KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Collins Bus and Westport will unveil the new NEXBUS Type A school bus powered by compressed natural gas (CNG) at the National Association for Pupil Transportation trade show next week.

The Collins bus is equipped with the Westport WiNG Power System and is built on a Ford E-450 chassis.

The trade show will be held on Tuesday at the Kansas City Convention Center. At booth 111, Collins and Westport will exhibit a chassis to allow attendees to see the Westport CNG system.

“We are very pleased to partner with Westport to begin offering a CNG bus model in the fastest growing segment of the alternative fuel school bus market,” said Kent Tyler, president and CEO of Allied Specialty Vehicles’ bus division and interim president of Collins Bus. “As Ford’s largest qualified vehicle modifier, Westport’s CNG expertise and proven technology allows us to offer the most reliable clean energy Type A school bus model available to meet the evolving needs of our dealers and diverse customer base.”

The Collins Type A CNG school bus is EPA and CARB certified and is available for order at Collins dealer locations across the U.S. and Canada.

“Our team of engineers worked with Ford and Collins Bus to conduct extensive simulations and physical crash-testing to meet the stringent school bus safety requirements,” said Paul Shaffer, vice president and managing director of Westport Dallas. “With the distinct price and emissions benefits of natural gas, we’re excited to offer a CNG-powered product to school districts.”

Collins and Westport will hold a free webinar about the CNG Type A bus on Dec. 4. To sign up, go here.