Blue Bird electric school bus voted coolest thing made in Georgia

The Georgia Chamber of Commerce named the Blue Bird Vision Electric school bus the winner of its 2026 Coolest Thing Made in Georgia competition on Thursday, announcing the award during the chamber’s congressional luncheon.

The bus, manufactured in Fort Valley, beat out runner-up TifTuf drought-tolerant Bermudagrass in a final round. The chamber’s president and CEO, Chris Clark, framed it as a matchup between “both ends of the economic spectrum,” pitting Blue Bird’s century of manufacturing against the university-born, Georgia-grown turf product developed across the street from the University of Georgia.

Blue Bird, founded in Fort Valley, is preparing to celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2027. Its Vision Electric line first debuted at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games and returned to the market in 2018.

More than 4,000 of the electric buses are now operating across the country, and chamber officials pointed to the model as proof of the state’s continued strength in advanced manufacturing.

“They’re helping school systems save money,” Clark said in presenting the award. He said Blue Bird has become “kind of like the buckle of the battery belt” and is “carrying an entire community’s economy every day.”

Accepting the trophy on stage, Blue Bird’s general counsel Ted Scartz said the recognition belongs to the people who build the buses.

“This recognition of our zero-emission Vision Electric school bus reflects the strength of the Georgia manufacturing and business community,” Scartz said. “This award belongs to all of our employees who come to work every day at our Macon, our Perry, and our Fort Valley facilities.”

“It makes me proud to be a Georgian, and it makes Blue Bird proud to be a Georgia company,” Scartz said. “Our story began in Georgia, and we’re honored to continue to build our future right here.”