from bumper to bumper, including all major mechanical, electrical and body components. Te goal is to help school districts and bus contractors alike, as they are seeing budgets for new purchases being slashed and burned. So, Edwards said, American Bus looks to solve the challenge of providing an older model bus that has many years of serviceable life yet still may need a facelift, whether that be a mi- nor cosmetic one or a full-scale overhaul including the installation of new equipment.
Te job of finding buses that fit the bill falls on Chad Brinkley,
the company’s acquisitions coordinator. With previous experience driving as well as maintaining and purchasing trucks with the likes of Freightliner, Brinkley has an eye and ear for vehicles that need more than just a little TLC to get more life out of them for cash- strapped customers. “Tere are certain sounds I’ll hear with the engine when I start it
up that I’ll know we don’t want a part of it,” he said of the compa- ny’s selective nature. “We don’t buy a bus just because it’s for sale. We try to buy the best-quality used bus we can to prevent future problems for ourselves, our customers or anyone else.” Brinkley said American Bus saw a high demand last year for its
services, and 2014 is on pace to exceed those numbers. He added that more and more districts, especially smaller ones with only one or two mechanics, are realizing the benefits of extending service life of buses they are familiar with. “Your mechanic has been there for 20 years, and now the newer buses have sensors so you have to send him for training,” he explained. “Maybe the nearest dealer is two hours away to trou- bleshoot. Schools don’t want that. We can do whatever a customer would like us to do.” l
Public Notice of Fiscal Year 2015 DBE Goal
Blue Bird Body Company 402 Blue Bird Blvd. Fort Valley, GA 31030
Pursuant to 49CFR Part 26, Blue Bird Body Company hereby announces its fiscal year 2015 (October 1, 2014 – September 30, 2015) proposed goal of at least 1% for DBE utilization on contracts funded /assisted by the FTA. This goal will be met wholly through race neutral means.
The proposed goal will be available for review for 45 days (7:30 am – 4:30 pm Mon. – Fri.) from the date of this notice at:
Blue Bird Body Company located at 402 Blue Bird Boulevard; Fort Valley, GA. 31030. Please contact Jan Newman. Comments will be accepted in writing for 45 days from the date of this notice.
60 School Transportation News June 2014
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