As Mukilteo School District in Snoquamish, Wash., prepares for the coming school year with a new model-year 2014 All American, rear-engine school bus from Blue Bird, the manufacturer was celebrating its 550,000th bus to roll off the assembly line in Fort Valley, Ga.
“The hard work and dedication that Blue Bird employees have exhibited throughout our 86 years of manufacturing have contributed to this significant milestone,” said Phil Horlock, president and CEO of Blue Bird Corporation. “Our employees’ commitment to building safety, quality, durability, and serviceability into every bus we build will help drive our continued growth into the future.”
Tracing its origins back to 1927, Blue Bird said more than 200,000 of the 550,000 school buses it has manufactured remain on the road in some manner. Founder Albert Luce mounted the company’s first school bus on a Ford Model T chassis for a school district in Marshallville, Ga. “Blue Bird No. 1,” which is on display at The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Mich., featured a solid, one-piece roof bow design that ran from one floor line over the roof to the opposite floor line. The company said that the same characteristic that optimizes structural integrity continues to define today’s models.
In addition to the one-piece roof bow, Blue Bird said the newly redesigned 2014 All American unveiled last year offers best-in-class fuel economy, best-in-class turning radius, an ergonomic driver’s cockpit and enhanced parts commonality with Blue Bird’s Vision conventional school bus.
The All American was one of 13 new Blue Bird’s delivered to Mukilteo by dealer Bryson Sales and Service of Washington.
“Like Blue Bird, Bryson Sales and Service believes in providing quality products that deliver the greatest amount of benefit to the customer while offering superior training, service and support,” said Brandon Bryson, vice president of Bryson Sales and Service of Washington, a Blue Bird dealer since 1969 that services four western states. “Mulkilteo School District is a stellar Washington school district and we couldn’t be more pleased to present this milestone bus to them.”
Cindy Steigerwald, Mukilteo’s transportation manager, said the district serves 11,000 students about 25 miles north of Seattle.
“We are excited to receive Blue Bird’s 550,000th school bus. We are huge Blue Bird fans as this bus was delivered to our district along with 13 other Blue Bird school buses,” said Steigerwald.
She added that roughly half of the district’s fleet consists of Blue Bird buses, and for the past three years Mukilteo has added Blue Bird buses to our fleet because of quality as well as sales and service support from our dealer Bryson.
