IC Bus won a bid to supply 300 CE Series conventional school buses to Columbus City (Ohio) Schools. The school district serving the state capital region is the largest in the state in both terms of total enrollment and students transported.
The new buses are being manufactured out of IC Bus’ assembly plant in Tulsa, Okla., and are expected to be delivered in July.
“IC Bus is proud to partner with Columbus City Schools, and we look forward to helping them with their student transportation needs for the next school year,” said John McKinney, president of IC Bus, in a statement. “Furthermore this recent order demonstrates our customers’ continued confidence in our products as well as acknowledges the unmatched support provided by the industry’s strongest dealer network.”
The 65-passenger, diesel-powered CE Series school buses are equipped with MaxxForce 7 engines, added IC Bus. The 19,800-pound, rear-axle buses are constructed with 16-gauge steel side sheets and are equipped with 21,000-lb. air-ride suspensions that IC Bus said improve safety while providing drivers with a smooth ride.
A division of Navistar, IC Bus added that the buses wil be delivered via dealer Rush Bus Centers.
“We are honored that Columbus City Schools has confidence in us to provide our unparalleled customer support for their fleet of IC Bus vehicles as they safely transport the city’s children,” said Rusty Rush, president and chief executive officer of Rush Enterprises, Inc. “The school district will benefit from our exceptional service catered around their needs.”
Columbus City has also had operated six CE Series hybrids in its fleet for about three years, added Steve Simmons, the district’s director of transportation and NAPT Region 3 director. The new order brings the Columbus City fleet of school buses to 845, the most of any publicly owned and operated in the state.
Editor’s note — A previous version of this article incorrectly referred to Columbus City Schools as the second-largest school district in Ohio behind Cleveland Metropolitan Schools in terms of total student enrollment because old student-enrollment data was used. According to the Ohio Department of Education, Columbus City now exceeds Cleveland by some 15,000 students. As for transportation Columbus covers a 137-square mile area with 746 routes serving 29,595 students. Cleveland, by contrast, serves a 79-square mile area with 162 routes providing service for 3,787 students. Additionally, an Ohio Department of Education spokesman said South-Western City Schools, Cincinnati City Schools, Olentangy Local Schools, Dublin City Schools, Hilliard City Schools, Mason City Schools, Dayton City Schools, Westerville City Schools, and Fairfield City Schools round out the top 10 districts providing transportation.
