Starcraft Bus Information

From its beginnings in 1903, the Starcraft brand has become widely recognized for quality, durability and value in a variety of transportation products, but it wasn't until 1998 that Starcraft Bus joined the shuttle bus industry by building its first prototype, the Allstar. It was well received in the industry and the company soon decided to expand its commercial line of shuttle buses. After several years of consistent growth, Starcraft Bus was purchased by Forest River in September of 2001. It joined a company that was one of the nation's largest manufacturers of recreational vehicles. In addition, Forest River offers cargo trailers, boats, toy haulers and manufactured housing. Shortly after its acquisition by Forest River, Starcraft renewed its commitment to build the best bus at the best price in the industry. The company streamlined its operation, eliminating some underperforming product lines, in order to focus on making the Allstar the best seller in the shuttle bus market. It wasn't long until the company seemed to find its niche in the shuttle bus market and decided to expand its product offering. Since 2005, Starcraft Bus has introduced several new models including the Starquest, Ultrastar, Starlite, XLT, Xpress and Allstar XL built on the Ford F550, International UC and TC chassis. The market-wide acceptance of Starcraft's products have made it North America's largest shuttle bus manufacturer. In September of 2005, Warren Buffett of Berkshire Hathaway purchased Forest River from Pete Liegl, its founder and CEO. The fact that Berkshire Hathaway is one of the most respected and financially secure companies in the world only solidified Forest River and Starcraft's position in their respected industries. The purchase allowed the companies under the Berkshire Hathaway umbrella to continue to reduce costs, improve quality, make strategic acquisitions, and diversify their revenue base by entering new markets. In 2008, Starcraft Bus expanded in to a new market that was a first for Forest River, when they ...