Bus Equipment and Supplies

Find out what bus supplies and equipment you need to keep your company buses maintained or upgraded
By Elliot Feldman, freelance television and new media writer/editor, Coney Dog Productions 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:

1. Bus body and engine parts
2. Bus windows
3. Bus seating, including special configurations and reupholstering
4. Handicap ramps and lifts for buses and coaches
5. GPS devices
6. Pre-recorded audio announcements
7. First aid and bus safety equipment
8. Transit bus equipment fare collection systems
9. Bus garage equipment for maintenance
10. Custom design elements – interior and exterior upgrades
11. 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.