Own A Charter Bus Company

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[3] Lay out some appealing tours . . with a special emphasis on one-day trips to sports events and nearby scenic or recreation areas. (Customers usually plan their longer trips way in advance, but you'll want some quick business right about the time you take -on the bus payments and other fixed expenses.)

[4] Put an ad in the local Yellow Pages, and try to time its appearance with the opening of your business. (In most areas, the closing date for an ad comes about three months before the new directory is issued.)

[5] Check local licensing regulations. In some states, you'll only need to license your vehicle. In other areas, however, you may also have to obtain a special permit . . . and sometimes the price for such licenses can be prohibitive. (If that's true where you live, it may be possible to work out a cooperative deal with an existing charter company, but you'd have to know the ropes to do so . . . which is another good argument against starting out cold.)

In any case-to find out what you need to know about license and permit requirements-call your state's general information office.

HOW TO GET YOUR BUS

The standard vehicle for small charter companies is a used Greyhound bus (the M-C/5 model built in the mid-sixties is about the most popular) which can be bought from and financed by the company itself. The full price of a used M-C/5 is about $23,000, but Greyhound will take a 25%n down payment (that's the more-or-less $5,700 mentioned earlier) and finance the rest at $500-plus per month for three years or around $440 a month for four years. You can get more information by telephoning the toll-free line for Greyhound's Used Bus Sales Division: 800/528-6020.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Greyhound recently announced that its next group of used vehicles should be ready for sale in the autumn of 1980.]

If you decide to go with a smaller, less expensive rig-perhaps even a little 14passenger bus-check your local classified ads. You might also want to get a subscription (for $11 a year) to Bus Ride -a trade magazine put out by Friendship Publications, P.O. Box 1472, Spokane, Washington 99210-which always has lots of ads for new and used buses in all sizes.

The Greyhound M-C/5 has reclining seats, air conditioning, and a built-in restroom . . . all of which are essential for a full-sized tour bus. Any used busbig or small-should also be equipped (usually by you ) with a new paint job, an AM-FM radio, an eight-track stereo, and a CB radio. (The CB is indispensable for any on-the-road emergency.)

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