Pareto Mobility has announced the opening of its 50,000-square-foot manufacturing and assembly facility at the Burroughs office campus in Plymouth Township. A cost range for the vehicles was not provided.
Led by first-generation immigrant and inventor AJ Kumar, the facility brings commercial bus manufacturing back to Michigan five years after Champion Bus ceased operations in the state in 2021.
The facility will manufacture Pareto Mobility’s Step-Free vehicle, billed as America’s first fully flat, low-floor commercial bus. It is designed to make accessible transportation safer, more convenient, and more affordable for transit agencies, senior-living communities, health care providers, and shuttle operators.
“Bringing bus manufacturing back to Michigan will strengthen the state’s manufacturing sector and create jobs,” says Kumar, founder and CEO of Pareto Mobility. “We will sell Step-Free vehicles through dealers nationwide and deliver across the United States and Canada. Michigan gave me the opportunity to develop new technologies, create businesses, generate jobs, and manufacture innovative vehicles.”
Kumar states he has invented seven technologies that have been granted U.S. patents, with four additional U.S. patent applications pending. His intellectual-property portfolio covers modular vehicle architecture, wheelchair-accessible transportation systems, vehicle-flooring technologies, and automotive engineering innovations.
The Step-Free bus is a dedicated platform and North America’s first commercial bus designed with a fully flat passenger floor without interior steps or disruptive floor transitions, according to Kumar.
Its design simplifies boarding for passengers using wheelchairs, walkers, and other mobility devices.
Flexible configurations accommodate seated passengers and up to four wheelchair users. Its low entrance and ramp-based boarding system eliminate the complexity of traditional wheelchair lifts.
“Our goal is to disrupt the commercial bus market by making low-floor accessibility a mainstream feature, not a costly specialty option,” Kumar says. “Step-Free gives operators accessibility and flexibility without compromising passenger capacity, convenience, or affordability.”
The Plymouth Township facility, located at 13150 Haggerty Rd. B3-100, will support engineering, assembly, and production.
“Bringing bus manufacturing back to Michigan while introducing technologies such as digital twins and digital manufacturing to the bus industry is my way of contributing to the promise of the American Dream,” Kumar says.
For more information, visit paretomobility.com.
