A Legacy of Excellence
Pioneering Innovation in Bus Refurbishing, Repair, Bus Sales & Leasing
For over three decades, Complete Coach Works has been at the forefront of the bus transportation industry, setting benchmarks in quality, innovation, and customer satisfaction.
Our Legacy of Excellence
From humble beginnings to industry leadership
Early Beginnings and Family Involvement (1933-1959)
1933: Dean Carson moves his family to Lynwood, California after the Long Beach earthquake, seeking job opportunities.
1943: Dave Carson, Dean’s Son, at age 16, begins working at Lynwood Battery Manufacturing (which made battries for buses), developing a lifelong interest in buses.
1944: Dean Carson helps his son Dave start Lynwood Cross Town Lines bus company.
1952: Dave Carson becomes Vice President and General Manager at Crown Coach in Los Angeles, in charge of highway coach bus sales. His brother, Jim Carson, takes over the Lynwood bus operation.
Expanding Horizons and Innovations (1960s-1980s)
1960: Dave Carson leaves Crown Coach and founds Carson Enterprises, Inc., and American International Bus Exchange (AIBE), specializing in finding new homes for “Old Look” used transit buses, particularly in Central and South America. David’s Sons, Dean and Dale join the family business in the Mid 1970s.
1961: Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority acquires Cross Town Lines, with Jim Carson becoming a division manager for LAMTA and SCRTD.
1977: Carson Companies sold to Chromalloy American Corp.; Dean and Dale Carson remain with the company in shop operations and Dean Carson joins the bus sales department at Hausman bus sales, a division of Chromalloy.
1983: Dale Carson manages a rebuild center in Mississippi and then in Hawaii for a contract with Roberts Hawaii to remanufacture buses for the City and County of Honolulu.
1986: Dean and Dale Carson purchase Commuter Bus Lines in Southern California, which operates home-to-work bus service. The first contract was awarded by OCTA for 175 RTS to convert the exhaust from under the bumper to out the roof and HVAC improvements.
1987: Dale and his wife, Terri, incorporate D/T Carson Enterprises, Inc., starting Complete Coach Works (CCW) on a 1-acre facility in Riverside, California.
Growth and Development (1986-2000)
1987: CCW wins contracts to repaint 175 buses for OCTD and rebuild 8 transit buses for UCLA.
Early 1990s: Dale and Jerry Farrar invent and patent The 3-Minute Window, a glass guard for transit bus windows, leading to the formation of Transit Care windows.
1993: CCW moves to a 10-acre facility in Riverside, California, revamping the property into a state-of-the-art bus repair and refurbishment facility.
1995: Commuter Bus Lines becomes Shuttle Bus Leasing and Transit Sales International.
1999: Dean leaves Hausman bus sales and joins TSI and SBL as president.
Evolution and Legacy (2000s)
2008: Dean Carson tragically passes away in an aviation accident. Despite the loss, his legacy continues as his sons, David and Kyle, join Complete Coach Works. David stays with the company for a few years, while Kyle works closely with his uncle Dale and cousins for eight years before moving on to another opportunity in the transportation industry in San Francisco.
2010: Complete Coach Works secures a prestigious contract to lease and maintain 300 buses for the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada.
Modern Era and Innovations (2012-2020)
2012: Development of Zero Emission Propulsion System (ZEPS) begins, addressing customer interest in battery electric buses.
2013: First ZEPS electric bus delivered to the University of Utah, featuring wireless charging technology developed in partnership with WAVE.
2014: CCW converts a diesel trolley bus to electric for the University of California Riverside.
2015: CCW provides a ZEPS bus to Ben Franklin Transit in Washington for testing all-electric operations.
2016: ZEPS buses delivered to McAllen, Texas, featuring embedded charging pads from WAVE.
2017: CCW receives repeat orders from Liberty University and new contracts with Indianapolis International Airport for ZEPS buses.
Ongoing Success and Expansion (2021-Present)
2021: Complete Coach Works, along with Shuttle Bus Leasing, Transit Sales International, and D/T Carson Enterprises, transitioned to an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) under Carson Capital Corp. Dale and his wife, Terri expressed their heartfelt gratitude to the staff, stating that the ESOP was their way of giving back to the employees who contributed to the company’s success. The ESOP retirement benefit is in addition to the company’s existing 401(k) Plan.
2022: CCW wins its largest contract in its history with San Fransisco MTA for the refurbishment over 200 hybrid electric buses.
2023: CCW enhances its management team with the appointment of Brad Carson as its Chief Operating Officer, Michael Dominici as its Chief Financial Officer, and Patrick Scully as Chief Commercial Officer.
Our Achievements
2020
Best Marketing and Communications Educational Initiative
Recognized for our initiative to foster youth education
2021
Best Marketing and Communications Educational Initiative
Recognized for our initiative to educate others on electric vehicle conversions
2023
Best Marketing and Communications to Support Ridership or Sales
Recognized for our initiative to bring awarness to others on our services
2024
Best Workforce Development Marketing and Communications
Recognized for our initiative to providing exceptional support to our employees