Matthews Buses

What Matthews Buses does

Matthews Buses Inc. is a family-owned, authorized Thomas Built Buses dealer founded in 1967 by Robert and Justine Matthews, now in its second generation of family leadership (Guy and Brad Matthews). The company is the longest-tenured and largest Thomas Built Bus distributor in New York State, operating four full-service facilities in Ballston Spa (corporate headquarters), Avon, Poughkeepsie, and Liverpool/Syracuse. Its business model is a vertically integrated dealer-distributor platform covering new bus sales (Saf-T-Liner C2 Evolved, EFX2, HDX2, Minotour, and the Jouley electric), fleet leasing, OEM and aftermarket parts distribution (via in-house inventory and the exceleratorparts.com e-commerce site), certified maintenance and mobile repair services, a collision and paint center, and customer training programs for technicians, drivers, and shop staff.

The company serves almost exclusively New York State public school districts and contracted school transportation providers. Pricing is quote-based on new units, while the lease program offers a five-year structure at approximately 15% of bus cost annually, and warranty terms include a three-year standard warranty on the flagship C2 with extension options. Matthews holds the Thomas Built Buses Platinum Support Dealer certification (2018), the Platinum President's Award, and Gold-level Parts Excellence recognition, putting it among the OEM's top dealers nationally. With the New York Education Law §3638 mandate requiring zero-emission bus procurement after June 30, 2027 and full conversion by 2035, Matthews has formalized an EV Solutions function and a partnership with NYSERDA to help districts access fleet electrification planning and incentives, positioning the dealer as a primary channel for mandated electric fleet replacement in the state.

Name

Matthews Buses

Legal name

Matthews Buses Inc.

Website

https://matthewsbuses.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1967

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Matthews Buses is a family-owned, New York State Thomas Built Bus dealer operating four service facilities, providing new bus sales, parts, certified maintenance, collision repair, leasing, and EV transition support to public school districts across the state.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

School Bus Sales & Service

NAICS

School and Employee Bus Transportation (4854)

SIC

Wholesale-Motor Vehicle Supplies & New Parts (5013), Services-Auto Rental & Leasing (No Drivers) (7510)

akta.pro primary industry

School & Public Transit Contract Bus Operators (TLAFAGAE)

Keywords

• School bus sales
• School bus service
• Electric school buses
• Bus parts distribution
• Fleet leasing

Headquarters

HQ city

Orlando

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. New Bus Sales: Sale of new Thomas Built School Buses including Saf-T-Liner C2, EFX2, HDX2, Minotour, and electric Jouley models to school districts
2. Parts Sales: Sale of OEM and non-OEM replacement parts through in-house inventory and affiliated distribution centers; e-commerce via exceleratorparts.com
3. Service and Repair: Maintenance, repair, and scheduled fleet maintenance at four state-of-the-art service centers plus mobile certified technicians
4. Bus Leasing: Five-year lease program with annual payments typically 15% of bus cost; includes option for five-year warranty
5. Collision and Paint Services: Full-service body shop including paint, bodywork, collision repairs, insurance claims, and warranty claims handling
6. Training Programs: Customer training programs for bus technicians, personnel, shop staff, drivers, driver trainers; offered at facilities, on-site, or online

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Matthews Buses is an authorized Thomas Built Buses dealer that sells new school buses (Saf-T-Liner C2 Evolved, Saf-T-Liner EFX2, Saf-T-Liner HDX2, Minotour, and the electric Jouley) to public school districts and transportation contractors across New York State. Beyond vehicle sales, the company delivers full lifecycle support including fleet leasing, four state-of-the-art service centers with mobile technicians, OEM and non-OEM parts distribution, a collision and paint body shop, technician and driver training programs, and warranty administration.

Product overview

Matthews Buses operates as a dealer of Thomas Built Buses, offering a comprehensive portfolio of school bus products and services across New York State. The core product lineup includes Type C and Type D school buses (Saf-T-Liner C2 Evolved, Saf-T-Liner EFX2, Saf-T-Liner HDX2, and Minotour) plus the electric Jouley eC2 bus. These are complemented by value-added services including fleet leasing programs, maintenance and repair services at four locations, a parts department with e-commerce capabilities, collision and paint services, customer training programs, and warranty support. The company is a certified Platinum Support Dealer of Thomas Built Buses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Saf-T-Liner C2 (Evolved) Thomas Built's flagship Type C school bus sold to public school districts and transportation contractors across New York. Features BusWise Technologies for safety, efficiency, and serviceability, improved electrical architecture for technology integration, and enhanced interior for driver comfort and safety.
• Saf-T-Liner EFX2 Next-generation Type D front-engine transit-style school bus offering exceptional visibility, maneuverability, and performance, with Saf-T-Net reinforced body construction for enhanced safety.
• Saf-T-Liner HDX2 Next-generation Type D school bus leveraging C2 platform materials and processes for easier maintenance, stronger body construction, and exceptional visibility.
• Minotour Compact, maneuverable school bus with safety features and rugged engineering comparable to larger buses; meets all FMVSS and CMVSS requirements.
• Jouley (Thomas eC2) Electric School Bus All-electric Type C school bus powered by Proterra battery technology, providing zero-emission student transportation to support NY zero-emission bus mandate compliance.
• Fleet Leasing Program Five-year fleet lease program for school buses with annual payments typically 15% of bus cost, providing predictable budgets, access to current technology, and lower long-term maintenance costs; can be combined with extended warranty.
• Bus Service and Maintenance Comprehensive bus maintenance and repair at four state-of-the-art service centers across New York State with certified technicians and mobile service capabilities for on-site repairs.
• Parts Department Comprehensive inventory of OEM and non-OEM replacement parts for Thomas, Freightliner, Cummins, and other brands, distributed through an e-commerce platform (exceleratorparts.com), a parts hotline, and counter sales at all four locations.
• Collision and Paint Center Full-service body shop offering paint, bodywork, collision repairs, insurance claims, and Thomas Buses warranty claims, using Liquidz Certified technicians to ensure DOT and manufacturer compliance.
• Customer Training Programs Professional development workshops and training for bus technicians, personnel, shop staff, drivers, driver trainers, and CPWA participants, delivered at Matthews facilities, on-site at customer locations, or online, with TEC Professional certification.
• Warranty Program Thomas Built Buses 3-year standard warranty on the flagship bus with extended warranty options, supported by Matthews' warranty department for claims submission and service scheduling.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5-year lease payments at ~15% of bus cost annually
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• NYSERDA (New York State Energy Research and Development Authority)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Matthews Buses connects school districts with NYSERDA for Fleet Electrification Planning. NYSERDA provides technical assistance and guidance for zero-emission bus transition. Districts can receive funding incentives to offset costs of fleet electrification.
• ProterracoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2021Proterra provides battery and battery management system for Thomas Jouley EV School Bus. Matthews Buses, as Thomas dealer, sells and services buses incorporating Proterra technology. President Biden virtually visited Proterra's Greenville, SC facility to discuss electric vehicles.
• Thomas Built BusescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 1967Primary manufacturer partnership since 1967; Matthews Buses is an authorized dealer and Platinum Support dealer of Thomas Built Buses. The partnership includes sales of Saf-T-Liner C2, EFX2, HDX2, Minotour, and Jouley electric buses; access to factory training; warranty support; and participation in Thomas dealer programs including Wings of Eagles sales recognition and STARS training certification.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Leonard Bus Sales: Authorized Thomas Built Bus dealer operating multiple locations across New York State. Direct competitor to Matthews for NY school district bus contracts, parts, and service business, with a comparable multi-location service-center model.
• Sonny Merryman: One of the largest Thomas Built Bus dealers on the U.S. East Coast, headquartered in Virginia. Operates a multi-location sales, parts, service, and body shop model similar to Matthews and is publicly recognized for Thomas dealer excellence.
• Hoglund Bus & Truck: Long-established Thomas Built Bus dealer serving Minnesota and the Upper Midwest with sales, parts, service, and body shop operations. Highly comparable regional Thomas dealer model focused on K-12 fleet customers.
• A-Z Bus Sales: Large California-based school bus dealership representing multiple OEMs with multi-location sales, parts, service, and collision repair operations. Comparable in scale, product breadth, and school-district go-to-market.
• RWC Group: Authorized Thomas Built Bus dealer with locations across multiple U.S. states, providing full sales, service, parts, and leasing support to school districts. Mirrors Matthews' full-service dealership approach at a larger geographic footprint.

Broad incumbents

• Blue Bird Corporation: Largest U.S. school bus OEM and competitor to Thomas Built Buses. While a manufacturer rather than dealer, Blue Bird's dealer network competes directly with Matthews for school district contracts and influences parts/service dynamics in NY.
• IC Bus (Navistar): School and commercial bus manufacturer within the Navistar/Traton group, competing with Thomas Built Buses. Its dealer network is an indirect competitor to Matthews via rival school district deployments.
• Holman Fleet: Large-scale commercial fleet leasing and management company. Comparable in offering lease/financing solutions that compete directly with Matthews' five-year bus lease program for large school district customers.

Emerging players

• Lion Electric: Pure-play electric school and Type D bus OEM. As districts evaluate Jouley vs. Lion, Lion's dealer and service-network expansion threatens Matthews' incumbent first-mover advantage on NY's zero-emission mandate.
• GreenPower Motor Company: Canadian electric school and shuttle bus OEM focused on the North American Type A and Type D school segments. Increasingly relevant as Matthews' NY EV mandate customers evaluate Jouley vs. GreenPower's offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/matthewsbuses
• Facebookfacebook.com/MatthewsBusesFL
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/matthews-buses-inc.

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Matthews Buses