CONWAY, Ark. For more than 75 years, buses, notably school buses, have been produced in Conway.

That will end next year when IC Corp. ceases production at its Conway school bus plant.

A spokesman for ICs parent company, Navistar, said "We have to consolidate our bus assembly operations into one facility. Its driven by market factors."

Roy Wiley said the economy has made for a "terrible time" for the industry, with school districts not being able to purchase many buses.

IC is consolidating production at a plant in Tulsa, Okla., which is a newer facility and costs less to operate.

IC plans to continue fabricating parts at the Conway site but it will be a much-reduced operation. Up to 477 jobs will be lost. Layoffs will not start, however, until after the first of the year.

Conway traces its bus-building roots to the early 1930s and the Ward Body Company, which produced Ward school buses

In 1979, Ward filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Then-Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton helped put together a group that bought the assets of Ward. In 1980, the American Transportation Corp. was formed and began doing business as AmTran Corp. a year later.

The Ward name was retained because of its strong brand identity; non-school buses produced by the company bore the AmTran name.

In 1991, Navistar began investing in American Transportation Corp., acquiring a one-third interest. Navistar also obtained an option that would allow it to buy the remaining two-thirds by April 1995, which it did.

In 1992, the Ward name was phased out. During the next few years, buses were badged AmTran or International (Truck and Bus). After the 2002 model year, Navistar dropped AmTran and International in favor of IC Corp.