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71-477: The Thomas Saf-T-Liner C2 (often shortened to Thomas C2 ) is a cowled-chassis bus manufactured by bus body manufacturer Thomas Built Buses . Introduced in 2004, the vehicle is produced primarily as a school bus ; other configurations of the model line were developed for commercial use and specialty configurations. It is also known as the "Shuttle Bus" to many students due to its space shuttle appearance, higher roof, and advanced tech compared to many School buses on

142-667: A 339 hp 8.0L V8, the C2 Propane is paired with the Allison 2300PTS automatic transmission. The engine is designed by Powertrain Integration (an OEM supplier to General Motors) with the 8.0L V8 named the PIthon. In 2019, the propane engine was enlarged to a DriveForce-branded 8.8 L, supplied by Power Solutions International, which had acquired Powertrain Integration in 2015. In 2016, a compressed natural gas (CNG) variant of

213-399: A bus body), adhesive bonding was used to complete a number of body joints. In the cases where fasteners are needed, self-piercing rivets are used. These engineered fasteners join layers of metal together without punching completely through the bottom layer, thus reducing the likelihood that rivets will become the source of leaks in the future. As with all conventional-style school buses,

284-542: A buyer for use. Neither their product, nor the first stage portion, called an incomplete motor vehicle , are fully compliant with all of the requirements for a complete motor vehicle without the other . Cutaway van chassis are one of the more popular incomplete motor vehicles for second stage manufacturers to use as a platform for their products. A large portion of small school buses , minibuses , and recreational vehicles are based upon cutaway van chassis. This article about an industrial corporation or company

355-546: A decade (California manufacturers Crown Coach and Gillig Corporation had not produced a front-engine school bus since before World War II). As a competitor to the Blue Bird Mini Bird and Carpenter Cadet, Thomas reintroduced the Mighty Mite as a Type B bus, a school bus body paired with a stripped chassis. The late 1970s and early 1980s was a period of struggle for all school bus manufacturers. Coupled with

426-776: A heavy-duty variant of the Saf-T-Liner ER marketed against Crown Supercoach and Gillig Phantom school buses. Sold only in 84 and 90-passenger configurations, the WestCoastER used heavier-duty driveline and suspension components; tandem rear axles were offered as an option. In the late 1980s, the Saf-T-Liner product line (with the exception of the WestCoastER) adopted the MVP suffix, standing for M aneuverability, V isibility, and P rotection. In 1989, Thomas introduced

497-545: A hybrid-electric version of the Saf-T-Liner, named the C2e (stylized as C2). The parallel hybrid drivetrain was designed by Eaton Corporation ; the C2e retains the Cummins ISB engine and adds a 1.9 kW-hr lithium-ion battery pack with a 44 kW electric motor/generator. Annual fuel savings were estimated to range from 300 to 450 US gal (1,100 to 1,700 L) assuming 10,000 miles (16,000 km) per year. This

568-590: A range of up to 135 miles (217 km), assuming an efficiency of 1.4 kW-hr/mile (24.6 mpg ‑US (9.6 L/100 km) equivalent). The bus is charged using the SAE J1772 CCS Combo 1 connector; a full charge takes approximately 3 hours using a 60 kW DC charger. The first large order for 50 Jouley buses was placed by Dominion Energy in December 2019 as the first phase of their school bus replacement program, to be delivered by

639-552: A second conventional-style bus to its model line, launching the Thomas Vista school bus. To optimize forward sightlines for drivers, the layout of the driver's compartment and forward chassis were redesigned. Along with a shorter hood and redesigned windshield, the engine and front axle were repositioned. In contrast to a standard conventional bus, the driver of the Vista sat beside the engine (rather than behind it). In 1991,

710-522: A stake in the company (remaining under full family control). In the early 1980s, Thomas launched a diversification of its product line, expanding its presence in the transit bus segment. Derived from the Saf-T-Liner, the Transit Liner was developed for commercial use. In 1982, the CL960 "Citiliner" was introduced as a dedicated transit bus; while sharing its underpinnings with the Saf-T-Liner ER,

781-742: A subsidiary of Daimler Trucks North America (the parent company of Freightliner ) since 1998. Prior to its acquisition, the company was operated by the Perley A. Thomas family, the final major school bus manufacturer operated under family control. Since 1936, Thomas has produced school buses in High Point, North Carolina. In addition to bus bodies, the company also produces vehicle chassis for its Saf-T-Liner/Transit Liner EFX and HDX2 Hbuses. The oldest surviving bus manufacturer in North America, Thomas Built Buses traces its roots to 1916. Following

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852-468: A transition away from streetcars, Thomas produced its first trolley bus in 1933; while still drawing power from overhead wires, a trolley bus was constructed from a bus chassis. For 1934, the company produced 10 transit buses for South Carolina-based Duke Power . Following the collapse of its primary source of revenue, Thomas Car Works diversified its work, expanding into automotive refinishing and construction of bus and truck bodies. From 1929 to 1934,

923-514: A user. In total, Thomas Car Works produced approximately 400 streetcars from 1918 to 1930; at its peak, the company was the fourth-largest manufacturer of streetcars in the United States. In 1921, Thomas Car Works secured its largest order for streetcars. In New Orleans, NOPSI (New Orleans Public Service, Inc.) decided to standardize their streetcar fleet upon 150 Thomas-designed streetcars, delivered from 1921 to 1924. Unable to fill

994-638: A variant of Navistar chassis shared with the Saf-T-Liner Conventional. In 1992, the fourth generation of the Thomas family took over daily operations of the company (becoming the first family-owned school bus company to do so). During the mid-1990s, the company began development of environmentally cleaner buses, with compressed natural gas (CNG) school buses entering production in 1993; several battery-electric school buses were produced in 1994 as prototype vehicles. By 1996, Thomas had become

1065-445: A year later, Blue Bird entered in a supply agreement with General Motors for conventional bus chassis. 1998 marked both the purchase of Thomas by Freightliner and the sale of Carpenter to Spartan Motors (its front/rear-engine chassis supplier). At the end of the 1990s, several changes made to the Thomas product line were related to its purchase by Freightliner. At the end of 1998 production, Navistar ended its chassis production for

1136-412: A year. A third generation of the Thomas family assumed control of the company leadership, with John Thomas Jr. (President) and Perley Thomas II (VP, international operations). As Thomas Car Works had ended its involvement with streetcars since World War II, the new generation of company leaders chose a new name for the company tied closer to its current product lines; in 1972, Perley A. Thomas Car Works

1207-550: Is a 20% increase in fuel economy, and the buses can drive under battery propulsion for up to 15 miles (24 km). At least 24 C2e buses were built and delivered to operators in Kentucky and Michigan. In the summer of 2013, Thomas removed the C2e product literature from their website, marking its discontinuation. In May 2014, Thomas Built Buses began production of a propane-fueled version of the Saf-T-Liner C2. Powered by

1278-532: Is the only manufacturer to produce a cowled-chassis bus body derived from the M2. Coinciding with the shift to the Freightliner M2 cowl, several changes were made to improve the functionality over its predecessor. Most visibly, to improve aerodynamics, the traditional multipane vertical windshield was replaced by a sloped single-piece curved piece of glass (allowing the use of the stock windshield wipers). Above

1349-404: Is the only school bus in North America offered with a manual transmission; a rarely ordered option is a Fuller 6-speed transmission. Allison 3000 automatic Fuller 6-speed manual CNG available 2009–present; produced with diesel-electric powertrain from 2009 to 2013 In a break from traditional bus body design, as body manufacturers acted as second stage manufacturers adapting the body to

1420-649: The Dennis Dart SLF (in CKD form). Following assembly by Thomas in North Carolina; while badged as Thomas vehicles (the Thomas Dennis SLF200), distribution of the low-floor buses was undertaken by Orion Bus (itself becoming a Daimler subsidiary in 2000). Into the late 1990s, Thomas Built Buses remained a family-owned company, controlled by the fourth generation of the Thomas family and

1491-451: The Ford heavy-truck line (and Ford Cargo ) in 1997 (continued as Sterling Trucks ), Freightliner acquired Thomas alongside the chassis production of Oshkosh Corporation (1995), American LaFrance (1996). For school bus manufacturers, the 1990s marked a period of association between major body and chassis manufacturers. In 1991, Navistar began its purchase of AmTran (completed in 1995);

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1562-599: The Freightliner Business Class M2 medium-duty truck in 2002 as the replacement for the FL-Series, Freightliner began work on an all-new bus chassis based on the M2 to replace the FS-65 bus chassis . As the parent company of Thomas Built Buses, Freightliner sought to pair the new bus chassis together with a new Thomas body, allowing the bus company to update its Saf-T-Liner Conventional bus body for

1633-601: The Thomas Saf-T-Liner name made its first appearance, denoting updated bus bodies (with an enlarged two-piece windshield). Used full-time by 1972, the name remains in use for all full-size Thomas buses over 60 years later. Company founder Perley Thomas died in 1958 at the age of 84; at the time of his death, Thomas retained his title of company president and also actively served as a design consultant. In 1962, Thomas Car Works officially expanded its production beyond High Point as Thomas Built Buses of Canada, Ltd.

1704-467: The Thomas Vista and nearly all small school buses); a smaller quarter window was located forward of the driver's sliding window. In comparison to other Thomas buses, the C2 has enlarged passenger windows and larger emergency exits. While initially equipped with an air-operated entry door, in 2012, an electric-operated entry door became offered as an option. Since 2016, a manually operated passenger entry door

1775-587: The 100,000th Thomas Saf-T-Liner C2 was delivered to Montgomery County Public Schools in Virginia . In 2016, Thomas Built Buses released the 100th Anniversary model of the C2. As the Thomas Saf-T-Liner C2 marked the first completely new bus body for the company since 1962, Thomas redesigned a number of its manufacturing techniques coinciding with its introduction. To minimize the number of rivets and welds (a weak point of structural integrity on

1846-525: The 1990s Thomas Vista conventional to improve loading-zone visibility. Alongside its distinctive exterior, the C2 is also available in up to 81-passenger capacity, the largest of any conventional-type school bus in North America. Thomas manufactures the C2 in a dedicated facility in High Point, North Carolina while the chassis is built in Gaffney, South Carolina . Following the introduction of

1917-539: The C2 is derived from a cowled-chassis conventional; the C2 uses the Freightliner C2 variant of the M2. As with 2000s and 2010s industry practice in school bus manufacturing, chassis and body manufacturers are paired, with Freightliner and Thomas developing the C2 as an integrated vehicle (the Freightliner grille badges are replaced with Thomas badges). At its launch, Mercedes-Benz MBE diesel engines were

1988-501: The High Point factory. Following the outbreak of World War II , as with its competitors, Thomas bus production was shifted towards the armed forces. In a contract shared with Ward Body Works , Thomas also produced various bodies for the GMC CCKW truck. While the war had brought school bus production to a halt, the High Point factory remained utilized in civilian capacity. To supplement its armed forces production, Thomas Car Works

2059-764: The Odyssey Group. Following the departure of Wayne Wheeled Vehicles from the manufacturing segment, Thomas became the largest manufacturer, holding a 34% market share in 1996. The same year, the Thomas family sold a majority stake of the company to the Berkshire Partners equity firm. Freightliner entered school bus manufacturing as a chassis producer in May 1996, unveiling the Freightliner FS-65 (derived from its FL60/FL70 Business Class medium-duty truck); developed in cooperation with Thomas,

2130-494: The Saf-T-Liner C2 was released. The first Type C (conventional-style) school bus produced with a CNG fuel system, the Saf-T-Liner C2 CNG is powered by a version of the Cummins ISB 6.7 engine. In November 2018, Thomas unveiled a battery-powered prototype of the Thomas Saf-T-Liner C2 designated eC2 or "Jouley" (after the unit of energy ). The prototype previews an all-electric C2 intended for production during 2019; it

2201-749: The Saf-T-Liner transit-style buses saw their first redesign since 1978. The ER and WestCoastER were given a much larger windshield, redesigned driver's compartment, and saw the introduction of several new diesel engines. To better compete with the Blue Bird TC/2000 and Ward Senator (which became the AmTran Genesis), Thomas replaced the Saf-T-Liner EF with the All Star, using an Oshkosh-produced chassis. The Thomas Vista continued production, shifting chassis in 1991 from General Motors to

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2272-458: The Thomas family and the Berkshire, retaining company president John W. Thomas III. The largest school bus manufacturer in North America at the time, Thomas Built Buses was the last major manufacturer operating under family control. At the time, Freightliner was undergoing a series of company acquisitions to diversify its product range beyond highway trucks. Along with acquiring the rights to

2343-471: The Vista; as the Vista body was developed solely for its chassis, Thomas discontinued the model line. While Freightliner did not purchase the Ford medium-duty truck range or the school bus chassis derived from it, Ford ended production of the latter after 1998. Consequently, from 1999 onward, the Saf-T-Liner Conventional was limited to Navistar or Freightliner chassis (along with AmTran/Ward, Carpenter, and Wayne,

2414-449: The bid between Thomas and Hackney Brothers . Dependent on length, Thomas offered wood-bodied school buses for $ 195 to $ 225. Following the completion of its second school bus bid in 1937, the company focused nearly all production on school bus bodies. In what is a long tradition that continues to the present day, Thomas remains the primary supplier of school buses to North Carolina. In 1938, several major innovations were introduced by

2485-565: The body, the front and rear roof caps were flattened (to accommodate 8-lamp warning systems), and the windshield was enlarged. Following the addition of safety upgrades to comply with safety mandates in 1977, the Saf-T-Liner body saw use in the Conventional through the end of 2006; in modified form, it remains in use with the EFX and HDX (and resized to fit the Minotour). At the smaller end of

2556-557: The bus, Thomas developed a convex blind-spot mirror. Initially mandated in North Carolina, the device (allowing a 150-degree field of vision directly in front of the bus) would be adopted by 16 other states in only two years. In various forms, blind-spot mirrors are currently required on all school buses in North America. In the early 1970s, Thomas underwent a number of major transitions in company leadership and market positioning. Company president John W. Thomas died in 1972, giving leadership to his brother James Thomas, who retired within

2627-491: The chassis, in the design of the C2, Freightliner-owned Thomas Built Buses designed the body and chassis of Saf-T-Liner C2 as fully integrated components. A separate body from the Saf-T-Liner EFX/HDX and Minotour, the C2 body shares no parts with its Saf-T-Liner Conventional/FS-65 predecessor. While Freightliner has also produced cutaway-cab buses derived from the M2 for commercial/transit use, Thomas Built Buses

2698-493: The closure of streetcar manufacturer Southern Car Company, Perley A. Thomas (trained as a woodworker and engineer) founded a company specializing in fireplace mantels and home furnishings. In the summer of 1916, Thomas shifted from furniture to streetcar construction, as he secured a contract to enclose existing streetcars in Charlotte, North Carolina, renovating them in a car barn. In the summer of 1916, Thomas Car Works

2769-733: The company developed a reinforced rubber-covered door hinge; the rubber also covered the gap between the two door panels as they closed. After World War II, a third generation of the family joined the company, with John W. Thomas Jr. and Perley (Pat) Thomas II, with the former becoming director of sales and the latter taking over control of government contracts. During the decade, Thomas Car Works began exports of its product lines, establishing satellite facilities in Ecuador and Peru. From North Carolina, bodies were shipped to South America in CKD form for final assembly on locally sourced chassis. In 1957,

2840-629: The company for the first time, quickly overtaking wooden designs. At the end of 1918, the company began construction on larger factory, a 30-acre facility outside of High Point allowing for both construction and repair of streetcars. While best known from their use in New Orleans , Perley Thomas streetcars produced during the 1920s would also be utilized by communities across the United States, including Charlotte, NC; Chicago, IL; Detroit, MI; Miami, FL; Mobile, AL; New York City; Philadelphia, PA; Washington, DC, and exported as well, with Havana, Cuba as

2911-404: The company to its school bus design, including its first steel-bodied school bus. While Perley Thomas streetcars had adopted steel construction in 1918, school bus design had slowly evolved from farm wagons, with wooden body construction continuing into the 1930s. Although not the first to construct an all-steel body, Thomas introduced one-piece roof bows, internal roll bars welded to each side of

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2982-442: The company workforce decreased from 125 to nearly 10 (which included Perley Thomas and his 3 children). Eventually, a company creditor filed for receivership, with the lack of potential buyers allowing for the survival of the company. In 1936, Thomas Car Works secured part of a bid to produce 500 school bus bodies for North Carolina. As the company was only financially able to acquire materials for 200 bodies, North Carolina split

3053-445: The decade, Thomas introduced a new logo, displayed on the roofline of its buses; a "T-bus" logo replaced the previous scripted "Thomas Built Buses" company logo (still attached elsewhere to the body). To better secure the future of the company, the Thomas family sought to raise capital for Thomas Built Buses, leading the company board to bring in the Odyssey Group investment firm to oversee the process. In return, Odyssey Group received

3124-523: The early 1970s, Thomas developed the Saf-T-Liner ER (Engine Rear) as an alternative to the Blue Bird All American. In line with other body manufacturers (Carpenter, Superior, Ward, and Wayne), Thomas was dependent on a second-party manufacturer for rear-engine chassis (using Ford , Dodge , GMC , International Harvester and Volvo ). In the early 1970s Thomas Built Buses introduced the first of its "Mighty Mite" series of buses and were

3195-606: The end of 2020. In February 2021, the Montgomery County Public Schools (Maryland) , largest school district in the state, announced they had ordered 326 Jouley buses. On October 17, 2022, Thomas delivered the 200th Saf-T-Liner C2 Jouley to Indiana-based Monroe County Public Schools. Thomas Built Buses Founded in 1916 as Perley A. Thomas Car Works , the company was renamed in 1972 to better represent its primary product lines. Headquartered since 1916 in High Point, North Carolina , Thomas has been

3266-423: The exterior, the C2 has largely remained the same throughout its production run. In late 2007, the passenger windows saw a minor change, with a shift to equal-size window sashes (previously, the top half was larger). In the rear, the taillights were redesigned and enlarged, later becoming a standard design for all Thomas buses. To improve driver sightlines, the mirror bracket for the passenger-side rear-view mirrors

3337-546: The factory and securing parts to build 55 more streetcars; 25 more were completed by the end of 1923 (bringing the total produced to 105). As of 2020, the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority operates 35 Perley Thomas 900-series streetcars in active daily use (on the St. Charles line , the oldest streetcar line in the world); the streetcars date from 1923 and 1924. In 1930, Thomas Car Works

3408-537: The first production Freightliner-chassis buses were produced at the beginning of 1997. The product launch marked the first completely new school bus chassis since 1980, with Freightliner becoming the first new cowled-chassis manufacturer since the 1977 withdrawal of Dodge. Following its collaboration with Thomas in developing the FS-65 chassis, in October 1998, Freightliner acquired Thomas Built Buses in its entirety from

3479-519: The first time since 1962. In 2004, in preparation for the C2, Thomas completed construction on a second production facility in High Point, North Carolina, adding 275,000 square feet of production capability. Following the introduction of the C2, its Saf-T-Liner FS-65 predecessor remained in production through the end of 2006, outliving the medium-duty FL-Series by nearly three years. In October 2012, Thomas delivered its 50,000th Saf-T-Liner C2 to Dean Transportation of Lansing, Michigan . In June 2018,

3550-542: The floor/frame structure. While the design has been updated for added strength, the one-piece roof bow is in use in all school buses manufactured in North America today. In another innovation, Thomas introduced an outward-opening entry door, designed to aid egress in emergency evacuation situations. In 1940, day-to-day operation of Thomas Car Works was turned over from Perley Thomas (who remained company president) to his three children. John W. Thomas managed company operations along with sales, along with James Thomas handling

3621-522: The future of school bus manufacturing. For the 1997 model year, Freightliner introduced the Freightliner FS-65 school bus chassis. Derived from the Freightliner FL60/FL70 medium-duty trucks introduced in 1995, the FS-65 chassis was paired with the Saf-T-Liner Conventional body, after several modifications (distinguished by the addition of a 4-piece windshield). During the 1990s, Thomas modernized and expanded its product range within

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3692-488: The largest school bus manufacturer in the United States (by market share). To keep up with added demand, the company opened a third factory in Monterrey, Mexico . As a design change, the "T-bus" roof emblem (used since the early 1980s) was replaced by a scripted Thomas Built Buses emblem (its predecessor). During the later 1990s, Thomas Built Buses would undergo a number of significant changes, with some that have changed

3763-453: The last General Motors chassis for a Thomas bus was produced in 1991). Second stage manufacturer A second stage manufacturer , known in the industry as "bodybuilder," builds such products as bus and truck bodies, ambulances , motor homes , and other specialized vehicles. Such a manufacturer usually takes an incomplete structure from a first-stage manufacturer, and installs additional equipment to render it suitable for delivery to

3834-414: The massive order on their own, Thomas subcontracted a portion to Philadelphia-based competitor J. G. Brill (using the Thomas design). In September 1922, after Thomas delivered 25 streetcars to NOPSI, the High Point factory was destroyed by fire, causing $ 225,000 in damage and destroying 14 streetcars under construction. Following the fire, Perley Thomas secured a $ 100,000 advance from NOPSI, rebuilding

3905-427: The road at the time it was introduced. The model line uses the Freightliner C2 chassis, derived from the 2002–2022 Business Class M2 medium-duty truck. Thomas developed the C2 to replace both the previous Saf-T-Liner Conventional and Saf-T-Liner FS-65 conventionals; the latter was produced concurrently with the C2 until December 2006. While produced with a full-length hood, the C2 adopted other design elements of

3976-573: The size scale, the Saf-T-Liner body was resized to produce the Mighty Mite, a narrow-body school bus on a shorter-wheelbase conventional chassis. In 1978, Thomas made a major change to the production of the Saf-T-Liner ER. Coinciding with a design update, Thomas introduced a company-sourced chassis, along with the front-engine Saf-T-Liner EF. With the introduction of the EF, Thomas became the first school bus manufacturer to produce its own chassis for both front and rear-engine school buses, ahead of Blue Bird by

4047-414: The slow economy, manufacturers could no longer count on the factor that had driven school bus sales for the past two decades: the entirety of the baby-boom generation had finished school; it would be years before student populations would create sufficient demand again. During this time, a number of manufacturers either encountered financial difficulty or closed their doors altogether. At the beginning of

4118-477: The smallest conventional bus ever produced by Thomas. Most were built on Dodge D300 chassis but when production of this series ended at the main plant in High Point, NC, production was moved to Hamilton, Ontario and the Canadian built Mighty Mites used modified International Harvester Loadstar chassis. For 1972, the Saf-T-Liner body underwent a major redesign. Along with extending the rub rails completely around

4189-755: The standard engines, with optional Caterpillar C7 and Cummins ISB diesels. In 2008, the Cummins ISB6.7 replaced the MBE900 as the standard engine, with the C7 discontinued. From 2010 to 2018, the sole diesel engine in the Thomas C2 was the Cummins ISB6.7; for 2018 production, the Detroit Diesel DD5 becomes an option. The C2 comes standard with an Allison 2500 automatic transmission with an Allison 3000 automatic transmission as an option. The Saf-T-Liner C2

4260-612: The transit segment. Alongside the Chartour and CL960/Citiliner, Thomas marketed Transit Liners, commercial derivatives of the Saf-T-Liner school buses, along with commercial versions of the Minotour and Vista. A dedicated transit bus derived from the Saf-T-Liner ER, the TL960 was a two-door bus that offered an integrated wheelchair ramp as an option. In 1999, Thomas entered a joint venture with British bus manufacturer Dennis to import

4331-534: The two-door CitiLiner was rebodied (with a sloped windshield). Sharing its body with the CL960, the Chartour was developed for charter use, using a single entry door. Following the mid-1970s launches of the Wayne Busette and Blue Bird Micro Bird , Thomas would launch its own cutaway-chassis school bus, the Thomas Minotour , in 1980. Alongside the small Minotour, Thomas introduced the WestCoastER,

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4402-471: The windshield, the front bodywork matches the windshield slope; to further improve aerodynamics, the warning lamp lenses are faired into the body (where allowed by regulations). On the rear of the C2, the body also used flush-mounted glass and warning-lamp lenses. While not substantially physically taller than its predecessor, Thomas visually extended the height of the C2 with larger passenger windows than previous school buses, along with larger exit doors. On

4473-491: Was added as an option. Alongside its yellow school bus configuration, Thomas Built Buses produces multiple configurations of the Saf-T-Liner C2, including MFSAB versions (activity/childcare versions), along with the Transit Liner C2 commercial-use bus. Through aftermarket manufacturers, the C2 also serves as a donor vehicle for multiple types of specialty vehicles derived from bus bodies. In 2007, Thomas introduced

4544-418: Was developed in partnership with Proterra, Inc. , who offer a line of transit buses using the same battery-electric drivetrain. The C2 Jouley uses a single traction motor with an output of 295 / 170 hp (220 / 127 kW) (peak/continuous) and a two-speed gearbox; this configuration is branded ProDrive by Proterra. The traction battery has a total capacity of 220 kW-hr, providing

4615-489: Was established in Woodstock, Ontario . At the time, the company became the third-largest producer of school buses in the United States. To demonstrate the strength of its internal roof bows, Thomas stacked a full-size school bus on the roof of another (using a crane) in 1964; the company has subsequently repeated the demonstration several times using more recent product lines. For 1967, to reduce blind spots in front of

4686-490: Was extended forward. In the interior of the C2, Thomas made many advancements in an effort to maximize parts compatibility between the bus body and donor chassis. In previous conventional-style school buses, from the firewall rearward, only the steering column and instrument cluster were used. With the interior of the Thomas C2, the dashboard of Freightliner M2 is used in its entirety, adopting only minor changes (the ignition switch

4757-620: Was founded; with a $ 6,000 loan ($ 138,459 in 2018), Thomas acquired the equipment of Southern Car Works at auction, opening an assembly facility in a former ice manufacturing plant in High Point. During 1917, the company renovated 9 streetcars for the United States Navy in Mobile, Alabama, and for the city of Montgomery, Alabama. 1918 marked several milestones for the company, as Thomas Car Works began production of brand-new streetcars; 25 were produced. All-steel bodies were produced by

4828-461: Was put to use by refurbishing streetcars. As rationing had placed increased demands on public transportation, the upkeep of existing equipment was considered a priority. Following World War II, with a rise in student populations, Thomas Car Works began to expand its sales market beyond the South, opening dealerships across the eastern half of the United States. To better weatherproof its entry door,

4899-402: Was reincorporated as a stock company, with Perley Thomas making his family stockholders in Perley A. Thomas Car Works, Inc. For the last time, the company received an order for streetcars, producing 4 for Mobile, Alabama. While rail-based streetcars offered higher capacity, for public transit, automotive-based buses grew in popularity as they offered a greater degree of routing flexibility. In

4970-429: Was renamed Thomas Built Buses, Inc (used in its emblems and marketing material since the 1950s). Since producing its first school bus in 1936, virtually all Thomas school bus bodies had been produced in the "conventional" style: a body mated to a cowled truck chassis. While the design was the most popular configuration, the transit-style configuration allowed for a higher passenger capacity (up to 90 passengers). In

5041-423: Was required to move to the center of the dashboard, due to a driver control panel replacing the driver-side door). Along with the optimization of aerodynamics, the body of the Thomas C2 also optimized driver visibility. Following the redesign of the windshield, the entry door was repositioned, creating a large window between the entry door and windshield to view sightlines in the loading zone (a feature adopted from

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