Our Story

Founded by Robert E. and Justine Matthews, Matthews Buses, Inc. became the Upstate New York authorized distributor for Thomas Built Buses on March 1, 1967. That year, Bob sold Matthews Auto Body and moved the family from Long Island to Dansville, New York. A pilot since the age of 16, Bob selected Dansville because of the convenient private airport that became home to the original Matthews Buses facility. Bob utilized the convenience of his airplane to cover the large Upstate New York territory. Bob routinely demonstrated the durability, reliability and safety that go into every Thomas Built Bus by flying customers to the factory. These legendary trips are still spoken of today.

Bob and Justine formed The Matthews Group, Inc., in 1985. Rifled Air Conditioning, Matthews Specialty Vehicles and Matthews Mobile Media soon followed as members of The Matthews Group. Under the leadership of Glenn Matthews, President, Matthews Buses, Inc. recently added two new facilities. In August 2008, Matthews became the Thomas Built Buses Dealer for Central and Northern Florida, based out of Orlando. In February 2009, Matthews also became the Thomas Built Bus Dealer for the Hudson Valley in New York State, based out of Maybrook.

Matthews Buses has been in the business of meeting commercial transportation needs in airport shuttle, retirement home, health care facility, government agency and more, since 1974. Matthews’ commercial offerings include the complete Thomas Built Buses, Inc. line-up of products, including specialty needs buses and wheel chair lift vehicles in a variety of sizes. Matthews is one of the America’s top performers for Startrans (Supreme) selling buses throughout New York and New England while also representing the full line of buses from Champion, Elkhart Coach, Federal Coach and Turtle Top.

MyBus is the newest addition to the Thomas line of bus products. A MyBus vehicle safely and cost effectively transports up to 30 passengers making it an excellent choice for childcare centers, service organizations, churches and youth groups. Classified as a Multi-Function School Activity Bus (MFSAB) it meets the same Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) as school buses, but is not required to have stop arms or traffic control lights and, in most states, is not required to be yellow. Studies have shown that school buses (including MFSABs) are the safest form of surface transportation. MyBus was designed not only to be safe, but also to be easy to maintain, similar to driving a van, and durable enough to withstand the rigors of transporting children and adults.

Matthews offers full service Sales and Service facilities located in Syracuse, Dansville, Ballston Spa and Maybrook, New York and Orlando, Florida, with technicians who are Thomas Built, Mercedes, Caterpillar, Cummins, Freightliner and Allison Transmission trained and certified. The Company’s large fleet of mobile service vehicles successfully meets the needs of our ever-expanding customer network, earning us a reputation for providing service when they need it. All part of the “Matthews Service Advantage” our customers have grown to rely on.

Rifled Air Conditioning represents a strategic component within the Matthews Group. Founded in 1994 by Brad Matthews. RAC was the first to bring grooved copper coiled technology to the bus industry. The design of the coils increase the surface area by 50 percent – cooling with greater efficiency – benefitting our customers. RAC’s new 55,000-square-foot facility is ideally suited to serve the needs of school bus customers throughout the United States.

Matthews Buses has grown to be one of the largest bus dealers in the U.S. and one of Rifled Air Conditioning’s best distributors – both companies are recognized as innovative leaders.