THE creation of additional operating divisions and maintenance units, based on the California Transit Co. system originally operated by the author, which had proved successful in long-haul passenger transportation on the Pacific Coast, expanded the business so that the Yelloway Pioneer Stages, Inc., now includes about 9000 miles of route. The design of the equipment for the service was developed to meet the severe operating conditions, which demand that the same vehicle run satisfactorily over a sea-level desert and through mountainous country having an average altitude of more than 5000 ft. and, at the same time, that safety and comfort be provided for the passengers. This requires factors of strength and safety that are greatly in excess of those possessed by the ordinary commercial motorcoach.
The present company's ideal of proper operation is to control its inspection and maintenance so that all of its operating properties, including stations and automotive equipment, are kept in practically new condition. The coaches are subjected to a rigid maintenance schedule in combination with a modified unit-maintenance system whereby the major maintenance and repair operations are performed by experts at two main overhaul stations. A comprehensive system of records, based on the reports of drivers, inspectors and shop workers, guides the officials in locating and overcoming chronic weaknesses in the equipment and in the details of operation.
