SNOHOMISH COUNTY, Wash. — Blue Bird recently celebrated a corporate milestone with the delivery of its 550,000th bus to Mukilteo School District.

The school bus that was driven across the country en route to the district is a 2014 All American rear engine unit, and company officials said the milestone bus marks a significant achievement in Blue Bird’s history.

The Blue Bird story began in 1927, when the company was formed around production of one of the first school buses. The bus was mounted on a Ford Model T chassis, and it included a solid, one-piece roof bow design that ran from one floor line, over the roof and finished at the opposite floor line — a signature Blue Bird characteristic that optimizes structural integrity and is still present on Blue Bird buses today.

The Blue Bird No. 1, as it is officially referred to, was sold in 1927 to a resident in Marshallville, Ga., and was utilized to transport children to and from school. Today, the Blue Bird No. 1 school bus is on display at The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Mich.

“This marks an important milestone for Blue Bird, and we are pleased to have delivered our 550,000th bus to Mukilteo School District,” said Phil Horlock, president and CEO of Blue Bird Corp. “The hard work and dedication that Blue Bird employees have exhibited throughout our 86 years of manufacturing has contributed to this significant milestone. Our employees’ commitment to building safety, quality, durability and serviceability into every bus we build will help drive our continued growth into the future.”

“We are excited to receive Blue Bird’s 550,000th school bus," added Cindy Steigerwald, transportation manager for Mukilteo School District. "We are huge Blue Bird fans, as this bus was delivered to our district along with 13 other Blue Bird school buses. Mukilteo School District transports approximately 11,000 students each day, and roughly half of our fleet consists of Blue Bird buses. For the past three years, we have added Blue Bird buses to our fleet because of the exceptional quality of the buses and the sales and service support from our dealer, Bryson Sales and Service of Washington.”

“Bryson Sales and Service has been a Blue Bird dealer since 1969 and services four western states,” said Brandon Bryson, vice president of Bryson Sales and Service of Washington. “Like Blue Bird, Bryson Sales and Service believes in providing quality products that deliver the greatest amount of benefit to the customer while offering superior training, service and support. Mukilteo School District is a stellar Washington school district, and we couldn’t be more pleased to present this milestone bus to them.”

Officials said the new 2014 All American school bus showcases key Blue Bird features that have become a cornerstone of Blue Bird design, such as the one-piece roof bow and a purpose-built bus chassis. In addition, the recently redesigned 2014 All American furthers industry innovations with strategic features that bring added value to the customer, such as best-in-class fuel economy, best-in-class turning radius, an ergonomic driver’s cockpit and enhanced parts commonality with the Blue Bird Vision.