FORT VALLEY, Ga.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Blue Bird and ROUSH CleanTech have extended their alternative-fueled school bus partnership through 2025. Since 2012, the relationship between the school bus manufacturer and alternative-fuel system manufacturer has resulted in 1,300 districts operating more than 16,000 propane, compressed natural gas and gasoline-powered school buses.

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“Partnering exclusively with ROUSH CleanTech and Ford Motor Company, Blue Bird has led the way in bringing clean and cost-effective alternative-fuel powered school buses to the student transportation industry,” said Phil Horlock, president and CEO of Blue Bird Corporation. “Together we have firmly established Blue Bird’s propane, gasoline and CNG solutions as the undisputed school bus leader in alternative fuels. We are delighted to extend our special and exclusive partnership well into the next decade and look forward to bringing more exciting and differentiating products to the school bus market.”

The collaboration has brought clean and affordable innovation to student transportation:

• The first and only school bus manufacturer to offer propane, gasoline and CNG from one common engine architecture, simplifying service and maintenance.
• The first and only propane engine in class 4-7 vehicles certified to the optional low nitrogen oxide (NOx) level of 0.05 grams per brake horsepower per hour – 75 percent cleaner than other manufacturers.
• The first 100-gallon extended-range propane fuel tank.
• The first to market a large school bus powered by a gasoline engine in over two decades.
• The first to achieve the Environmental Protection Agency and California Air Resources Board’s 2018 heavy duty-onboard diagnostics certification for its propane engine.

“We are committed to supporting the student transportation industry’s push away from diesel to a simpler, cleaner and more cost-effective solution,” said Todd Mouw, president of ROUSH CleanTech. “This contract extension gives our customers and prospects the confidence that we are here for the long term and will help them achieve their economic and environmental sustainability goals into the future.”

The two companies will continue to invest in technology to bring new products to the school transportation market, including even greater NOx reductions for the Blue Bird Vision Propane and CNG products.

About Blue Bird Corporation: Blue Bird (Nasdaq: BLBD) is the leading independent designer and manufacturer of school buses, with more than 550,000 buses sold since its formation in 1927 and approximately 180,000 buses in operation today. Blue Bird’s longevity and reputation in the school bus industry have made it an iconic American brand. Blue Bird distinguishes itself from its principal competitors by its singular focus on the design, engineering, manufacture and sale of school buses and related parts. As the only manufacturer of chassis and body production specifically designed for school bus applications, Blue Bird is recognized as an industry leader for school bus innovation, safety, product quality/reliability/durability, operating costs and drivability. In addition, Blue Bird is the market leader in alternative fuel applications with its propane-powered, electric and compressed natural gas-powered school buses. Blue Bird manufactures school buses at two facilities in Fort Valley, Georgia. Its Micro Bird joint venture operates a manufacturing facility in Drummondville, Quebec, Canada. Service and after-market parts are distributed from Blue Bird’s parts distribution center located in Delaware, Ohio. For more information on Blue Bird’s complete line of buses, visit www.blue-bird.com.

About ROUSH CleanTech: ROUSH CleanTech, an industry leader of alternative fuel vehicle technology, is a division of ROUSH Enterprises based in Livonia, Michigan. ROUSH CleanTech designs, engineers, manufactures and installs propane autogas fuel system technology for medium-duty Ford commercial vehicles, and Type A and Type C Blue Bird school buses, and compressed natural gas fuel systems for Type C Blue Bird school buses. As a Ford QVM-certified alternative fuel vehicle manufacturer, ROUSH CleanTech delivers economical, clean and domestically produced fueling options for fleets across North America. Learn more at ROUSHcleantech.com or by calling 800.59.ROUSH.

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