Purchasing Resources for Bus Equipment And Supplies

Download Bus Equipment And Supplies White Papers

Bus Equipment and Supplies

No matter what type of business you run, from public transit to tour bus services, if you own a bus you'll need to know about bus equipment and supplies. These supplies may include:

Bus body and engine parts
Bus windows
Bus seating, including special configurations and reupholstering
Handicap ramps and lifts for buses and coaches
GPS devices
Pre-recorded audio announcements
First aid and bus safety equipment
Transit bus equipment fare collection systems
Bus garage equipment for maintenance
Custom design elements – interior and exterior upgrades
Alternative fuel conversions

Find a bus equipment manufacturer or supplies vendor listed in industry trade magazines

Bus equipment and supply company ads in trade magazines may be valuable starting points for those businesses seeking the right bus products to fit their needs.
Try: Mass Transit Magazine offers a Buyers Guide with an extensive list of bus supplies companies as well as bus industry links. National Bus Trader Classifieds include bus parts for sale, bus garage equipment and custom bus equipment. School Transportation News includes a list of resources that includes school bus equipment suppliers and vendors.

Find bus parts for sale at bus manufacturer websites

Specific manufacturers of school buses, shuttle buses and large transit buses as well as small and mid-sized buses offer bus parts for sale.
Try: The Motor Bus Society has a generous list of bus manufacturers and bus equipment and supplies vendors. New Flyer, a major Canadian manufacturer of transit buses, has a list of parts suppliers. American manufacturer North American Bus Industries (NABI) has its own long list of parts manufacturers. You can buy transit bus equipment, parts and brakes online at their Aftermarket Parts Division. A part of NABI, school bus manufacturer Blue Bird offers locations of school bus parts suppliers that may be near you. You can also buy small school bus parts online from manufacturer Collins Bus Corporation.

Visit websites of bus equipment and supplies manufacturers

Specific manufacturers make bus equipment and supplies that serve as important add-on and custom products.
Try: Freedman Seating Company makes a wide variety of bus seats including driver's seats, flip and fold seats, transit seats and even prison transport seats with shackle rings or plastic hand holds. Ricon makes wheelchair lifts and ramps for school buses, public transit buses and personal vehicles. They also manufacture impact-resistant and graffiti-proof transit bus windows. Digital Recorder, Inc. sells "intelligent vehicle systems" that include GPS, recorded announcement systems, passenger information systems and a hands-free driver microphone. J.J. Keller & Associates sells bus first aid and emergency equipment.

Visit websites of custom bus equipment specialists

Custom bus equipment specialists may best serve bus owners or facilities who want to add functions or upgrade their vehicles.
Try: Motor Bus Society has a list of links to conversion experts, some converting buses and coaches to motor homes, party buses, mobile television studios and more. RV-Coach.com also provides a list of vehicle conversion companies. Custom Coach, a Columbus, Ohio, company, specializes in "retrofitting" buses and coaches into a variety of luxury vehicles. Marathon Coach, Inc. specializes in converting commercial bus shells into luxury recreational vehicles and corporate coaches. See a photo gallery of luxury conversions from longtime vehicle conversion company, Liberty Coach. Transit Sales International is less a customizer than a provider of meat-and-potatoes vehicle upgrades from handicap lifts and ramps to seat reupholstering.

As with all classified ads for products and services, let the buyer beware when responding to ads in bus trade magazines. Any used bus supplies should always be thoroughly checked, preferably in person, before purchase.

More Bus Equipment and Supplies Vendors

Tips & Advice to help you make your decision on Bus Equipment and Supplies

The bus equipment and supplies industry is one of those industries that is an ubiquitous and vital part of our economy, but often overlooked. Most people think of city transportation when they thing of buses and figure that the city takes care of it. Yet how many of those same people have chartered a tour bus to see the sights? What if you need new seats for your tour bus? Certainly the manufacturer of the bus but can you save money with a third party supplier. What about RV owners? Class A recreational vehicles are based on bus chassis and often need parts and equipment designed for buses.

Rock stars may need bus equipment and supplies distributors but rodeo stars, and racing ... more