More than 1,200 IC Bus employees on Tuesday celebrated the 100,000th bus built in their Tulsa, Okla., plant. The vehicle was ordered by school bus contractor Student Transportation, Inc. (STI), the third-largest school bus contractor in North America.
“This plant demonstrates our commitment to the school bus industry by building quality, state-of-the-art product,” said John McKinney, president of Navistar Global Bus and IC Bus. “Because of the hard work and dedication of our Tulsa employees, IC Bus is far and away the industry leader not only in pure sales volume, but more importantly, in product quality.”
The company said 50 to 75 buses, on average, are manufactured each day in Tulsa. And the number of employees has tripled since the plant opened in 2001.
“This plant and this bus represent what is great about businesses working together,” said Denis Gallagher, founder and CEO of STI, who received the vehicle from IC Bus. “Converting this plant from a former airplane factory to now making the safest school bus in the world is a testament to private enterprise. There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes of a daily American event — the transportation of children to and from school. The school bus is the safest form of transportation and we are here to thank the workers of the plant for making that happen.”
IC Bus said its 100,000th bus marks more than just a milestone. It is also “a testament to IC Bus’ commitment to the community.” For example, the company said its Tulsa plant contributes to the current growth trend of manufacturing in the United States.
“We are proud that IC Buses are built with the skill and expertise of the best employees in the industry,” McKinney added. “As we look to the future, we will continue to work with other industry leaders like STI to provide our customers with the right solutions they need to get their children to and from school safely and efficiently.”
