GSA orders 100 commercial buses

Sept. 27, 2011
Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation (FCCC) continues to expand its presence in the commercial bus market. The company recently secured an order to supply the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) with 100 commercial bus chassis

Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation (FCCC) continues to expand its presence in the commercial bus market. The company recently secured an order to supply the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) with 100 commercial bus chassis.

Farber Specialty Vehicles, based in Columbus, Ohio, will customize the buses that will be built on Freightliner Custom Chassis’ model MB-65. The buses will be used for routine patient transportation at Veterans Administration hospitals across the country.

Farber develops buses and vans for applications ranging from law enforcement vehicles to mobile classrooms and veterinary facilities. FCCC and Farber routinely partner together to develop customized solutions built upon the FCCC XC commercial bus chassis, Farber noted.

The FCCC MB-65 chassis will be shipped to Glaval Bus in Elkhart, Ind., where Glaval, a subcontractor for Farber, will build the commercial bus body onto the FCCC MB-65s. Farber will complete the customization for the Veterans Administration buses.

Farber said the GSA contract specifies two bus configurations in order to provide some vehicles which do not require a commercial driver’s license (CDL). FCCC will manufacture 72 MB-65 chassis with a 190-inch wheel base and a 26,000 Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) for a 26-foot body, which will not require a CDL to operate. The remaining 28 FCCC MB-65 chassis will have a 276-inch wheel base and a 32,000 GVWR for a 32-foot body.

FCCC will begin production of the MB-65 chassis to fulfill the order this month, with work expected to continue into 2012. Farber estimates the first buses for the order will be completed in January.