Girardin Minibus

Girardin Minibus

Industry	Transportation
Founded	1935
Founder	Lionel Girardin
Headquarters	3000 Girardin Drummondville, Quebec J2E 0A1
Products	School buses Commercial buses
Services	Bus sales (Blue Bird)
Divisions	Micro Bird, Inc (joint venture with Blue Bird)
Website	http://www.girardin.com

Girardin Minibus Inc. based in Drummondville, Quebec, Canada manufactures buses exclusively for the smaller Type A market; these buses are based on chassis provided from Ford or General Motors. Girardin is also a Canadian distributor of Blue Bird school and commercial buses.

As production of the Corbeil brand has shifted south of the border to the Kansas facility of Collins Industries, Girardin is currently the lone Canadian manufacturer of school buses.

History

Blue Bird by Girardin MB-II

Girardin MB-II, rear view

Girardin traces its roots to 1935, when company founder Lionel Girardin opened a used-car dealership and repair shop in St-Félix-de-Kingsey, Quebec. He expanded into new-car sales in 1953 by opening a Chrysler dealership. In 1958, Girardin entered the school bus market by becoming a school bus dealership.

In 1965, Girardin opened a bus dealership in Drummondville, Quebec; along with bus sales, Girardin converted vans into minibuses (some of the first Type A school buses). In 1981, a dedicated factory was built to keep up with demand; the factory was expanded in 1991 and again in 2000.

In 1991, Girardin Minibus introduced the MB-II and MB-IV school buses; from 1992 to 1999, these were distributed throughout North America using the Blue Bird by Girardin name. In 2005, the MB-IV was replaced with the G5, a redesigned dual rear-wheel Type A school bus.

In 2009, Blue Bird Corporation entered into a joint venture with Girardin to produce Type A school buses. Under the terms of the joint venture, Blue Bird's Micro Bird (in production since 1975) was phased out and replaced by Girardin-designed products built in Drummondville.

Joint Ventures

Girardin Minibus has twice entered into partnerships with a larger bus manufacturer; both have been with American manufacturer Blue Bird Corporation.

Blue Bird MB-II/MB-IV by Girardin (1992–1999)

From 1992 to 1999, Girardin and Blue Bird were in a partnership to sell the MB-II and MB-IV Type A school buses in North America. At the time, Girardin was little known outside of Quebec and Blue Bird's own Micro Bird was not available in the single rear-wheel configuration that the MB-II offered. After 1999, Girardin chose to market the MB school buses under its own brand name.

Micro Bird, Inc. (2009–present)

In October 2009, Girardin re-entered into a joint venture with Blue Bird. This partnership, named Micro Bird, Inc, resulted in the Micro Bird model being discontinued, as Type A school bus construction was transferred from Blue Bird's Georgia facility to Girardin's Drummondville facility. Type A school buses built by Girardin are now branded as Blue Bird Micro Bird by Girardin. The first ever Type A school bus built on Ford Transit chassis replaced the Ford E-series. Known as Micro Bird T-Series.

Models

Girardin Product lineup
Model Name	G5	MB-II	MB-IV
Image
Body Configuration	Dual rear wheels	Single rear wheels	Dual rear wheels
Versions	School Bus Commercial Bus	School Bus Commercial Bus Multi-Function School Activity Bus (MFSAB)	School Bus Commercial Bus
Chassis Supplier	Ford General Motors	Ford General Motors	Ford General Motors
Maximum Seating Capacity	30 (school bus) 25 (commercial bus)	20 (school bus) 12 (commercial bus) 14 (MFSAB)
Notes	The G5 was introduced in 2005 as a replacement for the MB-IV line. Will replace the Blue Bird Micro Bird under the Micro Bird, Inc. joint venture with Blue Bird Corporation	School bus version distributed in the United States as a Blue Bird from 1992 to 1999 MFSAB version sold as an alternative to 15-passenger vans.	School bus version distributed in the United States as a Blue Bird from 1992 to 1999 Replaced by G5 product line.

See also

• Blue Bird Corporation - distributor of Girardin products in United States; Girardin is distributor of Blue Birds in Canada.
• Cutaway van chassis
• Les Enterprises Michel Corbeil - former Canadian competing manufacturer of small school buses

External links

• Girardin Minibus