Collins Industries

Collins Bus Corporation

Formerly called	E-CON-O Conversion
Industry	Automotive
Founded	1967 (1967) in Kansas City, Missouri
Founder	Don Collins, Sr.
Headquarters	Hutchinson, Kansas, USA
Area served	North America
Products	School buses
Parent	REV Group
Subsidiaries	Mid Bus (defunct) Corbeil Bus Corporation (defunct)
Website	collinsbuscorp.com
Footnotes / references

Collins Bus Corporation is an American bus manufacturer headquartered in 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 was founded in 1967 by Don Collins, Sr. as E-CON-O Conversion; originally a part of Collins Industries, the company exists today as a wholly owned subsidiary of manufacturing company REV Group. All production is sourced from a 94,000 square-foot facility from South Hutchinson, Kansas.

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. Utilizing a Ford Falcon van (Econoline passenger van), Collins shifted away from designs based upon utility vehicles such as the Chevrolet Suburban and International Harvester Travelall.

In 1971, Collins replaced E-CON-O with Collins Industries, expanding its product range into ambulances. In 1972, the company was relocated to Hutchinson, Kansas (its present-day location).

1980s

In 1982, Collins introduced its first bus with a wheelchair lift; 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) and Capacity of Texas (a terminal tractor manufacturer) in 1985.

1990s

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

In 2000, the company purchased Waldon Manufacturing, renaming it after its Lay-Mor street sweeper.

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.

A publicly traded company since 1983, 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.

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. Under ASV, Collins was part of a conglomerate including fire/emergency vehicles, recreational vehicles, transit and school buses, and industrial vehicles. In 2015, Allied Specialty Vehicles was renamed the REV Group.

On March 29, 2012, Collins unveiled the Nexbus series, replacing the long-running Bantam series; the first Nexbus was produced on May 16, 2012. 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.     

Products

Collins Bus product ranges

Product name	Production	Chassis	Vehicle type	Notes
Bantam series
Bantam	1982-2011	Ford E-Series Chevrolet/GMC G30 Chevrolet Express/GMC Savana	School bus MFSAB	Single rear wheel
Super Bantam	c.1992-2011	Ford E-Series Chevrolet Express/GMC Savana	School bus MFSAB	Dual rear wheel
Grand Bantam	c.1992-2011	Ford E-Series Chevrolet Express/GMC Savana	School bus MFSAB	Dual rear wheel Flat floor
Bantam XL	2003-c.2005	GMT560 (Topkick/Kodiak)	School bus MFSAB	Designed by Mid Bus Dual rear wheel
Nexbus series
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. Nexbus Propane (since 2009), on GM chassis, in conjunction with Clean Fuel USA. 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)
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)

External links

• Official website