2023 Bluebird All American FE

This is 1 of 5 brand new 2023 Bluebird All American FE buses that my district purchased this year. All 5 are spec'd the exact same.
Some info about the bus:
2023 Bluebird All American FE
38 Foot 78 Passenger
Cummins 6.7 rated at 240hp/560tq
Allison 2500PTS 5 speed automatic transmission
Air Ride
Air Brakes
5.29 Gear Ratio
This is my first video, so please excuse the quality of the content and my filming. This was taken in a hurry as I had to get on the road for a trip.
Thanks for watching.

[@rmatt24]

I don't miss working on those BB FE models...too tight of space! All of our fleet now is BB Conventional and BB REs.

[@SomeDudeWithAnExitSign]

A thing I don’t like on the newer Blue Birds is that instead of painting the black around the warning lights, they use plastic. At least it isn’t as bad on the All Americans as it is on the Vision.

[@bradbrown1240]

I hate how they put black around the outer part of the warning lights. I think it should stay like the original and be yellow around the warning lights and black only under the eyelash that houses the red and amber lights

[@Happyhoot04]

Yes same!! I hate thar

[@RydinDUCATI]

@@bradbrown1240 I dont agree i like buses with the black around it and a hate t3fes

[@charlesmoore2485]

I haven’t seen green seats since riding on a 1988 international S1700 / Wayne body. 7.3 idi Laidlaw bus in Ottawa , ont.

[@KenJones3023]

The BlueBird All American T3 reminds me of a 1992-1995 Carpenter Counselor FE buses. Pretty neat!

[@00crashtest]

1:41 I haven't ridden in a school bus that is released or facelifted after 2009, so I want to know how new school buses are like in the early 2020s. Passengers cars and light-duty vehicles have changed quite a lot since model year 2009, so I would like to know how it is with heavy-duty vehicles. I don't see any vents above the passenger seats. I also looked at Blue Bird's website and could not find a list of standard or optional features. Does this generation of bus (released model year 2014) have air conditioning? If it does, is it for the driver only or have the driver vents intentionally been made high velocity (search high velocity air conditioning) in order to cool the entire cabin? Does it come standard with it? What is the MSRP of the base model this bus, and what are the trims available? What is the fuel economy for the EPA's city and highway test cycles?

[@danlenox1430]

School buses haven't changed too much in terms of design and functionality.. only major differences are newer, more "fuel efficient" engine/transmission combinations, as well as some safety features like child check, traction/stability systems, back-up cameras and blind zone monitors. As far as passenger AC goes, pretty much any "base model" (for lack of better term) bus isn't going to have it. It is an option, and at the time we ordered our 2023's like the one in this video, passenger AC was close to $10kUSD per bus.. and since it is a government vehicle, there is no negotiation on prices. Bluebird, International, Thomas.. all of them have set prices and that is what a district pays. None of our buses, as well as most other districts in my state (Ohio) don't order buses with AC for 3 main reasons- the added cost per bus, the fact that it would only really be used a handful of times before the end of school, and at the beginning, and the maintenance. Buses generally sit over the summer, and components go bad, rodents get into things and it costs more money to fix, as well as it becomes another thing to worry about being 100% when it comes time for state inspection, so the only cooling we have is roof hatches vented, and windows down lol. The base price for this bus- a 2023 model year- was $110,500USD per bus.. and that is with no options. The 2024 model year buses we ordered, completely basic are $123,400USD per bus. There really aren't any trim levels like you'd have in a passenger car/truck.. it's one basic layout and some options if you should desire them. I don't think the EPA rates heavy vehicles due to the wide range of configurations and uses.. the "ratings" you see are typically manufacturer estimates. Real world figures.. I run a route that is all city and get about 6mpg on a good day.. when it's cold, and we high idle for warm up in the morning, and to keep them warm between routes, it goes down to about 4-5mpg. Highway driving, depending on load/terrain they get about 6-8mpg - but that is with the standard Cummins 6.7 diesel.. there is a propane variant, as well as a gas variant, but I'm not sure what those figures look like as all we run is diesels

[@00crashtest]

@@danlenox1430 Thanks for your detailed reply. It makes sense that school buses haven't changed much because they have already been required to meet the strict FMVSS 222 structural crashworthiness specific to them. That is why regular 15-passenger vans aren't allowed as school buses. I actually really like it that school bus manufacturers keep features to a minimum because it reduces costs for the purchaser, and consequently minimizes taxes to the taxpayer. It seems like school buses are sgnificantly cheaper than the regular transit bus of the same size. If this is the case, then why don't transit agencies just order school buses in order to keep fares low and minimize taxpayer expense? Besides fuel economy standards, school buses have actually changed quite a bit mechanically because of tightening air pollution regulations from tailpipe emissions, which is a good thing. However, what I would like to see is a federal standard requiring all highway vehicles including school buses and transit buses to be safe in a rollover collision, which effectively requires three-point seat belts. That is because such vehicle have a high centre of gravity and are prone to overturning when T-boned. As for cars, they are adding too many non-safety and non-efficiency features that just make modern cars too heavy and increase fuel consumption. I actually wish automakers still offered basic models but with modern crashworthiness standards, modern active safety features, and modern low emissions.

[@danlenox1430]

@@00crashtest The emissions controls was a good idea in theory, but is the worst thing to happen to a diesel engine. The entire DEF/after-treatment system is problematic. From clogged DPF's(diesel particulate filters) to DEF injection heads, lines, sensors, etc.. it is a costly, time consuming pain in the a**.. which is why you see many truck owners deleting the emissions treatment system. We've had plenty of problems on our buses, even new ones due to the control systems having issues.. where as our older, pre-emissions buses never had issues. As far as seat belts.. that's a big no. School buses are built using compartmentalization, designed with the sole purpose of keeping the kids safe, and it works really well. There is decades of research behind this. A school bus fatality is exceptionally rare, as are serious injuries. In event of a fire, a school bus burns to the ground in about 3-3.5 minutes, which means the driver has under that time to get up to 84 kids off the bus, on top of other things we're mandated to do.. Making sure those kids are out of seat belts, should they get jammed up or malfunction cuts in to the time and will inevitably lead to higher injury/fatality counts. Same for a water accident.. it is way more stress and responsibility on the driver, for something that isn't necessary. There is over 50 years of research on seat belt usage and compartmentalization in school buses, all of which has pointed to seat belts doing more harm than good. Completely agree with you about passenger cars adding too many unnecessary features/options. It's just more things that can go wrong, and cost an arm and a leg to replace

[@00crashtest]

@@danlenox1430 Compartmentalization works well for front and rear collisions, but does nothing to protect passemgers from being thrown across the aisle in a side impact or against the roof in an overturning collision in a severe side impact. Just look at the school bus crash tests done by CAPE. Also, the purpose of emissions controls is for air pollution control, not for reliability. I very much support the emissions regulations and if one is that adamant about reliability, then they can get a natural gas or petroleum gas engine, which is just as powerful and affordable as diesel, but even cleaner than gasoline. I'm all for clean air vehicles, and it is easy for a CNG or LPG engine to have zero soot and ultra low NOx in the exhaust due to complete combustion from the high purity fuel.

[@stevereed2429]

No way them color seats should be in anything this new! Outdated 1990-2000 color I really like the Thomas grey high backs them are nicer.

[@passportnuke]

They’re green because that’s the color the customer ordered lol

[@dylanmckevitt2003]

You should do a driving video of this bus

[@literalyammer]

i love the singular random red led warning light

[@danlenox1430]

It was one of the many things that came messed up from the factory lol.. but my head mechanic said if it works, leave it alone, so it's still there lol

[@Jeremiah3322]

Nice its ohio spec🔥🔥

[@diesel_fan3816]

i thought all american fe buses had atleast 8 to 9 gears. but it only has 5 to 6?

[@danlenox1430]

Yup. All 50 of our buses, a few dating back to 07 up to 2023 all have Allison 5 speed automatics in them.. It seems like it has more gears due to the way they shift, and the way the torque converter locks and unlocks. For a light/medium duty truck/bus, it seems most go with 5-6 speeds.. at least in my experience. The only commercial vehicle I've seen or driven that's had more than 6 forward gears is a heavy duty truck(class7) or semi.. You might be able to spec these buses with different engine/transmission combos, but I'm not sure..

[@superbrownsheep3777]

this bus has a 5 speed automatic transmission, not sure what your talking about

[@seanthe100]

Definitely only have 5 speed, they do shift odd so it feels like you're skipping gears

[@TCK_Rash]

Idk if it js me but the front js looks goofy to me I personally like the 1991 fe aas tho

[@flxible8740]

Beautiful

[@dylanmckevitt2003]

Could you please do a video of you driving this bus please

[@danlenox1430]

I'll try to.. I have to find my gopro and equipment

[@dylanmckevitt2003]

@@danlenox1430 ok and thanks

[@southernbustransportation]

Looks sharp! The B6.7L has a new valve cover and it looks really cool. It reminds me of the ISB 5.9's

[@m1styplusallyrights]

Lolllll)

[@theericfreeze1493]

Could you get a video of bus 2?

[@phattang3209]

Thought the steps were blue at first but they were black

[@phattang3209]

But my bus has blue steps and blue floors

[@phattang3209]

And why’s there a bees nest here is this bus sitting here from 2022

[@danlenox1430]

It sat at the dealer's lot for about 2 weeks until the rest of our order came in, and they had a real bad bee/wasp problem up there.. there were even a few inside one of the buses

[@international-bus]

im not to fond of fes' i like re's in my opinion

[@danlenox1430]

I haven't driven an Re, but have heard they're quieter, which would be nice.. and also not getting cooked in the driver's area by the engine on an FE would be a very welcomed change lol

[@RydinDUCATI]

I like t3res better in fe beacuase they look super nice

[@jorgechahuara9537]

tio cuanto vale el bus en tienda

[@danlenox1430]

We paid $123,500 per bus for these 2024's.. the 2025's we just got we paid $137,250 per bus.. It all depends on your the district and they price they can negotiate with the manufacturer/dealer

[@justinlawrence2889]

I can still smell the leather seats

[@n310ea]

Do school buses still come with exterior light monitor above the driver's head?

[@danlenox1430]

Yes. You can still order them with the light monitors, but my district doesn't spec ours with them because it's an added cost and something else that could go wrong.. plus it helps ensure that drivers are doing a proper pre-trip and actually checking the lights like we're required to

[@edwinquintanilla5776]

Sori dis bass forsel

[@ag6371]

Incandescent 8 ways on the rear for 2023?

[@danlenox1430]

Front & rear.. you can order them with LED, but this is the way our head mechanic spec's them. We've never really had a problem with the incandescent lights, and they last for a good bit of time.. plus we have a huge surplus of them from when our retired buses and buying a bunch when things were cheap lol

[@romeorivera289]

For sale o no

[@romeorivera289]

@@danlenox1430 this is for sale

[@danlenox1430]

@@romeorivera289 No it is not for sale. It is part of our district's current fleet