Blue Bird plans to invest an estimated $300 million in a school bus manufacturing facility in Fort Valley, Georgia.
The company will convert a former motorhome manufacturing site into a 1-million-square-foot factory for Type C school buses.
Construction is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2027.
Blue Bird Corp. plans to invest an estimated $300 million to convert a former motorhome manufacturing site in Fort Valley, Georgia, into a 1-million-square-foot school bus factory, Gov. Brian Kemp announced Oct. 21.
The bus manufacturer expects construction to begin in the first quarter of 2027. Blue Bird plans to create 375 jobs over the next three years, according to the announcement from the Georgia governor’s office.
The Blue Bird Vision Diesel Type C bus, pictured, can seat up to 90 passengers, according to the manufacturer. Blue Bird plans to invest an estimated $300 million in a school bus manufacturing facility in Fort Valley, Georgia. Image: Blue Bird Corp.
Blue Bird makes low- and zero-emission buses, including electric and propane models, and has sold more than 27,000 of them since its first electric bus in 1994 and first propane bus in 2008, according to the company.
The U.S.-owned and operated manufacturer is headquartered in Macon, Georgia, with a manufacturing facility in Fort Valley.
The planned facility at 401 Wanderlodge Way will produce Type C school buses powered by diesel, gasoline, propane and electricity. The Type C bus is a large, conventional design with the entrance behind the front wheels and a body that sits on a chasis.
The Fort Valley location is around 100 miles south of Atlanta. Blue Bird will convert a former site used to manufacture diesel-powered motorhomes, the state said.
The announcement did not specify an expected completion date, construction contractor or detailed schedule for the conversion. The announcement said that Blue Bird plans to hire for manufacturing, operations and technician positions.
Blue Bird’s planned investment expands its footprint in Peach County, where the company already manufactures school buses. The company currently supports more than 1,900 employees in Georgia, according to the governor’s office.
Manufacturing construction starts in the US totaled $76.7 billion through September, down 5.3% from the same period in 2025, while total Nonresidential Construction Starts rose 26.2%, according to ConstructConnect’s October 2026 Construction Economy Snapshot. Nonresidential Construction Starts includes the sum of Nonresidential Building and Civil Construction.
Georgia’s Nonresidential Construction Starts reached $27.3 billion through September, up 98.6% year over year.
The Governor's announcement does not state how production will be divided among diesel, gasoline, propane and electric models, or whether production at the new factory will complement or replace any existing operations.
The first-quarter 2027 construction target leaves time for project planning and site conversion before work begins. The state announcement did not identify a general contractor, architect or engineering team. Blue Bird and state officials have not announced a facility completion date.
Blue Bird has manufactured school buses since 1927, building more than 620,000, with about 180,000 still in service.
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