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 leadership in making three-point seat belts standard on their buses—a path enabled by the long-standing working relationship with IMMI—and the ongoing progression to introduce driver airbags. The experts explore the payoff of these innovations, emphasizing that the driver airbag is vital for driver safety, while the seat belts enhance safety for passengers, potentially leading to increased driver retention and overall school bus ridership.
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 Bird, addresses additional areas of cost savings experienced with the propane school buses originally reported in an earlier episode of the Bird’s Eye View Podcast (https://youtu.be/9EZkzGJXtII). They report on the district’s overall total cost of ownership of the propane fleet, sharing real-life experiences with fuel contracts and maintenance. Jackson presents an optimistic view of the opportunities alt-fuel school buses present, and share plans for further integration with electric school buses into the district’s fleet.
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 is spearheaded by the revitalization of the Blue Bird School Bus Foundation (BBSBF), and various employee and dealer-focused programs. Lauren Beaty, Grants and Community Engagement Manager and BBSBF Charitable Decision Committee Member, highlights the expansion of these efforts.
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 ultimately, the significant benefits realized by transitioning a large, rural bus fleet to propane. This case study provides compelling evidence that alternative fuels, specifically propane, “can go the distance” both literally in terms of range and figuratively in terms of financial and operational success for school bus transportation.
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 as President and CEO of Blue Bird in February 2025. As he rejoins Blue Bird, he shares his history, impressions of the company today, and challenges in the industry. Wyskiel also covers the role of safety and his future outlook for the company as it approaches its 100-year anniversary.
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 of off-grid charging solutions in […]
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 Blue Bird, to simplify the understanding and implementation of propane infrastructure for student transportation fleets. Brian and Steve provide insights into the process, costs, and benefits associated with adopting propane as an alternative fuel. The subject-matter experts demystify the infrastructure setup and highlight its ease and affordability, positioning propane as an accessible “easy button” solution with economic and environmental benefits.
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 propane school buses, demystifying propane technology, and covering Roush CleanTech’s customer success and support. The two also touch on the benefits of propane school buses, including the ease of transition for diesel mechanics, cost savings and reduced complexity, and environmental benefits.
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 cost of propane school bus ownership. They detail the district’s transition to propane buses, dig in to the significant cost savings achieved, address infrastructure challenges and cover the added benefit of federal tax credits. After sharing real-life data, Jackson expresses his intention to continue using propane buses due to their economic advantages.
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 EV infrastructure, scalability and planning, […]