With almost as much legacy as the brand flag it now carries, Kobussen Trailways of Kaukauna, WI, has joined its family tradition of service and business acumen with that of North America's premier network of independent motorcoach companies. Now in third generation family management, Kobussen's affiliation boosts Trailways Transportation System's membership to 80 companies, the largest number in the organization's history.

Kobussen began in 1938, when Elwood Kobussen (AKA, Grandpa Goldie), a dairy farmer and milk-truck operator, began operating the first Kaukauna school bus. It was a natural progression, because Elwood had already been carrying children to school in his milk trucks. Over the ensuing years, the company added services such as charter trips, community service transportation, and luxury motorcoach travel. Today, it operates three divisions: motorcoach transportation, community service transportation, and school bus transportation.

Trailways had begun serving travelers in 1936, through owners of independently operated transportation companies, two years before Kobussen began operating. As Trailways has evolved from being a primarily line-haul focused organization to including charter-tour operations, President Joe Kobussen said...it became a "natural" meld.

"We have always been strictly a charter company," says Kobussen, "and now that Trailways is aggressively into this, we felt our affiliation would be a good fit. Also, we have always emphasized safety and security in our operations, and Trailways is on the same road. So we decided to partner with Team Trailways."

Trailways member-companies must possess the nation's highest safety ratings and practices, as prescribed by the U. S. Department of Defense (DOD) for transportation of military and government personnel. Kobussen said his company has maintained the DOD certification for a long time; and Trailways' ability to secure government grant funds for increased security and safety equipment was another factor in his decision to affiliate.

Kobussen Trailways employs 400 people, and operates a large and varied fleet of 12 full-service motorcoaches, 300 school buses, and an array of mini-coaches and other vehicles, which serve its varied customer base for both long and short haul trips. Though the company has an extensive customer base, Kobussen said he expects Trailways networking and other member advantages to boost his company's business base and equipment purchasing.

"We are already getting a lot of positive feedback about our Trailways affiliation," Kobussen said. "We think we'll continue to enhance our nearly 70 years of service and business diversity by being in this nationwide network."

For more information, contact Kobussen Trailways at 920-766-0606. Or visit their website at www.kobussen.com.

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Established in 1936 as North America's first organization supporting and promoting independent motorcoach operators, Trailways continues to expand across North America and Europe. As well as providing scheduled-route and charter-and-tour transportation, the Trailways passenger transport network offers a variety of travel-related services, including air, rail, and cruise ship connections.

Visit www.trailways.com