Blue Bird continues its tradition of innovation in standard safety
features for school buses
MACON, Ga.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Blue Bird Corporation, North America’s leading school bus manufacturer,
has announced that their school buses will come with Electronic
Stability Control (ESC) on all buses equipped with air brakes, as well
as backup camera systems as standard equipment on all new vehicles.
Continuing a tradition of being first to market with safety and
environmental innovations, Blue Bird introduced ESC to customers in 2015
– a first for the industry at the time. Electronic stability control
technology has been a part of passenger vehicles for many years with
incredible results in collision mitigation. Using a group of sensors,
the ESC system is notified when a potential situation may occur, and
activates the brakes in a sequence to reduce the chances of losing
control of the bus. In larger medium- and heavy-duty truck applications,
ESC serves as a way to also prevent rollover incidents, and works well
to prevent incidents on icy, wet, sandy and muddy roads – all conditions
that school bus drivers encounter. The system currently works with buses
equipped with air brakes, and ESC is supplied by Bendix, an industry
leader in brakes and braking systems.
“We are always looking to be one step ahead in regards to safety,” said
Mark Terry, chief commercial officer at Blue Bird Corporation. “We
offered ESC to customers three years before anyone else, because we knew
then that this safety feature would be necessary in the near future. It
was an easy decision to provide this to customers as a standard feature.”
While ESC enhances safety, it does not take responsibility away from the
driver: rather, the system acts as one more way to give the driver
better control in situations where slides and skids are more likely to
occur.
In addition to Electronic Stability Control, Blue Bird has also added a
rear backup camera as a standard feature on all of their school buses
going forward. Backup camera systems are considered an essential safety
feature on modern-day vehicles. Blue Bird’s backup camera system
utilizes a single camera located at the back of the vehicle. This camera
shows a 150-degree field of vision image of the rear of the bus to the
driver through a 7” LCD color monitor displayed in the rearview mirror.
The image shows when the bus is in reverse, and features night vision
capability. Blue Bird is also working on developing a dash-mounted
monitor, which will be available soon.
“Beyond the obvious safety aspects of a backup camera system, many new
bus drivers are used to having backup cameras in their personal
vehicles. We also want to tailor our buses to give drivers confidence
while driving,” said Terry. “Providing additional safety features on
buses not only helps keep our children safe, it also gives drivers
greater confidence while operating the bus. Safety for your students,
peace-of-mind for your drivers. That’s what drives Blue Bird as we
continue to innovate and release new features on our buses.”
For all new buses built by Blue Bird in 2019, electronic stability
control and backup camera systems will be standard equipment. For more
information, visit www.blue-bird.com.
About Blue Bird Corporation: Celebrating its 90th year
in business, 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.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190122005792/en/
Justyne Lobello | Blue Bird Corporation
478-396-3487 | [email protected]
Source: Blue Bird Corporation