Blue Bird JV Micro Bird to establish facility in New York State

Blue Bird (BLBD) Corporation announced the U.S. expansion of Micro Bird’s manufacturing operations to build small and midsize buses in New York State. Micro Bird, a 50/50 joint venture of Blue Bird Corporation and Girardin, has confirmed the purchase of the Nova Bus facility in Plattsburgh, NY, and plans to begin production in mid-2025. The investment will enable Micro Bird to double its production capacity to better meet the sustained and growing demand for its full line of school buses, school activity buses, multi-purpose vehicles and commercial buses, the company said in a statement. Micro Bird is poised to create more than 350 full-time jobs over the next several years at its Plattsburgh facility. This project is supported by the Empire State Development with nearly $10M in performance-based Excelsior Jobs Program tax credits and a $2.5M capital grant from the North Country Regional Economic Development Council. “We are thrilled to expand our leadership in Type A small and midsize buses with Micro Bird’s U.S. manufacturing capacity expansion in the great state of New York,” said Phil Horlock, President and CEO of Blue Bird Corporation. “Once fully operational, the new facility will double our Micro Bird production capacity and represents a significant step in our long-term profitable growth journey.”