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Bus Owners

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Advertising Options Why post on BusRates.com? Sample Report FAQ

Join BusRates Login to Update

Add Your Bus Company to BusRates.com

Offering the Best Advertising Value

BusRates.com is the first all bus-owner directory and marketing alliance designed to compete with the online national brokers for top slots on internet search engines. BusRates.com then sends these customers to you directly much like the yellow pages.

"We receive more customers from BusRates.com than we do from our local yellow pages" New World Tours, Virginia

"We've received about 290 inquiries and booked 86 trips from BusRates.com since we began posting two years ago." West Valley Charter Lines, California

"We receive more calls than we have equipment. It's been really good. We receive about 3 bookings per week." Kemah Tours & Shuttle, Texas

"We get more customers from BusRates.com than we do from any other site. Even with our own site coming up number one on Google in our area, we still get more from your site." Cabana Charters & Tours Limited, Nova Scotia

"Overall exposure to my company has increased tenfold since posting on BusRates.com" Spirit Tours & Travel, Washington, DC

"I'm excited, this time of year is usually slow. Great work, thank everybody at BUS RATES for me, they have helped me pay my fuel bill. I probably have gotten 10 jobs so far, keep it up." Buston Attitude, Massachusetts (after 35 days of being posted)

"Though we are posted in smaller, rural areas, and website visits and emails were low, would you believe I received four bookings during our free trial month all of which were received by phone?" Prince Albert Northern Bus Lines Ltd., Saskatchewan

"I have booked a number of trips through your service. It's the best $25/month I ever spent." Paradise Trailways, New York

"This is a good thing you're doing for the bus industry" Fox Bus Lines, Massachusetts

BusRates.com went live on November 1st, 2004 with the goal of making more customers aware of going rates and other benefits of booking directly with the bus-owning company. Currently, the Internet is dominated by deep-pocket national brokers, most of which claim to be of no cost to the customer. BusRates.com works to expose the cost of using a broker by advertising along side of them. BusRates.com acts as a marketing alliance of many (over 700 participating companies) to be among the few sites at the top of search engines and other highly-viewed Internet advertising.

BusRates.com receives between 80,000 and 116,000 visitors per month of which a substantial portion are regular, repeat visitors such as travel agents, DMC's and other resellers. These frequent bus chartering groups use BusRates.com in place of developing their own in-house database. The site is ideal for resellers as well as "plan-it-yourselfers" interested in bypassing the middleman. Help your customers more easily find you directly by posting your company for a free month trial today.

BusRates.com tracks the number of clicks and emailed quote requests your posting receives and sends it to you in a monthly report. This includes IP address so you know how many unique visitors you are receiving. Visitors to your posting click to see your phone number, email address, website address, or submit a quote request to you. Click to view a sample report.

To post on BusRates.com you must:

• Charter to the public
• Be registered with the DOT
• Meet minimum government safety and insurance requirements

Please do not submit your company more than once under different names.



Sample BusRates Membership Posting:

• Target a 50 mile radius
• No Contracts
• Cancel anytime
• Unlimited calls and emails
• One-Month Free Trial (Your approval needed before you are "signed up".)
• $40/month or $400/year (Smaller metros and specialty bus postings are discounted.)
• UMA Members pay only $25/month or $250/year

Additional Option:

• Preferred Placement on Your Postings and Listings
• $10/month (Top placement can be bid for)

It only takes one booking to cover a full year of service - Post Today!

Join BusRates.com





Courtesy Listing:

• Free

Submit Your Courtesy Listing

Contact Us

For bus companies looking to add your company to our directory:

866-375-0800
312-235-6378
9am-6pm EST, Monday through Saturday
Email: mark.greer@busrates.com

*Customers looking for referrals, or if you have other questions, please also feel free to call.

Why Post On BusRates.com?

1. Increase the number of trips you book by phone.

• Expose your company to internet traffic and receive more business.

BusRates.com daily traffic rank among the top 100,000 English language sites:

2. Book your trips at higher rates.

• When there is greater demand for your service, you can charge higher rates.
• Visitors to our site are typically quoted above-market rates from competing broker websites, enhancing the appeal of your rates.

3. Increase demand for charter bus service.

• The easier it is for the consumer to book charter bus service, the more likely they will choose Bus transportation over other travel alternatives.
• Consumers can view your companies bus inventory, specs, amenities and rates.
• You receive calls from serious qualified buyers and less from those just wondering what it costs to charter a bus.

How many calls can you expect to receive from posting?

It depends on the the metro areas you are targeting, the bus types you offer, the rates you have posted and other aspects of your company. You can try it free for a month before deciding if its worth it. You will receive a monthly report:

Sample Report:

Smith Tours & Charters received 50 clicks(22 phone clicks, 3 email clicks, and 25 website clicks) and 5 quote requests in June.

Quote Requests:

Smith Tours & Charters >> Grand Rapids
6/3/2006 - John Doe
6/15/2006 - Ellen Smith
6/25/2006 - Diane Johnson
1 Total Quotes Sent

Smith Tours & Charters >> Lansing
6/6/2006 - Mr. Bill M.

Smith Tours & Charters >> Kalamazoo
6/22/2006 - Stephan
1 Total Quotes Sent

Clicks:
33126 - Kalamazoo, Michigan: 22
33127 - Grand Rapids, Michigan: 19
33128 - Lansing, Michigan: 9

ID - Our transaction number
Location - Metro Area
OP Number - the number assigned to your company posting in a given metro area
Date - The time the click was name Eastern Time (EST)
IP - The IP Address of visitor used to track unique visitors
Action - What the visitor clicked to see. Your Phone, Email or Website

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is it so inexpensive to advertise on BusRates.com?
BusRates.com was built on the philosophy that the more participating bus companies the site has, the more useful it will be to it's visitors. Offering a great value encourages participation and discourages cancellation.

What is BusRates.com?
BusRates.com is an online database of companies that own the buses they charter created and designed to compete with the online national brokers. Like a souped-up yellow pages it categorizes companies by bus type for quick reference. All listings have been verified by phone to be in business and offer group charter to the public. Companies post their inventory, specs, amenities and rates available to its visitors. BusRates.com strives to deliver the highest value to its participating bus owners and offer them service without red tape or spammy gimmicks.

Is BusRates.com a broker?
No. BusRates.com works like a souped-up yellow page directory that lists only bus-owning companies that charter to the public. BusRates.com is a resource for resellers, but does not list them within the directory itself. We do not rate or recommend specific companies, but guidance for researching companies is offered.

Could you say that BusRates.com is simply an online directory?
Yes, but a directory that provides detailed information beyond company contact information. We list the details of buses that make a buyer's search easier, and the need for brokers less enticing.

How do I know which customers called after viewing us on BusRates.com?
In most cases you won't even need to ask the customer how they heard about you because they will inquire about a certain bus in your inventory as listed in our search results. Emails from the site are easily trackable.

What are payment terms?
Service is month to month or annual, Service can be cancelled anytime. There is NO RED TAPE when working with us. We can accomodate your special needs and requests.

What method of payment do you accept?
Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Paypal, check, or ACH/voided check

Can I post my information without posting rates?
Yes, but there are several good reasons you may want to consider it:

• Often visitors come to our site after having received quotes from high-priced brokers. Your posted rates entice the customer to figure out why your rates are so much lower than their recent quotes.
• Helps create awareness and prevent broker price gouging
• Posting prices captures the buyer's attention
• Pre-qualifies consumers that call you, satisfies curiousity seekers

How do I get my company listed free in the verified listing section?
You can submit your basic company specs with the following link, but do not enter multiple listings under different names for one location. We may call to verify your submission. Submit a courtesy listing.

Who manages BusRates.com?
The BusRates.com database and day to day operations are currently managed by founder, Mark Greer, aspiring entrepreneur and Summa Cum Laude graduate of Illinois State University (2000). Marcom initiatives are overseen by Kathryn Eber, former Global Marketing Manager of Daniel Woodhead Company.

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