By Marcella Peyre-Ferry

A business that has spanned four generations with a history of providing service for more than 75 years, DuVall Bus Service is firmly rooted in the community. Families that have grown up in the Avon Grove School District will recognize the company’s school buses that have been safely and dependably transporting students for generations.

The company was first started by Charles W. DuVall, who farmed and operated dump trucks. At that time, the Avon Grove School District only had one contractor providing school bus service. That contractor approached Charles DuVall about taking over one of the bus runs, and that was how the company got into the school bus business. 

More equipment was added when Robert DuVall, Charles’s son, was old enough to come into the business. The two worked together farming, driving school buses and dump trucks, and also plowing snow in the winter.  

Robert continued to work with his father but went out on his own as well as an over the road trucker, driving a tractor-trailer. When Charles retired, Robert and his wife Frances bought him out. Robert continued to drive a truck and grew that part of the business by buying more equipment and hiring more truck drivers. He also continued to build the bus business along with Frances’s help at home while he was on the road.  

The family has had a contract with the Avon Grove School District to provide bus service now for over 75 years. As the area has grown and developed, buses and vans have been added to cover the area’s growing needs. DuVall Bus Service has kept the buses equipped with the latest technology, and now they all have automatic transmissions and surveillance cameras for security. They are still one of the two bus providers to service the district.

Safety is always one of the biggest concerns for DuVall Bus Services. The buses themselves are designed to protect young passengers in the event of an accident. The company is also directly involved in making the decision on delaying or cancelling school in the event of severe weather. When there is a weather event, at around 3 a.m., the company’s head mechanic makes a road tour of the worst roads. He then consults with the district around 4:30 a.m. so that a decision can be made by 5 a.m. 

Around 1998, the company purchased their first coach bus and the coach/charter bus side of the business began. Since then, several more coach buses have been added, boosting that part of the business exponentially.    

Robert and Frances worked very hard to get the business to where it is today. One important factor in their continuing success has always been the ability to adapt to the needs of the community. In 2005, the trucks were parked due to the economy, but the bus business continued to grow and became the main focus of the company. The company is now in the hands of Sandra DuVall-Wolfe, Robert and Frances’s daughter, who is now the company’s president and manager.

Although DuVall Bus Service is best known for their school buses,  they also offer clients high-class transportation in style in their coach buses. They offer vehicles sized for 18 to 22 passengers, 33 passengers, or 56 passengers.

DuVall Bus Service can help with group transportation for a wedding, party, reunion, private trip or religious retreat. The company has different vehicles to accommodate everything from small to large groups. They offer competitive rates and qualified and courteous drivers. For a quote, just provide your pickup location and a destination, and any stops you want to make on the way—along with start and finish times and the number of passengers. 

“We pride ourselves on having the cleanest and nicest well-maintained fleet around, and being on time with the most courteous drivers who are there to make sure that your event transportation needs are met,” Sandy DuVall-Wolfe said on the company website. “We hope we exceed your expectations.”

For more information, visit the website at duvallbusservices.com or call 610-869-2881.