Two bus quotes can look identical on paper and be ten years apart underneath. Every number in our column below is published and sourced. The other column is yours to fill in — from the other builder’s own documents. If a number is easy to find, that tells you something. If it isn’t, that tells you more.
| What to check | The HLE quote | The other quote |
|---|---|---|
| The durability test | ||
| Altoona report number & year runFind it: ask the salesperson, then verify in the public Altoona database (Penn State LTI). Free, searchable. | Report 2024-04 — run in 2024Source: FTA Altoona database | report # ______ · year ______ |
| Which test standard?The scored pass/fail standard began in 2016. Older reports have no score, no pass line, and no cap on shop hours. | Current scored standard — 82.6 aggregate, passedSource: report 2024-04 | scored / pre-2016 unscored |
| Road calls that stopped serviceFind it: the report’s Class 2 failure list. Class 2 = the bus left revenue service. | 0 in 9,170 durability milesSource: report 2024-04 | count ______ |
| The warranty | ||
| Structural warrantyFind it: their warranty PDF — the document, not the brochure. | 5 years / 100,000 milesSource: published HLE warranty PDF | years ____ / miles ______ |
| General body warrantyThe bumper-to-bumper body coverage — separate from structural. | 3 years / 36,000 milesSource: published HLE warranty PDF | years ____ / miles ______ |
| Sub-floor coverageThe floor is what kills most shuttle buses. Is it named in the warranty at all? | 7 years, PerformMAX 500Source: published HLE warranty PDF | years ____ · or not covered |
| A/C warranty | 5 years, unlimited milesSource: published HLE warranty PDF | years ____ / miles ______ |
| Does anything prorate?Look for a schedule that steps coverage down as the bus ages. Read the paint section twice. | Nothing prorates. Year five is worth what day one was.Source: published HLE warranty PDF | yes / no · schedule: ______ |
| The body — the core of every HLE bus | ||
| Body structureGauge and material in writing, not “steel cage” in a brochure. | 1.5″ × 1.5″ steel cage — 50% thicker tube than typicalSource: published spec tables | spec: ______________________ |
| Sidewalls — how many pieces?A beltline seam is where corrosion starts. Ask where the seams are and how they’re sealed. | One piece, pressure-laminated and bonded to the steel — no beltline seamSource: highlevelbus.com/why-hle/how-we-build-it | pieces ____ · seams sealed with ______ |
| What’s behind the exterior panel?Much of the industry backs its fiberglass with lauan plywood. Plywood absorbs water, delaminates, and rots. | Azdel composite, hot-melt laminated to the Filon exterior — no wood to rotSource: published spec tables | composite / plywood / unknown |
| Roof — one piece or seamed?Standard FRP weakens under UV within a few years. Ask what the roof is made of and whether it’s reinforced. | One-piece Impact Guard (IPG) reinforced roof, reinforced radiusSource: published spec tables + roof impact test video | material ______ · pieces ____ |
| Steel corrosion protectionPainted, e-coated, or bare? Ask what happens to the crossmembers specifically. | Every steel component sandblasted, chemically washed, powder coated at 400°F — crossmembers double-passedSource: highlevelbus.com/why-hle/how-we-build-it | process: ______________________ |
| What’s in the walls?Ask whether the insulation is cut-to-fit board or batting and scraps stuffed in the cavities. | 1.5″ solid foam, cut to fit every cavitySource: published spec tables | cut-to-fit / batting / unknown |
| What is the sub-floor made of?Plywood is why most shuttle buses die at year four. Ask for the material, not the flooring brand on top. | PerformMAX 500 composite with Ovation overlay — doesn’t rotSource: published spec tables | composite / plywood treated / plywood |
| How does the body attach to the frame?Hard-bolted bodies transmit every road impact into the structure — and into the cabin as noise. | Isolated on rubber puck mounts between body and frameSource: published spec tables | hard-bolted / isolated / unknown |
| Does the lift door cut into the roofline?Paratransit buyers: a lift door framed into the roof curvature is a leak point for the life of the bus. | No. Lift door framed below the roof curvature — the roofline stays unbrokenSource: published spec tables | breaks roofline? y/n |
| WiringLoose wire chafes; chafed wire is the electrical gremlin you chase in year three. | Every wire in loom, printed identification, laser-cut grommeted pass-throughsSource: highlevelbus.com/why-hle/how-we-build-it | loomed / loose · labeled? y/n |
| How many butt connectors?The cheapest splice in the industry, and the first one to corrode. Ask for the number. | Zero. Marine-grade watertight connectors throughoutSource: highlevelbus.com/why-hle/how-we-build-it | count ______ |
| Floor-to-wall seamWater on the floor finds the wall seam. Ask what’s between the flooring and the sidewall — and what it’s sealed with. | No seam. One-piece cove-molded transition on every bus — the flooring runs from under the wall seat track and curves down to the floorSource: published spec tables | seam sealed with ______ |
| Every bus leak-tested?Ask: every unit, or sample audits? For how long, at what volume? | Every bus — 300 gal/min for 25 minutes with an inspector inside, then a 25-mile road testSource: highlevelbus.com/why-hle | every bus / sampled / unknown |
| Noise into the cabinFind it: the report’s sound-transmission test — 80 dB(A) played outside, measured inside at six seats. | 47.0 dB(A) at the driver’s seat — the quietest seat in the busSource: report 2024-04, §7.1 | driver’s seat ______ dB(A) |
| The order | ||
| Build time — in writingIf it’s not on the quote, it’s not a commitment. | Typical 90–120 days — written into every HLE quote2026 average: 92 days | days ______ · on the quote? y/n |
| PriceNow read it next to everything above. Cheapest bus and cheapest ownership are rarely the same bus. | your HLE quote $ __________ | their quote $ __________ |
HLE column sources: FTA Altoona report 2024-04 (public) · published HLE warranty documents · published spec tables. Specifications vary by chassis and configuration — your quote is the binding document. New to the Altoona database? Here’s how to look any builder up.
We don’t need to name anyone. Every row above comes off documents any builder either publishes — or doesn’t. You do the comparing; we’ll live with your answer.