Man I’m suprised to hear you ripping on a blue bird. But I agree with everything you said. Especially the SEATS not being ASSEMBLED CORRECTLY that it a huge safety issue. I was always under the assumption that blue bird made the best quality busses but I suppose they have issues as well.
@@Cole-q2h they used to be the best bus body you could get. But after 08 forget it. Went downhill from there. They need to go back to the 2003-07 design and redesign a new vision based off of it.
Back around the year 2000, I was a student in high school. I joked with the driver of a Bluebird bus that it sounded like it was made out of styrofoam. It had a crazy amount of rattles and squeaks.
Our biggest problem with Blue Birds at the moment is the seat frames. We had both of our 2018s that we had to replace all of the seat frames because they were all broken. The design is horrible. Bus is only 6 years old and shouldn't have to be replacing seat frames. We have had a few in our 19s and 21s but the dealer has fixed those under warranty. The way the seat frames are made, some of them rattle because they are metal on metal in two places and they put a piece of seat cover over this plate on the frame to try and stop it from rattling. Both of our 18s were at dealer multiple times for broken seats and we had to end up replacing the frames ourselves. We have also filed NHSTA Complaints against BB for the frames and reported to our state department. I hate the way 2021 and newer ride, we have some rough roads around here and sometimes you feel like you are rocking on a boat. BB quality is going down hill like. We will not be ordering them anymore, We are IC only from here on out. We have a 20, 2 23s and 2 24s and 3 25s on order. ICs are so much better in our opinion and we get better support from IC. When we started ordering BBs in 2013 they were like Cadillac's compared to the buses we had at the time and now they are just garbage. I hate working on them and can't wait until they are gone!
@@Josb_Bluebird2143 I don’t mind working on them. But my thing is. They know about these same issues. Why haven’t they addressed them? I will agree that quality has gotten slightly better since Phil Horlock took back over at CEO but there’s still a lot of room for improvement.
The newest vision I’ve driven is a 2022 and it’s got full 4 corner air ride and it rides like our other visions with full air ride, nice and smooth down our terrible backroads, yes the gauge cluster is annoying but I will say I like the lcd on the newer ones the color scheme distracts me less than the 2016 display does with the exhaust brake activation and I also found that if I turn down the brightness almost all the way down the white backlights don’t bother me as much at night, I’m too used to the C2s green backlight
@@Josb_Bluebird2143I never road a bus that rattled or bounced as much as a blue bird 😂, I can’t speak for the newer ones, the last one I road was a 2012
@@uAKING2006 bad thing is. 26 is a 2023 same issues. I know they know about it. Why not correct it? They could fix a lot of that panel rattling by running a bead of silicone in the top of that channel before installing it….
@@Bluebirdvision91because they know they'll still sell them even if they don't. They're all junk now. Bluebird, thomas, IC. And those are our only real options anymore. Corporations merging means less choice, poorer quality and higher prices.
I had a problem with my bus earlier this morning, but I currently ride 1974, a '19 All American Rear engine, but I heard a high-pitched squeal from the engine compartment, and it sounded pretty bad.
The school district I graduated from has a 2021 Bluebird Vision 7 row, short wheel base, EVERY driver hates it, common complaints are, squirrelly, hard to keep and the road, and very bouncy.
They need to bring back the interior they were in the 2000s. All our visions and T3FEs have awful interior. Everything sounds like it's going to fall apart when it hits a bump. On the T3FE when it goes over a bump the dash moves about a inch, on our A3s and TCs they are solid as a rock. We have had so many issues with our visions, probably because we ordered them with the 7.3 Godzilla but the transmission it uses is awful. All of the issues with the transmission are electric related, why can't we have a hydraulic controlled automatic 4-speed transmission like our old busses.
The 2024 Visions we have have been fine except for the Leaking issues. Better than the 2025 C2s which have a rattling noise and the door rattles which wasn't present on the older C2s. Also Intellipark malfunctioning making things worse. We have just been lucky with Blue Birds I guess prehaps unlucky with Thomas.
They should copy the c2 design and just have the speakers on the side and the led dome lights on the ceiling so there’s one electrical line going down each side panel. Either that or put both speakers and light on the ceiling like they did back in the day.
They don’t make them like they used to, that’s for sure. I hate the cup holder. Anything heavier than a feather and it’s snapping off. When I had mine, my elbow would always hit the storage compartment right next to the driver window. Not to mention the dash is pointing to the ceiling. I never understood why they use 3 different types of switches… They have to have a new dash in the works or something since Thomas and international both have new designs, though Thomas is just barely getting by with a “new design.” I can’t imagine that you’d go for a Blue Bird anymore after 2025-2026 since they won’t be offering diesel options anymore though. I hate their child check system, I hate the light monitor they use, and that overhead storage is just a plastic pos box bolted to the roof. International is too, but at least there isn’t a gap between the front wall panel and the box… I’ve driven brand new Internationals and C2s, honestly the C2 beats it by just a hair in my opinion. Hell, even the older C2s don’t rattle as much as older CEs. I know you despise them, but demo a new C2 if you can, you’d be surprised I think.
Already have. Still just don’t like anything about a c2. I’ll deal with this one before I get another c2. But at the same time. Atleast Thomas fixed known issues. That upholder has been a problem since day 1! They need to straighten up the dash. Pick up the steering column and make it go in further. That would help a lot
@@Bluebirdvision91just buy used buses like Gwinnett did lol. Hell you could go in copart and probably get some old Gwinnett buses and put them in service. I wish I could’ve experienced the new gen CE. Only thing I don’t like in C2s is the A pillar blind spots.
C2s used to be decent buses but the quality isn't as good. Our 2025 C2s are not great, one of the buses has some sort of engine rattling noise, the door rattles, and Intellipark malfunctioning. These issues weren't present on the 2018-2020 C2s my District owns.
I was a 2 way radio installer. On these visions, i learned to make note of all issues i could find just to cover my ass. The build quality is so terrible, ive seen plastic self tap screws used in machined holes. From the factory. Loose power terminal to the main fuse block from the battery. Bluebird shouldn't be in business anymore. And i damn sure wouldn't trust them to build an electric vus
@Bluebirdvision91 yesssss I love 2003/2004 busses that was my first bus it was a 2003 or 04 ce200 bus number 167 but they scraped them for no reason I hate the c2s like they get hot in the back way to quick even in the winter
And bro where I go to school we have no electric busses yet I just don't find a point in them bc like their gonna do as much pollution as a diesel does now propane and gas needs to be out of every county in the US just in my opinion cause for one propane can blow up in pretty big explosions which could kill all the students if it does blow and no my county doesn't have gas propane or electric their all diesel which is good
@ I had a conversation with an electric bus rep. Which is why I decided to go ahead and make this vid. Trying to sell the electric bus when they can’t build a decent diesel….
9:28 The best school bus that they ever produce bluebird was 1989 Ford B700 series they need to go back to that body style cluster panel and dash which was all metal that had plenty of space and room they just need to go back to that whole design from the 1989 series and go back to the Ford chassis the Chevy chassis GMC chassis international chassis motor and transmission! Put manual transmissions back in these buses bring back that setup and people buy more of their product The fact that Thomas bluebird and that other company whatever it is ICS or whatever it is started doing their own setup their own packaging motor and stuff it sucks! They want to make quality product bring back the original setups where it was GMC Chevy Ford that powered these buses where it was easy for the shops to fix the buses they can go to the local dealer and get a part have the bus up and running That same day! When I grew up there was no air conditioning on the school buses it was ruled the window down get air pop the roof hatch and that was it and there was none of this fancy technology that's on the buses now no child left behind crap none of that do you know what we had A white strip magnet that hanged at the back of the door each stop the driver had to get up sweep out the school bus at the end of each stop of the route the very last drop off at the end of the route driver had to get up go sweep out the bus from the front to the back!!! Back in the school buses didn't even have radios there was nothing so these buses have gotten way too comfort features honestly they just need to go back to what made the company money and profitable and people desiring these bus Go back to the original drivetrains GMC Chevy Ford international and consider bringing in Dodge we would call them pullers if the motor was mounted up front and if it was in the back flat nose school bus we called them pushers those were the only real bluebird bluebird buses that were their design only which were the pushers and the flat nose! Bring those designs back bring that quality back from the 1985 to 1995 And they will see an increase of sales be honest wouldn't you love to see a school bus with the Chevy front-end again! Go take a drive see if you can find a 1989 bluebird Ford b700 series school bus see how much room it has and how it drives and then go find a Chevy or GMC model Tell me how much more comfortable they are compared to what you're driving now and tell me if you wouldn't like seeing that same design up-to-date now I promise you you will!
This is very unfortunate to hear. My district runs IC CE gas units (primarily 2019-2020 with some 22s, 23s, and 24s). They work, but quality could be a lot better especially considering the lower mileage of our fleet (ranging between 30,000 and 50,000 miles. We need a new wheelchair 35+5 bus, and I did make the suggestion to try Blue Bird. This video is making me second guessing that. I take you will be buying International for a while? I know you are far from a Thomas fan. Also, on an unrelated note, who is staffed in maintenance side of your school's transportation department? Our district only has two guys that are stetched thin due to other roles that are not transportation related, and I am trying go make suggestions on how we should be staffed so maintenance is done more timely.
I have always drove international. Since moving to a new company 5 yrs ago that’s all we have are BB and I hate them. Poorly designed. Every bird I’ve driven rattles, the drivers area are tiny, I’m 415 pounds and I’m crammed behind the wheel, I had so much room in my internationals. The lights they use under those switches get HOT. I’ve burnt my finger on them cause of the hotness of the lights. The switches are crap, I’ve had many of them brake. I liked the older display where u can change the color of the dash lights. Not a fan of the new crap. And they need to do a better job at a cup holder cause what they have sucks, they brake if something is to heavy in them. They need to bring a team of engineers from International over and let them show how to design a bus.
They aren't any better. Build quality still sucks and sometimes those engines like to shoot out spark plugs. I have seen people already replacing the 7.3s for various reasons.
Man I’m suprised to hear you ripping on a blue bird. But I agree with everything you said. Especially the SEATS not being ASSEMBLED CORRECTLY that it a huge safety issue. I was always under the assumption that blue bird made the best quality busses but I suppose they have issues as well.
@@Cole-q2h they used to be the best bus body you could get. But after 08 forget it. Went downhill from there. They need to go back to the 2003-07 design and redesign a new vision based off of it.
you made A point facts 💯💯💯💯 Bluebird company they do actions instead words
Back around the year 2000, I was a student in high school. I joked with the driver of a Bluebird bus that it sounded like it was made out of styrofoam. It had a crazy amount of rattles and squeaks.
Blue bird needs to get their quality under control!
Our biggest problem with Blue Birds at the moment is the seat frames. We had both of our 2018s that we had to replace all of the seat frames because they were all broken. The design is horrible. Bus is only 6 years old and shouldn't have to be replacing seat frames. We have had a few in our 19s and 21s but the dealer has fixed those under warranty. The way the seat frames are made, some of them rattle because they are metal on metal in two places and they put a piece of seat cover over this plate on the frame to try and stop it from rattling. Both of our 18s were at dealer multiple times for broken seats and we had to end up replacing the frames ourselves. We have also filed NHSTA Complaints against BB for the frames and reported to our state department. I hate the way 2021 and newer ride, we have some rough roads around here and sometimes you feel like you are rocking on a boat. BB quality is going down hill like. We will not be ordering them anymore, We are IC only from here on out. We have a 20, 2 23s and 2 24s and 3 25s on order. ICs are so much better in our opinion and we get better support from IC. When we started ordering BBs in 2013 they were like Cadillac's compared to the buses we had at the time and now they are just garbage. I hate working on them and can't wait until they are gone!
@@Josb_Bluebird2143 I don’t mind working on them. But my thing is. They know about these same issues. Why haven’t they addressed them? I will agree that quality has gotten slightly better since Phil Horlock took back over at CEO but there’s still a lot of room for improvement.
My district has the same 2000 International ICs since as far back as 2005, them MFs are tough
The newest vision I’ve driven is a 2022 and it’s got full 4 corner air ride and it rides like our other visions with full air ride, nice and smooth down our terrible backroads, yes the gauge cluster is annoying but I will say I like the lcd on the newer ones the color scheme distracts me less than the 2016 display does with the exhaust brake activation and I also found that if I turn down the brightness almost all the way down the white backlights don’t bother me as much at night, I’m too used to the C2s green backlight
The newest blue bird I would drive is a 2014 or maybe a very early 15 at most… my favorite visions are 11 to 14 models
Good thing my hometown has all
ic ce
I love this bus and I can't wait to drive one.
They ride like garbage!
@@Josb_Bluebird2143I never road a bus that rattled or bounced as much as a blue bird 😂, I can’t speak for the newer ones, the last one I road was a 2012
A lot of the issues you’re having are the same as ours, right down to the ceiling panels this year. It’s ridiculous
@@uAKING2006 bad thing is. 26 is a 2023 same issues. I know they know about it. Why not correct it? They could fix a lot of that panel rattling by running a bead of silicone in the top of that channel before installing it….
There should be padding on the sidewalks & acoustic glass.@@Bluebirdvision91
@@Bluebirdvision91because they know they'll still sell them even if they don't.
They're all junk now. Bluebird, thomas, IC.
And those are our only real options anymore. Corporations merging means less choice, poorer quality and higher prices.
The amount of creaks and rattles you hear on a bluebird compared to a Thomas is crazy
I had a problem with my bus earlier this morning, but I currently ride 1974, a '19 All American Rear engine, but I heard a high-pitched squeal from the engine compartment, and it sounded pretty bad.
The school district I graduated from has a 2021 Bluebird Vision 7 row, short wheel base, EVERY driver hates it, common complaints are, squirrelly, hard to keep and the road, and very bouncy.
They need to bring back the interior they were in the 2000s. All our visions and T3FEs have awful interior. Everything sounds like it's going to fall apart when it hits a bump. On the T3FE when it goes over a bump the dash moves about a inch, on our A3s and TCs they are solid as a rock. We have had so many issues with our visions, probably because we ordered them with the 7.3 Godzilla but the transmission it uses is awful. All of the issues with the transmission are electric related, why can't we have a hydraulic controlled automatic 4-speed transmission like our old busses.
The 2024 Visions we have have been fine except for the Leaking issues. Better than the 2025 C2s which have a rattling noise and the door rattles which wasn't present on the older C2s. Also Intellipark malfunctioning making things worse. We have just been lucky with Blue Birds I guess prehaps unlucky with Thomas.
Very sad to see how much Blue Bird quality control has dipped.
They should copy the c2 design and just have the speakers on the side and the led dome lights on the ceiling so there’s one electrical line going down each side panel. Either that or put both speakers and light on the ceiling like they did back in the day.
Do some more bus cold starts
If you to stop ordering bluebird visions what would be your new choice
@@mattarland4163 IC all day long.
Like I don't know which ones better, I thought everyone complains about C2's but I guess C2's aren't the only complaint 🤷♂️
IC is the best!
They don’t make them like they used to, that’s for sure. I hate the cup holder. Anything heavier than a feather and it’s snapping off. When I had mine, my elbow would always hit the storage compartment right next to the driver window. Not to mention the dash is pointing to the ceiling. I never understood why they use 3 different types of switches… They have to have a new dash in the works or something since Thomas and international both have new designs, though Thomas is just barely getting by with a “new design.” I can’t imagine that you’d go for a Blue Bird anymore after 2025-2026 since they won’t be offering diesel options anymore though. I hate their child check system, I hate the light monitor they use, and that overhead storage is just a plastic pos box bolted to the roof. International is too, but at least there isn’t a gap between the front wall panel and the box… I’ve driven brand new Internationals and C2s, honestly the C2 beats it by just a hair in my opinion. Hell, even the older C2s don’t rattle as much as older CEs. I know you despise them, but demo a new C2 if you can, you’d be surprised I think.
Already have. Still just don’t like anything about a c2. I’ll deal with this one before I get another c2. But at the same time. Atleast Thomas fixed known issues. That upholder has been a problem since day 1! They need to straighten up the dash. Pick up the steering column and make it go in further. That would help a lot
@@Bluebirdvision91just buy used buses like Gwinnett did lol. Hell you could go in copart and probably get some old Gwinnett buses and put them in service. I wish I could’ve experienced the new gen CE. Only thing I don’t like in C2s is the A pillar blind spots.
C2s used to be decent buses but the quality isn't as good. Our 2025 C2s are not great, one of the buses has some sort of engine rattling noise, the door rattles, and Intellipark malfunctioning. These issues weren't present on the 2018-2020 C2s my District owns.
bluebirds paint is trash too, we’ve had 19’s that have had to get repaints already
We got a new BBV today it’s out bus 2 I believe they are 2025 or 2026
I was a 2 way radio installer. On these visions, i learned to make note of all issues i could find just to cover my ass. The build quality is so terrible, ive seen plastic self tap screws used in machined holes. From the factory. Loose power terminal to the main fuse block from the battery.
Bluebird shouldn't be in business anymore. And i damn sure wouldn't trust them to build an electric vus
Are your 1st gen visions any better
@@cwbusrides very much so. They drove so much better
@@Bluebirdvision91 Are they retired
Do you have any of your 2003 ce buses left or no
Actually yes. Video on one of those coming soon
@Bluebirdvision91 yesssss I love 2003/2004 busses that was my first bus it was a 2003 or 04 ce200 bus number 167 but they scraped them for no reason I hate the c2s like they get hot in the back way to quick even in the winter
And bro where I go to school we have no electric busses yet I just don't find a point in them bc like their gonna do as much pollution as a diesel does now propane and gas needs to be out of every county in the US just in my opinion cause for one propane can blow up in pretty big explosions which could kill all the students if it does blow and no my county doesn't have gas propane or electric their all diesel which is good
@ I had a conversation with an electric bus rep. Which is why I decided to go ahead and make this vid. Trying to sell the electric bus when they can’t build a decent diesel….
@@Bluebirdvision91 lol but how long do the 2003 ce have left for service
Is it a 2026 bluebird vision
all of our biue bird do that including the ones from 98
I’ll take a blue bird vision over any other brand my blue bird vision doesn’t rattle as much and it’s 2019
It’s a Blue Bird, the whole thing is junk
What year your school bus is
2025
New headlights?
@@jacklovesc2 nice catch. Upgraded to the new ones about a week ago
@ nice
What year is it
9:28 The best school bus that they ever produce bluebird was 1989 Ford
B700 series they need to go back to that body style cluster panel and dash which was all metal that had plenty of space and room they just need to go back to that whole design from the 1989 series and go back to the Ford chassis the Chevy chassis GMC chassis international chassis motor and transmission! Put manual transmissions back in these buses bring back that setup and people buy more of their product The fact that Thomas bluebird and that other company whatever it is ICS or whatever it is started doing their own setup their own packaging motor and stuff it sucks! They want to make quality product bring back the original setups where it was GMC Chevy Ford that powered these buses where it was easy for the shops to fix the buses they can go to the local dealer and get a part have the bus up and running That same day! When I grew up there was no air conditioning on the school buses it was ruled the window down get air pop the roof hatch and that was it and there was none of this fancy technology that's on the buses now no child left behind crap none of that do you know what we had A white strip magnet that hanged at the back of the door each stop the driver had to get up sweep out the school bus at the end of each stop of the route the very last drop off at the end of the route driver had to get up go sweep out the bus from the front to the back!!! Back in the school buses didn't even have radios there was nothing so these buses have gotten way too comfort features honestly they just need to go back to what made the company money and profitable and people desiring these bus Go back to the original drivetrains GMC Chevy Ford international and consider bringing in Dodge we would call them pullers if the motor was mounted up front and if it was in the back flat nose school bus we called them pushers those were the only real bluebird bluebird buses that were their design only which were the pushers and the flat nose! Bring those designs back bring that quality back from the 1985 to 1995 And they will see an increase of sales be honest wouldn't you love to see a school bus with the Chevy front-end again! Go take a drive see if you can find a 1989 bluebird Ford b700 series school bus see how much room it has and how it drives and then go find a Chevy or GMC model Tell me how much more comfortable they are compared to what you're driving now and tell me if you wouldn't like seeing that same design up-to-date now I promise you you will!
This is very unfortunate to hear. My district runs IC CE gas units (primarily 2019-2020 with some 22s, 23s, and 24s). They work, but quality could be a lot better especially considering the lower mileage of our fleet (ranging between 30,000 and 50,000 miles. We need a new wheelchair 35+5 bus, and I did make the suggestion to try Blue Bird. This video is making me second guessing that.
I take you will be buying International for a while? I know you are far from a Thomas fan.
Also, on an unrelated note, who is staffed in maintenance side of your school's transportation department? Our district only has two guys that are stetched thin due to other roles that are not transportation related, and I am trying go make suggestions on how we should be staffed so maintenance is done more timely.
@@Michael-ty4pz me. I’m the director of transportation/mechanic/driver. IC for us for a while.
Ik on are school district buses we have a new 2025 bus not a week old and the ac out on it 😅😂 bluebird what y’all doing
my bus still has a manual transmission
#1 - it’s a blue bird
I have always drove international. Since moving to a new company 5 yrs ago that’s all we have are BB and I hate them. Poorly designed. Every bird I’ve driven rattles, the drivers area are tiny, I’m 415 pounds and I’m crammed behind the wheel, I had so much room in my internationals. The lights they use under those switches get HOT. I’ve burnt my finger on them cause of the hotness of the lights. The switches are crap, I’ve had many of them brake. I liked the older display where u can change the color of the dash lights. Not a fan of the new crap. And they need to do a better job at a cup holder cause what they have sucks, they brake if something is to heavy in them.
They need to bring a team of engineers from International over and let them show how to design a bus.
Are 2020 buses better then the 2025
I can't really speak for Blue Bird but for Thomas, yes
@@alifewithtay514 they kinda were.
Try to order a gas or propane bluebird vision.
They aren't any better. Build quality still sucks and sometimes those engines like to shoot out spark plugs. I have seen people already replacing the 7.3s for various reasons.
@@football11248 heck no. The new 7.3s have lifter failures that wipe out the cams. And the transmissions are garbage too
Wow new busses are a piece of junk