Blue Bird plans to invest an estimated $300 million in a new Fort Valley manufacturing facility, creating 375 jobs over three years as the Georgia-founded school bus maker expands in Peach County.
The company will convert a former diesel-powered motorhome plant at 401 Wanderlodge Way into a 1-million-square-foot factory, according to Georgia’s Oct. 21 announcement. Construction is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2027. The facility will produce Type C school buses with diesel, gasoline, propane and electric powertrains.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Blue Bird already employs more than 1,900 people in Georgia. New positions will include manufacturing, operations and technician roles. Georgia Quick Start will assist with workforce training, but state officials have not disclosed the value or terms of any tax breaks, grants or other incentives.
Blue Bird began manufacturing buses in Fort Valley in 1927 and will mark its centennial next year. The company says it has built more than 620,000 school buses, with approximately 180,000 still operating.
The Wanderlodge property was part of a 2024 proposal tied to an $80 million federal grant selection. That plan called for a $160 million conversion of roughly 600,000 square feet into an electric-bus facility. The new announcement describes a larger plant producing buses across four powertrains, but officials did not explain how the two plans overlap.
Gov. Brian Kemp called Blue Bird a longstanding part of Georgia’s manufacturing story. Company President and CEO John Wyskiel said the project represents an investment in the Middle Georgia community that has served as Blue Bird’s home for nearly a century.
The announcement did not provide an opening date, expected wages or annual production targets. Those details, along with the final incentive package, will determine the project’s full economic impact on Fort Valley and Peach County.
