CINCINNATI – First Student, a subsidiary of FirstGroup America, announced today a long-term agreement with Collins Bus Corporation, the largest manufacturer of Type-A buses in North America, to be the exclusive supplier for their Type-A bus requirements. First Student is the largest provider of student transportation in North America and operates more than 60,000 buses. The agreement is for three years with options to extend for another two years.
Kent Tyler, president of Collins Bus Corporation stated, “As the largest manufacturer of Type-A buses in North America, we’re thrilled to announce this partnership with First Student. We have been doing business with First Student for quite some time; however, this formal agreement will allow both organizations to plan more effectively for future vehicle requirements as well as production capacity.”
First Student intends to purchase a variety of Type-A buses from Collins under this agreement, and Collins will start delivering buses immediately. The majority of these buses will be produced and delivered by Collins Bus during their non-peak production months of fall and winter.
First Student President Linda Bell said “We are pleased to have Collins Bus Corporation provide our Type-A buses. As the largest provider of school transportation it is important that we have the right vehicle for our customers’ requirements and ensure the continued safe and secure transportation of the 4 million children we carry to and from school each day”
John Doswell, vice president of sales and marketing for Collins Bus Corporation stated, “Through lean manufacturing and brand consolidation, our production capacity has increased substantially over the last three years, thus providing us the ability to add First Student volume with minimal disruption to our existing customer and dealer requirements.”
About FirstGroup America
FirstGroup America, headquartered in Cincinnati, is North America’s largest transportation company. With 96,000 employees, FirstGroup America operates First Student, the largest provider of student transportation in the U.S. and Canada; First Transit, the largest private provider of transit management and contracting services; First Services, the largest private sector provider of fleet maintenance services, and Greyhound bus lines. Parent Company FirstGroup plc, is the world’s leading transportation company, serving more than 2.5 billion passengers per year throughout Europe and North America. For more information, visit http://www.firstgroupamerica.com.
About Collins Bus Corporation
Collins Bus Corporation, a subsidiary of Collins Industries, Inc., markets three brands of Type-A buses throughout North America (Collins, Mid Bus, and Corbeil). They have the largest distribution network of any Type-A bus company with over 70 dealers in the United States and Canada. Collins Industries, Inc., a subsidiary of BNS Holding, Inc., is also a leading manufacturer of ambulances (including medical attack vehicles, rescue vehicles and fire emergency vehicles), the nation’s second largest manufacturer of terminal trucks and a leader in the road construction and industrial sweeper markets. For more information please visit www.collinsbuscorp.com.
