History

Piedmont Coach Lines

In 1956, Kenneth Chilton, a tobacco buyer, was presented a motorcoach. Mrs. Chilton had purchased this motorcoach, paying $ 1,000.00 cash. This was the start of what became the largest motorcoach company in North Carolina, known as Piedmont Coach Lines.

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• As the company grew, a new tour department was added. Each year, Mr. Chilton would add new buses and a few used buses. Soon, a new terminal was added in Fayetteville, NC, and then another in Jacksonville, NC followed by Greenville, and then Charlotte, NC. By 1988, the fleet had grown to more than 100 charter buses and more than 120 transit type buses. The transit buses were used for shuttles at golf tournaments, such as the Crosby and Reynolds Vantage.

• In 1990 five new buses were added and operated as Northwestern Coach. Eventually 2 airplanes were purchased for company use. Often, the General Manager, who was a pilot, would fly to other locations. In 1998, due to the death of Mrs. Chilton and the declining health of Mr. Chilton, the company was sold to Coach USA.

Southern Coach

In the beginning: Southern Coach Company began operations modestly in 1942. Company co-founders Louis M. Wade, Sr., and his wife Katie Mann Wade were in the movie theater business, and with World War II underway, few people had enough gasoline to drive to the movies. Mrs. Wade saved-up money from popcorn sales to purchase the company's first bus . . . and Durham - Dunn Bus Lines was born.

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• The company's earliest passengers (beyond the movie goers) were factory workers traveling between Durham and Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina, a distance of 30 miles. Throughout the 1940's, the company expanded its regular route operations to include runs between Durham and Wilmington, North Carolina, about 150 miles away. In 1952, the Wade's changed the company name to Southern Coach Company. Regular route service was still the company mainstay and by 1962 Southern had established an equipment interchange agreement with Greyhound Lines and maintained this relationship through the mid-70's.

• A Move to Charters: As the importance of regular route service declined, Louis M. Wade, Jr., the founder's son, began the charter and tour operations of the company. Eventually Louis Wade Jr. took control of the day-to-day operations of the company and acquired full ownership. By 1985, all regular route operations were curtailed, and the company focused on the growing charter and tour markets.

• Southern quickly became the number one charter carrier in the Raleigh/Durham area. Providing quality equipment, professional drivers, and spotlessly clean motorcoaches, the company targeted customers looking for quality.

• The Birth of Southern Tours: Southern Tours was established in 1985 in an effort to satisfy the growing and more sophisticated motorcoach tour clientele. With the newest motorcoach fleet in the region, Southern Tours attracted quality-conscious travelers who wanted the best quality and service available.

• A professional team of travel planners was added to the staff, and the building expanded to provide the additional office space necessary. The programs offered included tours all across the USA and Canada, as well as cruises and air/motorcoach programs to destinations around the globe.

• Southern Shuttle Services: Our shuttle bus division operates a fleet of mini-buses that seat from 14-20 passengers each. These minibuses operate in charter operations, for convention and meeting shuttles, as well as on a contract basis with various businesses and community organizations. Our shuttle fleet includes handicapped accessible vehicles with wheelchair lift to meet the needs of travelers with disabilities.

• These vehicles are perfect for weddings, bachelor parties, and a special night on the town without concerns about having a designated driver!

• Southern Today: Today, Southern Coach Company is part of the Coach America group, which consists of CoachUSA in the South Central and Western USA, and American Coach Lines in the Southeastern USA. Together, they form the largest charter bus operator in the United States. These combined resources help assure you of the finest services available, an unmatched maintenance network, and more reasons than ever to book your next trip with Southern Coach!

America Charters

From it’s beginnings in 1937 as City Coach Company to America Charters, LTD, this 70+ year legacy has seen and weathered many changes in the motorcoach industry.

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• America Charters was a family owned and operated business until the mid 90’s beginning with Robert Ray Rhyne, William Ray Rhyne, Sr. and William Ray Rhyne, Jr. known to all as Billy Ray. What began as a transit service for Gastonia residents became a Motorcoach Tour Company that carried passengers all over the United States and Canada and even catered to International clientele.

  Through the hard work of the America Charters team, lead by William Rhyne and then Billy Ray, the company forged ahead through the years and became one of NC’s premier coach companies with a fleet of modern VanHool coaches.

  Over the years Mr. Billy Ray Rhyne has served on local committees, as a director and President of the North Carolina Motorcoach Association, a chairman of American Sightseeing International, a director of the American Bus Association as well as Marketplace Chair. In addition to his service he has also been recognized for his service to the industry through various awards.

  When asked by a reporter in 1997 how America Charters remained successful for 60 years, Mr. Rhyne responded by saying, "The reason we’ve survived all these years is that we all ate, slept and breathed buses seven days a week." This same dedication can still be seen today at Coach America when a customer calls on a Saturday morning and hears that familiar voice, "Coach America, this is Billy Ray, can I help you?" He’s there checking on drivers, double checking the scheduling and planning for the week ahead.

  As America Charters entered into the Coach USA corporation now known as Coach America, the horizons were expanded as their buying power grew and their resources were combined. This cooperative business concept is now being practiced through-out the five locations in NC as well as her sister companies across the nation.

  Although the name has changed, the heart and dedication behind the Legacy of America Charters is alive and well and growing at Coach America