US school bus manufacturer Blue Bird and sustainable investment company Generate Capital have formed Clean Bus Solutions, a joint venture (JV) designed to meet increasing demand for electric school buses. 

Blue Bird recently opened its 40,000-square-foot EV Build-up Center, designed to enable the company to increase its electric school bus production capacity to as many as 5,000 annually in coming years.

The JV’s turnkey fleet electrification-as-a-service offering makes financing for Blue Bird’s electric school buses and charging infrastructure available to school districts on a  monthly-fee basis. The service includes project planning and management, and fleet and charging optimization.  

Blue Bird’s ownership in the JV will generate recurring revenue from financing and charging infrastructure services that are paid for over the lifetime of the vehicles, and from the maintenance and repair services provided by the company’s dealer network.

“Through the JV, school districts will continue to be supported by Blue Bird and the dealers they have known and trusted for many years,” said Phil Horlock, CEO of Blue Bird. “School districts will avoid the significant upfront costs and complexity of electrifying their school bus fleets.”

Source: Blue Bird