A bus is a truck with passengers in it, and that raises the bar on everything: brakes, steering, tires, doors, lights and an engine that starts every morning on time. RDI Power services and repairs diesel buses in Brooksville for schools, churches, shuttle and transit operators and tour companies, from cutaway shuttles on Ford chassis to full-size conventional and transit-style buses. Our technicians are ASE certified, RDI Power is Caterpillar certified, and every visit ends with a digital inspection showing what we found.
Buses we work on
- School buses. Conventional (Type C) buses on Freightliner and International chassis and transit-style buses, with Cummins and other diesel engines and Allison transmissions.
- Shuttle and church buses. Diesel cutaway buses on Ford Super Duty and medium duty truck chassis, often with the Power Stroke.
- Transit buses. Diesel city and route buses that rack up stop-and-go hours.
- Tour buses and motorcoaches. Diesel coaches built for highway miles and long days.
We also work on the diesel pushers that share a lot of their running gear with buses. See RV service and repair.
Maintenance that keeps buses on schedule
Bus duty is hard on an engine. Short routes, frequent stops and long idle periods with the air conditioning running add engine hours faster than miles, and that changes what a bus needs and when. We set PM intervals around how each bus actually runs. A typical bus PM includes:
- Engine oil and filter, fuel filters and water separator, and air filter
- Coolant condition, belts, hoses and the radiator
- Transmission fluid and filter service
- Brake fluid and power steering fluid service where equipped
- Chassis lube and a steering and suspension inspection
- Brake measurements and adjustment
- Tire inspection, rotation and wheel alignment
- Lights, wipers, mirrors and door operation
- Aftertreatment checks on the DPF and DEF system
- A scan for stored fault codes
Buses that sit through summer break need their own attention before they go back into service. Batteries run down, tires flat-spot, fuel picks up moisture and rodents find wiring. A pre-season inspection catches those before the first morning route instead of during it. More on our preventive maintenance.
Bus repairs
- Engine diagnostics and repair. Modern bus engines run on electronic controls, sensors and software. We diagnose with the right tools before replacing parts.
- Exhaust aftertreatment. Stop-and-go routes keep exhaust temperatures low, which loads DPFs and fouls EGR systems. See exhaust and emissions.
- Brakes. Air and hydraulic brake systems, drums, rotors, chambers and adjusters. See brake systems.
- Transmissions. Allison service, diagnosis and rebuilds. See transmission repair and rebuild.
- Suspension, steering and axles.
- Cooling systems. Radiators, water pumps, fans and hoses, which work hard in Florida heat at low bus speeds.
- Fuel delivery. Filters, lift pumps, lines and injection.
- Engine accessories. Alternators, power steering pumps, water pumps and air compressors.
- Electrical. Charging systems, batteries and starting, plus lighting and wiring faults.
- Tires and wheel alignments.
Inspections
Any bus covered by FMCSA rules must pass an annual inspection. The federal standard includes items specific to buses, such as exhaust that cannot leak or discharge forward of a door or window designed to open, and passenger seats on motorcoaches that must be securely fastened to the vehicle structure. Our DOT inspections page covers the full list. School buses follow their own state inspection program. Tell us what yours requires, and we will plan maintenance and repairs around it.
What you see after every visit
Every bus leaves with a digital vehicle inspection. The photos show the condition of the parts we looked at, the notes explain what was repaired, and the recommendations are split into work for now and work to plan. You see the worn brake lining or the leaking hose the same way the technician did, before you approve the work. For a school, a church or a shuttle operator, that record also answers the question a board, a parent or an auditor eventually asks: when was this bus last checked, and what was done?
Bus fleets on RDI Fleet
Operators running several buses can put them on an RDI Fleet plan: PM intervals set by mileage or engine hours, priority scheduling, a digital inspection record for each bus, and the 2-year/24,000-mile fleet warranty on repairs. During the school year or a busy tour season, that means maintenance lands on planned days instead of the morning a route needs the bus.
Keep the buses running
Bring in the bus that is giving you trouble, along with the schedule for the rest of the fleet. We will diagnose the first properly and build a maintenance plan around the others.