WHEN YOU GO TO BUY A CAR, YOU HAVE A PRETTY GOOD IDEA OF WHAT
YOU WANT. YOU USUALLY KNOW THE COLOR, THE SEATING REQUIREMENTS AND ANY NUMBER OF OPTIONS THAT YOU THINK WOULD MAKE YOUR DRIVING EXPERIENCE THAT MUCH MORE ENJOYABLE. IN THE WORLD OF THE YELLOW BUS, THE COLOR NEVER CHANGES, THE SEATING REQUIREMENTS ARE MORE THAN ANY HOUSEHOLD WOULD EVER NEED AND THE OPTIONS ARE FAR FROM OPTIONAL.
Get Your List Ready When Denny Coughlin would sit down to plan his large bus purchases as fleet supervisor for Minneapolis
Public Schools (MPS), he had not only an idea of what he needed but what he would be needing for the next five years. Coughlin, who recently retired from MPS after 32 years, would make sure, with all the changes occurring in and around the school bus industry, that his purchases would suit his present and future needs. “Maybe a school is consolidating and needs some Type D buses instead of Type C buses, especially
if they are going to be moving kids from one community to another,” explained Coughlin, adding that districts need to also look at the types of fuel being used and whether alternative fuels, like propane or CNG, are worth the initial infrastructure costs and any ongoing maintenance costs. When deciding on which brand name to choose, Coughlin advised to use your best judgment and
past experiences to guide the way, not just whether they are the least expensive. Te utilization of a good preventative maintenance program will help you figure this out if your fleet is composed of buses from multiple OEMs. Another important tip suggested by Coughlin concerns standardization, as in the case of tires, for instance, since manufacturers do not always produce the same sizes.
Steps Two and Three: Review and Collaborate After districts are armed with a list of everything they need, some OEMs step in to not only review
the requirements but lend a hand in determining any helpful changes. Most Tomas Built Buses deal- ers assist customers at the ground level. But when larger purchases are made, by either a state or a large school district, the company brings in its specification review team. Tis group looks at the list and makes any suggestions that they feel might help the customer accomplish what they want to achieve and to make sure it is in compliance with the customer’s requests. “It’s a cross-functional team that involves the sales group, service group, engineering group, op-
erations group, and the purchasing group,” said Ken Hedgecock, Tomas’ vice president of sales, marketing and service. “Tey might look at a specification such as an electrical component and might suggest better functionality through another component.” Keith Kladder, marketing manager for IC Bus, agreed that the OEMs should serve as consultants
during the specification process, making recommendations on specifications that will deliver the best performance over the types of roads that the district may be serving. Specifications on tires, en- gine horsepower, engine torque, mirrors, and lifts for special needs students are some of a number of specifications that the OEM and dealers can provide superior knowledge about. “Much of this type of information will change from model year to model year, and, without guid-
ance, the school district could possibly write specifications for a product that does not exist anymore or that will provide less than ideal performance,” added Kladder. “Te dealer should have a good con- cept of the capability of the district as it regards maintenance and repair and can work with the OEM to offer alternatives to the district that fit within the capabilities of the district.” And this collaboration between the OEMs, dealers and the customers has a number of benefits to
everyone involved. Dealers learn more about the needs of their local customers, which OEMs often utilize when developing new models, as was the case when Tomas added more driver storage space to its newest C2 Saf-T-Liner models. Te benefits also trickle down to the districts as well. “Engaging the OEMs early in the process and being open to equivalent, but potentially cost-effective
alternatives to what they may have utilized in the past, results in a smoother process,” said Bill Danner, Blue Bird’s vice president of sales for North America.
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