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{{Short description|Defunct bus company in New York City}} | |||
] | |||
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2017}} | |||
{{Infobox Bus transit | |||
| name = Varsity Bus Company | |||
| logo = | |||
| logo_size = 150px | |||
| image = Varsity Bus Company Blue Bird 1099.jpg | |||
| image_size = 250px | |||
| image_caption = Varsity Bus Company #1099 deadheads through Brooklyn. | |||
| company_slogan = | |||
| parent = | |||
| founded = | |||
| headquarters = 626 Wortman Avenue<br>], ] 11208 | |||
| locale = New York City | |||
| service_area = | |||
| service_type = School bus service | |||
| alliance = | |||
| routes = | |||
| destinations = | |||
| stops = | |||
| hubs = | |||
| stations = | |||
| lounge = | |||
| fleet = | |||
| ridership = | |||
| fuel_type = | |||
| operator = | |||
| ceo = Andrew Brettschneider | |||
| website = | |||
}} | |||
'''Varsity Bus Company''' is a former school bus operator in ]. This company was established in 2003 when it acquired some of the school bus routes that had been operated by Varsity Transit, a sister company that had operated from 1965 to 2003.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Menchaca|first=Paul|date=June 12, 2003|title=Varsity Transit Will Cease Bus Service After Almost 40 Years|url=https://www.qchron.com/news/western/varsity-transit-will-cease-bus-service-after-almost-40-years/article_63f0d498-e525-592a-bc2d-64e6b66d1271.html|access-date=2020-09-25|website=Queens Chronicle|language=en}}</ref> Varsity ceased operations by the 2010s, and the headquarters of Varsity were later used by Total Transportation and L&M Bus Corp. | |||
Established on ], ], the '''Command Bus Company''' was one of several privately-operated bus companies in ]. Unlike many other privately-operated bus companies that are family-owned, Command Bus Company is a subsidiary of other bus companies that are widely-held. It was often referred to as a Private Bus Line (PBL) to the public and ] is the president of the company. Its facility was located on Flatlands Avenue east of Crescent Street in the ] neighborhood of ], ]. The routes operated by Command Bus Company were taken over by the City of New York and turned over to the ''']''' for operation on ], ]; the depot has been renamed the ''']'''. After the takeover, much of the fleet was expected to be retired and replaced. There were notices in some of the buses regarding the takeover. | |||
==See also== | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
From 1979 until 2005, Varsity Transit affiliate '''Command Bus Company''' operated two local and seven express transit bus routes, routes that are now operated by ]. Varsity Transit and Command Bus Company were 40-percent owned by ], 40-percent owned by ], and 20-percent owned by ]. Varsity Bus Company is owned by former executives of Green Bus Lines. | |||
==External links== | |||
* | |||
==Command Bus== | |||
* (site expected to close down) | |||
] driving a Command ] CNG-powered bus in 1988.]] | |||
Command Bus traces its history to '''Pioneer Bus Corporation''', established in 1954 by three small ] and ] operators.<ref name=GTJ-Reorganization-2007>{{cite web|title=Green Bus Lines, Inc., Triboro Coach Corporation, Jamaica Central Railways, Inc.|url=https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1368757/000104746907001119/a2176046z424b2.htm|website=]|publisher=]|access-date=January 2, 2016|date=February 9, 2007}}</ref> Until 1960, when it obtained a ] for the current B100, it only operated school, charter, and ] buses. Several express buses were implemented in 1972. Command Bus Company was incorporated October 22, 1979 by the late Mr. William Cooper (1895-1985) to resume bus service following a long ] at Pioneer, which went out of the express and local bus business when the strike started. | |||
Like its corporate owners Green Bus Lines, Triboro Coach, and Jamaica Central Railways, the late Mr. Jerome Cooper (1928-2015) was the chairman of the board of both Varsity Transit and Command Bus Company. Originally co-housed with Varsity Transit, the operations of Command were eventually moved into a new ] facility at ], 12755 Flatlands Avenue in Brooklyn (this garage was leased by MTA Bus following the transfer of Command Bus Company routes to MTA Bus in 2005), it was previously built and owned by the ] before being sold to MTA Bus in early 2009). | |||
In 1988, two Command buses were fitted by the ] with engines which operated on compressed natural gas (CNG).<ref name=NYTimes-CommandCNG-1988>{{cite web|last1=Wald|first1=Matthew L. |title=2 BUSES TO RUN ON NATURAL GAS IN EXPERIMENT|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/07/08/nyregion/2-buses-to-run-on-natural-gas-in-experiment.html|work=]|access-date=December 15, 2015|date=July 8, 1988}}</ref><ref name="GoldsteinIzeman1990">{{cite book|author1=Eric A. Goldstein|author2=Mark A. Izeman|author3=Natural Resources Defense Council|title=The New York Environment Book|url=https://archive.org/details/newyorkenvironme0000gold|url-access=registration|page=|year=1990|publisher=Island Press|isbn=978-1-55963-018-4}}</ref> By the mid-1990s, many of the buses operated by Command ran on CNG.<ref name=TransAlt-CNG-June52002>{{cite web|title=Letter to Mayor Bloomberg RE: Natural Gas Buses|url=https://www.transalt.org/news/testimony/1919|publisher=]|access-date=December 15, 2015|date=June 5, 2002}}</ref> | |||
==Bus routes== | |||
{{see also|List of bus routes in Brooklyn#MTA Bus routes|List of local and express multi-borough bus routes in New York City#Manhattan to Brooklyn}} | |||
Command operated the following routes, which after the MTA takeover continued to be operated out of the ]:<ref>{{cite web|date=June 6, 2000|title=New summer schedules now in effect.|url=http://www.commandbus.com/|url-status=dead|archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20020913034319/http://www.commandbus.com/|archive-date=September 13, 2002}}</ref> | |||
{{section incomplete|1=Route information on BM2S bus, BM4 bus, and Gotham Flyer routes|date=March 2019}} | |||
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 95%;" | | |||
|- | |||
!Route<br>(Name) | |||
!Terminal A | |||
!Major streets of travel | |||
!Terminal B | |||
!Notes | |||
|- | |||
!colspan=5|] | |||
|- | |||
|]<br>(Mill Basin Local) | |||
|''']'''<br><div style="line-height:1.05em;">East 16th Street and Quentin Road<br><small>at ] ({{NYCS trains|Brighton|time=box}})</small></div> | |||
| Quentin Road, Fillmore Avenue, East 66th Street | |||
|''']'''<br>56th Drive and Strickland Avenue | |||
|No overnight service. | |||
|- | |||
|]<br>(Canarsie Limited) | |||
|''']'''<br>Williams Avenue and Flatlands Avenue | |||
| | |||
* '''All trips:''' East 105th Street, Avenue M, East 80th Street, Avenue H | |||
* '''Downtown Brooklyn trips:''' Cortelyou Road, 3rd/4th Avenues, Livingston Street, Cadman Plaza West/Adams Street | |||
|''']'''<br><div style="line-height:1.05em;">Tillary Street and Adams Street<br><small>at ]</small></div>'''''- or -'''''<br>''']'''<br><div style="line-height:1.05em;">Flatbush Avenue and Nostrand Avenue<br><small>at ] ({{NYCS trains|Nostrand|time=box}})</small></div> | |||
|Full route and no overnight service. | |||
|- | |||
!colspan=5|] | |||
|- | |||
|]<br>(Mill Basin Express) | |||
|''']''' | |||
| | |||
* '''Northbound:''' Trinity Place, Church Street, Park Place, Broadway, Park Row, Frankfort Street, FDR Drive, 23rd Street, Madison Avenue<hr> | |||
* '''Southbound:''' 5th Avenue, 23rd Street, FDR Drive, Water Street, State Street, Battery Place<hr> | |||
* '''Downtown Loop only:''' Park Place, Broadway, Park Row, Frankfort Street, Pearl Street, Water Street, State Street, Battery Place<hr> | |||
* '''Brooklyn:''' Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel, Gowanus Expressway, Prospect Expressway, Coney Island Avenue, Cortelyou Road, ], Avenue K, East 66th Street | |||
|''']'''<br>56th Drive and Strickland Avenue'''''<br>- or -'''''<br>''']'''<br>Avenue U and 71st Street? | |||
| | |||
|- | |||
|]<br>(Canarsie Express) | |||
|''']''' | |||
| Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel, Gowanus Expressway, Prospect Expressway, Coney Island Avenue, Cortelyou Road, Flatbush Avenue, Avenue H, East 80th Street, Avenue M, Pennsylvania Avenue (downtown trips only) | |||
|''']'''<br>Flatlands Avenue and Williams Avenue | |||
| | |||
|- | |||
|]<br>(Starrett City Express; via Flatlands Avenue) | |||
|''']''' | |||
| | |||
|''']'''<br>Pennsylvania and Seaview Avenues. | |||
| | |||
|- | |||
|]<br>(Kingsbay Express) | |||
|''']'''<br> | |||
|], ], ], Coney Island Avenue, Cortelyou Road, Ocean Avenue, Batchelder Street, Shore Parkway, Emmons Avenue | |||
|''']'''<br>Emmons Avenue and Shore Boulevard | |||
| | |||
|- | |||
|]<br>(Gerritsen Beach Express) | |||
|''']'''<br>East 57th Street and 2nd Avenue | |||
| | |||
|''']'''<br>Gerritsen Avenue and Lois Avenue | |||
| | |||
*Operated by Erin Tours until 1988. | |||
*Originally went on Nostrand Avenue between Avenue K and Flatbush Avenue, Flatbush Avenue between Nostrand Avenue and Cortelyou Road, instead of Avenue K and Ocean Avenue. | |||
*Midtown service via Downtown area operates all day. | |||
*Midtown express service bypassing Downtown area operates weekday peak rush hours. | |||
*Downtown service operates weekday peak rush hours. | |||
|- | |||
|]<br>(Starrett City Express) | |||
|''']'''<br>East 57th Street and 2nd Avenue | |||
| | |||
'''Manhattan''':- ], 5th Avenue <small>(southbound)</small>, Madison Avenue <small>(northbound)</small><hr>'''Brooklyn''': ], Ashford Street, Cozine Avenue, Van Siclen Avenue, Vandalia Avenue, Pennsylvania Avenue<hr>'''Queens''':<br>], ], ], ] | |||
|''']'''<br>Pennsylvania Avenue and Seaview Avenue | |||
| | |||
* Formerly made only one stop in Queens, at 79th Street in ].<ref name=BQM1/> | |||
* Expanded Queens service along Woodhaven and Cross Bay Boulevards began April 2010. | |||
* Last pickup to Manhattan and first dropoff from Manhattan is in Rego Park/Middle Village. | |||
* No Downtown service; Downtown service provided by weekday rush hour BM2 service. | |||
* Renumbered as BM5 on July 16, 2007.<ref name=BQM1>{{cite NYC bus|url=http://web.mta.info/busco/schedules/bqm001cur.pdf|display=BQM1|effective=Winter 2007|access-date=December 20, 2010}}</ref> | |||
|- | |||
!colspan=5|]; All discontinued in 2001<ref></ref> | |||
|- | |||
|]<br>(Meadowlands Special for Sheepshead Bay) | |||
|rowspan=2| ''']''' | |||
|Avenue Z, Coney Island Avenue, Avenue M, 23rd Avenue, 65th Street, 19th Avenue, 86th Street, 4th Avenue, Flatbush Avenue | |||
|''']'''<br>East 15th Street and Sheephead Bay Road<br><small>at ] ({{NYCS trains|Brighton|time=box}})</small> | |||
| | |||
|- | |||
|]<br>(Meadowlands Special for Starrett City) | |||
|Flatlands Avenue, Avenue M, Kings Highway, Nostrand Avenue, Flatbush Avenue | |||
|''']'''<br>Pennsylvania Avenue and Flatlands Avenue | |||
| | |||
|- | |||
|]<br>(Race Track Special for Bay Ridge) | |||
|rowspan=3|''']'''<br>- or -<br>''']'''<br> | |||
| | |||
*'''All Routes:''' 86th Street, 19th Avenue, 65th Street, 23rd Avenue, Avenue M, Flatlands Avenue, Pennsylvania Avenue, Linden Boulevard | |||
*'''Aqueduct Route:''' Centerville Street, Rockaway Boulevard | |||
*'''Belmont Park Route:''' Springfield Boulevard, Hempstead Turnpike | |||
|''']'''<br>86th Street and 4th Avenue<br><small>at ] ({{NYCS trains|Fourth far south|time=box}})</small> | |||
| | |||
|- | |||
|]<br>(Race Track Special for Midwood) | |||
| | |||
*'''All Routes:''' Flatbush Avenue, Church Avenue, Linden Boulevard, Conduit Boulevard. | |||
*'''Aqueduct Route:''' Centerville Street, Rockaway Boulevard | |||
*'''Belmont Park Route:''' Springfield Boulevard, Hempstead Turnpike | |||
|''']'''<br>Nostrand Avenue and Flatbush Avenue<br><small>at ] ({{NYCS trains|Nostrand|time=box}})</small> | |||
| | |||
|- | |||
|]<br>(Race Track Special for Coney Island) | |||
| | |||
* '''Kings Highway route''': Kings Highway, Avenue M | |||
* '''Coney Island route''': Stillwell Avenue, Neptune Avenue, Ocean Parkway, Avenue Z, Nostrand Avenue, Avenue U, Mill Avenue, Ralph Avenue | |||
*'''Both routes''': Flatlands Avenue, Pennsylvania Avenue, Linden Boulevard | |||
|''']'''<br>Mermaid Avenue and Stillwell Avenue<br><small>at ] ({{NYCS trains|Stillwell|time=box}})</small> | |||
'''''<br>- or -'''''<br>''']'''<br>Kings Highway and East 16th Street<br><small>at ] ({{NYCS trains|Brighton|time=box}})</small> | |||
| | |||
|- | |||
|]<br>(Shea Special) | |||
|''']'''<br> | |||
|Flatbush Avenue, Church Avenue, Linden Boulevard, Woodhaven Boulevard, Long Island Expressway, Main Street, Roosevelt Avenue, 111th Street. | |||
|''']'''<br>Nostrand Avenue and Flatbush Avenue<br><small>at ] ({{NYCS trains|Nostrand|time=box}})</small> | |||
| | |||
|- | |||
|]<br>(Yonkers Raceway Special) | |||
|''']'''<br> | |||
|86th Street, 19th Avenue, 65th Street, 23rd Avenue, Avenue M, Flatlands Avenue, Pennsylvania Avenue, Linden Boulevard, Van Wyck Expressway, Whitestone Expressway, ], ], ] | |||
|''']'''<br>86th Street and 4th Avenue<br><small>at ] ({{NYCS trains|Fourth far south|time=box}})</small> | |||
| | |||
|- | |||
|} | |||
In the mid-1990s, Command operated "Gotham Flyer" service, using unfilled buses to carry express passengers between Midtown and Wall Street. | |||
==Fleet== | |||
] | |||
* 1986 GM RTS-04/06 | |||
* 1988-89 MCI Classic TC40-102A | |||
* 1994 TMC RTS-06 CNG | |||
* 1998 ORION V CNG | |||
==References== | |||
{{reflist}} | |||
==External links== | |||
* | |||
{{NYC surface transit}} | |||
Command Bus Company only. | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] |
Latest revision as of 03:27, 1 July 2024
Defunct bus company in New York City
Varsity Bus Company #1099 deadheads through Brooklyn. | |
Headquarters | 626 Wortman Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11208 |
---|---|
Locale | New York City |
Service type | School bus service |
Chief executive | Andrew Brettschneider |
Varsity Bus Company is a former school bus operator in New York City. This company was established in 2003 when it acquired some of the school bus routes that had been operated by Varsity Transit, a sister company that had operated from 1965 to 2003. Varsity ceased operations by the 2010s, and the headquarters of Varsity were later used by Total Transportation and L&M Bus Corp.
From 1979 until 2005, Varsity Transit affiliate Command Bus Company operated two local and seven express transit bus routes, routes that are now operated by MTA Bus Company. Varsity Transit and Command Bus Company were 40-percent owned by Green Bus Lines, 40-percent owned by Triboro Coach, and 20-percent owned by Jamaica Central Railways. Varsity Bus Company is owned by former executives of Green Bus Lines.
Command Bus
Command Bus traces its history to Pioneer Bus Corporation, established in 1954 by three small school bus and charter bus operators. Until 1960, when it obtained a franchise for the current B100, it only operated school, charter, and racetrack buses. Several express buses were implemented in 1972. Command Bus Company was incorporated October 22, 1979 by the late Mr. William Cooper (1895-1985) to resume bus service following a long strike at Pioneer, which went out of the express and local bus business when the strike started.
Like its corporate owners Green Bus Lines, Triboro Coach, and Jamaica Central Railways, the late Mr. Jerome Cooper (1928-2015) was the chairman of the board of both Varsity Transit and Command Bus Company. Originally co-housed with Varsity Transit, the operations of Command were eventually moved into a new NYCDOT facility at Spring Creek Depot, 12755 Flatlands Avenue in Brooklyn (this garage was leased by MTA Bus following the transfer of Command Bus Company routes to MTA Bus in 2005), it was previously built and owned by the New York City Department of Transportation before being sold to MTA Bus in early 2009).
In 1988, two Command buses were fitted by the Brooklyn Union Gas Company with engines which operated on compressed natural gas (CNG). By the mid-1990s, many of the buses operated by Command ran on CNG.
Bus routes
See also: List of bus routes in Brooklyn § MTA Bus routes, and List of local and express multi-borough bus routes in New York City § Manhattan to BrooklynCommand operated the following routes, which after the MTA takeover continued to be operated out of the Spring Creek Bus Depot:
This section needs expansion with: Route information on BM2S bus, BM4 bus, and Gotham Flyer routes. You can help by adding to it. (March 2019) |
Route (Name) |
Terminal A | Major streets of travel | Terminal B | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Brooklyn Local | ||||
B100 (Mill Basin Local) |
Midwood East 16th Street and Quentin Road at Kings Highway ( B Q trains) |
Quentin Road, Fillmore Avenue, East 66th Street | Mill Basin 56th Drive and Strickland Avenue |
No overnight service. |
B103 (Canarsie Limited) |
Canarsie Williams Avenue and Flatlands Avenue |
|
Downtown Brooklyn Tillary Street and Adams Street at Cadman Plaza- or - Midwood Flatbush Avenue and Nostrand Avenue at Flatbush Avenue ( 2 5 trains) |
Full route and no overnight service. |
Brooklyn-Manhattan express | ||||
BM-1 (Mill Basin Express) |
Manhattan |
|
Mill Basin 56th Drive and Strickland Avenue - or - Bergen Beach Avenue U and 71st Street? |
|
BM-2 (Canarsie Express) |
Midtown Manhattan | Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel, Gowanus Expressway, Prospect Expressway, Coney Island Avenue, Cortelyou Road, Flatbush Avenue, Avenue H, East 80th Street, Avenue M, Pennsylvania Avenue (downtown trips only) | Canarsie Flatlands Avenue and Williams Avenue |
|
BM-2S (Starrett City Express; via Flatlands Avenue) |
Lower Manhattan | Starrett City Pennsylvania and Seaview Avenues. |
||
BM-3 (Kingsbay Express) |
Manhattan |
Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel, Gowanus Expressway, Prospect Expressway, Coney Island Avenue, Cortelyou Road, Ocean Avenue, Batchelder Street, Shore Parkway, Emmons Avenue | Sheepshead Bay Emmons Avenue and Shore Boulevard |
|
BM-4 (Gerritsen Beach Express) |
Midtown Manhattan East 57th Street and 2nd Avenue |
Gerritsen Beach Gerritsen Avenue and Lois Avenue |
| |
BQM-1 (Starrett City Express) |
Midtown Manhattan East 57th Street and 2nd Avenue |
Manhattan:- 34th Street, 5th Avenue (southbound), Madison Avenue (northbound) Brooklyn: Linden Boulevard, Ashford Street, Cozine Avenue, Van Siclen Avenue, Vandalia Avenue, Pennsylvania Avenue Queens: Queens–Midtown Tunnel, Long Island Expressway, Woodhaven Boulevard, Cross Bay Boulevard |
Starrett City Pennsylvania Avenue and Seaview Avenue |
|
Special Services; All discontinued in 2001 | ||||
BMJ-1 (Meadowlands Special for Sheepshead Bay) |
Meadowlands Raceway | Avenue Z, Coney Island Avenue, Avenue M, 23rd Avenue, 65th Street, 19th Avenue, 86th Street, 4th Avenue, Flatbush Avenue | Sheepshead Bay East 15th Street and Sheephead Bay Road at Sheepshead Bay ( B Q trains) |
|
BMJ-2 (Meadowlands Special for Starrett City) |
Flatlands Avenue, Avenue M, Kings Highway, Nostrand Avenue, Flatbush Avenue | Starrett City Pennsylvania Avenue and Flatlands Avenue |
||
BQ-5 (Race Track Special for Bay Ridge) |
Aqueduct Raceway - or - Belmont Park |
|
Bay Ridge 86th Street and 4th Avenue at 86th St ( R train) |
|
BQ-10 (Race Track Special for Midwood) |
|
Midwood Nostrand Avenue and Flatbush Avenue at Flatbush Avenue ( 2 5 trains) |
||
BQ-11 (Race Track Special for Coney Island) |
|
Coney Island Mermaid Avenue and Stillwell Avenue at Stillwell Avenue ( D F <F> N Q trains)
|
||
BQ-12 (Shea Special) |
Shea Stadium |
Flatbush Avenue, Church Avenue, Linden Boulevard, Woodhaven Boulevard, Long Island Expressway, Main Street, Roosevelt Avenue, 111th Street. | Flatbush Nostrand Avenue and Flatbush Avenue at Flatbush Avenue ( 2 5 trains) |
|
BW-4 (Yonkers Raceway Special) |
Yonkers Raceway |
86th Street, 19th Avenue, 65th Street, 23rd Avenue, Avenue M, Flatlands Avenue, Pennsylvania Avenue, Linden Boulevard, Van Wyck Expressway, Whitestone Expressway, Cross Bronx Expressway, Major Deegan Expressway, New York State Thruway | Bay Ridge 86th Street and 4th Avenue at 86th St ( R train) |
In the mid-1990s, Command operated "Gotham Flyer" service, using unfilled buses to carry express passengers between Midtown and Wall Street.
Fleet
- 1986 GM RTS-04/06
- 1988-89 MCI Classic TC40-102A
- 1994 TMC RTS-06 CNG
- 1998 ORION V CNG
References
- Menchaca, Paul (June 12, 2003). "Varsity Transit Will Cease Bus Service After Almost 40 Years". Queens Chronicle. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
- "Green Bus Lines, Inc., Triboro Coach Corporation, Jamaica Central Railways, Inc". sec.gov. GTJ Reit, Inc. February 9, 2007. Retrieved January 2, 2016.
- Wald, Matthew L. (July 8, 1988). "2 BUSES TO RUN ON NATURAL GAS IN EXPERIMENT". The New York Times. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
- Eric A. Goldstein; Mark A. Izeman; Natural Resources Defense Council (1990). The New York Environment Book. Island Press. p. 108. ISBN 978-1-55963-018-4.
- "Letter to Mayor Bloomberg RE: Natural Gas Buses". Transportation Alternatives. June 5, 2002. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
- "New summer schedules now in effect". June 6, 2000. Archived from the original on September 13, 2002.
- ^ MTA Regional Bus Operations (Winter 2007). "BQM1 bus schedule" (PDF). Retrieved December 20, 2010.
- Green Bus Lines, Command Bus Company, Jamaica Buses, and Triboro Coach Routes (Archive.org)
External links
Greater New York region bus transit | |||||||||
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Operators |
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Routes |
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Defunct operators |
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Transit centers |
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Command Bus Company only.
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