BUS HISTORY ASSOCIATION 2015 Convention Québec City, QC

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1 February 4, 2015 BUS HISTORY ASSOCIATION To all BHA Members: We are pleased to announce that the Bus History Association s will be held in from Thursday, June 11 th to Saturday, June 13 th, A full and interesting program, including one preconvention day, is being arranged to allow everyone to renew acquaintances and discuss the transportation industry. The Itinerary for the convention has not been finalized, but tentative details (subject to change) are shown below: Thursday, June 11 will see the BHA travel south of the Saint Lawrence River. The Prevost factory in Sainte-Claire will be visited and we will hopefully get to view their restored Citadin transit bus. Société de transport de Lévis and Autocar des Chutes will also be visited along with a few other coach companies on the south shore. We will return to the Québec City side of the river to view the numerous express bus and commuter bus departures from the Government buildings for the afternoon rush hour. No activities will be planned for the evening and BHA members may elect to have dinner in Old Québec (Vieux-Québec), one of the most historic areas in North America. Friday, June 12 will see us travel west to Trois-Rivières and Shawinigan. Société de transport de Trois-Rivières and Régie du transport en commun de Shawinigan will be visited. Prior to departing town, we will visit Université Laval in Sainte-Foy to view the non-stop bus action during the morning peak period. Friday evening will be the annual meeting of the BHA, followed by a slide show. Saturday, June 13 will see us remain in the Québec City area. We will charter a Nova Classic from Réseau de transport de la Capitale (RTC) and visit various garages and coach companies in Québec City. The 150 th anniversary of public transportation in Québec City will be celebrated in 2015 and we will visit the historical display set up by the RTC. For BHA members who arrive in town early, there is also a pre-convention day planned: Wednesday, June 10 will be a pre-convention day to explore the Saguenay Lac-Saint-Jean region of Québec. Using car pools, we will travel two and a half hours north. A Nova Classic will be chartered from Société de transport du Saguenay to explore the Chicoutimi, Jonquière and La Baie areas. We will return to Québec City in the evening. The host hotel is L'Hôtel Québec (3115, Avenue des Hôtels, Sainte-Foy, QC). The Sainte-Foy area, located west of Québec City, is very much bilingual and BHA members should not have a problem speaking English. The hotel is only a short walk away from numerous restaurants and shopping malls. The hotel is located just off of Highway 175 (Boulevard Laurier). For BHA members taking transit to the hotel, the hotel is easily accessible via Réseau de transport de la Capitale: For Orléans Express, a short walk (300 metres) from the downtown terminal to Boulevard Jean-Lesage and Rue de la Gare du Palais to the route 800 Metrobus stop is necessary. Route 800 will provide a direct ride to Rue de L Eglise and Boulevard Laurier, which is approximately 900 metres from the hotel. Orléans Express also has a stop in Sainte-Foy at 3001, Chemin des Quatre-Bourgeois. This is only about a 15 minute walk from the hotel (approximately two kilometers) For VIA, the station is adjacent to the Orléans Express bus terminal. Follow the directions on the previous page for route 800 Metrobus. Page: 1

2 BUS HISTORY ASSOCIATION For BHA members travelling by car: From the west (south of the St. Lawrence River), take Autoroute 20 to exit 312N to merge onto Autoroute 73 north toward Québec/Pont Pierre-Laporte. After crossing the bridge, take exit 132 for Avenue des Hôtels. Turn left and the hotel will be on the right hand side in approximately one kilometre. From the west (north of the St. Lawrence River), take Autoroute 40 to exit 305S for Autoroute 540 south. On Autoroute 540, take exit 10 on the left for Highway 175 north toward Boulevard Laurier. Continue on Boulevard Laurier, right on Avenue Lavigerie and right on Avenue des Hôtels. The hotel will be on the left side. For BHA members travelling by air to the Québec City Jean Lesage International Airport (YQB): Via rental car to the hotel - Follow Rue Principale and Route de L Aéroport to Duplessis Hwy/Autoroute 540 south. Continue on Autoroute 540 south and take exit 10 for Québec 175 north toward Boulevard Laurier. Continue right on Avenue Lavigerie and right on Avenue des Hôtels. For transit, Réseau de transport de la Capitale has limited service to the Airport. Route 78 has afternoon departures at 4:03, 4:33 and 5:33 PM. Transfer to route 87 at Terminus les Saules destined to Boulevard Laurier and Rue de L Eglise. The hotel is a 900 metre walk from this intersection. At the BHA annual meeting in Minneapolis in 2014, it was mentioned that the BHA would be investigating the possibility of a waiver to be signed by all attendees of the convention. The Bus History Association is a non-profit organization with volunteers holding all elected positions. This waiver will help to protect the individual Officers and convention organizers from potential liability. The waiver is included with this registration package and your cooperation in signing the document is appreciated. In the event that attendees do not sign the waiver, the BHA will reserve the right to limit access to convention activities. The Convention Registration Form, Waiver and Hotel Registration Form have been included with this letter. An information package and detailed itinerary will be issued with your registration package upon arrival at the convention. Please note the following regarding the convention activities: The pre-convention tour on Wednesday will leave the hotel at 8:00 AM sharp. All convention tours (Thursday, Friday and Saturday) will leave the hotel at 8:00 AM sharp. The BHA last visited Québec City in There has been quite a bit of change in the local transportation scene since that time. We look forward to seeing you in June 2015 and hope you take advantage of this opportunity to see old friends and new sights. Paul Leger Chairman, Bus History Association, Inc. Page: 2

3 Québec City Jean Lesage International Airport (YQB) Orleans Express Sainte-Foy stop 3001 Chemin de Quatre Bourgeouis Orleans Express Terminal 320 Rue Abraham Martin Orleans Express Terminal 320 Rue Abraham Martin BHA 2015 CONVENTION

4 Hotel Reservation Information A block of rooms for convention attendees has been reserved at: BUS HISTORY ASSOCIATION L'Hôtel Québec , avenue des Hôtels Québec City, Quebec G1W 3Z6 Tel: (418) Fax: (418) The special BHA convention rate is$ (Canadian) per night, plus applicable sales and occupancy taxes for up to two individuals in a room. An extra person charge of $ 20 per person, per day, plus taxes will apply for any additional people. The reserved room block consists of rooms with two queen beds or one single queen bed. This room rate does not include breakfast. Free parking is available for room guests. Check in time is 4:00 pm and check out time is 11:00 am. The room block has been set up for arrivals on Wednesday, June 10 and departures on Sunday, June 14. A smaller number of rooms have been reserved for those planning to arrive at the hotel on Monday, June 8 and Tuesday, June 9, in order to assist those planning to participate in the pre-convention day. If you require rooms for arrival on June 8 or June 9, we recommend that you make your reservations as soon as possible. The convention rate will be offered for reserved nights outside of the room block on a first-come basis, subject to availability, for arrivals on June 7, 8 and 9, and for stay overs on June 14, 15 and 16. Please reserve your room by calling the hotel directly at (416) It is essential that you quote the group name (Bus History Association) at the time of making your reservation. Please note that all reservations must be guaranteed with a credit card. In order to assist us with our planning for the convention, please provide the following information, if you plan to stay at L'Hôtel Québec: Group Name Bus History Association Name Arrival Date Departure Date # in Room Rooming With The room block is available until 6:00 pm EDT on Monday, May 4, At that time, any unreserved rooms in the block will be released for re-sale by the hotel. Early June is a peak time for Québec City hotels. The BHA will not be able to increase the size of the block of rooms. In the event that the block fills up, it may be difficult to get a room at L'Hôtel Québec or other hotels in the vicinity. Please register early!

5 BUS HISTORY ASSOCIATION ANNUAL CONVENTION REGISTRATION FORM Name Address City State / Province Zip / Postal Code Phone To better help us plan, please indicate which nights you intend to stay at the hotel and the days you plan to join in on the BHA activities. Hotel Night of: Tues. June 9 Wed. June 10 Thurs. June 11 Fri. June 12 Sat. June 13 Sun. June 14 Extra Nights Or - I will have other accommodation elsewhere BHA Pre-Convention Event: Wednesday, June 10 On Wednesday, I will need a ride or I can offer a ride for additional people. If you have already agreed to a ride sharing arrangement, please provide the names of the other participants: Please note that any fuel costs for the car pooling trip to Saguenay will be split evenly amongst all of the participants for that vehicle. The BHA will try to accommodate all car pools requests received but it cannot be guaranteed. There will also be costs associated with the four hour bus charter, which will be confirmed via at a later date. Please turn over to page 2 to complete the registration

6 BUS HISTORY ASSOCIATION ANNUAL CONVENTION REGISTRATION FORM (Page 2) BHA Convention Events: Please check below for all days that you will be attending. Thurs., June 11 Fri., June 12 Sat., June 13 Please enclose the appropriate convention registration fee, summarized below by day and by member/non-member: Please circle all squares that apply Registration Fee (All Three Days) Registration Fee (Individual Days) Thursday Friday Saturday Cdn $ U.S. $ Cdn $ U.S. $ Cdn $ U.S. $ Cdn $ U.S. $ BHA Members BHA Non-Members *** Non-members may pay the lower fee by becoming a BHA Member at the rate of $25.00 US or $35.00 CDN *** In the event that the registration fees do not cover the cost of the charter vehicles and other expenses of the convention, would you be agreeable to a small surcharge? Please make your registration cheque or money order payable to The Bus History Association Inc. and remit with this form to: Mr. Bernie Drouillard Secretary/Treasurer Bus History Association 965 McEwan Windsor, Ontario, CANADA, N9B 2G1 (519) bdrouillard3@cogeco.ca Signed Date Please advise as soon as possible your intention to attend the to enable the Association to complete all the arrangements. Thank you and we will see you in Québec City.

7 Event Waiver, Consent and Conditions of Use Event: 2015 Annual Convention Dates: Wednesday, June 10 to Saturday, June 13, 2015 BUS HISTORY ASSOCIATION The participant in this Event, and in the case of a participant who is a minor, the parents or guardian of such participant, and the successors or assigns of any participant, agrees that he or she shall not have any claim for liability or damages against the Bus History Association or the organizers of this Event, as a result of any incident that occurs during the Event and that results in loss of or damage to personal property, personal injury or death of the participant, however caused. By his or her signature below, the participant, or a parent or guardian of a participant, acknowledges that he or she has read and understands the terms of this Event Waiver, Consent and Conditions of Use. The organizers of this Event reserve the right to revoke their permission for the participant take part in this Event for conduct unbecoming a BHA member or for non-compliance with the rules and operational procedures established by the organizers for this Event. The Association, the organizers and the participating transit properties may substitute vehicles for those that are advertised to be used for the Event. While every effort will be made to complete the Event at the advertised scheduled time, the Society and the organizers assume no responsibility in the event this does not occur. The Bus History Association requires that members under 16 years of age must be accompanied by a parent or guardian at all events. In the case of participant who is a minor, the parent or guardian further acknowledges that: (1) he or she has provided permission to the participant to take part in the event and (2) that he or she has read and understands the terms of this Event Waiver, Consent and Conditions of Use. I have read and understand the contents of this Event Waiver, Consent and Conditions of Use. Signed by: Event Participant (please print name) Event Participant (please sign name) Or Parent or Guardian of Minor Participant Or Parent or Guardian of Minor Participant Date (of signing)