Collins Industries

Collins Industries is an American bus manufacturer headquartered in South Hutchinson, Kansas. Best known for production of yellow school buses, the company produces buses for multiple applications; all bodies designed by the company have been produced for cutaway van chassis.

Collins Bus Corporation

Formerly	E-CON-O Conversion
Industry	Automotive
Founded	1967; 57 years ago (1967) in Kansas City, Missouri
Founder	Don Collins, Sr.
Headquarters	South Hutchinson, Kansas , USA
Area served	North America
Products	School buses
Parent	Forest River
Subsidiaries	Mid Bus (defunct) Corbeil Bus Corporation (defunct)
Website	collinsbus.com
Footnotes / references [1][2]

Collins was founded in 1967 by Don Collins Sr. as E-CON-O Conversion;^[3] originally a part of Collins Industries, the company exists today as a wholly owned subsidiary of manufacturing company Forest River. All production is sourced from the company's 94,000 square-foot facility in South Hutchinson, Kansas.^[4]

History

1970s

In 1967, Don Collins founded E-CON-O Conversion in Kansas City, Missouri, becoming one of the first to develop a school bus derived from a van.^[3][1] Utilizing a Ford Falcon van (Econoline passenger van),^[5] Collins shifted away from designs based upon utility vehicles such as the Chevrolet Suburban and International Harvester Travelall.

In 1971, Collins renamed E-CON-O to Collins Industries, coinciding with the expansion of its product range into ambulances.^[1] In 1972, the company was relocated to Hutchinson, Kansas (its present-day location).^[3]

1980s

In 1982, Collins introduced its first bus with a wheelchair lift;^[3] in a shift away from van conversions, the company adopted bodies for cutaway van chassis, introducing the long-running "Bantam" product line. In the mid-1980s, the company would diversify its product ranges. To replace the Collins van-based ambulances, the company acquired Wheeled Coach Industries in 1984 (inventor of the modular ambulance^[1][6]) and Capacity of Texas (a terminal tractor manufacturer) in 1985.^[1][7]

1990s

During the 1990s, Collins Industries grew to become the largest manufacturer of Type A small school buses in the United States.^[8] In 1998, the company would acquire its largest competitor, Mid Bus (a successor of the bus manufacturing operations of Superior Coach Company).^[1] To expand into the transit bus segment, Collins acquired World Trans, Inc, basing their vehicles on cutaway chassis and rear-engine chassis.^[9]

In 2000, the company purchased Waldon Manufacturing, renaming it after its Lay-Mor street sweeper.^[1][10]

2000s

During the 2000s, the existence of Collins would transition significantly, shifting from a parent company to a subsidiary within a transportation conglomerate. Although specializing solely in small buses, in 2000, Collins offered the widest product line of any American bus manufacturer, with three different versions of the Bantam.^[3][11]

A publicly traded company since 1983,^[1] Collins Industries became privately held in October 2006. 80 percent of the company was acquired by BNS Holding Inc, with the investment group American Industrial Partners holding the other 20 percent.^[12][13]

In 2007, Collins purchased the assets of Quebec-based manufacturer Les Enterprises Michel Corbeil out of bankruptcy. As with its Mid Bus acquisition a decade before, Collins shifted production of Corbeil buses to its Kansas facility, repackaging it as a product range marketed in Canada. Both subsidiaries adopted the Bantam bodywork, marketed as the Mid Bus Guide and Corbeil Quantum, respectively.

2010s

In 2010, American Industrial Partners formed Allied Specialty Vehicles out of four of its transportation holdings, including Collins and its subsidiary companies.^[2] Under ASV, Collins was part of a conglomerate including fire/emergency vehicles, recreational vehicles, transit and school buses, and industrial vehicles.^[2][14] In 2015, Allied Specialty Vehicles was renamed the REV Group.^[15]

On March 29, 2012, Collins unveiled the Nexbus series, replacing the long-running Bantam series;^[16] the first Nexbus was produced on May 16, 2012.^[17] In place of the former Guide and Quantum, all three Collins brands adopted Nexbus branding. In 2014, collins starting manufactured the Nexbus using the Ford Transit 350/350HD chassis. By 2016, Collins retired the Mid Bus and Corbeil brands entirely, using the Collins brand across North America.

For 2018, Collins introduced the Collins Low Floor variant of the Nexbus body. The first school bus derived from the Ram ProMaster body, the Low Floor is equipped with a flat floor and a folding wheelchair ramp.     

2020s

In January 2024, REV announced it would be exiting the bus manufacturing business. The company reached an agreement to sell Collins to Forest River for $303 million.^[18] In 2023 Collins launched an all-electric school bus using the Ford E-Transit chassis, The first ever battery electric Ford Transit School bus with access for 25 students, a wheelchair lift is also an option to allow handicapped riders.

Products

Collins Bus product ranges

Product name	Production	Chassis	Vehicle type	Notes	Photos
Bantam series (1982–2011)
Bantam	1982-2011	Ford E-Series Chevrolet/GMC G30 Chevrolet Express/GMC Savana	School bus MFSAB	Single rear wheel	Bantam
Super Bantam	c.1992-2011	Ford E-Series Chevrolet Express/GMC Savana	School bus MFSAB	Dual rear wheel	Super Bantam
Grand Bantam	c.1992-2011	Ford E-Series Chevrolet Express/GMC Savana	School bus MFSAB	Dual rear wheel Flat floor	Grand Bantam
Bantam XL[19]	2003-c.2005	GMT560 (Topkick/Kodiak)	School bus MFSAB	Designed by Mid Bus Dual rear wheel
Nexbus series (2011–present)
Nexbus	2012–present	Ford E-Series Ford Transit Chevrolet Express/GMC Savana	School bus MFSAB	Available in single rear-wheel (Nexbus SRW) and dual rear-wheel (Nexbus DRW) bodies Offered in several alternative-fuel configurations: Nexbus Hybrid on Ford E450 chassis in conjunction with Azure Dynamics.[20] Nexbus Propane (since 2009), on GM chassis, in conjunction with Clean Fuel USA.[21] Nexbus Electric- Set to be introduced on Ford E450 Chassis using a motiv power systems. Nexbus CNG- Ford & GM chassis using a CNG fueled system (compressed natural gas)	Nexbus (Chevrolet Express chassis)
Low Floor	2018–present	Ram ProMaster 3500	School bus	Single rear wheel First school bus produced with a low-floor configuration Utilizes a wheelchair ramp (in place of lift)

References

1. "A Specialty Vehicle Manufacturer --- Collins Industries, Inc. --- Vehicle Manufacturer, Specialty Vehicle, Collins Industries". 2010-01-17. Archived from the original on 24 January 2010. Retrieved 2019-06-22.
2. AIP. "American Industrial Partners Announces the Formation of Allied Specialty Vehicles, Inc., a Leading Manufacturer of Specialty Vehicles in North America". American Industrial Partners. Retrieved 2019-06-23.
3. "Bus Manufacturers – Collins Bus Company, Member of REV Group". www.collinsbus.com. Retrieved 2019-06-22.
4. Dinnell, Dave (November 6, 1998). "Collins opens $1.1 million facility". Wichita Business Journal. Retrieved 2009-08-16.
5. "Bus Manufacturers – Collins Bus Company, Trusted for the Best Bus Design". www.collinsbus.com. Retrieved 2019-06-22.
6. "A Specialty Vehicle Manufacturer --- Collins Industries, Inc. --- Vehicle Manufacturer, Specialty Vehicle, Collins Industries". Archived from the original on 2003-06-21. Retrieved 2011-02-09.
7. http://www.capacitytexas.com/about.html# Archived 2009-08-25 at the Wayback Machine Corporate website with basic history.
8. "A Specialty Vehicle Manufacturer --- Collins Industries, Inc. --- Vehicle Manufacturer, Specialty Vehicle, Collins Industries". 2006-03-14. Archived from the original on 2006-03-14. Retrieved 2019-06-23.
9. "A Small Bus Manufacturer - World Trans - About World Trans". 2000-05-05. Archived from the original on 2000-05-05. Retrieved 2019-06-23.
10. "The Evolution of LayMor" (PDF). 2011-11-10. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-11-10. Retrieved 2019-06-23.
11. "A Small School Bus Distributor - Collins Bus - Product Information". 2000-02-29. Archived from the original on 2000-02-29. Retrieved 2019-06-23.
12. "Investor Relations". Collins Industries. Archived from the original on 2010-01-17. Retrieved 2009-08-16.
13. "BNS Holding, Inc. and American Industrial Partners Acquire Collins Industries". www.businesswire.com. 2006-10-31. Retrieved 2019-06-23.
14. "American Industrial Partners : Press Releases Details". Archived from the original on 2015-06-01. Retrieved 2017-08-10.
15. "Allied Specialty Vehicles Selects ʺREVʺ as New Company Name | Champion Bus • Manufacturer of light to medium-duty commercial buses". 2017-08-09. Archived from the original on 2017-08-09. Retrieved 2019-06-23.
16. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-07-29. Retrieved 2012-05-13.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
17. Staff, School Bus Fleet. "Collins' first NEXBUS rolls off assembly line". www.schoolbusfleet.com.
18. "REV Group, Inc. (REVG) to Exit School and Transit Bus Manufacturing and Reorganize Into Two Reporting Segments; Announces a Special Cash Dividend". streetinsider.com. 2024-01-29. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
19. "Bantam XL brochure" (PDF).
20. "-- Collins Bus Corporation -- School Bus Parts, New School Bus Sales, Small School Buses, MFSAB Bus, Childcard Bus, Church Bus, Hybrid Bus, Hybrid School Bus". Archived from the original on 2009-08-01. Retrieved 2009-08-10.
21. "-- Collins Bus Corporation -- School Bus Parts, New School Bus Sales, Small School Buses, MFSAB Bus, Childcard Bus, Church Bus, Hybrid Bus, Hybrid School Bus, Propane Bus, Propane School Bus". Archived from the original on 2012-09-13. Retrieved 2012-05-13.

External links

• Buses portal

• Official website