NABI buses are manufactured by North America Bus industries. They are a relatively young company but their history goes back to a Hungarian bus design company. There was an salesman that worked out a trade program in 1976 between Ikarus and the Hungarian manufacturer. In 1977, Crown coach got involved and received partially manufactured buses which they then completed once they got to the states.
Crown started to fall apart so Ikarus made a new alliance with Union City Body Company, which was very similar in operations to the old Crown partnership. In 1988, a plant was established in Anniston Alabama. UCBC was bought out by First Hungary Fund in 1992, and they maintained the relationship with Ikarus. This is where the NABI bus manufacturer was born.
NABI buses for sale
- What kind of models does Nabi Buses produce? 40C-LFW Compobus, 30-LFN, 436 (or 60-SFW), 60LFW, Nabi 416, Optima American Heritage Streetcar, Nabi BRT, Sirius, Optima Opus, Nabi LFW, Nabi Metro 45C, Bluebird Ultra LF.
- What to expect from a Nabi Bus? Nabi coaches have branched out into the alternative propulsion method business. While they run heavy on the diesel, they do employ CNG (compressed natural gas) and liquefied natural gas, as well as diesel-electric hybrid propulsion.
Because of their production method, which is that of outsourcing the shell to Hungary where production costs are lower, Nabi has been able to intelligently invest in the production of their coaches. Of course, since the American economy has suffered in recent years, production costs have effectively risen. At this rate, we may one day see Nabi buses produced entirely in the US.
A Nabi Bus gone Bad
A specific example of the problems that have arisen due to their foreign business relationship in recent years can be found in a model called the Nabi Compobus. This was a brilliant design, and in theory seemed as if it would set a new standard for transit buses. It was designed to have a composite fiberglass body, and was to be the first 45 foot transit bus made available in North America. The financial end of production created a snag as shell production was effectively more expensive then. Coupled with the facts that legal policies that facilitated their semi-foreign production method were expiring, and also that there transit authorities were reluctant to experiment with these new fiberglass bodies, this coach was initially a flop. It saw some revival years later in Los Angeles when it was reintroduced as the Metro 45C.