Waconia Patriot: Koch buses have a new place to park

Reprinted with permission from the Waconia Patriot

By Al Lohman

After 80 years at its original location on South Birch Street, Koch Bus Service recently moved into a new building on Orchard Road at 94th Street near the Waconia High School campus.

The new 49,000- square-foot facility will house Koch’s 72 buses and vans that serve the Waconia area. It also includes an office and shop space, and will be the maintenance headquarters for both its Waconia and Watertown operations. Koch also provides bus service to Shakopee schools and has a total of 135 vehicles in its fleet.

Growth in Waconia Schools’ student population and the need for additional space were key reasons for construction the new facility, according to Koch Bus Service owner and driver Brian Koch.

The new building effectively consolidates Koch’s vehicles into a single location and should improve both bus parking and traffic flow. Buses previously had been housed in multiple garages at its downtown Waconia location. The Orchard Road facility also is heated, which should considerably aid fleet operations during winter, he said.

Moving day was Tuesday, Nov. 26, just before the schools’ Thanksgiving break, which gave drivers and staff a chance to get acclimated to their new transportation headquarters.