There's a gap between the standard shuttle and the big iron. Your groups have grown past 26 people, or your routes are long enough that you want heavy-duty running gear under them — but a full-size chassis is more bus than the job needs. The KAVLYR fills that gap.
Built on the Ford F-550 and F-600, the KAVLYR seats up to 36 passengers with real weight headroom to spare. The F-Series chassis is rated for harder duty than the E-Series: heavier axles, bigger brakes, more capacity margin when the bus is full of people and luggage. If your buses run full, run long routes, or run all day, that margin is the difference between a chassis loafing at its rating and one working at its limit.
Typical KAVLYR buyers: charter and tour operators running mid-size groups, universities and athletic departments, churches with large congregations, and shuttle operators whose passenger counts crept up until the E-Series stopped making sense.
Smaller groups? See the MAVRYK. Bigger ones? See the STRATOS.
| Spec | KAVLYR |
|---|---|
| Capacity & configuration | |
| Passenger capacity | Up to 35 passengers · up to 10 wheelchair positions |
| Model sizes | HLE-27 – HLE-37 |
| Typical build time | 90–120 days from order · 2026 average: 92 days |
| Luggage options | Rear compartment · overhead · interior rack |
| Passenger seat width | 17.5 in standard · 19 in upgrade |
| Seat spacing | 26 – 42 in, typically 31 – 34 in by floor plan |
| Chassis & driveline | |
| Chassis options | Ford F-550 · Ford F-600 |
| Engine | Diesel or gas |
| GVWR | 19,550 lb (F-550) · 22,000 lb (F-600) |
| Fuel options | Gas · Diesel · Propane · CNG |
| Fuel tank capacity | 40 gal |
| Alternator | 410 A |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 205 – 267 in |
| Body length | 241 – 318 in |
| Body width (mirrors excluded) | 96 in |
| Interior width | 92 in, inside wall to inside wall |
| Overall height | 126 in without roof-mounted A/C — a roof-mounted A/C adds to this |
| Interior standing height | Raised floor 79.5 in |
| Entry steps | 4-step entry (raised floor) |
| Step riser / run | 10.5 in rise × 10 in run |
| Ground to first step | 11.25 in |
| Aisle width | 19.25 in (seat to seat, without armrests) |
| Overall length | Published per floor plan — see the floor plan library |
| Accessibility | |
| Entry door width | 36 in rough opening (33 in clear) · 42 in rough opening optional |
| Entry door opening height | 82 in (floor to opening) |
| Wheelchair lift | Braun 800 – 1,000 lb · platform 34×51, 34×54, 37×51 or 37×54 in |
| Comfort & climate | |
| Air conditioning capacity | 70,000 – 170,000 BTU |
| Fuel economy | — |
| Construction | |
| Body structure | 1.5 in × 1.5 in welded steel cage, fully powder-coated |
| Sidewalls | Pressure-laminated one-piece sidewall, roofline to skirt, bonded to the steel structure — no beltline seam. Dual-door builds (copilot seat) carry a molded fiberglass lower skirt over the same one-piece wall and structure |
| Roof | One-piece Impact Guard (grade IG03), fiberglass-reinforced polypropylene |
| Sub-floor | PerformMAX 500 with Ovation overlay |
| Insulation | 1.5 in closed-cell EPS foam board, cut to fill each wall cavity · insulation R-5.85 |
| Wiring | Custom-built wiring and harnesses per HLE brand · Amphenol / Molex marine-grade connectors |
| Leak test | Every bus rain-tested before delivery, with an inspector riding inside |
| Warranty & testing | |
| Warranty | 3yr/36K bumper-to-bumper · 5yr/100K structural body · 7-year subfloor |
| Air conditioning warranty | By installed system — Spheros up to 5 years / unlimited miles · Trans/Air 2 years standard, extensions available |
| Testing | FMVSS compliant · heading to FTA Altoona testing |
Specifications are from the 2026 HLE order forms and published chassis data, and vary by chassis and configuration. Confirm the exact build with your dealer before writing a purchase order. Overall length and step riser height are published per configuration — ask your dealer or call 574-343-2150.
When your groups are past 26 passengers, or when you want heavy-duty axles and brakes under a bus that runs full or runs long routes. The KAVLYR seats up to 35.
When you regularly carry more than 35 passengers, or you need maximum luggage capacity for tour and charter work.
Ford F-550 and F-600.
90–120 days from order. The 2026 average is 92 days.
Need a configuration you don't see? Most layouts are buildable. Talk to your dealer or call HLE at 574-343-2150.
Every KAVLYR carries the same construction: powder-coated steel cage, one-piece pressure-laminated sidewalls, 5/8" PerformMAX 500 subfloor, Impact Guard roof, in-house wiring harnesses with marine-grade connectors — and every single unit runs the rain booth and a 25-mile road test before delivery.
Why that mattersWhere this model works: Airport & Parking · NEMT & Paratransit · Government & Procurement
