O2 Cool Manufacturing has emerged as a player in the school bus space by applying decades of bus HVAC experience, vertically integrated engineering, and flexible installation models to meet the diverse needs of pupil transportation providers.
O2 Cool’s roots in the school bus HVAC market are deeply tied to industry legacy. The company is owned by Tony Woods, founder of Bus Air Manufacturing, and Marty Fitzgerald, an operations-focused executive with a background managing large-scale manufacturing operations. Woods brings more than 30 years of hands-on experience designing, manufacturing, installing, and servicing bus air conditioning systems, while Fitzgerald provides operational and business leadership.
Together, they formed O2 Cool after acquiring inventory, intellectual property, certifications, and test data from the ProAir bankruptcy, including the HVAC product lines associated with BusAir, ProAir, American Cooling Technologies and Evans Tempcon.
This acquisition-based foundation allowed O2 Cool to enter the market with established designs, proven engineering, and regulatory continuity rather than starting from scratch. Today, the company operates out of a new 86,000-square-foot facility in North Central Texas that houses engineering, fabrication, testing, assembly, inventory, and executive leadership under one roof.
According to Jay Miller, VP of Sales, Engineering and Business Development, this vertical integration enables tighter quality control, faster development cycles, and improved responsiveness to customer needs.
From an HVAC standpoint, O2 Cool’s approach centers on complete climate control systems rather than standalone air conditioning. Systems can integrate cooling and heating options, tailored to state regulations, district specifications, and vehicle configurations. This flexibility is particularly relevant for districts operating in varied climates or transitioning older buses that were not originally equipped with HVAC.
One of the company’s most distinctive contributions to the pupil transportation market is its installation model. In addition to fixed installation facilities near major OEM manufacturing centers (including Tulsa, Oklahoma, near IC Bus, and Fort Valley, Georgia, near Blue Bird) O2 Cool operates mobile installation teams that can upfit buses directly at district locations.
These crews arrive with fully equipped trailers, power generation, tools, and pre-kitted components, allowing them to perform complete HVAC installations on site.
This capability has important operational implications for school districts. Rather than transporting buses long distances or removing large portions of a fleet from service, districts can schedule phased installations aligned with spare ratios or off-hours availability. Miller described projects in which crews retrofit buses overnight or on weekends, returning vehicles to service by morning.
For districts managing tight route coverage or limited spare capacity, this logistical flexibility can reduce disruption while accelerating fleet-wide upgrades.
Supply chain resilience also plays a central role in O2 Cool’s HVAC strategy. The company prioritizes domestic sourcing for its primary components, with secondary offshore options used only as backup.
This dual-sourcing approach is designed to mitigate risks associated with global supply disruptions, tariffs, and long lead times. These factors have increasingly affected fleet maintenance planning in recent years. By building products to stock rather than strictly to order, O2 Cool maintains inventory availability that supports faster response to district needs.
From an engineering perspective, the company maintains in-house development and testing capabilities, allowing it to adapt systems for unique applications or emerging requirements.
This can be particularly valuable for districts operating mixed fleets, retrofitting older vehicles, or responding to evolving state HVAC specifications.
Equally important is the human element behind the technology. Miller emphasized the long tenure of O2 Cool’s engineering, installation, procurement, and quality teams; many of whom have worked in bus HVAC for decades.
This continuity supports consistent installation practices, informed troubleshooting, and direct access to knowledgeable staff. When districts contact O2 Cool, they speak directly with personnel experienced in engineering, service, or logistics rather than navigating layered call systems.
Rather than approaching HVAC as a one-size-fits-all product, the company’s model reflects a broader shift toward flexible, service-oriented solutions in the school bus market.