Buying Guide
School Transportation® News – Buyer’s Guide 2022 Recap
As expected due to supply chain issues and the COVID pandemic, production has decreased. 31,476 school buses were manufactured during the 2020-2021 school year.
In comparison, there were:
- 36,678 models made in the 2019-2020 school year.
- 44,781 models made in the 2018-2019 school year.
- 44,634 models made in the 2017-2018 school year.
- 46,130 models made in the 2016-2017 school year.
Breaking production down by fuel or energy type, there were:
- 19,605 diesel models.
- 9,374 gasoline models.
- 2,354 propane models.
- 667 electric models
- 39 CNG models.
These numbers were taken from reports from top school bus manufacturers, such as Starcraft Bus® and Blue Bird®.
SCHOOL BUS PURCHASING PRIORITIES
The most popular type of school bus that directors predicted a need for is the Type C or D bus, followed by new diesel, new gasoline, Type A, and new alternative fuel buses.
The most popular type of school bus features that directors predicted a need for were GPS and vehicle tracking, air conditioning/HVAC, child detection systems, and communication systems.
VEHICLE GARAGE PRIORITIES
In addition to features for the vehicles, there are common desired features for the garage environment.
The top priority is air conditioning, followed by increased space or a new facility, computers to run diagnostics, better organization and cleaning, and maintenance software.
SCHOOL BUS FLEET AGES
In the student transportation industry, over half of the fleets are between 6 and 11 years old. Around a third are older (between 12 to 15 years) and around 10% are younger (between 0 to 5 years). A small handful are 16 years old or more.
Ready to shop school buses for sale? As the nation’s largest bus dealer, Model 1 carries an impressive range of options. Start your search by exploring our available models online or contacting our expert staff today.
