$80M Blue Bird grant to expand EV bus production, create over 400 jobs in Fort Valley

Blue Bird Corporation received an $80 million grant to convert a prior manufacturing site in Fort Valley into a “state-of-the-art” electric school bus production site.

The school bus manufacturer’s grant came from the U.S. Department of Energy, and it will bring over 400 new manufacturing jobs to Middle Georgia at the approximately 600,000-square-foot facility, according to a press release.

The federal grant is part of the U.S. administration’s Domestic Automotive Manufacturing Conversion Grants program, a nearly $2 billion investment to convert long-standing automotive facilities to manufacturing electric vehicles, retain good-paying manufacturing jobs and bolster domestic supply chains. Blue Bird is one of the 11 firms selected for the federal program.

Phil Horlock, CEO of Blue Bird Corporation, said the company is delighted that the DOE supports its conversion project above the many applications that were submitted.

“The grant will enable Blue Bird to reinvest in middle Georgia, building on a site that previously manufactured high-end motorhomes,” Horlock said in the release. “It will also enable Blue Bird to expand its workforce and invest in a community that is integral to Blue Bird’s history and continued success. We are looking forward to fully participating in the next phase of the negotiation process with the DOE.”

An increased production of Type-D school buses will also help the company meet a rising demand for clean student transportation nationwide, the press release said. Type-D buses require low maintenance costs, seat up to 87 passengers and run up to 120 miles on a single charge.

Blue Bird is recognized as the leader in electric school buses with nearly 2,000 zero-emission vehicles on the road today, the company announced.

The new facility in Fort Valley will allow Blue Bird to retain and expand its workforce of nearly 2,000 employees.

“There is nothing harder to a manufacturing community than to lose jobs to foreign competition and a changing industry,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “Even as our competitors invest heavily in electric vehicles, these grants ensure that our automotive industry stays competitive—and does it in the communities and with the workforce that have supported the auto industry for generations.”