Capital Bus Sales and Service of Texas • Leander
Capital Bus Sales and Service of Texas • Leander
By Kara Vaught Wednesday, 14 May 2008
School buses will be a less common sight for the next two months for everyone except the employees of Capital Bus Sales and Service of Texas, who see yellow year round.
Founded in 1998, Capital Bus is the Blue Bird brand school bus distributor and servicer for 900 Texas school districts, as well as private schools and other entities like the Texas Department of Corrections. Churches and rural transit authorities purchase Diamond Coach passenger buses from Capital. “We also sell buses that get turned into mobile blood donor units or bookmobiles, so the buses get used for a variety of things,” said Donald G. Paull, president of Capital.
Located on West Street near the Leander Independent School District administration building, Capital moved from Austin in 2000, when the company needed a better facility. LISD had just built a new transit center and had the perfect space for Capital’s office, shop and buses. “It’s been a win-win situation,” Paull said. “The district has been able to collect some revenue from our lease, and we have this space.”
The process of buying a bus can be done in several ways. School districts can request bids directly, buy through a cooperative purchasing agency such as the Texas Association of School Boards or through the state purchasing agency. Such agencies handle the details of bus buying and give smaller districts more purchasing power.
Paull said most Central Texas school districts have bought buses from Capital; new buses for Round Rock were on the lot awaiting delivery.
Whichever way a bus is bought, Blue Bird builds it to the customer’s specifications, putting in the desired options. One option is air conditioning. While many Texans might not consider them optional for this climate, coolers are not standard, though Paull said more and more districts are purchasing AC-equipped buses. Two-way radios, video capabilities and GPS tracking systems can also be ordered. Other choices include a variety of engines, horsepower and lighting, though any option must meet state requirements.
Three-point harness seatbelts have recently been added as an option on school buses, but lap belts have been available for many years. Most districts do not add seatbelts to regular route buses, said Lee Banks, sales manager, but some districts, including Leander and Round Rock, order belts for buses serving special needs students. Even without seat belts, Paull said statistics show students are safer on buses than any other form of transportation to and from school.
In 2007, the legislature passed a bill mandating three-point harnesses in school buses by 2010. However, the law is contingent upon the state funding the belts, which has not been accomplished.
Buses go green
Capital Bus Sales and Service now offers buses powered by propane. Clean Fuels USA of Georgetown manufactures the propane motor fuel dispensing equipment. Visit cleanfuelusa.com/calculator.htm to calculate the benefit of converting a fleet of diesel engine vehicles to propane.
Capital Bus Sales and Service of Texas, 301 S. West Drive, 528-0001
