Five Minutes With … Fred Ferguson, MBA, MS
President & CEO | American Bus Association
As President and CEO of ABA, Fred Ferguson oversees the Association's day-to-day operations, in addition to serving as President of the National Bus Traffic Association and the ABA Foundation. He brings over 15 years of experience in public policy and strategic communications within the government, non-profit and private sectors. Formerly a key executive at Vista Outdoor, Ferguson previously led state and federal lobbying, community relations, corporate communications, and ESG/CSR initiatives.
Groups Today caught up with Ferguson at the 2025 ABA Marketplace in Philadelphia to chat about his insights since beginning his role last summer.
WHAT EXCITES YOU ABOUT ABOUT LEADING ABA AT THIS TIME?
The diversity of the membership for lobbying and advocacy—we represent bus and tour operators, destinations, hotels, restaurants, and attractions. So we want to lobby and advocate for the tour and travel sector, because we know the downstream benefit is good for the motorcoach operator, as well. When we do that, we have a bigger voice and footprint. And that's all lobbying is. You have to have the right footprint, the right voice, the right message, and then you can flood Capitol Hill and make your case. And that's what we're going to do.
HOW DO YOU SEE THE MOTORCOACH INDUSTRY EVOLVING IN THE FUTURE?
There used to be 3,000 motorcoach operators registered with the DOT, then COVID happened, cutting that number in half. Today, we're around 1,900. Now that we're beyond COVID, you're starting to see tour and travel come back. You're starting to see more operators understanding that there's unmet demand in the marketplace. So new operators are registering, companies are being acquired and expanding. So I think that's a positive trend for the foreseeable future.
HOW CAN WE ATTRACT YOUNGER TRAVELERS TO THE INDUSTRY?
People love to go outdoors, and bus travel and group travel is not immune to that. People love to visit national parks, but I think the outdoor industry has done a very good job of branding themselves as young, forward thinking, dynamic. It used to be that you hiked in hiking boots and wool socks. Now, it's Lululemon pants and Hoka sneakers. And I think in some ways, group travel can go through a similar transformation—to show people that it's not so much about the bus you're traveling on ... it's about where you're going.
WHAT WOULD PEOPLE BE SURPRISED TO LEARN ABOUT YOU?
I've got an eight and four year old, and my wife has a stationary and fine gift business in Middleburg, Virginia. I'm the CFO and the chief box opener, so when inventory comes in, I'm opening the boxes, printing barcodes and putting products into the inventory system. I love it, and it's good for the kids to see.
Edited by Sarah Suydam, Managing Editor for Groups Today.
This article originally appeared in the May/June '25 issue of Groups Today.
Photo courtesy of American Bus Association.
Want articles like this one sent directly to your inbox? Subscribe to our daily eNews here.
