The Blue Bird Mini Bird was a Type B school bus: a small bus with the engine beside the driver, built on a Chevrolet step-van chassis. Introduced in 1977 as a larger alternative to the cutaway vans of the day, it was produced until 2002, when market tastes had moved away from the layout.
Blue Bird Mini Bird at a glance
| Maker | Blue Bird Corporation |
|---|---|
| Production | 1977–2002 |
| Type | Type B school bus |
| Chassis | Chevrolet P30 step van |
| Capacity | up to 38 students |
| Body width | 96 inches (243 cm) |
| Headroom | 77 inches (195 cm) |
| Engines | petrol; 6.2-litre diesel from the 1980s, 6.5-litre in the 1990s |
| Assembly | Buena Vista, Virginia and Mount Pleasant, Iowa |
| Main market | special-needs student transport |
Based on the English Wikipedia article; one source. Short article, as the source is brief.
History of the Blue Bird Mini Bird
Blue Bird introduced the Mini Bird in 1977 as a Type B school bus on the Chevrolet Step Van. It was designed for up to 38 students, more than the Type A cutaway vans of the time, and in the manner of larger Type C and Type D buses it had a 96-inch (243 cm) wide body and 77 inches (195 cm) of headroom. Those generous interior dimensions made it popular with operators carrying special-needs students, which was its primary market.
The bus changed very little over its life. Apart from powertrain changes, the most significant update came in the early 1990s, when the GM-van instruments were replaced by a larger cluster from GM medium-duty trucks, a change also made to the TC/2000. In 1995 the round headlights gave way to square units.
Mechanically the Mini Bird used the Chevrolet P30 step-van chassis and was at first available only with a petrol engine. In the 1980s the Chevrolet 6.2-litre diesel became an option, and in the 1990s it was replaced by the more powerful 6.5-litre diesel V8.
Unlike the rest of the Blue Bird range, the Mini Bird was not assembled in Fort Valley, Georgia. It was built at Blue Bird East in Buena Vista, Virginia, which closed in 1992, and at Blue Bird Midwest in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. When the Iowa plant closed in 2002, Blue Bird ended Mini Bird production for good.
Design and features
- Type B layout: the engine sits beside the driver, with a step-van chassis under a school bus body.
- Room for 38: more seating than the cutaway vans it competed with.
- Full-size dimensions: a 96-inch body and 77-inch headroom in a small bus.
- Special-needs focus: the primary market for the model throughout its life.
Blue Bird Mini Bird versions
- Early petrol Mini Bird (1977–): Chevrolet P30 chassis with a petrol engine only.
- 6.2-litre diesel (1980s): the first diesel option.
- 6.5-litre diesel (1990s): more powerful replacement for the 6.2.
- 1995 update: square headlights and the later instrument panel.
The Mini Bird sat between the small Micro Bird and the full-size All American and Conventional. More buses are in the Blue Bird collection.
Video: 1986 Blue Bird Mini Bird wheelchair school bus
Video by the uploader on YouTube.
Sources
- Blue Bird Mini Bird, English Wikipedia: history, dimensions, engines, plants
