Transportation Alternatives directed several efforts to evaluate the products and/or production facilities of major European bus manufacturers: TAM BUS (Slovenia), Ikarus (Belgrade) and PAZ (Russia).

For TAM BUS, TA created the Company's Exclusive North American Distributor, TAM-USA, and with the help of an interdisciplinary User Design Committee (see Vehicle Design, Specification and Product Development) and engineers from six countries, helped transform a European bus envelope into two 12-meter bus models which were subsequently introduced into the North American market. (See Vehicle Distribution and Sales.) Based upon a comparison of European bus models and U.S. manufacturing requirements and standards, TA coordinated the integration of a full line of U.S. components into these models.

Prior to forming its joint venture company (TAM-US) with TAM-BUS and AM-BUS, TA performed an extensive evaluation of the products and production capabilities of a Serbian bus manufacturer. With an offer of financing from Combustion Engineering Trading Company (later acquired by Asea Brown Boveri), TA undertook extensive discussions with this manufacturer for its production of buses for the North American market. TA concluded that, despite substantial financial backing for the effort, this manufacturer did not possess the "corporate culture" or the engineering and production capabilities for the introduction of an SAE/USDOT-certified product into this export market.

As a subcontractor to Bain & Company, TA conducted a USAID-funded examination of the products and production facilities of major Russian bus manufacturer Pavlovo Bus Factory (PAZ), and produced a 40-page summary of recommendations which was translated into the Russian language, and presented to PAZ's Senior Management and Board of Directors.

Finally, Northrop Corporation solicited a proposal from TA to examine its Advanced Technology Transit Bus (ATTB) project for export opportunities. TA's extensive proposal to involve Northrop in a technology and marketing integration effort with Slovenia bus manufacturer TAM BUS (i.e., TAM BUS would sell the ATTB in its 40-country bus and truck market in exchange for Northrop's introduction of advanced technology aerospace industry materials and technologies into other TAM products) was seriously considered but eventually declined.

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^{Vehicle Design, Specification and Product Development}