Leonard Bus Sales, Inc.

   LEONARD BUS SALES OPENS FULL-SERVICE FACILITY IN SARATOGA SPRINGS

 

 FEBRUARY 15, 2012 (DEPOSIT, N.Y.) – Leonard Bus Sales, Inc. (LBS), a leading distributor of school and commercial buses in New York State, opened a full-service facility on December 16 in the W.J. Grande Industrial Park in Saratoga Springs.

 The 32,000-square-foot purpose-built facility provides bus sales, service, and parts. This facility replaces LBS’ former facility in Mechanicville, which is about 20 miles away and part of an area that is being developed for a large mixed-use project along the Hudson River. LBS had been located in Mechanicville since 1997.

The Saratoga Springs facility is significantly larger than the Mechanicville facility. The new facility occupies more than 16 acres and features 17 full-service bays (12 of which are drive-through), a 7,000-square-foot parts department, a 60,000-pound lift, and a parking lot that can accommodate 244 buses. The facility serves 14 counties in the Capital District and North Country and employs about 30 full- and part-time employees, including numerous certified technicians.

LBS President Mike Leonard said: “Being able to stay in Saratoga County was key to our strategy for serving important markets in the Capital District and North Country. Customer support is the cornerstone of our business, so we look forward to providing enhanced capabilities and efficiencies to our customers here.”

Leonard Bus Sales, Inc. is a third-generation family-owned bus distributor of IC Bus, Trans Tech Bus, Champion Bus, and General Coach America products. Since 1965, LBS has provided bus sales, service, and parts to clients in upstate New York. Headquartered in Deposit, N.Y., LBS has full-service facilities in Deposit, Saratoga Springs, Rome, and Bergen. For more information, visit www.leonardbus.com.



While other bus manufacturers talked about having superior fluid economy, we tested and confirmed ours. That testing shows that IC Bus™ brand buses boast up to a 4.5% advantage in fluid economy over competing buses.*

The New Measure of Efficiency: Fluid Economy


Fluid economy is the measurement of diesel fuel consumed plus any consumption of liquid urea by the vehicle's emissions reduction system. All the other diesel bus makers utilize an SCR emission system, which consumes liquid urea and requires additional aftertreatment equipment under the vehicle to operate.

The MaxxForce® Advanced EGR Advantage
IC Bus's fluid economy superiority stems from its MaxxForce® engines with Advanced EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation). MaxxForce engines require no liquid urea at all. That's because Advanced EGR reduces emissions in-cylinder.

The Test Results Speak for Themselves
Independent research consultants conducted fluid economy testing between an IC Bus™ CE Series bus with the MaxxForce 7 engine and two competitors' Type C buses with diesel engines using urea. The buses were tested on routes developed specifically to replicate typical bus applications, including idle time, frequent stop-and-go intervals and long routes at low average speeds. The results show that IC Bus brand buses have a fluid economy of up to 4.5%.*

The Choice Is Clear
This data shows our MaxxForce Advanced EGR offers clear benefits to our customers. It's the only 2010 emissions-compliant solution that delivers maximum fluid economy—up to a 4.5% edge over the competition shown on an individual run.*

What's more, these independent tests are just another way IC Bus goes beyond the bus to keep you up to date on the latest product data.

To read the full report and get more information about the superior fluid economy of IC Bus, visit ICBus.com.


Sincerely,

John McKinney
President, IC Bus

CLICK HERE TO VIEW FULL TEST RESULTS

 

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4 Things Parents Can Do to Stop School Bus Pollution

News


Trans Tech goes green with electric school bus
10/11/2011

Dan Daniels, president of Trans Tech Bus, says the company's new eTrans Type A all-electric school bus will be ideal for short, defined, repetitive routes.

Type A school bus manufacturer Trans Tech Bus is offering its customers a "green" solution for transporting students with its eTrans all-electric school bus. The company will build its first eTrans prototype at its manufacturing facility in Warwick, N.Y., on a Smith Electric Vehicles zero-emissions Newton chassis.  

"This is an exciting time for Trans Tech Bus as we officially enter the electric Type A school bus market with our eTrans product," says President Dan Daniels, adding that the company decided to include an all-electric school bus in its product line in direct response to customer interest and market demand.  

Daniels also notes that "environmental concerns, fuel costs and the growing trend to reduce — or completely eliminate — vehicle emissions makes this the perfect time for Trans Tech to move forward on the eTrans bus with Smith Electric Vehicles."    

Features and trip range  
The 42-passenger school bus will feature a 120-kW electric induction motor that is powered by two 278-volt lithium-ion batteries. A regenerative braking system will help to recharge the vehicle's batteries when it is in operation.

Moreover, the eTrans will be equipped with a small auxiliary power unit fueled by compressed natural gas or propane that will power the bus' heating and air conditioning systems. The auxiliary power unit will be provided by a third-party distributor.  

Users will be able to travel approximately 100 to 130 miles on a charge, depending on the load and driving conditions. The bus will be able to reach speeds of up to 50 mph.  

"The eTrans will be ideal for short, defined, repetitive routes," Daniels says. "In addition, given that most school buses operate during the day, school districts and bus contractors will be able to take advantage of lower, off-peak electricity rates by recharging their fleets at night, when demand is at its lowest."

(The bus will take six to 10 hours to fully recharge; it can be charged through a standard three-phase socket.)    

Trans Tech Bus says Smith Electric Vehicles' Newton chassis is very energy efficient, with electricity costs that are approximately 80-percent lower than the fuel costs for a comparable diesel-powered vehicle. This, coupled with the fact that school district transportation departments and school bus companies can recharge the bus during off-peak hours, is one of the reasons that Trans Tech believes that all-electric Type A school buses will be an essential and affordable part of metropolitan school bus fleets.

Smith Electric Vehicles' Newton chassis will undergo modifications as Trans Tech Bus engineers prepare it to receive Trans Tech's aerodynamic body.
<p>Smith Electric Vehicles' Newton chassis will undergo modifications as Trans Tech Bus engineers prepare it to receive Trans Tech's aerodynamic body.</p>

 

Debut, production and availability   
The eTrans is scheduled to be unveiled on Oct. 23 during the National Association for Pupil Transportation's annual conference in Cincinnati.

Trans Tech will then launch a pilot program in early 2012, allowing a select group of customers to experience the bus before the company begins full-scale production in mid-to-late 2012.

The bus will be sold through the company's nationwide dealer network, but officials say that because Trans Tech is located next to a large operation that uses Type A school buses, the company will focus its sales efforts on the New York metropolitan area. It will also focus on the West Coast market based on initial customer interest.

In terms of the price of the bus, Daniels says that Trans Tech Bus is working with industry stakeholders to ensure that the eTrans is priced competitively with conventional school buses so that customers will be able to realize significant reductions in long-term operational and maintenance costs.

"As the market for alternative fuel Type A school buses continues to take shape, there will be an endless array of innovative solutions that will continue to make electric school buses an exciting alternative to gas- and diesel-powered buses," he adds. "Our goal at Trans Tech Bus is to work with Smith Electric Vehicles to meet customer demand by building safe, environmentally friendly school buses that are affordable, easy to use and do the job required of them."