FORT VALLEY, Ga. — On November 6, 2009, Blue Bird Corporation announced the results of independent third-party fuel economy testing of its Type C Vision School Bus conducted at the Transportation Research Center.
The fuel economy tests were run on a closed track to simulate a rural school bus route and produced a significant fuel economy advantage for the Blue Bird Type C Vision school bus, powered by a 2007 Cummins ISB engine versus a competitor’s similar size and configured bus with like horsepower and torque ratings powered by the Navistar MaxxForceDT.
“We are very pleased to have our expectations proven out,” said Roger Howsmon, Blue Bird’s chief marketing officer and senior VP Sales. “Depending on the bus and powertrain configuration—and assuming 15,000 miles per year and $3.00 per gallon of diesel—a school district could save over $1,000 per year and over $12,000 in 12 years per bus. That is very exciting, and further Cummins testing reports estimates of a 5-9 percent fuel economy advantage over in-cylinder only with their Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) solution to meet the EPA 2010 near-zero,” continued Howsmon.
In a recent release, Cummins reported separate testing results of a 17.2 percent economy advantage for the ISB versus the MaxxForce 7 tested on a closed track simulating an urban school bus route, and an 18.8 percent economy advantage in closed track testing set to mirror an interstate school activity bus route.
About the Company
Blue Bird offers a complete line of Type A, C and D school buses in a variety of options and configurations. For more than 80 years, Blue Bird Corporation has continued to set industry standards with its innovative design and manufacturing capabilities. Today, Blue Bird has more than 1,800 employees, three Georgia-based manufacturing facilities and an extensive network of Dealers and service-parts facilities throughout North America. Its global presence can be seen in more than 60 countries through sales into Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe and the Middle East. www.blue-bird.com
