The Blue Bird Micro Bird is the small school bus of the Blue Bird range, a body mounted on a cutaway van chassis and seating between 10 and 30 passengers. Introduced in 1975, it has been produced by the Micro Bird joint venture with Girardin Minibus since 2010 and was fully acquired by Blue Bird in 2026.
Blue Bird Micro Bird at a glance
| Maker | Blue Bird Corporation; since 2010 Micro Bird, Inc. |
|---|---|
| Production | since 1975 |
| Type | Type A school bus on a cutaway van chassis |
| Capacity | 10 to 30 passengers |
| Chassis | Chevrolet/GMC dual rear wheel, Ford Econoline 350 |
| Bodies | steel, aluminium from the mid-1990s |
| Joint venture | Blue Bird and Girardin Minibus, 2010–2026 |
| Final assembly | Drummondville, Quebec and Plattsburgh, New York |
| Wheelchair option | “Handy Bus” package |
| Ownership | Blue Bird bought Girardin’s share for about $200 million in 2026 |
Based on the English Wikipedia article; one source.
History of the Blue Bird Micro Bird
In the 1960s and early 1970s small school buses in North America were adapted from vans and large carryall SUVs such as the Dodge A100, Chevrolet ChevyVan, Ford Econoline and International Travelall. In 1973 Wayne Corporation introduced the Busette, the first successful school bus on a cutaway van chassis, with a dual rear-wheel axle for stability. Blue Bird answered in 1975 with the Micro Bird, which brought small-bus design closer to the full-size models.
Instead of using the stock van door, Blue Bird extended the body on the kerbside to the windshield and built an entry like those of the Conventional and All American, with two steps instead of three, plus two windows ahead of the door for loading-zone visibility; nearly every cutaway bus has copied the layout since. The body was taken from the full-size lines, narrowed and lowered to fit the van chassis. Initial production used Chevrolet/GMC dual rear-wheel chassis and the Ford Econoline 350, and the wheelchair-lift option became the “Handy Bus”.
In the mid-1980s the two-piece loading-zone window was replaced by a larger single piece, and the kerbside door gave way to a metal window frame. The biggest change came in the mid-1990s with the 1997 Chevrolet Express/GMC Savana chassis: the body was widened, given a flatter and higher roofline, fiberglass roofcaps, aluminium construction and, on Ford chassis, a full-length flat floor. After Blue Bird ended its Girardin distribution agreement in 1999 it developed a single-rear-wheel body, launched in 2001 as the Micro Bird SW in two roof heights.
In 2009 Blue Bird and Girardin Minibus formed the Micro Bird, Inc. joint venture, moving small-bus production to Canada with all vehicles sold under the Blue Bird name; a Plattsburgh, New York plant opened in 2025. In early 2026 Blue Bird agreed to buy Girardin’s share for nearly $200 million in cash and 2.7 million shares, completing the deal in April 2026, with assembly and leadership unchanged.
Design and features
- Cutaway van chassis: a light, cheap base for small school and activity buses.
- Full-height entry: a two-step door matching the big Blue Bird buses instead of the van door.
- Loading-zone windows: two windows ahead of the door, later copied across the industry.
- Handy Bus option: wheelchair lift and flat floor for special-needs transport.
- MFSAB versions: multi-function school activity buses marketed as safer alternatives to 15-passenger vans.
Blue Bird Micro Bird versions
- Micro Bird (1975–2010): first generation on Chevrolet/GMC and Ford dual rear-wheel chassis.
- Handy Bus: wheelchair-lift version.
- Micro Bird SW (2001–): single-rear-wheel body in two roofline heights.
- Micro Bird G5: later Ford E-450 based model.
- Micro Bird, Inc. (2010–): joint-venture production in Quebec and New York.
The Micro Bird was the small member of a range that also included the Mini Bird and the full-size All American. More buses are in the Blue Bird collection.
Video: 2006 Chevrolet Blue Bird Micro Bird 14-passenger bus
Video by the uploader on YouTube.
Sources
- Blue Bird Micro Bird, English Wikipedia: history, design changes, joint venture
