driving world.  First and foremost, they must be excellent drivers, with the stamina, disposition, and aptitude to safely operate a 20-ton passenger vehicle, day and night, rain or shine, over terrain both familiar and unfamiliar.  But they also need to excel in trouble-shooting, vehicle maintenance, conflict resolution, emergency management, customer service, and even small talk.  In a job that requires a blend of driving skills, mechanical skills, and people skills, it’s hard to put bus drivers into any single occupational category:  Safety?  Transportation?  Travel and tourism?  Hospitality? Diplomacy?  A bus driver must be proficient in all of these areas—with a healthy dose of mechanical aptitude thrown in for good measure.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have a charter bus driving job?  Have you ever pictured yourself skillfully (and cheerfully) maneuvering a 45-foot, 15-ton behemoth filled with high school football players in the middle of the night?

Every day in America, 10,000 post-World War II baby boomers turn 65—a demographic wave that started in 2011 and will continue through 2029.  But as they approach “normal retirement age,” members of the baby-boom generation—renowned for flouting the status quo—are starting to “reimagine” retirement.  Rather than retire at 65 like their parents did, older workers are launching second careers in record numbers … and according to the Retirement Café, driving a bus is among their top 10 choices.

In a recent study, the Pew Research Center discovered that most 65-year-olds (more than half) aren’t ready to stop working.  In fact, 16 percent of baby boomers say they’ll never retire—at least not in the traditional sense of moving to a warm climate and taking up golf and gardening.

How does a bus charter service help you stay connected? The answer lies in technology. Just when you thought you’d heard it all … there is a brand new phobia on the ever-expanding continuum of anxiety disorders. This new phobia plagues its sufferers with a morbid fear of—get this—being without technology. We are not making this up.  Atechagoraphobia is real.  And someone you love may have it.  Actually, you may have it.  Ask yourself a few simple questions:

• Do you feel uneasy (or do you actually start to panic) when your smartphone is out of your sight for even a moment?
• Does your heart race if you are asked to turn off your mobile device, or if you lose your signal, or if your battery dies?
• Would you hesitate (or even refuse) to go camping, or sailing, or into outer space if you knew you would not have an internet connection while you were there?

If you answered “yes” to one or more of these questions, you may be suffering from Atechagoraphobia.  You are not alone.  The only known cure is 24-7 connectivity.  Fortunately for you, that can be arranged. 

Plugged In

Twenty years ago, traveling meant being incommunicado for hours at a time.  Everyone understood that to be in transit was to be out of touch.  The moment you arrived at your destination—airport, train station, or bus terminal—you and your fellow passengers would make a mad dash for the payphones (remember those?), where you’d fumble in your pockets for a quarter so you could call home or the office.  

Ten years later, most payphones had quietly disappeared.  Everyone—and everyone’s grandmother—had a cell phone. With wireless technology already in place, it wasn’t long before travelers wanted more.  If they could talk and text in transit, why couldn’t they also access e-mail, social media, and the rest of the internet?  Wi-Fi “hotspots” started popping up in public places.  At first, public internet access was a novelty—and it often came at a price.  Today, wireless internet access is a fairly standard amenity, and users expect it to be free.  A study by the Chaddick Institute at DePaul University found that the availability of Wi-Fi—or the absence of it—makes a difference to travelers choosing a mode of transportation.  Bus companies have responded by integrating mobile Wi-Fi into their fleets so that their technology-dependent passengers can stay connected while they ride.

Wi-Fi in motion

First, some definitions: 

When travel planning involves meal planning, smart planners remember their history lessons. It was Napoleon who famously noted that “an army marches on its stomach.”  But any travel planner can tell you, it’s not just armies that demand their rations.  Bus groups need food, too. When it comes to basic human needs, food is right up there with shelter, clothing, and sleep.  But food is also an object of pleasure and enjoyment, replete with social, cultural, and even emotional significance.  Whether your group is a high school football team or the local women’s club, your passengers expect something tasty and filling as they travel from point A to point B. 

If you want to promote teamwork in the workplace, why not plan a bus trip?

When is it practical to choose a bus charter service over car travel?

Ask anyone what matters most when choosing a charter bus company for group transportation and—hands down—they will tell you “bus safety.”  But how can a travel planner know for sure that passengers will be safe?

Every day, we routinely use technology that a few short years ago was the stuff of science fiction … and in many ways, charter bus companies are at the forefront of the technological revolution.