Blue Bird Corporation announced that it has extended its exclusive clean school bus collaboration with Ford Component Sales and ROUSH CleanTech, to 2030. With this deal, Ford will continue to supply its 7.3L V8 engine exclusively to school bus builder Blue Bird, while ROUSH CleanTech will integrate this engine into low-emission powertrain options for LPG-powered school buses.

The three companies began working together in 2012. Since then, Blue Bird has deployed more than 40,000 alternative fuel school buses.

According to Blue Bird, “the demand for its propane-powered school buses has steadily increased over the past decade.”

“We are thrilled to extend our winning, long-standing collaboration with technology leaders Ford Motor Company and ROUSH CleanTech,” said Britton Smith, President of Blue Bird Corporation. “School districts and contractors seeking clean and cost-effective student transportation continue to find reliable solutions in Blue Bird.”

“Our relationship with Blue Bird goes back nearly a century starting in 1927 when Blue Bird built its first school bus on a Ford chassis,” commented Douglas Chase, Director of OEM sales at Ford Component Sales. “We have continued to collaborate and innovate the student transportation industry ever since. We are delighted that Ford’s powerful 7.3L engine will be at the heart of Blue Bird’s next-generation, alternative-fuel powered school buses in North America.”

“We are excited about the contract extension as it signals to the market that the most successful alternative-fuel collaboration in the school bus industry will continue to drive technology innovation to lower emissions and reduce costs for school districts and contractors over the coming years,” added Todd Mouw, Executive Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Customer Success at ROUSH CleanTech.

Source: Blue Bird

8 May 2024