School Bus

School buses are built to a distinct set of federal motor vehicle safety standards, which is why they behave differently from other buses rather than merely being painted differently. The conventional grouping runs Type A (a bus body on a van-type chassis), Type B, Type C (the familiar conventional bus with the engine ahead of the windshield) and Type D (a transit-style body with the entrance ahead of the front wheels).

Student transportation is the most heavily inspected fleet most jurisdictions operate. Inspection regimes are typically frequent and prescribed by the state, so school bus maintenance is scheduled around compliance dates as much as around condition. That is also why school transportation shows markedly lower out-of-service rates than other government fleets.

The other governing fact is the calendar. Buses are worked hard for the school year and largely parked outside it, which concentrates heavy maintenance into a short summer window and makes any slippage in that window expensive.