podcast
Bird's Eye View
- Informative
- Useful Sales Tool
- Indepth on Alt Fuels
- Grant Information
Bird's Eye View
Podcast
In this dynamic podcast, we will cover everything bus-related from the perspective of an industry leading school bus manufacturer.
The Bird’s Eye View podcast is hosted by a team of knowledgeable Blue Bird personalities who explore a variety of critical topics through engaging interviews with our guests. Episodes provide in-depth looks at issues ranging from bus fleet management, the impact of different fuel types, to the challenges posed by weather conditions, the importance of safety in bus operations, nuances of managing mixed fleets, and the specific fuel usage strategies within the sector. Additionally, it shines a spotlight on the vital roles of drivers and mechanics.
Our podcast offers insights that are valuable for industry professionals and enthusiasts alike.
Episodes
What is it Actually Like to Intern at Blue Bird?
Real Projects, Real Responsibility: What It’s Actually Like to Intern at Blue Bird “My intern work mirrors the full-timers’ — and it moves the needle.” ...
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What Does It Take to Become Transportation Director of the Year?
What separates an average student transit operation from an award-winning network? In this episode of Bird’s Eye View, host Steve Whaley sits down with 2026 ...
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What You Need to Know About School Bus Regulations and Compliance
Certification and compliance specialist Charles Wathen breaks down the essential differences between school bus certification and ongoing compliance, discussing how Blue Bird navigates evolving EPA, ...
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How Can You Fund Alt-Fuel School Buses?
In this episode, we sit down with Michigan transportation directors Tisha Hergert and Chris Ondrovick to explore their firsthand experiences transitioning to electric and propane-powered ...
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How Can Blue Bird Support Your Fleet Throughout its Entire Lifecycle?
Featured guests from Blue Bird’s Parts and Service department discuss how we support your fleet long after the initial sale: Prepare for Summer: Learn how ...
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Blue Bird Sustainability
In this episode of A Bird’s Eye View, we detail the strategic integration of sustainability into the organization’s core operations through a formalized ESG framework. ...
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How Can Transportation Directors Use AI for Informed Fleet Decisions?
In this episode of A Bird’s Eye View, Brad Beauchamp from Blue Bird sits down with transportation experts Richard and Tim to discuss how Artificial ...
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Can a Transportation Director Be a Hero?
Peninsula School District Director of Transportation, Dawnett Wright, joins Steve Whaley, alt-fuels manager, to answer the question, "Can a Transportation Director Be a Hero?" in ...
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Blue Bird Academy
The Blue Bird Academy develops programs with a systematic route for the growth of dealer technician personnel and customers - Associate, Advanced, and Master - ...
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Can Alt Fuel School Buses Handle the Weather?
In this episode, Amy Rosa, transportation director for Wa-Nee Community Schools (WCS) in northern Indiana, joins Steve Whaley, propane product segment leader for Blue Bird. ...
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School Bus Safety
IMMI's John Barrington and Norm Gould join the Bird's Eye View podcast to discuss critical school bus safety innovations. The discussion highlights Blue Bird's industry ...
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Episode Update: Propane Total Cost of Ownership
In this update episode, Anthony Jackson, Executive Director of Transportation for Bibb County School District, along with Steve Whaley, propane product segment leader at Blue ...
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Blue Bird Foundation and Community Engagement
Blue Bird, built on a rich, family-based entrepreneurial history, has a deep-rooted commitment to community engagement, particularly in its founding Middle Georgia area. This commitment ...
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Can Alt-Fuels Go The Distance?
Kay Cornelius, Transportation Director for St. Louis County Schools in Minnesota, joins the Bird's Eye View Podcast to address the initial skepticism, implementation challenges, and ...
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Blue Bird President and CEO, John Wyskiel
John Wyskiel, automotive industry veteran with over 35 years of experience in manufacturing leadership, operational excellence and global sales and supply chain management, was appointed ...
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Electric School Buses: Off-grid Charging Solutions
Subject-matter experts, Brad Beauchamp (Blue Bird) and Scott Bradley (Pioneer eMobility), discuss the challenges of infrastructure for electric school bus deployments, and highlight the benefits ...
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Hitting the “Easy Button” on Propane School Bus Infrastructure
In this episode of the Bird’s Eye View podcast, Brian Raygor, national autogas business manager for Ferrellgas, joins Steve Whaley, propane product segment leader at ...
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Propane School Buses: Maintenance and Service
Roush CleanTech Director of Customer Success, Mario Genovese, joins Steve Whaley, propane product segment leader at Blue Bird, to discuss the maintenance and service of ...
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Propane School Buses: Total Cost of Ownership
Bibb County School District Executive Director of Transportation, Anthony Jackson, joins Steve Whaley, propane product segment leader at Blue Bird, to discuss the school district's ...
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Electric School Buses: Optimizing EV Infrastructure
Host Brad Beauchamp, Electric Vehicle Product Segment Leader for Blue Bird, and guest Stephen Koskoletos, Vice President of Strategy and Growth at Polara, discuss optimizing ...
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Propane School Buses: Transporting Students with Special Needs
In this episode of the Bird’s Eye View podcast, Steve Whaley hears from Diana Mikelski, director of transportation at Township School District 211 in Illinois, ...
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Calm Under Pressure
Craig Beaver leads Oregon’s largest transportation department with the kind of steady, thoughtful leadership that earned him 2025 Transportation Director of the Year. His approach reflects what matters most in pupil transportation: staying focused, solving problems calmly, and keeping operations moving for students, drivers, and communities.
Watch the podcast to hear more from Craig about leadership, responsibility, and what it takes to run a high-performing transportation department: hubs.ly/Q04wng1q0
#TransportationDirectorOfTheYear #PupilTransportation #SchoolTransportation #Leadership #FleetOperations #BlueBird ...
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New Funding Opportunities! The following funding programs are AVAILABLE NOW for low- and zero-emission school buses:
Arkansas GoRED! Program
- Open NOW, first-come, first-serve basis
NEW: Hawaii Diesel Replacement Rebate Program
- Open NOW, first-come, first-serve basis
NEW: Maryland Medium- and Heavy-Duty Zero-Emission Vehicle Grant Program
- open NOW through September 29
Massachusetts MOR-EV Program
- open NOW, first-come, first-serve basis
Michigan Fuel Transformation Program
- open NOW on a first-come, first-serve basis
New Hampshire State Clean Diesel Program
- open NOW on a first-come, first-serve basis
New Jersey "Stop the Soot" Grant
- open NOW on a first-come, first-serve basis
New York School Bus Incentive Program
- open NOW on a first-come, first-serve basis
NEW: Rhode Island DERA Grant
- open NOW through September 11
Texas Natural Gas Vehicle Grant Program
- open NOW through October 20
Utah Clean Fleet Program
- open NOW, first-come, first-serve basis
Virginia CMAW Vehicle Fuel Conversion Incentive Program
- open NOW, first-come, first-serve basis
Wyoming DERA School Bus Replacement Program
- open NOW, ongoing
Connect with the Blue Bird Grant Support Team today to learn more about these programs, and how we can help you apply: hubs.ly/Q04w20GH0 ...
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Retaining qualified technicians can be challenging. Programs with continual product updates and certificate renewals keep service techs current on new product features and maintenance requirements. 76% of all employees say they are more likely to stay with a company that offers continuous training.
Service managers and transportation directors may reduce turnover by providing growth opportunities through Blue Bird Associate Level Technician Certification. Blue Bird’s technicians renew their certifications every two years to ensure service competency remains strong as new features are released.
Blue Bird Associate Level Technician Certification enrollments are available at a 25% discount through September 1st, 2026.
Reach out to academy@blue-bird.com or your local Blue Bird Dealer. ...
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