jan-2018

232 233 T heAmerican BusAssociation (ABA) is the oldest,largest,andmost respected voice in themotor coach,travel,and tourism industries.The organizationwas originally founded in 1926 as theMotor Bus Division of the AmericanAutomobileAssociation.It was reorganized in 1930 as theNational Association of Motor Bus Operators,and in 1960,changed its name toNational Association of Motor Bus Owners.It adopted its pres- ent name in 1977. THE AMERICAN BUS ASSOCIATION SERVING THE MOTOR COACH INDUSTRY THE AMERICAN BUS ASSOCIATION “Agroup of operators were seeingmore andmore government intrusion and interactionwith their business,”saysABA’s current President,Peter Pantuso, about theAssociation’s genesis.“They thought that they reallyneeded to come together as an industry and address some of what theywere seeingwith a collective voice.Fast forward 91 years and it’s still the focus of theAssociation–government and regulatoryaffairs,having a voice inWashington and, in some cases,in states and localities; being able to collect thewisdomof theAssociation; being able to share that with lawmakers and regulators; and then, providing information back to the industry.” Although theAssociation’s focus has remained the