In an effort to better serve school bus customers in Canada, IC Corporation announced today that Briggs Brothers Student Transportation is the newest Canadian distributor for the IC School Bus brand.
Prior to this agreement, Leeds Transit of Ontario was the exclusive Canadian IC Corporation distributor.
"We are thrilled to be able to offer the complete bus line from IC Corporation," said Gordon Briggs, vice president, Briggs Bus Sales. "Their reputation in the bus industry is unmatched, and it continues to raise the bar with products like the new CE series school bus."
With the 2005 CE series school bus, now in full production, IC Corporation performed extensive driver studies and relied heavily on the advice of school bus owners, drivers and maintainers to enhance driver ability for visibility and comfort and provide simplified maintenance and a lower cost of ownership.
The new CE series school bus is built using the industry's only fully integrated manufacturing process. The entire school bus is completed onsite at IC Corporation's state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities, resulting in improved durability and reliability. In addition, this integrated process allows IC dealers to provide warranty and support for the entire bus.
"We share Briggs' excitement about it becoming an IC Corporation dealer," said Michael Cancelliere, vice president and general manager, International Bus Vehicle Center. "Building upon Briggs' strong customer base, we can continue to expand our comprehensive dealer network, offering state-of-the-art products to our Canadian customers."
Briggs is a family-owned business with the fifth generation working at the original head office location. This year, Briggs is celebrating 50 years of business in the school bus industry with the largest new and used bus inventory in Western Canada. Currently, Briggs employs over 50 people in its sales division, and expects to add several new positions with the addition of the IC product line.
Since its inception in 1983, Briggs has offered International chassis. With the new agreement, all models within the IC Corporation school bus line, including the new CE bus, the FE (Forward Engine) and RE (Rear Engine), will be available at all Briggs dealer locations.
Customer deliveries are scheduled to begin in July in Edmonton, Alberta; Chilliwack, British Columbia; and Luttbridge, Alberta. Briggs' newest location is in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.