2003 Freightliner Thomas School Bus: The Opposite Lock Review

"JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder!" (jqj213) 08/26/2013 at 17:47 • Filed to: Review, school bus, school, oppositelock review

32

100

The school bus. A vehicle we all have spent hours of our lives on. This was the first step towards an education. A very frightening experience for any kindergartner. Walking up those three (then) big steps and entering this world of a (then) tall ceilinged vehicle full of blue seats and kids.

This of course, was an experience unknown to those kids who either walked to school or who had cool parents who drove them every day. I, however, was not one of those lucky kids. I've been taking the bus for over 10 years now, both ways.

Apparently, according to my parents, the old buses had a manual transmission. Throwing them into first gear was so rough, kids would go flying. Again, this is what I have heard. All I know is that more recent buses (within the last 20 years) have had an automatic transmission of some type.

The buses in my county have four numbers. The first two represent the year. The next two represent the number in which the bus was bought. For instance, 0318, my bus number, was the 18th bus bought in 2003 by the county. What needs to be made clear, is that 2003 was the last year of the non-air-conditioned versions. Any bus 2004 and above has a set of Carrier air conditioners in it. What also needs to be made clear is that I am in Florida. In the Summer. It is quite warm.

(Full Disclosure: Sarasota County (my school district) wanted me to experience the joy of the 2003 Freightliner Thomas School Bus so badly, they forced me and about 70 other kids onto it. This is the oldest bus in the Venice High fleet. This is also the only non-air-conditioned bus in the Venice High fleet. The bus is also rated to hold 72 kids. We have 71. We are in high school. The seats are not big. We are. Sitting three to a seat on a small non-air-conditioned bus isn't fun. But, to make things better, we got assigned seats. And I am sitting on the wheel hump. This is the spot where the rear wheels go. They have a huge hump coming through the floor. Of course, I have to sit on it; all 275 pounds and 6 feet of me. With two other fairly large kids. I am also on this vehicle for 40 minutes.)

The bus really isn't good. Like at all. It is uncomfortable, the seats are worn and warped, cramped, and loud.

It also doesn't help that our driver, a woman in her late 40s to early 50s, may be the worst driver ever. she doesn't use turn signals, slams on the brakes, and sits at stop signs forever. We sat at one for 3 minutes at one point on our route today, because she didn't want to "cut off" the car about two miles down the road.

Exterior: 3/10

This is a bus. I do not really know what else there is to say about it. It is big, rectangular, and yellow. A bright, school bus yellow. However, unlike some supercars in the same color, it doesn't work so well on a bus. The rims are blacked out. I think they may have been yellow at one point, but now they are covered in so much dirt that it looks like paint. Normally, black rims are cool But on this, not so much.

I do like the square turn signals up on the hood. They are just cool looking to me. The round tail lights are not made to look good. They serve a purpose.

The two piece windshield is cool because it has a small homage to the Corvette Stingray

The bus gets a three out of ten. Why? One point goes to it for simply having some sort of shape. It also gets one for the split window. The last point is for the turn signals.

Interior: 2/10

Again, this is a public school bus. It doesn't have leather. Or carpets. Or soft touch plastics. It is a combination of hard plastics and some plastic seat covers.

The driver's compartment is kind of cramped. The seat is on air-shocks, so you can find the perfect height. It also allows it to absorb all the bumps. However, the seat is not very comfortable. There is no recline, and you are sitting at a virtually right angle. The steering wheel can't be adjusted, so it isn't in the best position for everyone. Luckily, the buttons are all within reach. The split window, however, is now more of an annoyance than a design feature.

The passenger seats are even worse however. They are fixed in place. They are at a right angle. They have very little legroom. The cushions are hard. They also warp, so some seats have even less legroom than others. The bottom cushion is also too short, so you are hanging off of it too much. There are no bolsters. You slide around on every turn. The best feature of these seats would have to be the color. It is a very nice, not overpowering blue.

The ceilings are kind of high, which is nice. You don't need to bend down to walk on the bus. The multiple windows also let in a lot of light. They all lower about halfway. You always have some glass remaining. The center aisle has a slip-proof plastic and has drainage grooves so any liquids get out of there easily.

It gets a two out of ten. One for having an interior. The other point is for the color.

Acceleration: 3/10

Our particular bus has the CAT 3126 Diesel Engine. Producing a whopping 330 horsepower, this is a strong engine that can be fixed with a hammer. It is mated to a Allison four speed automatic transmission. Now, in any normal car, 330 horsepower is a lot. But in a bus weighing in at about 11 tons (without 70 kids), it isn't much. Building speed takes a lot of time. You cannot easily pull out in front of traffic. Passing also isn't the easiest thing in the world to do. Zero to sixty times are in the high teens to mid twenties. These buses are also limited to 65 MPH, like many big rigs. Stepping on the gas usually makes the transmission kick down a gear or two, and then it sits at a higher RPM (since gas mileage wasn't yet a huge concern). The diesel does provide a lot of torque, however, which helps it get off the line rather quickly (what happens after 5 MPH is what takes time).

Three points here because A) it can hit 60 MPH, B) the diesel motor is very torquey, C) The transmission is trying to be helpful (it at least deserves a participation ribbon).

Braking: 1/10

To put simply, the brakes suck. They are rough, just kick in all at once, and since they are air brakes, make a lot of noise doing so. The release of the brake causes a lunge, which is very uncomfortable and makes it difficult to finish copying your friend's homework.

Again, they get one point because they do stop the bus. Eventually.

Ride: 4/10

The ride is harsh but not awful. Every little bump can be felt. The fact that the seats offer no support also causes a lot more jostling of the passengers. On a smooth road however, it isn't awful. The big tyres make potholes seem less severe than they are. The springs are really beefed up, so there isn't a lot of play. The really bad bumps are bad. Otherwise, it isn't the worst thing ever.**
**

Handling: 2/10

Handling is not this bus' strong suite. The turning circle is huge, the steering wheel is too big, and tight maneuvers are virtually impossible without backing up first. It is very stressful to drive a bus. This thing adds to that stress. it feels larger than it actually is. This is really true on twisty roads when the rear of the bus is still on the last turn. Again, the unsupportive seats throw you around too. It makes turning the wheel even harder. Think Jeremy Clarkson when he falls out of the seat of his big rig and onto the gear shifter.

(jump to 2:38 to see what I'm talking about)

Gearbox: 3/10

The gearbox, having only four gears, isn't very good. It revs too late and causes a lot of noise. The shifts are also very rough, some to the point of throwing you backwards into your seat. At speeds of 45 MPH, it can't decide between third and fourth, so it is constantly shifting. This makes for a bad ride. Reverse gear is also very slow, and acts more like when you disengage the clutch in a manual car and it rolls. There is no speed to it.

The pluses of the gearbox include the fact that it does downshift when given throttle. It also does use all four gears.

Audio: 1/10

I love the sound of a diesel engine. Normally. This one is not one of those. It is a loud, annoying sound, made even more evident by the need to have open windows. The engine moans, it isn't a pleasant revving engine. The gearbox also doesn't help. By holding it in too low of a gear, the noise is louder than it should be.

This bus doesn't have speakers or a sound system. The other noise is the sound of the brakes. And that is a loud pop, which isn't any better. The last noise would be in the winter or rain, when the heat is on. It is a soothing whirr, maybe the best sound on the bus.

Toys: 2/10

Our bus is a pretty basic model. The county sprung for electric opening doors, so the driver doesn't have to push the bar and pop it open. it also has seatbelts (well, lap belts, but, you get the point). No one wears them. But they are there. And they have three colors: beige, red, and blue. That bit is pretty cool. Lastly, our bus has the multiple light package. That means that it has rows of lights on the roof, so someone can see in the dark.

It lacks everything else, so giving it points is not an easy thing to do.

Total Score: 21/90 **

2003 Freightliner Thomas School Bus

Engine: CAT 3126 Diesel

Transmission: Allison four speed automatic

0-60: (about) 18 seconds

Top Speed: 65 MPH (limited)

Drivetrain: RWD

Curb Weight: 11 tons (no passengers)

Seating: 72 passengers

** These pictures are not of my actual bus. They are of a similar model I found online. Photo credit goes to: !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! *

**_ It is out of 90, not 100 because I do not have a value category because it is not easily possible to place a value on this vehicle. _

twinturbobmw > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 08/26/2013 at 17:50

1

Seems accurate. Also, all bus drivers are like that. Especially the braking part.

Tom McParland > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 08/26/2013 at 17:51

1

This is funny stuff well done!

pdthedeuce > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 08/26/2013 at 17:51

0

well played.

Tom McParland > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 08/26/2013 at 17:54

2

I tweeted the big shots on the FP the link, so maybe they will share. :)

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > Tom McParland 08/26/2013 at 17:56

1

Thanks man I really appreciate that.. it means a lot

desertdog5051 > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 08/26/2013 at 17:58

2

Never rode a school bus. Walked to grade school. A little over a mile. Took the city bus to high school.

Funny, back then the drivers would brake gently and let off at the last minute to not shake up the passengers. When I took a city bus in New Orleans last summer, you could hardly stay in your seat when the driver brakes.

PS9 > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 08/26/2013 at 18:02

2

Waaaaay too large, ancient powertrain, weird ass door in the back, 66 lb/HP, ugly ass paint scheme, Pedobear-tastic seating (WTF?), 0/10 would not hoon.

redblockpowered > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 08/26/2013 at 18:21

3

I hope this makes the front page.

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > redblockpowered 08/26/2013 at 18:28

0

I hope to too... I had two other articles shared before... usually it'll go up sometime tomorrow afternoon... very rarely is it an instant thing.. I think they time it for the amount of traffic or something.

Thanks for enjoying it

Bengal55 > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 08/26/2013 at 18:44

2

Heh, when I was in school/HS back in the early 2000's we were the "largest route" of all the routes from our school. Being that big, we could not fit on the standard (then new) Thomas flat nose "Saf-T-Liner" buses. So what did the amazing Fairfax County (Va) school system assign to us? Well it varied actually between two buses, one was a 1976 Bluebird All American (Flat nose), that would hold around 100 people. No AC, no electronic door, and no radio throughout. It did however have a cool "spiral" stair into it. The other, was a 1966 International - Carpenter, according to the date tag on the front steps.

Yep.. two 25+ year old buses STILL in service as of 2003, quite epic if it wasn't so miserable LOL.

RMudkips > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 08/26/2013 at 18:55

1

Imagine having a three hour ride with many many adults sitting on the bus. And babies. One's crying because it can't eat candy. Yeah...

matt > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 08/26/2013 at 20:04

1

I live in Florida and take the bus, too. Although my ride isn't as bad as yours there's something around 80 kids on my bus and honestly it gets pretty unpleasant sometimes

Mosqvich > Tom McParland 08/26/2013 at 21:43

2

I taunted them and dared them to NOT put it up! Hah! It needs to be on the FP. It's brilliant.

Mosqvich > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 08/26/2013 at 21:45

1

I posted this on FB. Love it. Love it. Love it.

wkiernan > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 08/26/2013 at 21:50

2

I would have rated that bus much, much higher myself. For example, toys. You've got 71 school kids in that damn thing! Entertainment-wise, what more could you need? And I also think it is quite attractive. But still this was an excellent review of a really interesting vehicle, and I would like to say "Thanks!"

Also did you ever notice that school buses, due to their mandated design, are strangely not required to have Mansfield bars in the back? It gives you pause when you come zipping up behind one, particularly in a low car like my Miata.

Tom McParland > Mosqvich 08/26/2013 at 22:00

1

Maybe they are waiting till tomorrow. :)

Aya, Almost Has A Cosmo With Toyota Engine Owned by a BMW. > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 08/26/2013 at 22:02

3

Finally there's something that Indonesians can do better: making bus!

Talking about bus, in here since 2003, most of the bus are air-conditioned, have 6-speed manual, ABS, and a bathroom.

Nowdays even bus comes with seats that massage you and self-leveling suspension.

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > Mosqvich 08/26/2013 at 22:21

1

Thanks man.. that means a lot to me

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > wkiernan 08/26/2013 at 22:24

1

You know the entertainment is actually kinda true... every kid has their own music or videos playing, some are singing, some are crying, some are fighting... its a lot to take in.

That is really interesting about the Mansfield bars... never even thought about that but now I can easily see something low like a Miata just rolling right under it.. I wonder why they don't have em

And thanks for reading my article and liking it.. that means a lot to me

PlayerWAN > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 08/26/2013 at 22:58

5

Value: 2/10

It seats 72, and it gets you from point A to point B. Aaaaaaand that's it...

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > PlayerWAN 08/26/2013 at 23:00

0

that is true... what other way can you haul 72 people? (on a land vehicle)

PlayerWAN > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 08/26/2013 at 23:10

19

Takuro Spirit > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 08/27/2013 at 06:36

0

I thought you said it didn't have a radio?

SP23 > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 08/27/2013 at 08:12

2

This is awesome.

And now for some more school bus oppo action:

Jason Adrian > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 08/27/2013 at 08:15

1

Finally, a review where a subpar vehicle gets a score below 50%. I'm hoping the same will happen with today's Corolla review.

Thank you for this beautiful gift!

Honesty > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 08/27/2013 at 08:16

1

This. Is. Awesome.

Axel-Ripper > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 08/27/2013 at 08:17

6

Wait... School Busses normally have A/C? This from someone who graduated HS 4 years ago and never experienced such wonder.

SP23 > Takuro Spirit 08/27/2013 at 08:21

0

You gotta read all the words.

*These pictures are not of my actual bus. They are of a similar model I found online.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 08/27/2013 at 08:28

0

Well not quiiiiite 72, but well into the double digits.

Thomasaurus > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 08/27/2013 at 08:30

0

And still no seat belts for the kids I presume?

StalePhish > wkiernan 08/27/2013 at 08:31

1

The reason why the 71 children did not count as toys is because playing with those toys is a one-way ticket to an 8x10 jail cell!

StalePhish > Takuro Spirit 08/27/2013 at 08:32

0

Or maybe it has a radio and they just never use it. I know that my high school bus driver played soft music on occasion. I was used to the type of lovey soft rock because it was what my mom listened to, but certainly wasn't what the kids were listening to back then.

StalePhish > desertdog5051 08/27/2013 at 08:32

1

Not even for field trips? And wow, taking the city bus to school. Personally, I had only taken a bus a handful of times between K-6 because I lived next door to my elementary school.

StalePhish > Axel-Ripper 08/27/2013 at 08:33

0

I don't think my school busses had AC either, but I graduated back in 2006, so our fleet was probably the 2003 and earlier without it. That's what open windows are for!

StalePhish > Thomasaurus 08/27/2013 at 08:35

1

One of the last lines actually says it has lap belts for the kids, but no one wears them. On any school bus I've ever been on, the only belts were for the driver and one seat directly behind them (if they brought their child to 'work'?). What a bad example they set all those years without belted kids.

StalePhish > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 08/27/2013 at 08:36

0

Who says you can't hoon a school bus? If any of you remember Davidsfarm on YouTube before he got taken down, he had a school bus that he would do all sorts of crazy things with.

Unrelated: I went on vacation to Mexico a couple years ago and the city busses were manual transmissions. It was quite funny to watch a bus driver trying to make change for someone's Pesos while driving and shifting.

Hooperdink > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 08/27/2013 at 08:49

2

There was a mention of school busses with manual transmissions. That was common when I was a kid...

When I was in high school on Long Island, back when dinosaurs ruled the earth (early 1970s's to be precise), I went to a Catholic school in the next town. In NY state, the local school district had to supply bus service for kids attending private school, so we got the oldest bus in the fleet.

Bus #6 was a 1947 International Harvester chassis, with a manual transmission and an engine of indeterminate origin. Bus 6 was known as the "farting bus", due to the exhaust sound it made when the operator was shifting gears. This was non-synchromesh, so everything was a double clutch. The bus could go no faster than 45mph, so it had to stay on the local roads. When the bus exceeded 30, the speedo would just start to oscillate violently, so the operator was sure of their speed plus/minus 20mph or so! The body was rusting out, so you did not want to sit near the wheel wells when it rained, as you would get soaked! Some of the seat frames were rusting out where they connected to the body, so going over bumps sounded a bit like the devil's own hacksaw. The amazing part is with all it's problems, I don't remember that bus ever stranding us; it just always seemed like it was threatening to!

Ulfern > SP23 08/27/2013 at 08:49

0

I liked when it pooped at 0:15.

Rickster3rd ¯\_()_/¯ > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 08/27/2013 at 08:49

0

The only ONLY fun thing about riding the bus to school was sitting in the very back and getting a nice rebound from the dips that plagued our neighborhood since our then driver (1980's) didn't bother to slow down for them. So at least the to and from school ride had all the marvel of a rickety self assembled carnival ride.

the7thearlofgrey > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 08/27/2013 at 08:51

1

Otto approves

William Byrd > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 08/27/2013 at 08:51

1

Fantastic use of the review format. Well done, glad it got a FP share.

SP23 > Ulfern 08/27/2013 at 09:00

0

"I wasn't meant to go sidewayyyyyyyssss ahhhh!"

*plop*

Takuro Spirit > SP23 08/27/2013 at 09:06

1

Not at 5AM I'm not gonna.

duurtlang > Aya, Almost Has A Cosmo With Toyota Engine Owned by a BMW. 08/27/2013 at 09:08

5

And not just the Indonesians. As a European I don't think I've ever even seen such a medieval transportation appliance other than those with historic plates. I'm quite sure the school buses I've been in, even as a little kid in the 80s, were far more plush than this cattle wagon.

I think getting such a bus for your offspring is a strange way to save money.

Takuro Spirit > StalePhish 08/27/2013 at 09:09

2

I had a bus driver that was an evening DJ on the radio, and he'd rap to us on the way to school.

And buy us McDonalds.

Tom McParland > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 08/27/2013 at 09:11

3

Congrats on the FP share Oppo bro...celebratory burnouts are in order!

Ce he sin > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 08/27/2013 at 09:16

0

I was about to post that not everyone has been on American school bus but then i remembered - I've been there too. In Iceland. On a trip to see a glacier. No, I don't know why they use these but I suppose they got it cheap. No, I'm not rushing to repeat the experience.

EAGLE 5 > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 08/27/2013 at 09:19

1

Sounds like a big case of the YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG!!!!

skippytheduck2 > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 08/27/2013 at 09:20

1

My daily commute takes me right through the San Antonio NE Independent School District bus barn (it's on both sides of the street) so I am exposed to the full gamut of bus-driving shenanigans and I can unequivocally state that I will vote down every funding request that comes my way courtesy of the outright felonious incompetence I have to avoid every morning. Running red lights, swerving across multiple lanes, driving line abreast across all available lanes (including the turn lane), speeding (yes, they can do that) and general nincompoopery all appear each day and that's before they pack 'em full of the darling spawn of SA's social elite. To make it even better, it's right beside the NEISD police station so we also get their squads hauling ass in and out and while SA police are notoriously bad drivers, they obviously push the ones who fail to meet even their low standards to the school cops.

Ce he sin > PlayerWAN 08/27/2013 at 09:21

0

Funny thing about this to my European eyes is how much of the length is taken up by the tractor unit. Here the engine is under the cab and the wheelbase is minimised.

Homer Berkowitz > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 08/27/2013 at 09:33

1

I think it's crazy that School Buses look exactly the same as they did 25 years ago when I was in Kindergarten. I remember when I was in first grade, they got a new bus that looked exactly the same on the outside, but it had a radio and tinted windows. Those were the two big things.

JimSlade > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 08/27/2013 at 09:35

1

great article today!

I know that each student can share good and bad memories from their bus years. mine were generally good...esp with sports and other uses involved. but this article did remind me of one thing from HS...

our school was growing and placed an order for buses...they were delayed...so they actually bought some buses from the neighboring school district. so for a few weeks our cross country team attended meets in the 'rival' teams buses with their colours and school name on the side.

we looked like dicks...

SP23 > Takuro Spirit 08/27/2013 at 09:40

0

Touche.

Ntovorni > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 08/27/2013 at 09:42

0

Fun fact about school buses, they're designed to be able to hold all their weight on the roof without collapsing. That's why preppers like buying old ones to bury as shelters or whatever.

ovrbst > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 08/27/2013 at 10:06

0

I lived in Florida. I had to ride the bus every now and then. Yeah, it was hot, it was humid, it stank, it was crowded, it was noisy...basically it sucked. You know what? At least I wasn't walking! I say quit your bitching or walk! Sounds like you need to anyway!

Cody > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 08/27/2013 at 10:11

1

I've ridden them for years. Both my parents are school bus drivers. I am now a transit bus driver myself. It's not hard to modulate air brakes properly... These shit bus drivers need to get their shit together! (The down-up-down brake pedal method does wonders. My passengers always compliment the smooth ride I give them compared to my coworkers)

Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > wkiernan 08/27/2013 at 10:14

1

I guess Mercedes need them too, eh? I've wondered why school buses don't have seatbelts for the riders. You'd think nowadays in our overly litigious society they'd be mandatory.

Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > Axel-Ripper 08/27/2013 at 10:15

1

Because Florida.

Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 08/27/2013 at 10:20

0

Nicely done. But 275lb at 6' there's no wonder the seats are a tight squeeze.

NipperDawg > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 08/27/2013 at 10:21

1

Basic ? How can it be basic, look at all those switches. I count 18 of them with 8 blanks, heck you get more blanks then that on some luxury cars!

Though for what is basically a box on wheels, how many switches does it really need.

desertdog5051 > StalePhish 08/27/2013 at 10:24

0

Went to a Catholic grade and high school. No field trips.

jedimario > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 08/27/2013 at 10:25

0

They assign seating on busses now? Good grief. Glad I was homeschooled for most of K-12.

DrivesaCorolla > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 08/27/2013 at 10:33

0

What do buses in other countries, ie, Europe and parts of Asia, look like? I rode very similar buses to this during my school years, in PA, and they all were pretty much like that one, though after about 3rd grade they all had AC fitted... not that it worked very well. The Heaters in the winter were wonderful though, if you happened to be near one of the two radiators in the bus. Utilitarian transport, with an ever growing number of safety features.

dogisbadob > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 08/27/2013 at 11:02

1

Some regular cars need mirrors like these!

Lotusexcelle > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 08/27/2013 at 11:09

0

3126's in bus applications were typically programmed to the 190hp rating, not 330.

Vintage1982Benz > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 08/27/2013 at 11:11

3

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Eric Leonard > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 08/27/2013 at 11:23

2

Actually, it's not a 2003 Freightliner Thomas School Bus. It's a 2003 Thomas Saf-T-Liner FS-65 on a Freightliner Chassis. Thomas Bus was owned by Daimler-Benz, who also owned Freightliner and Setra at the same time. So all Thomas-Bilt buses at the time were on Freightliner Chassis. :-)

fintail > duurtlang 08/27/2013 at 11:24

1

Going to school in the US in the late 80s, there were a few buses in my local fleet that dated to the 60s - they made this thing look like a Bentley. In Muricah, the powers that be would rather use funds to keep the military-industrial/praetorian segments strong, and to feed desperate trickle down lies.

Euro buses really are something - the buses they use at the Sindelfingen factory tour were amazing.

Joneez > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 08/27/2013 at 11:38

0

Relevant.

David T Brocksmith > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 08/27/2013 at 11:49

1

Story of my life man, just graduated high school in florida and a seven year bus veteran. My driver was Haitian immigrant and could barely speak a lick of english, he also knew about as many traffic laws as he knew words of english. Every other day the bus would erupt in screaming after he would blow through a stop sign or hit a curb. After riding the bus for so many years it really made me appreciate my first car i bought about a month ago. It was definitely worth saving for though, 1994 BMW 325is

Jumbojeepman > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom 08/27/2013 at 12:21

2

I believe the thought was they didn't want a bunch of kids stuck on a burning bus after a wreck who couldn't undo their seat belts roasting. So they make the padded high back seats for the kids to slam into. Plus most school bus wrecks occur at low speeds.

Mazarin > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 08/27/2013 at 12:27

1

Will it Baby? MANY.

All Motor Is Best Motor > Ce he sin 08/27/2013 at 12:27

0

We have some buses like that. There are actually quite a few different makes of these buses, here in the US.

All Motor Is Best Motor > PlayerWAN 08/27/2013 at 12:28

0

Your response, it's glorious.

FlipFriddle > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 08/27/2013 at 12:36

1

Ha! Padded seats. How bourgoise. When I rode them things in the late 70s, the seats were hard fiberglass with a metal bar along the top. We used to sit on our lunch boxes and fly into the aisle at every turn. Not to mention sitting in the last row and trying to hit the ceiling every time the bus hit a big bump. Good times.

Naijaflavor, I Love Doritos > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 08/27/2013 at 12:44

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the oldest is 2003 in the fleet? my county, i still see buses from 1983

Mosqvich > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 08/27/2013 at 13:05

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I posted this on Facebook. My mom read your article and commented:

"I liked the whole article, it made me laugh , we do not see men and women riding in this discomfort."

ninjamike > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 08/27/2013 at 13:52

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I have a liberal arts degree so I'm still driving city busses like I was while I went to school. Our fleet has two makes New Flyer and Nabi. The Nabis are older but much easier to drive smoother and brake softly. The new flyers are the newer busses, but downshifting in some is brutal and braking to a complete stop without jarring passengers requires constant modulation of the brake pedal. Some of the earlier new flyers came with Detroit deisels and they are absolutely gutless motors. The Cummins equipped busses are much better in terms of acceleration and climbing uphill. If I really need to get the bus going, say from a light on the bottom of a hill, you can spool the turbo before letting off the brakes and the bus can get off the line almost as fast as a car driving normally.

therotaryisdeadlonglivetherotary > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 08/27/2013 at 13:57

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I drove a school but for just over a year in Canada, and it gets cold. And most are motivated by diesels. And diesels take a long time to heat up. So you see where this is going – a lot of cold, for a long time. Until you hit a hill the 'heater' was just blow cold air around the bus. Between the ludicrous wake up times, with calls coming before six that I have a route that day and I better get my ass to the depot, and the noisy, germ ridden kids and the shitty vehicles I get a smile every time I pass the depot, knowing I will never have to go back there again.

evilfacelessturtle (Hooning a Ford is Domestic Abuse) > duurtlang 08/27/2013 at 14:21

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Around here we'd rather lower taxes than spend money on education or infrastructure. That would be communism!

evilfacelessturtle (Hooning a Ford is Domestic Abuse) > therotaryisdeadlonglivetherotary 08/27/2013 at 14:24

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I was one of the first stops in the morning. I remember how long it took for the damn thing to heat up, and more so how the driver would fall asleep at stoplights. Nobody wants to wake up that early.

duurtlang > evilfacelessturtle (Hooning a Ford is Domestic Abuse) 08/27/2013 at 14:28

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Exactly. Behold, the ugly face of communism! Die, EUSSR school bus, die!

alexlam24 > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 08/27/2013 at 16:12

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Just a little info on me: I'm going to be in 11th grade, I'm turning 17 and I hate buses.

Reasons why.

1- There's no way to sit down without taking your bookbag off because the seats are so small

2- If you're a 6ft tall Asian like me, your kneecap is withstanding more pressure than an F1 engine at 19k revs

3- There is no ventilation system on the bus... At all. The windows lack any cooling capability and the 2 little fans for the driver are more of a dead squirrel breathing on you

4- The buses lack any kind of restraint system so if a BMW driver pulls out in front of you, you're going to fly towards the kid in front of you.

This post makes no sense now that I think about it.

BrianMadigan > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom 08/27/2013 at 16:18

2

This is why the seat backs are so high on a school bus. If the bus front ends something solid at speed, the passengers will just bounce around between the two seats.

wkiernan > BrianMadigan 08/27/2013 at 17:17

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When I was a kid school buses didn't have seat belts and they sure didn't have any padding on the back of the seat in front of you either. Where you would think they'd put padding you'd see a 2-inch diameter steel tubing frame for the seat in front.

And air-conditioning? ha! Not only did I never see an air-conditioned school bus, but I went to public schools in Florida from the third grade through the twelfth grade, and in all that time I had one 1-hour class for one year in an air-conditioned room; all the rest of my classes were in Florida's horrible untempered Hell-weather.

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > therotaryisdeadlonglivetherotary 08/27/2013 at 19:45

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That is the nice nice thing about FL, a diesel will never have to heat up...

I don't blame you for hating the job.. I have a lot of respect for bus drivers

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > Hooperdink 08/27/2013 at 19:47

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I could only imagine the "farting" pop that thing made... and driving that in NY, man that isn't an easy route

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > Eric Leonard 08/27/2013 at 19:48

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I thought that this was the Saf-t-liner...

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > skippytheduck2 08/27/2013 at 19:49

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I've never seen a loaded bus pulled over, but they really need to be.. I cringe every time the bus driver does something wrong (which is a lot).. I feel so bad for the other drivers...

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > Ntovorni 08/27/2013 at 19:52

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I always wondered about that...

I'm surprised it hasn't rolled yet, considering our driver hops every curb

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > Axel-Ripper 08/27/2013 at 19:55

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This is the set of the redesigned buses rolled out in 2004. They all have air conditioning from one-four units in the bus..

I love AC buses...

Eric Leonard > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 08/27/2013 at 19:59

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That's the C2. The FS-65 is the one you did your review on. It's been long gone after they made like a bazillion (62,674, or a bazillion in bus terms) of them. :-)

Eric Leonard > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 08/27/2013 at 20:03

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Yes, I'm a bus nerd. Don't ask. But here's the link to the FS-65:

http://thomasbus.com/bus-models/sch…

And the C2:

http://thomasbus.com/bus-models/sch…

Eric Leonard > Eric Leonard 08/27/2013 at 20:12

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But seriously, this is the BEST review I've read yet. Thanks for entertaining me. :-)

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > Eric Leonard 08/27/2013 at 20:18

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Thanks so much for clearing that up.. I actually appreciate it

Eric Leonard > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 08/27/2013 at 20:29

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Sure. Now we need to get you into a district that has Thomas HDX and EDX models so you can write reviews on the differences between the two models. ;-)

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > Eric Leonard 08/27/2013 at 22:21

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I spent a year in NJ over 2012 and got to ride the buses there. I cannot remember who made them, but they were flat nosed, rear engined, RWD, and had two person seats on the passenger side and three person seats on the driver side.

Those buses had speakers and a radio, but no AC.

I wish I could remember the name of them.. but I do know they would score higher than the bus I'm currently on.

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > Homer Berkowitz 08/27/2013 at 22:47

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I guess some things just never change.. its a bad classic

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > JimSlade 08/27/2013 at 22:47

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That does just sound mean and cruel...

Now all the buses are yellow, no matter what, so no more fun incidents like that

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > ovrbst 08/27/2013 at 22:49

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I don't think of it as complaining, it was more of a review for comedic effect...

and FYI, I'm defensive tackle on the football team, so I'm all muscle, I'm just a big kid