THOUGHT LEADER
Understanding the Basics of School Bus Repair Shop Design
Written by Robert T. Pudlewski T
he reason for new construction or remodeling of an existing school bus facility is often that school bus maintenance departments have outgrown facility designs that worked well 30
or more years ago. School bus operators are discovering the need to
adopt facilities to reflect changes in school bus design, technology and technician skills experienced over those years, possibly making the size and functional layout of older shops outdated. Also, increasing services to your own or other districts and the introduction of electrifi- cation and other alternative fuels may necessitate some sort of facility change or complete replacement. Understanding the basics of school bus operation and
repair facilities is essential for anyone in the school bus industry when approaching the decision to remodel or replace a school bus facility. From choosing the right location to designing a safe efficient layout and ensuring
The Basics of New Facility Design •
Prepare a justification plan.
• Determine the capital requirements in advance. •
Include all stakeholders in the process, especially school administrators, school board members, local politicians and district staff members.
•
Involve individuals who will be using the facility—such as mechanics, drivers, supervisors and clerks—in the early design stages of the project.
• Plan for the future now: Consider sites large enough for expansion.
• •
Select a site that is large enough so that all bus operations can be done at ground level.
Include the principles of sustainable green design and energy conservation.
• Verify adequate utility services are available adjacent to the site.
• Perform an environmental soil sampling and testing program to identify potential remediation costs and to determine potential building foundation costs.
34 School Transportation News • SEPTEMBER 2024
sufficient size to conduct operations and perform proper maintenance, every aspect plays a crucial role in the success of school bus operational safety and contributes to a sense of pride in the transportation team. Today’s well-designed school bus facility doesn’t begin
simply with design. It begins with understanding the district or company needs and a commitment to good planning by the entire transportation team guided by knowledgeable site and building design experts. Pref- erably a local architect firm that provides consulting, project management, design development, construction documents, and construction administration. A facility in California will have different needs than
a facility in Maine, so your school bus repair facility remodel or rebuild decision needs to be highly person- alized to meet your local needs. That means taking into account a range of considerations, including com- munity impact, climate, environmental assessments,
•
Investigate applicable building and zoning codes. Will stormwater retention be required?
• Verify that local ordinances allow for adequate fuel storage.
• Use the formula of 1.5 bays for every 20 buses, (Note: No shop should be less than two bays if the fleet is less than 20 buses) bay size minimum width is 16 feet, with 20 feet being the ideal width, and 60-feet long. Garage doors should be 14-feet wide by 12-feet high. The interior building height should be 18 feet at minimum.
• Plenty of natural light visible inside the building. • Discuss the benefits of twin post lifts for ease of repair.
• Don’t delay the discussion on whether alternative-fuel and zero-emissions vehicles should be considered during the design.
• •
Design separate bus and automobile parking as well as pedestrian traffic flow.
Provide sufficient queue space for buses during afternoon pull-in and morning pull-out functions.
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