The reason for new construction or remodeling of an existing school bus facility is often that school bus maintenance departments have outgrown facility designs that worked well 30 or more years ago.

School bus operators are discovering the need to adopt facilities to reflect changes in school bus design, technology and technician skills experienced over those years, possibly making the size and functional layout of older shops outdated. Also, increasing services to your own or other districts and the introduction of electrification and other alternative fuels may necessitate some sort of facility change or complete replacement.

Understanding the basics of school bus operation and repair facilities is essential for anyone in the school bus industry when approaching the decision to remodel or replace a school bus facility. From choosing the right location to designing a safe efficient layout and ensuring sufficient size to conduct operations and perform proper maintenance, every aspect plays a crucial role in the success of school bus operational safety and contributes to a sense of pride in the transportation team.

Today’s well-designed school bus facility doesn’t begin simply with design. It begins with understanding the district or company needs and a commitment to good planning by the entire transportation team guided by knowledgeable site and building design experts. Preferably a local architect firm that provides consulting, project management, design development, construction documents, and construction administration.

A facility in California will have different needs than a facility in Maine, so your school bus repair facility remodel or rebuild decision needs to be highly personalized to meet your local needs. That means taking into account a range of considerations, including community impact, climate, environmental assessments, overall property site space, office and training room size, technician (and driver) break area, shop layout, number and size of work bays, what type of maintenance and repair tasks to be performed, parts rooms, shop equipment, utility requirements, traffic flow, fueling site, parking, and vehicle types.

Safety should be a top priority when designing the facility. Working with heavy machinery and potentially hazardous materials requires proper safety measures, an example is designing the facility with fire suppression systems, proper ventilation, and adequate lighting to help mitigate safety risks.

Equipment selection, layout, utility requirements and finishes need to be considered early in the process. The earlier in the design process that all department needs are identified, the more likely they will be approved and the less they will cost.

School bus operation specialists, maintenance managers and technicians are some of the most important people on the design team and must be able to see the big picture. Visiting other facilities and talking to peers from other shops and fleets is encouraged. Managers also should keep staff members informed of the process and encourage any other concerned parties’ input whether it’s other transportation supervisors (dispatch, training, human resources), school administrators, town, city or county commissioners, board members and the public.

I cannot express enough the value of industry peer relationships when undertaking such a large project in your district or company. Leverage the goodwill in our industry.

Whenever I sought advice from attendees or vendors at school bus trade association meetings at the state, provincial or national levels, I was never disappointed by the input received and the willingness of fellow bus operators to share experiences. I encourage you to do the same. Visit a district or company that has completed a new transportation facility and see how the basics (listed on the previous page) have fit into their project.

Editor’s Note: As reprinted in the September 2024 issue of School Transportation News.

Robert Pudlewski is STN’s technical editor and a member of the National School Transportation Association Hall of Fame in recognition of his 40-plus year career as a school bus maintenance, technology and procurement expert.

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