UPDATE
Before joining Proterra as chairman in 2017, Allen spent more
than 30 years at Navistar International, the global truck and bus
company, where he most recently served as Chief Operating
Officer. As CEO, Allen will use his extensive operational experience
to guide Proterra’s continuing growth, including scaling operations,
and supply chain and manufacturing capability to meet growing
demand for zero-emission vehicles. He will also continue
Proterra’s legacy of delivering groundbreaking EV technology to
the market.
Under Popple’s leadership, Proterra has grown from a few
customers to more than 120 customers in North America.
During his tenure, Popple introduced industry-leading battery
technology, a new Catalyst vehicle platform, and heavy-duty
charging systems that helped revolutionize the electric transit
industry. In 2017, Proterra broke the world record for the
longest distance ever traveled by an electric vehicle on a single
charge, traveling 1,101 miles. Today, Proterra has sold more
than 900 electric transit buses and Proterra’s EV technology
has been proven on the road with more than 11 million service
miles to date.
Popple also led the introduction of Proterra’s EV platform into
adjacent vehicle markets, including electric school buses, coach
buses and delivery truck chassis with industry-leading partners.
In his new role, Popple will focus his attention on Proterra’s
innovative and industry-leading technology. He will report directly
to Allen.
“Only six years ago, the idea that transit could completely
eliminate its dependency on fossil fuels was revolutionary,”
Popple said. “We proved to the world that transit vehicles could
be high-performance, zero-emission electric vehicles, and
that the future of the mass transit industry was indeed clean,
quiet transportation for all. Now it’s time for Proterra to focus
on the next chapter, significantly growing our manufacturing
capabilities and the extension of our technology to other vehicle
segments. I have worked with Jack for three years on our Board
and I know that his leadership and experience is exactly what
we need to continue meeting EV demand with a highly efficient
manufacturing operation, creating reliable, high quality transit
vehicles that exceed the capabilities of legacy diesel fleets.”
“Through Ryan’s leadership, Proterra transformed mass
transit and became an industry leader in heavy-duty electric
transportation,” Allen said. “I am honored to lead this new
chapter for Proterra and committed to delivering the highest
quality heavy-duty electric vehicles to our customers and
providing Proterra’s innovative technology to other vehicle
segments. Through my work on our Board, I am fully aware of the
very talented and dedicated team at Proterra and I cannot wait to
work with them to help meet the growing demand for our heavy-
duty electric vehicles.”
Allen and Popple have been working with the entire leadership
team to respond to the challenges presented by the COVID-19
pandemic, focusing on the health and safety of Proterra’s
employees while meeting the growing demand for electrified
transit vehicles.
“We are closely watching state, federal and local guidelines to
ensure the safety of our employees and taking all steps to avoid
the spread of COVID-19, including canceling non-essential travel
and requiring employees to work remotely when possible and to
follow social distancing requirements when performing essential
functions in our facilities,” Allen said. “We are monitoring the
situation closely and will continue to prioritize the safety and well-
being of our employees.”
12 | BUSRIDE.COM | MAY / JUNE 2020
New ABA report details impact of
COVID-19 on the motorcoach industry
The American Bus Association (ABA) Foundation released a report
that showcases the effect COVID-19 is having on the U.S. motorcoach
industry – an essential sector in the transportation industry.
Nearly the entire industry is currently shut down in every corner
of the country. Most charter and tour companies have closed
their doors, commuter operations have mostly stopped running,
and scheduled service operations are operating at approximately
15% capacity. The industry is seeing a fallout between 80-90% of
cancelled trips and very few future bookings.
Some of the worst losses have been seen in the charter
business, which depends on tours, meetings and conferences,
where bookings are almost non-existent even though this is usually
the busiest time of year. In addition, for many charter companies
the period of March through June is when they earn as much as
60 percent of their revenue for the year and that work has been
completely eliminated. Even more impacted is shuttle and other
services like school field trips, marching bands, and sports teams,
that is down by about 95 percent.
In 2018, the industry employed more than 88,000 people and had
an economic impact (sales) of $15 billion in the U.S. economy. Based
on current projections, were the pandemic to continue over the course
of the year, losses to the industry would be staggering, with as many
as 82,040 or 92.4 percent of the jobs in the industry lost. Overall, the
industry would lose $14.2 billion in sales, and the charter and special
services businesses would be devastated. When federal, state and
local governments issue the “all clear” sign, the return to normalcy
could be 18-24 months or longer.
If the pandemic continues beyond May, or if business does not
immediately return to normal, then the impact would be much more
significant. Assuming that current industry assessments are valid,
about two-thirds of motorcoach industry activity will be lost in 2020
because of the mandatory shutdowns. Over 64,000 motorcoach jobs
will be lost (on an annualized basis) and the industry would lose nearly
$11.1 billion in sales.
Bus operators make up just one part of the overall motorcoach
travel and tourism industry in the United States. In fact, nearly 2
million full-time equivalent jobs depend on the passengers carried
by motorcoach operators on tours, charters, and scheduled and
commuter routes. This includes 469,650 full-time equivalent jobs in
restaurants and taverns, 229,970 jobs in hotels and other lodging
establishments, and 327,750 jobs in entertainment venues including
sports stadiums, parks, theaters and zoos. Overall, the motorcoach
travel and tourism industry generates $86.4 billion in wages and
benefits for these workers.