Blue Bird Corporation

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The Blue Bird Corporation (originalmente conocida como Blue Bird Body Company ) es un
fabricante estadounidense de autobuses con sede en Fort Valley, Georgia . Mejor conocida por
su producción de autobuses escolares , la compañía también ha fabricado una amplia variedad
de otros tipos de autobuses, incluidos autobuses de tránsito , autocaravanas y vehículos
especiales, como bibliotecas móviles y centros móviles de comando de la policía . Actualmente,
Blue Bird concentra su línea de productos en autobuses escolares y de actividades y derivados
de vehículos especializados. [4]

Blue Bird Body Company fue fundada en 1932 en Fort Valley, Georgia, cuando AL Luce cerró su
concesionario de automóviles para concentrarse exclusivamente en la producción de autobuses.
Permaneciendo bajo el control de la familia a principios de la década de 1990, Blue Bird cambió
de manos varias veces en la década de 2000; en febrero de 2015, se convirtió en una empresa de
propiedad pública (con el propietario anterior, Cerberus Capital Management, con una
participación del 58%).

Historia
1927–1945: El cambio a acero

Cuando comenzó el segundo cuarto del siglo XX, Albert Luce Sr. era un empresario que
desarrolló algunos de los primeros autobuses escolares construidos específicamente para este
fin, que pasaron de los vagones . Lo que ahora es Blue Bird Corporation comenzó su vida como
un proyecto paralelo en un concesionario de Ford Motor Company en Perry, Georgia . [5] Junto
con el concesionario en Perry, Luce era propietaria de la franquicia de Ford en Fort Valley, Georgia
, una comunidad agrícola rural al sur de Macon .

En 1925, Luce vendió a un cliente un Ford Modelo T con un cuerpo de autobús de madera; El
cliente buscó usar el autobús para transportar a sus trabajadores. Debido a una combinación de
calidad de construcción insatisfactoria del cuerpo del autobús y las condiciones difíciles de las
carreteras rurales de Georgia, el cuerpo del autobús de madera comenzó a desintegrarse antes
de que el cliente hubiera terminado de pagar el vehículo. [5] [6] Dirigida a producir un diseño
mejorado para vender a sus clientes, Luce buscó aportes para desarrollar
Blue Bird Corporation
un cuerpo de autobús más fuerte capaz de sobrevivir en carreteras no
mejoradas. [5] En lugar de madera, Luce construyó su cuerpo de autobús
de acero y chapa metálica; La madera fue utilizada como material
secundario. [6] Terminado en 1927, el autobús se puso en uso como un
autobús escolar.

Si bien los autobuses inicialmente seguirían siendo un proyecto paralelo

para Luce (con solo 9 cuerpos de autobuses producidos entre 1929 y 1931 Blue Bird Corporation,
[5] ), el inicio de la Gran Depresión haría un cambio en su compañía para Fort Valley, Georgia
siempre. Tras una disminución del 95% en las ventas de automóviles en
1931, Luce vendió sus dos concesionarios Ford, utilizando los $ 12,000 de
Tipo Público
la venta para comenzar su propia compañía, concentrándose únicamente
Comercializado NASD
en la producción de autobuses. [5] Inspirada para comenzar la producción como Comp
BLBD
con el fin de apoyar la economía local, Luce también sintió que los
Russe
autobuses escolares serían un recurso necesario como parte del cambio
Industria Fabricación
hacia escuelas consolidadas. [5] [7]
de
autobuses
El uso temprano de vagones de granja a tiempo parcial pronto se convirtió Fundado 1932 en
Fort
en productos de autobuses escolares especialmente diseñados, cada uno
Valley,
con economía y función como prioridades principales. En 1937, la Georgia
compañía comenzó la producción de carrocerías de autobuses de acero Fundador Albert L.
Luce, Sr.
completo, una innovación que pronto reemplazó las carrocerías de madera
Sede 402 Blue
que en ese entonces eran de uso común en los Estados Unidos. [7] En una Bird Blvd
conferencia de 1939, los ingenieros de Blue Bird ayudaron a desarrollar el PO Box
937
color amarillo del autobús escolar , que todavía está en uso hoy en día.
Fort
Valley, GA
Durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial, la producción de autobuses se desvió 31030
en gran parte a las fuerzas armadas, con Blue Bird produciendo autobuses Área Estados
servida Unidos
y ambulancias móviles. Debido al racionamiento del acero, los ingenieros
Canadá
de la compañía se vieron obligados a rediseñar varios ensamblajes de Más de
carrocería para minimizar el uso del acero. [5] Al final de la guerra, el 60 países
en todo el
aumento en la producción de autobuses hizo que los autobuses escolares mundo.
de Blue Bird se pusieran en uso en muchos distritos escolares en el sur de África

los EE. UU. Fuera de Georgia. [5] Asia

el Caribe
America
latina
Europa
 medio
este
Gente [1]
Phil
clave Horlock,
Presidente
y CEO
"Blue Bird Number 1", construido sobre un chasis Ford Model TT de 1927 . Donado al Museo
Henry Ford en 2008. Productos Autobuses
escolares
Autobuses
de
Blue Bird Number One
actividad

Terminado en 1927, el primer autobús completado por AL Luce se vendió Ingresos US $ 932
millones
a un cliente y se puso en uso como un autobús escolar. [5] [6] Tras el (2016) [2]
establecimiento de Blue Bird Body Company en 1932, el autobús se volvió Ingresos US $
de 26.6
retroactivamente conocido como Blue Bird "Número Uno". [5] En 1946, el
explotación millones
autobús fue readquirido por la familia Luce; como parte de la restauración, (2016)
[2]
el cuerpo se colocó en un chasis Ford Modelo TT [8] , que se sometió a una
Lngresos US $ 6.9
segunda restauración en la década de 1970. [5]
netos millones
(2016) [2]
En 2008, Blue Bird "Number One" fue donado al Museo Henry Ford , que
Número de 2,160
marca el centenario del Modelo T Ford y el 80 aniversario de su empleados (2016) [2]
construcción. [6] Padre Merrill Lynch
Capital
Junto con el Blue Bird All American de 1948, una réplica de Blue Bird Partners
(1992–1999)
Number One se encuentra en el piso de la fábrica de Blue Bird en Fort Henlys plc
Valley, Georgia. [5] (1999-2004)
Cerberus
Capital
1945–1960: Transición de la posguerra Management
(2006–2014,
aún posee el
Después de la Segunda Guerra Mundial , la configuración de las escuelas 58% de las
en todo Estados Unidos continuó cambiando. En las comunidades rurales, acciones) [3]

los distritos escolares se alejaron de las escuelas escolares hacia

Sitio web Blue-
escuelas centralizadas (compartiendo las estructuras de clases Bird.com
graduadas de las escuelas urbanas) mientras que las poblaciones urbanas
se mudaron a los suburbios. Dependiendo de la ubicación, la práctica anterior de caminar a la
escuela se había vuelto poco práctica, particularmente a medida que los estudiantes avanzaban
a la escuela secundaria. En los distritos escolares rurales y suburbanos, la adición de la
generación del baby boom llevó a una nueva demanda de transporte escolar.

Cerca del final de 1945, la compañía sufrió un gran revés, ya que su fábrica de Fort Valley fue
destruida por un incendio (casi reclamando la vida de AL Luce). [5] Mientras que el edificio de la
fábrica se quemó en el suelo, se salvó una cantidad significativa de equipo junto con varios
autobuses en la línea de ensamblaje. Como resultado, la producción se inició en una línea de
montaje improvisada en otra propiedad de la compañía, con algunos trabajos completados en
tiendas de campaña. [5] Si bien los materiales de construcción ya no estaban racionados (como
había terminado la Segunda Guerra Mundial), la capacidad de asegurar grandes cantidades de
material de construcción seguía siendo un desafío. Sin embargo, en la primavera de 1946, se
completó la fábrica reconstruida y se reanudó la producción de autobuses. [5]

En el período de posguerra, Blue Bird crecería sustancialmente, convirtiéndose en uno de los

fabricantes de cuerpos más grandes en los Estados Unidos. Después de un ataque al corazón en
1946, AL Luce comenzó a entregar gradualmente las operaciones de Blue Bird a sus tres hijos, y
AL "Buddy" Luce, Jr. se convirtió en presidente de la compañía en 1950. [5] [7]

All American

1948 Prototipo Blue Bird All American, conservado.

En 1948, en un viaje a Europa, AL Luce y su hijo George asistieron al Auto Show de París en 1948
. Después de interesarse por un bus de control delantero con chasis GM en exhibición, Luce
buscó comprar un chasis de bus similar para producir con un cuerpo Blue Bird. Después de no
poder comprar un chasis, Luce compró el vehículo de exhibición, importándolo a los Estados
Unidos. [5] En 1949, se produjo el primer Blue Bird All American , que entró en producción a gran
escala en 1950. En 1952, Blue Bird comenzó a fabricar su propio chasis (en lugar de proveedores
externos) para producir su propio chasis. Con la excepción del Micro Bird basado en camioneta,
Blue Bird construye el chasis de cada bus que produce. [9]

Actualmente en su sexta generación, el Blue Bird All American es el autobús escolar de mayor
producción en producción. Si bien no es el primer autobús escolar con control de avance (el
Crown Supercoach se introdujo en 1932), All America se convertiría en uno de los diseños para
expandir ampliamente su uso, liderando su uso más amplio por distritos escolares y operadores
de autobuses escolares en todo Estados Unidos y Canadá. Junto con el Blue Bird Convencional
(y la posterior Blue Bird Vision), muchos diseños de cuerpos de Blue Bird compartirían elementos
de diseño con el All American, incluidos los autobuses comerciales TC / 2000, TC / 1000, APC y
CS, y el vehículo recreativo Wanderlodge.
1960–1980: Más allá de los autobuses escolares

A principios de la década de 1960, el autobús escolar Blue Bird / Ford B500 (convertido en un autobús de fiesta)

1979 Blue Bird Wanderlodge

A medida que la década de 1950 se convirtió en la década de 1960, Blue Bird creció rápidamente,
convirtiéndose en el cuarto mayor fabricante de autobuses escolares. [7] Para satisfacer la
demanda adicional, los hermanos Luce agregaron varias instalaciones de producción para
complementar la planta de Fort Valley, Georgia. En 1958, Blue Bird Canada fue inaugurado en
Brantford, Ontario . [10] En 1962, Blue Bird Midwest se abrió en Mount Pleasant, Iowa . En 1965,
Blue Bird trasladó la producción más allá de América del Norte con Blue Bird Centroamérica en
Guatemala. Para reducir los costos de producción y mantenimiento, mientras que se fabricaron
los cuerpos convencionales y todos estadounidenses, se construyeron sobre chasis de origen
local (de Mercedes-Benz, Hino, Nissan Diesel y Toyota).

El fundador de la compañía, AL Luce, murió en 1962. Poco después, los tres hijos de Luce
intentaron diversificar la línea de productos de la compañía, temiendo que la industria de
autobuses escolares, cuya demanda se vio influenciada por la generación del baby boom ,
eventualmente abandonara a los estudiantes cuando terminaran su educación. A principios de la
década, el logotipo de la compañía Blue Bird hizo su debut, pintado en la línea del techo de
muchos de sus autobuses.

En 1963, debutó la primera gran empresa Blue Bird fuera de los autobuses escolares. Nombrada
la Casa de Tránsito de Blue Bird (rebautizada como Wanderlodge en 1968), era un lujoso vehículo
recreativo de $ 12,000 ($ 92,000 en 2015 dólares) basado en el All American. Utilizando el chasis
de servicio pesado y el cuerpo completamente de acero para su ventaja, el vehículo fue
comercializado como de mayor calidad que otros RVs de la época; El interior fue construido en
gran medida a la orden. Basado en el All American durante más de 25 años, el Wanderlodge
desarrolló seguidores leales, entre los que se encontraban celebridades y jefes de estado entre
sus propietarios.
En la década de 1970, Blue Bird desarrolló un autobús para un público mucho más amplio.
Llamada City Bird, fue una variante de All American desarrollada para el segmento de transporte
público . Un autobús con motor trasero de corta distancia entre ejes, el City Bird estaba
destinado a ciudades más pequeñas y rutas con callejones sin salida , lo que brinda una mejor
maniobrabilidad y costos más eficientes que los vehículos más grandes.

Durante la década de 1970, con el uso de autobuses escolares pequeños en aumento, Blue Bird
encontró una manera de diversificar su línea de autobuses escolares. Si bien los autobuses
escolares basados en furgonetas cortadas no fueron inventados por la compañía, Blue Bird
encontró formas de ganar una participación de mercado significativa. En 1975, Blue Bird
presentó el Micro Bird , basado en un chasis doble de Chevrolet / GMC con rueda trasera. En gran
parte similar al Wayne Busette , el Micro Bird se distinguió por tener una puerta de autobús
escolar de altura completa y ventanas adicionales en el frente de la puerta de entrada para
ayudar a la visibilidad de la zona de carga. En 1977, la línea de autobuses pequeños se amplió a
dos con el debut del Mini Bird., basado en el chasis stepvan GM P-30. Si bien aún es un pequeño
autobús por derecho propio, el Mini Bird fue diseñado con la ventaja del mismo ancho de cuerpo
del Convencional / Todo Americano; muchos Mini Birds fueron equipados con ascensores para
sillas de ruedas.

1980: Una nueva dirección

1988–1989 Blue Bird TC / 2000

1980 Blue Bird convencional / internacional S1800 en Alemania

A fines de los años setenta y principios de los ochenta, el segmento de fabricación de autobuses
escolares estaba en un punto de agitación; muchas de las predicciones de los hermanos Luce a
principios de los años sesenta se habían cumplido en gran medida. Casi dos décadas después
de que Blue Bird comenzara los esfuerzos para diversificar su línea de productos, la generación
del baby boom había completado su educación secundaria. En consecuencia, un factor clave que
había liderado la demanda de ventas de autobuses escolares desde fines de la década de 1940
estaba en declive. De 1979 a 1982, tres de los seis fabricantes más grandes de autobuses
escolares (Carpenter, Superior y Ward) se declararían en bancarrota, con la producción de
autobuses escolares de Superior. Desde su fundación en 1932 hasta 1984, las operaciones de
Blue Bird fueron supervisadas por AL Luce o sus tres hijos. En 1984, la familia expandió la junta
directiva fuera de la familia. En 1986, la empresa contrató a Paul Glaske, presidente deMarathon
LeTourneau , un fabricante de equipo pesado con sede en Texas. [7] A partir de 1986, Glaske
supervisaría las operaciones diarias de la compañía, mientras que los hijos de Buddy y Joseph
Luce trabajaron en otros lugares en la administración de la compañía. [5]

Para preservar las ventas, en 1984, Blue Bird comenzó a utilizar el financiamiento para la
adquisición de autobuses. [7] La estrategia tuvo éxito, ya que a mediados de la década de 1980,
Blue Bird se convirtió en el fabricante más vendido en América del Norte; casi uno de cada tres
nuevos autobuses escolares era un Blue Bird. [7] A fines de la década de 1980, se realizaron
varios cambios extensos en la línea de productos Blue Bird. Si bien la compañía había ofrecido
un motor trasero All American desde principios de la década de 1960, en 1988, su chasis fue
producido por Blue Bird por primera vez (previamente subcontratado a varios fabricantes). La
línea de productos de autobuses escolares de estilo tránsito se amplió de uno a dos en 1987,
cuando Blue Bird presentó el Blue Bird TC / 2000 .

En gran parte como respuesta al Wayne Lifestar , el TC / 2000 se desarrolló en un esfuerzo por
asegurar las ofertas de los operadores de grandes flotas, que debían tener un precio cercano a
los autobuses de estilo convencional. En línea con el All American, el TC / 2000 usó un chasis de
origen Blue Bird (con tren motriz y suspensión más livianos). Después de su lanzamiento, el TC /
2000 se convertiría en un gran éxito, para 1990, casi 1 de cada 10 autobuses escolares nuevos
vendidos en los Estados Unidos era un TC / 2000. Durante la producción de 1989, Blue Bird
introdujo sus primeros cambios importantes en All American desde 1957; junto con las extensas
actualizaciones exteriores, se revisó la línea completa del tren motriz, junto con un
compartimiento de controladores rediseñado.

Si bien la década de 1980 sería exitosa para Blue Bird en la producción de autobuses escolares,
la compañía vio resultados mixtos en otros segmentos. Después de 10 años de problemas de
ventas, el Blue Bird City Bird se suspendió en 1986. A pesar de las ventas volátiles en vehículos
recreativos, el Wanderlodge siguió teniendo éxito (representando casi 1 de cada 5 vehículos Blue
Bird vendidos). Para competir mejor con diseños más modernos, Blue Bird comenzó a restar
importancia a las características comunes del Wanderlodge y del autobús escolar All American,
con varios renovaciones exteriores a fines de los años ochenta. En 1988, se introdujo una versión
de 102 "del Wanderlodge (entonces demasiado ancha para el uso del autobús escolar); el último
Wanderlodge para compartir un cuerpo y un chasis con el All American se produjo en 1990.

Años 90: Blue Bird en transición

Blue Bird CSFE

At the beginning of the 1990s, Blue Bird had secured its position as the highest-volume school
bus manufacturer; following the launch of the TC/2000, the company held nearly a 50% market
share.[7] After nearly six decades as a family-run company, in 1991, the Luce family decided to put
Blue Bird Body Company up for sale. After showing the company to potential buyers through
much of 1991, six buyers offered bids. For $397 million, Merrill Lynch Capital Partners purchased
an 82% share of Blue Bird in November 1991, changing the name from Blue Bird Body Company
to Blue Bird Corporation. Under the terms of the sale, the remaining 18% of the company was
equally distributed between Paul Glaske and 14 management employees selected by the Luce
family; Buddy and Joseph Luce retired while the rest of the management team was retained.[7]

During the early 1990s, following the success of its school bus product lines, Blue Bird
commenced efforts to further diversify its product lines. As a replacement for the City Bird, in
1992, Blue Bird launched the Blue Bird Q-Bus, designed for mass-transit and charter
applications.[11] In contrast to the City Bird, the Q-Bus shared no design commonality with a Blue
Bird school bus. In addition to the Q-Bus, the APC (All-Purpose Coach) and CS (Commercial
Series) were introduced, as commercial buses based on the bodies of the All American and
TC/2000; a "shell" version was sold for upfitters as well.

To better compete with more modern designs of luxury recreational vehicles, Blue Bird began to
update the design of the Wanderlodge. Following the 1988 introduction of the 102" wide body, the
Wanderlodge line was redesigned entirely for 1991 (effectively sharing only Blue Bird emblems
with the All American). In 1994, a second version of the Wanderlodge was introduced, as the
Wanderlodge BMC debuted. To expand its availability, the Wanderlodge BMC was produced using
a chassis from Spartan Motors; a Blue Bird QMC commercial variant was introduced, designed as
a mobile workstation.[12] In 1997, Blue Bird expanded into the passenger motorcoach segment,
introducing the LTC-40 (Luxury Touring Coach); for 1998, the Wanderlodge LX/LXi were
introduced, adapting the LTC body.[5]
In an effort to match demand for its product lines, Blue Bird made several changes to its
production facilities, closing Blue Bird East in (in Virginia) in 1992 and opening Blue Bird de
Mexico (in Monterrey, Nuevo León) in 1995.[5][7]

After few major changes to its school bus product lines through the 1990s, in 1999, the Blue Bird
All American underwent its second redesign in 10 years. In order to increase forward visibility, the
All American was given an all-new chassis (positioning the engine lower), adopting the larger
windshield of the TC/2000, and redesigned dashboard and control panels (later used in the
TC/2000).

During the late 1990s, Blue Bird Corporation would undergo the first of several ownership
changes. After increasing sales each year throughout the second half of the 1990s, Blue Bird was
acquired from Merril Lynch Capital Partners by Henlys Group PLC for $428 million (with Henlys
also paying $237 million of Blue Bird company debt).[7] At the time, Henlys sought to expand its
operations in North America, with 10% of the company owned by Volvo Group.[7][13]

Joint ventures

Late 1990s Blue Bird/GMC CV200

Blue Bird/ MB-IV on a Ford E-350 chassis

During the 1990s, Blue Bird would enter into several joint ventures as part of its school bus
production, for both small and full-size school buses.

In an effort to supplement the Blue Bird Micro Bird, in 1992, Blue Bird entered into a supply
agreement with Quebec-based bus manufacturer Girardin Minibus to supply Blue Birds with
Girardin-produced MB-II/MB-IV school buses (branded as Blue Birds) on cutaway van chassis.
While configured similar to the Micro Bird, the Blue Bird MB-II/IV by Girardin allowed Blue Bird to
offer an updated body design; at the time, Girardin was the sole manufacturer to produce a full
cutaway body for single rear-wheel van chassis. The MB-II and MB-IV were sold by Blue Bird until
1999, when they adopted the Girardin branding.
Coinciding with the 1991 redesign of the General Motors medium-duty truck line, General Motors
entered into a 10-year supply agreement with Blue Bird, starting early in 1992, as a 1993 model.
Under the agreement, the Chevrolet/GMC B7 would only be sold to Blue Bird. Blue Bird offered a
choice of other cowled chassis (Ford B700/B800, International 3700, 3800, and later Freightliner
FS-65). The CV200 was produced through 2002. The 2002s were considered 2003 models.

Environmentally friendly buses

In place of bringing all-new product lines to production, during the 1990s, Blue Bird explored
several methods of reducing the environmental impact of school buses, with several methods
reaching production. In 1991, Blue Bird developed the first school bus powered by compressed
natural gas (CNG), an All American Rear Engine. In 1995, Blue Bird began a collaboration with
John Deere to produce school buses with CNG engines, lasting into the 2000s;[7] along with the
All American, CNG engines were produced for the TC/2000.[14]

In 1996, Blue Bird debuted the Envirobus 2000 concept school bus. Derived loosely from the Q-
Bus, the Envirobus served loosely as a testbed for safety-related technology along with the
viability of CNG-powered school buses.[15][16]

Along with alternative-fuel buses, Blue Bird became the first school bus manufacturer to develop
fully electric school buses; during the 1990s, technology limited its development to the prototype
stage. In 1994, the company developed a battery-powered school bus in an effort with
Westinghouse Electronic Systems for a school district in California.[7] In 1996, Blue Bird
collaborated with Electrosource, Inc in an effort to design a battery system intended for buses.[7]

2000s: Focus toward school buses

Blue Bird Ultra LF bus

2007 Blue Bird Vision

 

2010 Blue Bird All American

While the late 1990s were calmer than the late 1970s for the school bus industry, it still remained
a time of relative turmoil for school bus manufacturers; this would carry into the 2000s. Several
school bus manufacturers underwent acquisition or changed hands (AmTran and Thomas Built
Buses); by 2001, several others (Crown Coach, Carpenter, Gillig, Wayne) would end school bus
production forever. Instead of being family-run companies, school bus manufacturers were now
owned by larger companies with ties to truck manufacturing. For Blue Bird, a large stake of the
company was owned by the Volvo Group, the largest bus manufacturer in the world. However,
during the early 2000s, due to financial difficulties of its other parent company, Blue Bird was sold
from Henlys in 2004. In 2006, Blue Bird was acquired through a bankruptcy filing by Cerberus
Capital Management.[17] Looking to develop its entries in the transportation sector, Blue Bird was
paired with North American Bus Industries (NABI) and Optima Bus Corporation by Cerberus.

At the beginning of the 2000s, Blue Bird sought to modernize its aging transit bus line; the Q-Bus
was nearly a decade old and the CS and APC coaches were essentially commercial versions of
the All American and TC/2000 school buses. For 2002, the 96-inch wide Q-Bus was replaced by
the 102-inch wide Xcel102 and the CS and APC lines were retired. In 2003, the company entered
the low-floor segment with the introduction of the UltraLF and UltraLMB.

As the number of full-size school bus manufacturers had been cut from seven to three from 1990
to 2000, Blue Bird began on making its school bus products more competitive during the early
part of the decade. Following the substantial update of the All American in 1999, Blue Bird
discontinued the slow-selling TC/1000 in 2001 and consolidated the TC/2000 with the All
American early in 2004.

However, the largest change came in 2003, as Blue Bird sought to replace the CV200. While
initially developed to use the Ford F-650 Super Duty chassis, the Vision underwent a major
change before its release. In a major break from precedent, Blue Bird did not use an existing truck
manufacturer for the chassis, instead developing its own version from the ground up. While the
Vision used the same bus body as the long-running Conventional, engineering changes were
made to optimize forward visibility.

As part of its acquisition by Cerberus, Blue Bird gradually saw itself positioned exclusively into
yellow school bus production, its largest market. In 2007, the Xcel102 was discontinued and the
low-floor UltraLF/LMB product lines were added to NABI. In a controversial move, the rights to the
Wanderlodge luxury motorhome were sold to Complete Coach Works; production ended in 2009.

In commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the construction the first Blue Bird bus and the
centennial of the Model T Ford, the Luce family donated the restored vehicle to The Henry Ford
Museum in 2008.[6][18] Dubbed "Blue Bird #1", it is the oldest known surviving school bus in the
United States.

With resources dedicated solely towards school bus production, the Vision saw a major update
for 2008. In addition to a new dashboard, it received a new cowl with larger headlights and grille.
For 2009, the company expanded alternative-fuel options as it introduced a propane-fuel variant
of the Vision; it was powered by a General Motors 8.1L V8. For 2010, the All American was given
a complete update, marking some of the largest changes to the Blue Bird body design in over 50
years; along with a complete redesign of the roof, windshield, and rear entry, the interior received
a ground-up redesign.

With the streamlining of bus production, the number of production facilities utilized by the
company has been reduced. Blue Bird de Mexico was closed in 2001 and Blue Bird Midwest in
Mount Pleasant, Iowa was closed in 2002.[19] In 2010, Blue Bird North Georgia was closed,
consolidating all bus production back to company headquarters in Fort Valley.[20]

In October 2009, Blue Bird further streamlined its bus production as it entered into a second joint
venture with Canadian school bus manufacturer Girardin Minibus.[21] Dubbed Micro Bird, Inc., all
small bus production was consolidated at the Girardin facilities in Quebec, Canada; consequently,
all Blue Bird production is now limited to full-size conventional and transit buses. The 2010 Micro
Bird was the last Blue Bird bus to use a non-Blue Bird chassis.

2010-present: Next-generation school buses

2010-present Micro Bird MB-II

2008–2014 Blue Bird Vision

Following the consolidation of Blue Bird production to the Vision and All American school buses
(and vehicles derived from them), during the 2010s, a number of changes were phased in. In
following with the popularity with the LPG/propane autogas version of the Blue Bird Vision bus, a
version powered by a Ford V10 and equipped with a ROUSH CleanTech propane autogas fuel
system was introduced in 2011 (as the original General Motors V8 engines were no longer in
production); in addition, the Vision received a dashboard and steering column shared with the All
American.

In late 2012, Blue Bird unveiled a redesigned 2014 All American series (code-named the T3
Series), which would replace versions introduced in 1999 and 2008 produced concurrently.
Distinguished by a redesigned (rounder) roof, the new All American has increased parts
commonality with the Vision. In October 2013, the 2015 Vision was introduced. Along with clear-
lens headlights and a new grille, propane-fueled versions gained the option of an extended-range
98-gallon fuel tank. Company owner Cerberus Capital sold off the majority of its transportation
holdings, including NABI and Optima to Canadian bus builder New Flyer; Blue Bird remained
under Cerberus ownership.

In late 2013, Blue Bird entered a different segment of school transportation as it introduced Blue
Bird Connect™, a GPS-based fleet management software system co-developed with Synovia
Solutions. While designed as an integrated system as an option for any Blue Blue school bus,
Blue Bird Connect™ was also intended for retrofit to existing fleets of school buses as well,
regardless of brand.[22]

Though produced by Girardin under the Micro Bird joint venture, in late 2014, the company
introduced the Micro Bird T-Series, a Girardin-bodied Type A school bus; it is the first school bus
body ever produced for the Ford Transit in North America.[23] Largely due to the Ford-derived
chassis design, Blue Bird predicts a 20% fuel economy increase over its E-Series MB/G5
counterpart.[23] In 2014, Blue Bird introduced the Sigma, an all-new transit bus.[24] While
developed solely for export, the Sigma derived its chassis configuration and drivetrain from the
All American.[25]

In September 2014, the ownership of Blue Bird underwent another transition. Texas-based
venture capital firm Hennessy Capital Acquisition Corporation purchased a $255 million stake of
the company from Cerberus affiliate The Traxis Group.[26] As part of the acquisition,
Cerberus/Traxis would retain majority ownership; the Blue Bird leadership team remained in
place.[26] Although Cerberus remains the majority owner of Blue Bird with a 58% share of the
company, in late February 2015, Blue Bird became the first stand-alone school bus manufacturer
to become publicly traded on NASDAQ.[27]
By 2015, Blue Bird ranked as the leading provider of propane autogas powered school buses
through a partnership with ROUSH CleanTech, which provides propane autogas fuel systems for
the buses.[28] At this time, the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) estimated that
between school districts and private fleets, 11,000 propane school buses had been purchased in
the United States.[29]

In September 2015, Blue Bird further expanded its non-diesel fuel offerings as the company
introduced a gasoline-fueled variant of the Vision, starting with 2016 production[30] The first
gasoline-fueled full-size school bus since the discontinuation of the 2002 Blue Bird CV200, it is
powered by the same Ford V10 used by the propane-fueled variant of the Vision. At the end of
2018, Blue Bird produced the 5,000th gasoline-powered version of the Vision.[31]

En enero de 2017, Blue Bird anunció que comenzaría el desarrollo de un autobús escolar de
Vehículo de Emisión Cero (ZEV) con la tecnología de Vehículo a Red (V2G). Este trabajo de
desarrollo está respaldado por una subvención de $ 4.4 millones del Departamento de Energía de
los EE. UU., Así como por el apoyo adicional de otras entidades, que reúne alrededor de $ 9
millones en fondos. El proyecto dará como resultado el despliegue de ocho autobuses escolares
ZEV V2G en California. [32] Después de presentar las versiones completamente eléctricas de
Micro Bird G5 y All American a finales de 2017, Blue Bird entregó sus primeros autobuses
escolares eléctricos de producción en septiembre de 2018. [33]

Productos
In addition to school, activity, and commercial applications, Blue Bird buses have been custom-
built for unique applications such as bloodmobiles, mobile libraries, and public safety command
centers.

School buses
 Current Product Line

Model Name Micro Bird by Girardin Vision All American (T3)

   

Photo
 

Year
2010 2003 1948
Introduced

Assembly Drummondville, Quebec, Canada Fort Valley, Georgia

Type A

MB-II: single rear wheel Type D

Configuration Type C
G5: dual rear wheel (front engine, rear engine)

T-Series: single/dual rear wheel

Ford Motor Company

Ford E-350/E-450 (2010–present)

Chassis Ford Transit (2015-on)

Blue Bird
Manufacturer
General Motors

Chevrolet Express/GMC Savana

Gasoline, Diesel, Propane, Compressed Natural Gas

Fuel Type(s) Gasoline, Diesel, Propane, Electric Diesel, Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), Electric
(CNG), Electric

Passenger
10-30 36-77 54-90
Capacity

Vision was introduced in 2004 and is currently in

Introduced for 2011 model year as part of Micro Bird, Inc. joint
venture with Girardin.
Replaces Micro Bird
Other Notes 2015 Micro Bird T-Series is the first Type A school bus based
on the Ford Transit cutaway chassis in North America.
its second generation (introduced 2008).
Vision uses an in-house chassis from Blue
Bird.
Vision underwent further upgrades for 2015
model
The All American FE has been produced on a Blue Bird-designed chassis since
1952; the All American RE chassis has been produced by Blue Bird since 1988.
Current version (internally known as T3) introduced for 2014.
Electric version of Blue Bird All American T3RE that launched in Late 2017 set to
commerce production for 2019.

Electric Version of Micro Bird G5 on Ford E450 chassis that Known in export markets as the Blue Bird TX3; formerly known as the TC/3000
Electric version of Blue Bird Vision that launched
launched in late 2017 is set to commerce production for 2019. in late 2017 set to commerce production for 2019. and All Canadian.[34]
 Former Product Lines

Years
Model Name Assembly Configuration Chassis Supplier Notes
Produced

Micro Bird 1975– Fort Valley, Type A Ford Motor Company Replaced with products from Micro Bird, Inc. joint venture with Girardin.
2010 Georgia
  (single or Ford Econoline/E-Series From 1992 to 1999, the Micro Bird was sold alongside Girardin-produced Blue Bird MB-II/MB-IV models.
Mount dual rear General Motors
From 1995 to 1996, a heavy-duty model using the Chevrolet P30 chassis was produced using modified
Pleasant, wheel)
Chevrolet Express Chevrolet G30 front bodywork.
Iowa
(1997–present)
Brantford,
Ontario, Chevrolet G-30/GMC
Canada Vandura (1975–1996)

Chevrolet P-30 (1995–

1996)

MB-II/MB-IV 1992– Drummondville, Type A Ford Motor Company Introduced in Canada in 1991.

  1999 Quebec, MB-II: Ford Econoline/E-Series Produced by Canada's Girardin Minibus and distributed in the United States as Blue Bird-brand
Canada single rear (1992–1999)
products[35]
wheel
General Motors MB-II continues in production and is now sold again as a Blue Bird (Micro Bird by Girardin)
MB-IV:
dual rear Chevrolet Express/GMC
wheel Savana (1997–1999)

Chevrolet G-30/GMC
Vandura (1992–1996)

Mini Bird 1977– Buena Vista, Type B General Motors Mini Bird was the first Blue Bird marketed with special-needs customers in mind.

  2005 Virginia Chevrolet P30 Featured the same body width 96 inches (2.4 m) as full-size Blue Birds.
Mount
Pleasant,
Iowa

Conventional c. 1957– LaFayette, Type C Chrysler Corporation The Conventional uses a cowled-chassis version of the body used by the All American (except for the D3
2004 Georgia Series) and the TC/2000. Available on a wide variety of commercially produced chassis, discontinued
  Dodge D-300 (to 1977)
with the end of International 3800 production in 2004.
Mount
DaimlerChrysler
Pleasant, Replaced by Blue Bird Vision.
Corporation
Iowa
In export markets, the Conventional was often produced using locally sourced chassis.
Buena Vista, Freightliner FS-65
Virginia (1997–2002)

Brantford, Ford Motor Company

Ontario,
Ford
Canada
B600/B700/B800/B8000
Monterrey, (to 1998)
Nuevo León,
Mexico General Motors

Chevrolet/GMC B-Series
(1966–1991)

International Harvester

Loadstar 1703 (1962–

1978)

S-1700/S1800 (1979–
1989)

Navistar International

International 3800
(1989–2004)

LaFayette,
Chevrolet/GMC CV200 Georgia
  Mount
Produced under a supply agreement between Blue Bird and General Motors; the Chevrolet/GMC chassis
Pleasant,
was used exclusively by the company. Ford, Freightliner, Navistar versions of the Conventionals were
Iowa General Motors
1992– produced as options.
Brantford, Type C
2003 Chevrolet/GMC B7 The 2003 CV200 was the last full-sized C school bus (prior to 2016) available with a gasoline engine.
Ontario,
Canada CV200 was replaced by the Vision.

Monterrey,
Nuevo León,
Mexico

SBCV 2005– LaFayette, Type C Navistar International The SBCV was the replacement for the Conventional based on the International 3800; Blue Bird is the only
2008 Georgia International 3300 body manufacturer to use the International 3300 chassis besides IC Bus.

Brantford, Produced alongside Vision until its 2008 discontinuation.

Ontario,
Canada
  

TC/1000 1997– Type D Blue Bird Corporation Marketed primarily for special-needs customers
2001
front engine Front-engine version only; smaller than TC/2000

Flat-floor interior configuration

TC/2000 1988– Fort Valley, Type D Lighter duty chassis than All American
2003 Georgia
  front engine Lower price meant to attract larger fleet buyers.
LaFayette,
rear engine
Georgia

Mount
Pleasant,
Iowa

Brantford,
Ontario,
Canada

Other vehicles
 Other Product Lines

Model Production Configuration Type Notes

Rear engine
1976– Short-wheelbase adaptation of All American for the mass-transit
City Bird Transit bus
1986 High floor market

Commercial bus

Transit bus

CS-Series Shuttle bus

APC-Series
Specialty use
  || Various derivatives of the All American and TC/2000 product lines developed for
Front-engine
commercial use.[36][37]CS=Commercial Series
1990s- Rear-engine
2002 APC=All Purpose Coach
High floor

The CS-Series was marketed towards transit and shuttle use while the APC was
marketed towards various commercial buyers.

Both versions were sold as an incomplete vehicle (shell) for conversion to multiple
types of specialty uses.

Introduced in 1992 as the replacement for the City Bird.

Rear engine
1992–
Q-Bus Transit bus First Blue Bird transit bus not derived from the All American or
2001[11] High floor
TC/2000.

Rear engine
2002– Replacement for the Q-Bus product line, built with a 102-inch wide
Xcel102 Transit bus
2007 High floor body

Blue Bird/NABI Ultra LF/Ultra LMB

Both buses developed by Blue Bird during its ownership by Henlys
 
Ultra LF=low-floor
Rear engine
2003–
Transit bus Ultra LMB=low-mass bus
2010 Low floor

Built by NABI in Anniston, Alabama, from 2007 to 2010.

The LTC-40 was the first motorcoach designed by Blue Bird.

LTC=Luxury Touring Coach

1997–
LTC-40 Rear engine Motorcoach
2003 From 1998 onwards, the LTC formed the basis for the Wanderlodge
motorhome.

The Wanderlodge was product line of luxury recreational vehicles

produced across three generations.
Wanderlodge
  Interiors were hand-assembled to buyer specification, with several
interior configurations available.
Front-engine
1963–
Luxury recreational vehicle
2009 Rear-engine
Derived from the All American school bus from 1963 to 1989; derived
from LTC motorcoach from 1997-2009.
Rights to Wanderlodge sold to Complete Coach Works in 2007;
production ceased in 2009.

Blue Bird Sigma

 
Front-engine The Sigma is a transit bus product line produced entirely for export
2014- Rear-engine markets.
Transit bus
present
High floor It is a high-floor bus derived from the T3FE/T3RE chassis.

Exports

Blue Bird have also built a number of buses for the United Kingdom market, with 62 Blue Bird
buses being exported to the UK between 1992 and 2007. Most of the vehicles exported were
right hand drive variants of the Blue Bird All American and the Blue Bird Q-Bus. Various local
councils, such as Staffordshire County Council and West Sussex County Council, imported a
large number of Blue Bird school buses for their own school routes; FirstGroup were the largest
private customer in the United Kingdom, ordering eighteen All Americans in 2002.[38]
In addition to school buses, a single low-floor city bus, known as the Blue Bird LFCC9, was built in
late 2003. The 29-seater midibus, registered NK53TJV, received the then-popular Plaxton Pointer
2 bodywork and entered service with Arriva North East.[38]

Prototypes
Model Year Chassis (Configuration) Notes

Envirobus Blue Bird Q-Bus (rear- Loosely based on the Q-Bus, the Envirobus 2000 served as a testbed for the viability for compressed natural gas (CNG) in large-scale production for school buses.[15]
1996[16]
2000 engine) A number of advanced safety features were integrated as part of the design. The Envirobus was not intended for production in its prototype form.

As Blue Bird sought to replace the General Motors-chassis CV200 after 2003, several Blue Bird Conventional bodies were fitted on F-750 Super Duty chassis as a
Ford F-750 Super Duty
Blue Bird/Ford potential replacement. As Ford never completed a supply agreement with Blue Bird, these would become the very last Ford-chassis school buses ever built.
2002 (conventional, cowled
Conventional
chassis) Several features of these prototypes were integrated into the Vision introduced in 2003.[39]

Blue Bird Vision

Using the chassis of the Vision, the EC-72 was a limited-production series of conventional prototypes intended for testing new production designs; the EC-72 used
EC-72 2006 (conventional, cowled
the hood later seen on the 2008–2014 Vision along with a new roof and window design. Approximately 50 were produced in total.
chassis)

Company timeline
 Blue Bird Corporation Timeli
1970s 1980s
'70'71'72'73'74'75'76'77'78'79'80'81'82'83'84'85'86'87 '88 '89'90 '91 '92

Company Ownership A.L. Luce family M

Buses (by
Blue B
configuration)
M
Single rear-
wheel
Type
A
Micro Bird
Dual rear-wheel
M
Type B Mini Bird

Conventional (various chassis)

Type C

All American Forward Engine (1957) All American For

AARE
All American Rear Engine
All American
(Blue All American R
(various chassis)
Bird)

Type TC/2000 TC/2000

D Forward
Forward Engine
Engine
TC/2000
TC/2000
TC/1000
Rear

Engine

Buses (by type) Blue Bird

City Bird

Transit Buses C
Coaches/Recreational
vehicles Wanderlodge (96" body) Wanderlodg

Fabricación y montaje
Traditionally, school buses such as those produced by Blue Bird consist of components
purchased from various outside suppliers and parts which are manufactured in-house to the
company's specifications. These two categories of parts are then typically assembled into bodies
which can be mounted onto chassis which have often been variations of those used in a myriad
of truck applications. Alongside its role of vehicle assembly, the Blue Bird facility in Fort Valley,
Georgia, also manufactured parts used for all company facilities to produce vehicles. Blue Bird
Wanderlodges were manufactured in an adjacent facility in Fort Valley, including Wanderlodge
Wayside Park, a tree-shaded motor home park to accommodate Wanderlodges visiting for
service.

Blue Bird currently operates its Fort Valley manufacturing facility as its sole point of assembly;
Micro Birds are assembled in the Girardin factory in Drummondville, Quebec, Canada. In the past,
the company held four factories (and the Wanderlodge factory) in the United States, two facilities
in Canada (separate from Girardin), one in Mexico, and one in Guatemala. In the 1980s, Blue Bird
exited production in South America; during the 2000s, the company gradually wound down its
number of factories as the company centralized production and consolidated its model lines to
school buses and their derivatives. In 2010, Blue Bird North Georgia (LaFayette, Georgia) was
closed.[20][40]
 Blue Bird Corporation Manufacturing Facilities

Name Location Product Lines Year Opened Year Closed Notes

United States

All American

TC/2000

Vision The first Fort Valley facility opened in 1935; destroyed by fire in 1945.
Blue Bird Body Company Fort Valley, Georgia See Notes
Q-Bus Present Fort Valley facility opened in 1946.

CS

parts

Vision

Blue Bird North Georgia LaFayette, Georgia Conventional 1988 2010 Closed August 30, 2010.[40]

TC/2000

TC/2000

Conventional
Blue Bird Midwest Mount Pleasant, Iowa 1962 2002
Mini Bird

Micro Bird

Conventional

Blue Bird East Buena Vista, Virginia Mini Bird 1972 1992

TC/2000

Wanderlodge
Blue Bird Wanderlodge Fort Valley, Georgia 1963 2007 Originally opened as Cardinal Manufacturing
parts

Canada

TC/2000

Conventional
Blue Bird Canada Brantford, Ontario, Canada 1958 2007 Blue Bird also operated a facility in St. Lin, Quebec from 1975 to 1982
Micro Bird

parts

Micro Bird, Inc. Drummondville, Quebec, Canada Micro Bird (MB-II, G5) 1981 Girardin Minibus production facility

Worldwide Facilities

Blue Bird de Mexico Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico Conventional 1995 2001

Blue Bird Central America Guatemala City, Guatemala See Notes 1965 1980s Produced All American and Conventional bodies on locally available chassis.

m
a
r
c
a

Blue Bird company logo in steering wheel

Company name

The exact origin of the Blue Bird company name is unknown, although several theories are known
to exist. Most commonly, in the early 1930s, A.L. Luce was perceived to have been nervous about
using the family surname for the company out of fears of it being mispronounced (i.e., a Luce
bus = "loose bus").[5][7] When showing a blue and yellow demonstrator unit to school officials,
Luce overheard the positive reception of school children who had seen the bus, who had
nicknamed it "a pretty blue bird"; Luce chose that name for his body manufacturing company.[5]
However, since the late 1930s, yellow has become the exterior color associated with American-
manufactured school buses.

Roof emblem

The Blue Bird company emblem, painted on the roof of many of its buses since the early 1960s,
is a silhouette profile of its namesake, a bluebird. Later in the decade, the company began to
combine the Blue Bird emblem with a stripe painted on the roof on the bus, known as a
"streamer". On school buses, the streamers were black, if specifications allowed for its use.
Although the combination of roof emblems and streamers would come into use by other school
manufacturers, the latter would become most closely associated with Blue Bird and its roof
emblem.

Alternative-fuel school buses feature several variations (as an option), with propane/CNG buses
painted with green emblems and streamers; gasoline-fuel buses feature a blue emblem and
streamer. The newly unveiled electric Blue Bird All American and Vision feature a green roof
emblem with a streamer styled as an electric cord. On non-school buses (i.e., a Wanderlodge or a
commercial-use bus), the Blue Bird emblem and streamer (if specified) were painted in a color
that contrasted with the body.

In 2013, the roof streamer was redesigned for the first time. To simplify manufacturing, the roof-
length streamer was replaced by a single design common to all body styles for both Blue Bird
and Micro Bird buses.

Véase también

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Blue Bird buses.

School bus
North American Bus Industries
List of school bus manufacturers

Referencias
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Retrieved 28 February 2018.
3. "Traxis Financial Group, Inc.: Private Company Information - Bloomberg" .
investing.businessweek.com. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
 4. http://www.blue-bird.com Blue Bird Corporation
5. "Blue Bird, School Bus, History, Blue Bird Body Co., Blue Bird Corp., Wanderlodge, Buddy Luce,
Albert L. Luce, Cardinal Mfg., Fort Valley, Georgia - CoachBuilt.com" . coachbuilt.com. Retrieved
2016-06-05.
6. McKeegan, Noel (March 9, 2008). "First steel-bodied school bus donated to Henry Ford
museum" . gizmag.com. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
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2012-10-29.
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Retrieved 2010-01-11.
10. "System Error" . blue-bird.com. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
11. http://www.secinfo.com/dRqWm.82F7.htm#d4p Blue Bird Body Co. 1996 10-K405 Annual
Report -- [X] Reg. S-K Item 405
12. "Blue Bird QMC" . 1998-01-28. Archived from the original on 1998-01-28. Retrieved
2018-05-15.
13. "Volvo Group; Volvo Logistics North America" . Volvo.com. Retrieved 2009-08-10.
14. "Blue Bird NGV School Bus Specifications" . 1998-01-28. Archived from the original on 1998-
01-28. Retrieved 2018-05-15.
15. "Blue Bird Envirobus 2000 School Bus" . Blue Bird Corporation. Archived from the original on
1998-05-19. Retrieved 2010-07-10. Archived version of Blue Bird's website on this vehicle, with
link to specifications.
16. http://www.afdc.energy.gov/pdfs/suc2.pdf
17. "Blue Bird Corporation/About Us/History" . Archived from the original on 2011-07-08.
Retrieved 2010-01-09.
18. "School Bus Fleet News, Blue Bird No. 1 donated to historical institution, March 10, 2008" .
Schoolbusfleet.com. 2008-03-10. Retrieved 2009-08-10.
19. Osborne, Alistair (2001-09-07). "Telegraph.co.uk; Henlys takes a skid after US bus sales fall" .
Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2009-08-10.
20. "LaFayette Blue Bird bus plant being shut down" . Retrieved 28 February 2018.
21. "Press Releases/BLUE BIRD AND GIRARDIN ANNOUNCE JOINT VENTURE(2009-10-19)"
(Press release). Archived from the original on 2010-07-24. Retrieved 2010-01-17.
22. "Blue Bird Connect" (PDF). Retrieved 1 February 2014.
23. "THE NEW MICRO BIRD T-SERIES BUS LINE DEBUTS AT NAPT" . Archived from the original on
29 November 2014. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
24. "Sigma FE - Diesel | Bus Finder | blue-bird" . jobs.blue-bird.com. Retrieved 2019-04-14.
25. "Blue Bird Y3 Chassis" (PDF). Blue Bird Corporation.
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27. "Blue Bird becomes publicly traded company" . Retrieved 1 March 2015.
28. "Blue Bird Bus Is Now a Public Company | Fleets and Fuels.com" . fleetsandfuels.com.
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30. "Blue Bird Unveils New Gasoline-Powered Type C Vision School Bus" . Retrieved 26 December
2015.
31. "Blue Bird Delivers Its 5,000th Gasoline-Powered School Bus" . www.businesswire.com. 2019-
03-13. Retrieved 2019-06-02.
32. "Blue Bird Awarded $4.4 Million to Develop Electric School Bus | News | Press Releases | blue-
bird" . blue-bird.com. Retrieved 2017-02-01.
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Retrieved 25 June 2010.

Enlaces externos
Blue-Bird.com Blue Bird Corporation official website
Blue Bird Corporation official Facebook Page
 Blue Bird Corporation official Twitter Page
School Bus Fleet magazine official website
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) for school buses
U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics
Technical support forum for the Blue Bird Wanderlodge

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