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61-513: Blue Bird Body Company was founded in 1927 in Fort Valley, Georgia, as A.L. Luce closed his automobile dealership to concentrate exclusively on bus production. Remaining under family control into the early 1990s, Blue Bird changed hands several times in the 2000s; in February 2015, it became a publicly owned company (with previous owner Cerberus Capital Management holding a 58% share). As

122-527: A "shell" version was sold for upfitters as well. To better compete with more modern designs of luxury recreational vehicles, Blue Bird began to update the design of the Wanderlodge. Following the 1988 introduction of the 102" wide body, the Wanderlodge line was redesigned entirely for 1991 (effectively sharing only Blue Bird emblems with the All American). In 1994, a second version of the Wanderlodge

183-493: A 10-year supply agreement with Blue Bird, starting early in 1992, as a 1993 model. Under the agreement, the Chevrolet/GMC B7 would only be sold to Blue Bird. Blue Bird offered a choice of other cowled chassis (Ford B700/B800, International 3700, 3800, and later Freightliner FS-65). The CV200 was produced through 2002. The 2002s were considered 2003 models. In place of bringing all-new product lines to production, during

244-479: A 1946 heart attack, A.L. Luce began to hand over day-to-day operations of Blue Bird to his three sons. By the end of the decade, the company became the seventh-largest school bus manufacturer in the United States. Following the outbreak of World War II, school bus production went on hiatus; Blue Bird produced buses for the U.S. Navy. As steel was heavily rationed, company engineers were required to re-engineer

305-471: A 27,000 ft² factory in Fort Valley. During World War II , Blue Bird existed as a military supplier, building bus and ambulance bodies for the armed forces. In 1945, a fire that burned down the Blue Bird factory in Fort Valley nearly killed Luce, as he had become trapped trying to fight the fire with a fire extinguisher, but was rescued by a factory worker shortly before the factory exploded. By mid-1946,

366-525: A 95% decline in car sales in 1931, Luce sold both of his Ford dealerships, using the $ 12,000 proceeds from the sale to begin his own company, concentrating solely on bus production. Inspired to begin production in order to support the local economy, Luce also felt school buses would be a necessary resource as part of the shift towards consolidated schools. The early use of farm wagons on a part-time basis soon evolved into purpose-built school bus products, each with economy and function as major priorities. In 1937,

427-615: A Blue Bird body. Unable to secure a chassis, Luce instead purchased the display vehicle, importing it to the United States. After reverse-engineering the chassis design (to modify American-produced vehicles), Blue Bird completed its first forward-control prototype in 1949, naming it the All American . In 1950, the All American entered full-scale production. For 1952, Blue Bird became the first school bus manufacturer to produce its own chassis (rather than from outside suppliers). With

488-434: A customer a Ford Model T with a wooden bus body; the customer sought to use the bus to transport his workers. Due to a combination of unsatisfactory construction quality of the bus body and the rough conditions of the rural Georgia roads, the wooden bus body started to disintegrate before the customer had finished paying for the vehicle. Driven to produce an improved design to sell to his customers, Luce sought input to develop

549-542: A dedicated vehicle (away from adaptations of automobiles). While designs based on cutaway vans were not invented by the company, the 1975 Micro Bird introduced several key features retained by van-based buses today. Along with a full-height entry door, the Micro Bird added windows forward of the entry door (to aid loading-zone visibility). The 1977 Mini Bird used the chassis of the GM P30 stepvan ; slightly larger than

610-560: A large stake of the company was owned by the Volvo Group, the largest bus manufacturer in the world. However, during the early 2000s, due to financial difficulties of its other parent company, Blue Bird was sold from Henlys in 2004. In 2006, Blue Bird was acquired through a bankruptcy filing by Cerberus Capital Management . Looking to develop its entries in the transportation sector, Blue Bird was paired with North American Bus Industries (NABI) and Optima Bus Corporation by Cerberus. At

671-412: A local cement company manufacturer for a Model TT fitted with a bus body to transport company workers. The wooden bus body, supplied from a North Carolina millyard, seemed to Luce not sufficiently durable for the rough Georgia roads; he was concerned the bus would have to be replaced before the owner finished paying for it. To develop a stronger body, he and a blacksmith in his Perry dealership fabricated

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732-399: A need for school buses. In all but the most remote rural communities, centralized schools (with the graded class structure of urban schools) had succeeded one-room schoolhouses. In metropolitan areas, urban populations began to move into suburbs. Depending on location, the practice of walking to school had become increasingly impractical (particularly as students progressed into high school). At

793-433: A new, larger factory was built in Fort Valley, however, Luce nearly died from a heart attack at the factory shortly after its opening. Luce and his son George traveled to Europe in 1948. At the 1948 Paris Auto Salon they saw an all-new forward-control bus. Highly interested in its General Motors/Opel chassis, Luce unsuccessfully tried to secure a supply arrangement with GM. After buying the bus outright and importing it into

854-421: A number of buses on the assembly line. Production was restarted on a makeshift assembly line on other company property, with some work completed under tents. The Fort Valley factory was rebuilt by the spring of 1946, following several challenges; while building materials themselves were no longer rationed, the ability to secure large quantities of beams, trusses, and sheetmetal remained a formidable task. Following

915-479: A redesigned drivers' compartment, the All American received a new set of engine offerings. From its founding in 1932 until the middle of the 1980s, the operations of Blue Bird were overseen either by A.L. Luce or his three sons. In 1984, the board of directors was expanded outside of the family for the first time; in 1986, the company hired Paul Glaske, president of Marathon LeTourneau (a Texas-based heavy equipment manufacturer). Glaske oversaw day-to-day operations of

976-625: A replacement for the City Bird, in 1992, Blue Bird launched the Blue Bird Q-Bus, designed for mass-transit and charter applications. In contrast to the City Bird, the Q-Bus shared no design commonality with a Blue Bird school bus. In addition to the Q-Bus, the APC (All-Purpose Coach) and CS (Commercial Series) were introduced, as commercial buses based on the bodies of the All American and TC/2000;

1037-505: A steel body. The Great Depression nearly halted car sales at Luce's outlets. In 1930–1931, sales fell over 95%; while only 7 buses were sold, they constituted the majority of sales for his operations. Luce closed the Fort Valley dealership in late 1931 and sold the Houston County Motor Company in 1932, then started a company specializing in school bus bodies. First using rented facilities, in 1935 he built

1098-500: A stronger bus body capable of surviving unimproved roads. In place of wood, Luce constructed his bus body from steel and sheet metal; wood was used as a secondary material. Completed in 1927, the bus was put into use as a school bus. While buses would initially remain a side project for Luce (with only nine bus bodies produced between 1929 and 1931), the onset of the Great Depression would change his company forever. Following

1159-401: A supplemental source of demand, the manufacturing segment was becoming saturated by the end of the 1970s. From 1979 to 1982, three of the six largest school bus manufacturers—Carpenter, Superior, and Ward—would file for bankruptcy. To preserve sales, Blue Bird began the use of financing for bus acquisitions in 1984. The unprecedented strategy proved successful, with sales increasing further in

1220-449: A time of relative turmoil for school bus manufacturers; this would carry into the 2000s. Several school bus manufacturers underwent acquisition or changed hands (AmTran and Thomas Built Buses ); by 2001, several others (Crown Coach, Carpenter, Gillig, Wayne) would end school bus production forever. Instead of being family-run companies, school bus manufacturers were now owned by larger companies with ties to truck manufacturing. For Blue Bird,

1281-616: A village in Cook County, Illinois . His parents were George P. Luce and Jennie Squire Luce. His father managed a lumber yard in La Grange. After completing high school in La Grange, Luce attended Northwestern University , studying science. Luce moved to El Centro, California in 1913 to become a distributor for Maxwell automobiles (a forerunner of Chrysler ). Luce enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1917. He fought in France in 1918, and

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1342-433: Is Our Business", appearing in company advertising (and inside bus bodies) into the 1990s. Company founder A.L. Luce died in 1962. Shortly after, the three Luce sons sought to diversify the company product line, fearing that demand for school bus production would eventually recede; while the baby boom generation affected student populations, the generation (as a whole) would complete high school shortly after 1980. In 1965,

1403-415: The yellow school bus . Ambulance bus#Mass casualty An ambulance bus is a type of ambulance with the capacity to transport and treat multiple patients . An ambulance bus is used primarily for medical evacuation of mass casualty incidents and non-emergency medical transport of care-dependent patients, and can also be used for specific problems such as drunk patients in town centres. In

1464-399: The 1990s, Blue Bird explored several methods of reducing the environmental impact of school buses, with several methods reaching production. In 1991, Blue Bird developed the first school bus powered by compressed natural gas (CNG), an All American Rear Engine. In 1995, Blue Bird began a collaboration with John Deere to produce school buses with CNG engines, lasting into the 2000s; along with

1525-495: The 1990s, technology limited its development to the prototype stage. In 1994, the company developed a battery-powered school bus in an effort with Westinghouse Electronic Systems for a school district in California. In 1996, Blue Bird collaborated with Electrosource, Inc in an effort to design a battery system intended for buses. While the late 1990s were calmer than the late 1970s for the school bus industry, it still remained

1586-475: The 80th anniversary of its construction. Alongside the 1948 Blue Bird All American, a replica of Blue Bird Number One sits on the Blue Bird factory floor in Fort Valley. By the 1940s, the demand for school buses expanded the presence of Blue Bird from rural Georgia to multiple states across the Southern United States . Following World War II, several changes across the country further created

1647-472: The All American had been offered in a rear-engine configuration since 1961, a version with a company-sourced chassis was first introduced in 1988. Introduced in late 1987, the TC/2000 (see below) became the first new full-size Blue Bird bus in nearly 30 years. As a running change during 1989 production, Blue Bird introduced a new generation of the All American (redesigned for the first time since 1957). Alongside

1708-594: The All American was given an all-new chassis (positioning the engine lower), adopting the larger windshield of the TC/2000, and redesigned dashboard and control panels (later used in the TC/2000). During the late 1990s, Blue Bird Corporation would undergo the first of several ownership changes. After increasing sales each year throughout the second half of the 1990s, Blue Bird was acquired from Merrill Lynch Capital Partners by Henlys Group PLC for $ 428 million (with Henlys also paying $ 237 million of Blue Bird company debt). At

1769-536: The All American, CNG engines were produced for the TC/2000. In 1996, Blue Bird debuted the Envirobus 2000 concept school bus. Derived loosely from the Q-Bus, the Envirobus served loosely as a testbed for safety-related technology along with the viability of CNG-powered school buses. Along with alternative-fuel buses, Blue Bird became the first school bus manufacturer to develop fully electric school buses; during

1830-679: The LTC body. In an effort to match demand for its product lines, Blue Bird made several changes to its production facilities, closing Blue Bird East in (in Virginia) in 1992 and opening Blue Bird de Mexico (in Monterrey, Nuevo León ) in 1995. After few major changes to its school bus product lines through the 1990s, in 1999, the Blue Bird All American underwent its second redesign in 10 years. In order to increase forward visibility,

1891-611: The Micro Bird, the Blue Bird MB-II/IV by Girardin allowed Blue Bird to offer an updated body design; at the time, Girardin was the sole manufacturer to produce a full cutaway body for single rear-wheel van chassis. The MB-II and MB-IV were sold by Blue Bird until 1999, when they adopted the Girardin branding. Coinciding with the 1991 redesign of the General Motors medium-duty truck line, General Motors entered into

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1952-482: The Micro Bird, the model line shared the body width of the full-size Conventional and All American. During the 1970s, Blue Bird introduced the "Handy Bus" option package. Available on any model line from the Micro Bird to the All American, the Handy Bus option featured a wheelchair lift and side door and onboard wheelchair accommodations. By 1980, Blue Bird would become the highest-volume school bus manufacturer in

2013-434: The TC/2000 was manufactured with a Blue Bird-produced chassis; initially produced only as a front-engine bus, a rear-engine configuration was introduced in 1991. To reduce manufacturing costs, the model line was offered with a single diesel engine and automatic transmission configuration and a simplified drivers' compartment. The TC/2000 achieved success in its market segment; by 1990, nearly one in ten new school buses sold in

2074-644: The United States and Canada. Along with the Blue Bird Conventional (and the later Blue Bird Vision), many Blue Bird body designs would share design elements with the All American, including the TC/2000, TC/1000, APC and CS commercial buses, and Wanderlodge recreational vehicle. In 1950, A.L. Luce retired from daily operations of Blue Bird, with operations of the company handled by his three sons; A.L. "Buddy" Luce Jr. became company president and general manager; George Luce oversaw engineering and Joseph Luce overseeing production and assembly. The same year,

2135-668: The United States was a TC/2000. At the beginning of the 1990s, Blue Bird had secured its position as the highest-volume school bus manufacturer; following the launch of the TC/2000, the company held nearly a 50% market share. After nearly six decades as a family-run company, in 1991, the Luce family decided to put Blue Bird Body Company up for sale. After showing the company to potential buyers through much of 1991, six buyers offered bids. For $ 397 million, Merrill Lynch Capital Partners purchased an 82% share of Blue Bird in November 1991, changing

2196-586: The United States, the chassis was modified and developed for use with a school bus body, becoming the first Blue Bird All American . In production since 1949, the All American is the longest-produced model of school bus in North America. Luce retired from Blue Bird in 1950. During a trip to California in October 1962, Luce had a second heart attack, and he died from pneumonia in San Francisco. He

2257-505: The United States, with over 20 times the yearly sales of only two decades prior. Despite the added presence of the company, as an entire industry, school bus manufacturing was in turmoil due to several factors. While the volatile economy of the time was impossible to foresee, many of the early 1960s predictions of the Luce brothers had largely come true. By the early 1980s, the baby-boom generation had completed its secondary education, leveling off student population growth. No longer provided with

2318-404: The Wanderlodge developed a loyal customer base, including celebrities and heads of state among their owners. In the 1970s, Blue Bird further diversified its product line, entering the transit bus segment. In 1976, the City Bird was introduced as a rear-engine variant of the All American developed for smaller mass-transit routes. During the decade, the design of small school buses evolved into

2379-401: The Wanderlodge from the All American school bus with several exterior restylings in the late 1980s. In 1988 a 102 inches (259.1 centimeters) wide version of the Wanderlodge was introduced—wider than the school bus bodies. The final Wanderlodge to share a body and chassis with the All American was produced in 1990. During the end of the 1980s, the Blue Bird product line saw several changes. While

2440-447: The beginning of the 2000s, Blue Bird sought to modernize its aging transit bus line; the Q-Bus was nearly a decade old and the CS and APC coaches were essentially commercial versions of the All American and TC/2000 school buses. For 2002, the 96-inch wide Q-Bus was replaced by the 102-inch wide Xcel102 and the CS and APC lines were retired. In 2003, the company entered the low-floor segment with

2501-483: The body designs, using wood as part of the body structure. Alongside its buses for the Navy, Blue Bird also produced ambulance buses . Intended for mass evacuations, the vehicles were fitted with four stretchers. In 1948, on a trip to Europe, A.L. Luce and his son George attended the 1948 Paris Auto Show . After viewing a GM-chassis forward-control bus on display, Luce sought to buy a similar bus chassis to produce with

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2562-450: The company began assembly of a second product line, as the All American entered full-scale production. In an effort to guarantee year-round demand, Blue Bird turned to exports for its buses, entering Central America and South America. During the late 1950s, several changes were made to the body design of Blue Bird buses. In 1957, the body underwent a complete redesign, including a higher roofline and flatter body sides; with several revisions,

2623-404: The company began production of full-steel bus bodies, an innovation which soon replaced the wooden bodies which were then in common use around the United States. In a 1939 conference, Blue Bird engineers contributed to the selection of school bus yellow , still in use today. Completed in 1927, the first bus completed by A.L. Luce was sold to a customer and put into use as a school bus. Following

2684-530: The company launched bus assembly outside of North America for the first time, opening Blue Bird Central America in Guatemala. While assembling the bodies of the Conventional and All American, Blue Bird Central America lowered production and maintenance costs by using locally sourced chassis (from Mercedes-Benz, Hino, Nissan Diesel, and Toyota) in place of sharing components from the United States. In 1963,

2745-528: The company, while the sons of Buddy and Joseph Luce worked elsewhere in company management. In 1987, Blue Bird introduced the TC/2000 , adding a second transit-style school bus product line. Developed as a competitor to the Wayne Lifestar , the model was marketed to secure purchases from operators of large bus fleets, priced closely to conventional-style buses. In line with the Blue Bird All American,

2806-444: The current Blue Bird Vision and All American continue to use this body. As an option, a "high-headroom" body was introduced, raising interior height to 77 inches. At the beginning of the 1960s, Blue Bird stood as the fourth-largest manufacturer of school buses in the United States. To accommodate the added demand, the Luce brothers added several production facilities to supplement the Fort Valley, Georgia plant. In 1958, Blue Bird Canada

2867-403: The end of the decade, the baby-boom generation began their education, having an impact across the education system for the next 30 years. Near the end of 1945, the company suffered a major setback, as its Fort Valley factory was destroyed by fire (nearly claiming the life of A.L. Luce). While the factory building was burned to the ground, a significant amount of equipment was salvaged along with

2928-538: The establishment of Blue Bird Body Company in 1932, the bus became retroactively known as Blue Bird "Number One". In 1946, the bus was reacquired by the Luce family; as part of the restoration, the body was placed on a Ford Model TT chassis, undergoing a second restoration in the 1970s. In 2008, Blue Bird "Number One" was donated to the Henry Ford Museum , marking the 100th anniversary of the Model T Ford and

2989-449: The event of a major disaster or evacuation, an ambulance bus can be used to transport multiple patients to the hospital. The vehicle may be equipped with advanced life support systems. Likewise, during an evacuation in advance of a disaster, an ambulance bus can transfer patients in hospitals and nursing homes to care centers out of harm's way. An ambulance bus can be used in a transport role to allow stretcher-bound patients to leave

3050-515: The exception of the van-based Micro Bird, Blue Bird builds the chassis of each bus its produces. Currently in its sixth generation, the Blue Bird All American is the longest-running bus model line. While not the first forward-control school bus (the Crown Supercoach was introduced in 1932), the All American would become one of the designs to widely expand its use, leading its wider use by school districts and school bus operators throughout

3111-508: The first major Blue Bird venture outside of school buses made its debut. Named the Blue Bird Transit Home (re-branded as Wanderlodge in 1968), it was a $ 12,000 luxury recreational vehicle based on the All American type. Using the heavy-duty frame and all-steel body to its advantage, the vehicle was marketed as higher-quality than other RVs of the time; the interior was largely built to order. For over 25 years of production,

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3172-428: The hospital, such as taking excursions or holidays away from the hospital, while still being able to provide the necessary medical care during the journey. Existing vehicles like buses can be converted into an ambulance bus with the installation of an on-demand ambulance bus kit. On-demand ambulance bus kits are installed inside any available vehicle on an as-needed basis when the need is anticipated in advance, like in

3233-622: The introduction of the UltraLF and UltraLMB. Albert Luce Albert Laurence Luce (June 26, 1888 – October 16, 1962) was an American industrialist , entrepreneur , bus designer, and business owner. He is best known for founding the Blue Bird Body Company, a bus and recreational vehicle manufacturer now known as Blue Bird Corporation . Albert Laurence Luce was born on June 26, 1888, in La Grange, Illinois ,

3294-622: The mid-1980s; as the highest-selling bus manufacturer, nearly one out of every three new school buses was a Blue Bird. While the 1980s would prove successful for Blue Bird in school bus production, the company saw mixed results in other segments. After 10 years of weak sales, the Blue Bird City Bird was discontinued in 1986. Despite volatile sales in recreational vehicles, the Wanderlodge remained successful, accounting for nearly one in five Blue Bird vehicles sold. To better compete with more modern designs, Blue Bird began to differentiate

3355-459: The name from Blue Bird Body Company to Blue Bird Corporation. Under the terms of the sale, the remaining 18% of the company was equally distributed between Paul Glaske and 14 management employees selected by the Luce family; Buddy and Joseph Luce retired while the rest of the management team was retained. During the early 1990s, following the success of its school bus product lines, Blue Bird commenced efforts to further diversify its product lines. As

3416-666: The second quarter of the 20th century began, Albert Luce Sr. was an entrepreneur who developed some of the earliest purpose-built school buses, transitioned from wagons . What is now Blue Bird Corporation began life as a side project in a Ford Motor Company dealership in Perry, Georgia . Along with the dealership in Perry, Luce owned the Ford franchise in Fort Valley, Georgia , a rural farming community south of Macon . In 1925, Luce sold

3477-697: The time, Henlys sought to expand its operations in North America, with 10% of the company owned by Volvo Group . During the 1990s, Blue Bird would enter into several joint ventures as part of its school bus production, for both small and full-size school buses. In an effort to supplement the Blue Bird Micro Bird, in 1992, Blue Bird entered into a supply agreement with Quebec-based bus manufacturer Girardin Minibus to supply Blue Birds with Girardin-produced MB-II/MB-IV school buses (branded as Blue Birds) on cutaway van chassis. While configured similar to

3538-477: Was buried in Oaklawn Cemetery , Fort Valley, Georgia . Luce is among the early school bus industry pioneers including Perley A. Thomas , who founded Thomas Built Buses , D.H. "Dave" Ward, founder of Ward Body Works (now IC Bus ), and the educator Dr. Frank W. Cyr , who, for his persistent work since 1939 to develop school bus safety standards across the country, is widely considered the father of

3599-590: Was introduced, as the Wanderlodge BMC debuted. To expand its availability, the Wanderlodge BMC was produced using a chassis from Spartan Motors; a Blue Bird QMC commercial variant was introduced, designed as a mobile workstation. In 1997, Blue Bird expanded into the passenger motorcoach segment, introducing the LTC-40 (Luxury Touring Coach); for 1998, the Wanderlodge LX/LXi were introduced, adapting

3660-631: Was opened in Brantford, Ontario . In 1962, Blue Bird Midwest was opened in Mount Pleasant, Iowa . At the beginning of the decade, Blue Bird introduced its roofline brand emblem, becoming the first bus manufacturer to do so. In 1962, Blue Bird introduced a panoramic windshield design, used on the All American through 2013 (and still on use on the Vision). In the early 1960s, Blue Bird introduced its long-running company slogan: "Your Children's Safety

3721-433: Was returned to the U.S. in 1919. He purchased a Ford franchise in Fort Valley, Georgia ; which would become his home for the rest of his life. In 1920, he married Helen Mathews (April 10, 1890 – July 2, 1976), a daughter of a local minister. As his business grew, Luce purchased a second Ford franchise in Perry, Georgia , which he named Houston County Motor Company . In 1925, the dealership received an order from

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