Collins Bus turned 50 years old this year, the latest milestone for the first manufacturer of small school buses. From those humble beginnings, when the late Don Collins, “the father of the small school bus,” fashioned a school vehicle from a passenger van, the company has grown into a Type-A market leader and is now the school bus brand of publicly traded REV Group.
Leading the way today for Collins Bus is General Manager Matt Scheuler. He’s spent his entire career at Collins, dating back to 2001, when he arrived at the company’s headquarters in Hutchinson, Kansas as an internet marketing manager. Since, he’s worked in aftermarket parts, sales and business development as a director, vice president and president. And he is still several years away from celebrating his own 50th birthday.
We caught up with him recently to discuss how Collins Bus has evolved over the decades and what’s in store for the future.
Matt ScheulerSchool Transportation News: How would you describe the Collins Bus journey from starting as a family owned company and growing into a brand of REV Group?
Matt Scheuler: Our journey from an apartment complex in Missouri back in the 1960s to a publicly traded, multi-billion-dollar brand under the REV Group umbrella has been exciting, to say the least. But what’s important is that along the way Collins Bus has never wavered from what makes us who we are and our core values. We have a great backbone of employees that are wired to win and accept nothing less than the best from themselves and the products we manufacture.
STN: Are there any special 50th anniversary celebrations scheduled for this year?
Scheuler: Honestly, we’ve been celebrating since this past November and will continue to do so throughout the remainder of the year. We’ve done some subtle things such as placing 50th anniversary logos on our 2017 buses this year and have some much larger celebrations in store as we move towards the end of the year. It’s our golden anniversary, which seems fitting for the business we’re in.
STN: What is the company’s values in terms of innovations? How has this spurred growth?
Scheuler: When you look at our business in terms of innovation you’ll see that innovation is what really differentiates us from the competition. Since we are focused on the cutaway bus market, we’re constantly looking for ways to improve and stand apart in what we’re manufacturing at Collins Bus. There are so many innovations on our products that unless you really engage with our staff and or dealer partners, a customer might be missing out on some advanced technology that they weren’t aware of. Some of the obvious innovations would be our exclusive external storage compartment, class-leading driver visibility, flexible seating configuration, alternative fuel offerings of which we were the first to introduce hybrid, propane and CNG into the type A marketplace over the years. However, the innovations that are truly revolutionary exist inside the structure of the vehicle, and it’s truly designed to raise the bar on safety and school bus manufacturing in total.
STN: What are your thoughts on autonomous vehicles, or at least automated functions for school buses?
Scheuler: When it comes to advanced technology and autonomous vehicles, my immediate reaction like many people would be, “Is this a safe and viable alternative to our current solution?” We’re transporting our most precious cargo and whatever method we choose for the future it must be the safest available option. No exceptions.
STN: If you had a crystal ball, what do the next 50 years of Collins Bus look like? What about the industry as a whole?
Scheuler: Looking out over the next 50 years, I really believe our industry is going to start to accelerate and innovate at a faster pace overall. And I will leave you with this small insight into the future of Collins Bus: We have a never-been-seen-before product that we’re bringing to market very soon. This innovation will change the school bus transportation industry as we know it today. So, if that’s any indication of where we’re headed as a business, I can assure you we’ll never be satisfied with being ordinary. Ordinary is not who we were in 1967, and it’s definitely not who we will be in 2017 and beyond.
STN: Will this new unveil be at the STN EXPO in July?
Scheuler: Yes, it will!
STN: Thank you.
Reprinted from the June 2017 issue of School Transportation News
