Fun Bus USA Sells First Two Franchises - 'Fitness fun on wheels' concept ideal for those seeking flexible business opportunity

FORDS, N.J., June 30 -- After more than two years of operation in New Jersey's Middlesex, Monmouth, Somerset, Mercer and Union Counties, Fun Bus USA (formerly Fun Bus) has sold its first two franchises. The business involves the use of gutted, full-size, fully-equipped school buses to hold 30-minute "fitness fun on wheels" sessions for children at day care centers, houses of worship, birthday parties and special events.

Mia Buckley, a former assistant vice president at Merrill Lynch Investment Managers who resides in Middlesex Borough, N.J., will operate a Fun Bus USA franchise in portions of Somerset and Middlesex Counties, including a territory previously handled by Kari Denton, one of the company's co-founders. Josephine Cammarata, a stay-at-home mother and resident of Manalapan, N.J., has acquired the right to operate in a territory that encompasses Western Monmouth County and neighboring Jackson in northern Ocean County.

Protected Fun Bus territories are divided into areas of several square miles apiece. Multiple franchises are available in all New Jersey counties, including those in which the business already operates, as well as in Connecticut and Pennsylvania. Several other parties have also expressed interest in Fun Bus, said Denton, a certified teacher who founded the business with her mother, Dawn McGarry, in 2000.

"With more than 4,000 day care centers in New Jersey and other opportunities available with churches, synagogues, special events, parties, and other places where children gather, we will continue to split individual counties between franchisees rather than limit individual counties to single operators," Denton said.

She added that the company is targeting stay-at-home mothers, retirees, former teachers, and other individuals desiring to augment their household incomes with a part-time, turnkey business that offers a flexible schedule. No related experience or particular skills are required to operate a Fun Bus franchise; a franchise fee of $25,000 covers all training needed to set up a Fun Bus venture, manage employees, and maintain service quality. The franchise fee also includes all rights to the Fun Bus name, slogans and other related intellectual property.

Franchisees also receive advertising support and an operations manual with specific information on bus activities, marketing strategies, personnel management and record-keeping. Assistance in sourcing buses and locating the necessary equipment is available, and an artist has been commissioned to decorate vehicle exteriors for consistency. Including the franchise fee, bus and equipment, the total investment per territory ranges from $48,000 to $78,000.

For franchise information, contact Fun Bus at 22 Thistle Court, Fords, N.J. 08863. Telephone is (732) 225-2649.