The Motor Bus Society (MBS) is a
United States-based
non-profit organization formed by a
voluntary association of persons who share an interest in
bus
A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...
es and
bus transportation in
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
and, in particular, the history of the same. Founded in 1948, it publishes the quarterly magazine, ''Motor Coach Age'', and holds a national convention semi-annually for its members.
MBS is based in
New Jersey[MBS Contact Information.](_blank)
Motor Bus Society. Retrieved 2010-08-28. and maintains a small, private library and historical
archive for use by its members and "serious researchers", by appointment only, in central New Jersey.
["50 Years of the Motor Bus Society". ''Motor Coach Today'', January–March 1998, p. 2.][The John P. Hoscheck Memorial Bus Transportation Archives.](_blank)
Motor Bus Society. Retrieved 2010-08-28.
History
Originally organized in 1948 as the National Motor Bus Association
and later changing its name to the Motor Bus Society, Inc., the group's membership includes people working in the bus industry as well as bus enthusiasts, and some members fit both descriptions.
Its newsletter soon developed into a regular magazine (see below). Every year since the early 1950s the association has held national membership
convention
Convention may refer to:
* Convention (norm), a custom or tradition, a standard of presentation or conduct
** Treaty, an agreement in international law
* Convention (meeting), meeting of a (usually large) group of individuals and/or companies in a ...
s, in different cities across the
United States and
Canada. There are normally two conventions each year, in spring and fall, one held in the eastern U.S. (or eastern Canada) and the other in the western U.S. (or Canada).
As of 2000, MBS had about 1,200 members.
It is incorporated in New Jersey as a type-
501(c)(3)
A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of the 29 types of 50 ...
tax-exempt, non-profit organization.
The Motor Bus Society.
Retrieved 2010-08-28.
Magazines
The Motor Bus Society's magazine
A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...
, ''Motor Coach Age'' (''MCA'') (ISSN 0739-117X), has been published since 1950. For one or two years prior to that, MBS circulated a simple mimeographed newsletter named ''Bus Ways'', but this was replaced in January 1950 by ''Motor Coach Age'', which included photographs. ''MCA'' was changed to a professional format in 1952, with 12- to 16-page issues.bus
A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...
transportation in particular cities or particular operating companies, or the history of a specific bus manufacturer. Included whenever applicable are histories of electric trolley bus operation and trolley bus manufacturing.
From July 1994 until the end of 2003 MBS also published ''Motor Coach Today'' (''MCT''),[Motor Coach Age & Motor Coach Today Index, 1950–2006](_blank)
(PDF). Motor Bus Society. September 30, 2006. Retrieved 2010-08-28. a quarterly magazine focusing on present-day operations rather than history.
See also
* Public transport bus service
* Motor bus
* The Motor Bus, a poem by A. D. Godley
References
{{Reflist
External links
Official website
History of bus transport
Clubs and societies in the United States
Non-profit organizations based in New Jersey
Organizations established in 1948
Transportation associations in the United States