INDUSTRY CONNECTIONS: BRIEFS
Collins Bus Unveils a ‘Natural’ Fit for Customers Seeking Alternative-Fuel Options for Type A's
C
ollins Bus Corporation began accepting orders last month for its Type-A CNG bus on a Ford E-450 6.8-liter cutaway chassis. Te bus is the result of a partnership with Westport, which pro- vides the dedicated natural gas Westport Wing Power System. Te CNG bus is also the “first-ever, Ford-recognized Type-A
school bus that runs on natural gas,” said Paul Shaffer, Westport’s vice president and managing director of North American Ford business. It has an estimated range of 250 to 300 miles, decreases green-
house gases by 15 percent and reduces operating costs. Te bus goes into production this fall and is backed by a Ford factory five-year or 60,000-mile engine and powertrain warranty. “We are very pleased to partner with Westport to begin offering a CNG bus model in the fastest-growing segment of the alternative-fu- el school bus market,” said Kent Tyler, president and CEO of Allied Specialty Vehicles’ bus division and interim president of Collins Bus. “As Ford’s largest qualified vehicle modifier, Westport has the CNG expertise and proven technology that allows us to offer the most reliable clean-en- ergy Type A school bus model available to meet the evolving needs of our dealers and diverse customer base.” Shaeffer added that Westport engineers worked alongside Ford and
Collins Bus to perform “extensive simulations and physical crash-testing to meet the stringent school bus safety requirements.”
£ The new CNG Collins Type A DRW is built on a Ford E-450 chassis and is powered by a Westport fuel system. The bus goes into production this fall.
UK COMPANY HEADS BACK OVERSEAS AFTER LOSING CONTRACT BID U
K transport company Go- Ahead is leaving the States to concentrate on its $100-billion business back home after losing
a contract bid to renew service in the St. Louis area. And with that move, a joint venture entered with Chicago-area school bus con- tractor Cook-Illinois Corporation in 2009 will cease this summer. Te 50-50 partnership will end on July 31 when Go-Ahead's cur-
rent contract ends with the nonprofit Voluntary Interdistrict Choice Corp., which provides school bus service for students participating in the St. Louis metro area’s desegration program. Te organization's other current contractors are Durham School Services and Missouri Central School Bus, a division of Illinois Central School Bus. Both won the new contract bid. “Our joint venture with Go-Ahead from England was a fantastic learning experience for both companies,” said John Benish, chief
operating officer for Cook-Illinois. “We learned much from working with such a large, multi-international company.”
He added that Go-Ahead will be investing in other new projects in the United Kingdom, where it sees more opportunity for in- creased returns. Benish also told STN that, from his perspective, the interest of UK-based school bus contractors in “our mom-and-pop industry is waning.” Go-Ahead Group plc formed the joint venture with Cook-Il- linois in November 2009 to focus on new school bus contracts outside of the Chicago area. Go-Ahead won the St. Louis contract the following year but was never able to gain any further market share across the country. Go-Ahead operates a fleet of about 4,400 buses in the UK that transport nearly two million passengers a day.
24 School Transportation News June 2014
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