SOUTH HUTCHINSON, Kan. — SafeGuard’s XChange seats will soon be standard on all Collins, Mid Bus and Corbeil buses.

The SafeGuard XChange seating products by IMMI allow operators to exchange inner seating modules from standard to lap-shoulder belts or integrated child seats.

With the move, Collins Bus Corp. becomes the first school bus manufacturer to make the XChange seats standard equipment, company officials said.

“Providing cost-effective, upgradable seating solutions to our customers — and throughout the industry — simply makes sense,” said Kent Tyler, president of Collins Bus Corp. “To build the highest-quality Type A buses to the highest standards of safety means we must partner with other industry leaders. We’ve long admired SafeGuard and look forward to offering their innovative seating products.”

This year, IMMI marks 10 years of building seats for the school bus industry, and the company reported that it now has more than 150,000 seats in service.

“Partnering with Collins, who has always been a true innovator in the small bus market, allows us both to take a significant step forward in offering flexible seating systems to the school transportation market,” IMMI CEO Larry Gray said. “It’s truly a winning combination for our collective customers and the industry as a whole.”

The XChange seating will be manufactured at IMMI’s newest location, in Burrton, Kan. Company officials said that the new facility should create more than 30 jobs in the first 12 months of operation.

A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration rule that went into effect in October requires school buses weighing 10,000 pounds or less to have lap-shoulder belts.