Thomas Built Buses

Go behind the scenes of the company manufacturing those ubiquitous yellow buses for several generations. Produced by Our State magazine and UNC-TV, with generous support from BB&T. Segment originally aired on 8//5/2010.

[hoozerob]

I'm almost 60 years old now. This video brings back memories. I remember in the 3rd grade, with pun, "Thomas Built buses, or Thomas, built buses", like Thomas is the guy who built them. lol. I remember riding in almost nothing but Thomas Built buses, all through my time in school. i always wished that I could get a Corgi collectors model bus, but not many different offerings for buses were around. Whether by Corgi, Matchbox, Hotwheels, or model kits, like Revell. I also always wanted to secretly be a bus driver too. I look in Craigslist to see what school buses are listed for sale, but when they are on there, they are all rusted and corroded too much, like they've been poorly taken care of and abused. I wish I could have a brand new Thomas Built bus.

[mardocheb]

A lot of people really don't realize how much work a bus is..seeing this video makes me wanna drive one now lol

[AidanNicholasCollins]

Wow. This makes me think of the time where I rode my very first school bus. 😢 I was 5 when I rode my first school bus. I'm 13. I guess I can't really date back to 2013, this is 2021. It's just emotional just thinking about it. Great memories. 😢💛

[okcqisy]

I never knew buses could get their text in the style of a temporary tatoo.
Except this is permanent.

[romellohawkins]

It is in my heart and spirit to say that I'm grateful that God blessed and provided his lovely children with School Buses. Alot of people may not care about kids or Buses, but no one can change that, only God can change the hearts and the minds aof the Spirits of people, and I'm grateful for to say to Thomas Built Buses, y'all continue to do what y'all are set out to do, and the Lord will reward you for your Good works, allow your light to shine on in this world, God Bless y'all.

[Keaton]

hey I wonder how it would feel to work at Thomas built buses and your kid gets picked up by an IC or a Blue Bird to go to and from school each day?

[genevievegreene]

I wonder how much yellow paint they go through in a year

[tylerloveless]

98% Of Thomas buses are still on the road today, the other 2% made it home. 🤣🤣🤣

[cbthethird]

I had an 80's Thomas/Ford bus. Very rugged, well-built buses. 

[loudenselvage]

I have been riding these busses for 7 years

[michaeltaggart]

Let's get it straight here. As someone who is highly experienced in school buses, I can attest to the fact that the Saf-T-Liner C2 is the highest quality school bus you'll ever find. Far superior to both the International CE and the Bluebird Vision. Bluebird buses ride like tin cans, and use the same design as buses from the 80's. The IC CE is slightly better but is still a box on wheels. The C2 is the first integrated school bus on the market with a body and chassis specifically designed to work together. and don't give me any crap because Bluebird builds their own chassis. The C2 is also the most efficient bus, topping out at 9.8 MPG average. this score coming in higher than both the International CE and the Bluebird Vision. Ride any Thomas bus, I don't care if its a C2, an EFX or an HDX, then ride a Bluebird or International bus. you won't find a better looking, more efficient, durable, and comfortable bus than a Thomas Built product. end of argument here.

[railfanjames]

I’m still seeing your old Thomas 3800s on the road still! It really shows how well her bill!

[billlu]

I swear that in one episode of a Disney TV series, there's an HDX, so in that sense, Disney pays homage to Thomas Built Buses.

[patrickrichmond]

I know that Blue Bird is one of the very few companies left that truly sticks with a true bus body and hood. The new Thomas Conventional doesn't look much like the school buses I grew up around. Eventhough Special School District didn't buy Thomas until about the late 1990s or early 2000s. This Safe-T liner C2 is more of a bus body that sits on a truck chassis with part of the driver's area is from the truck. No more Thomas dash on the C2. The last real Thomas conventional bus was built i think about 2002 or so which sat on a Freightliner chassis. And it had the windshield wipers that worked from above the driver's eye. And the back end looks more like a Wayne rather than a Thomas.

[charliehorsenm]

I drove school bus for several years in a district that had over 150 buses, and from virtually every manufacturer there is, and I am here to say that the Thomas built buses were the BEST bar none. I loved driving them. They are very well thought out and very easy to handle. My absolute favorite is the 78 passenger rear engine transit. I have never driven a vehicle - car, truck or bus - that had as good a visibility for the driver. Seated in the driver's seat, you can literally see it all. I used to drive for a school that had a fixed "bus line up" at the curb of the street for the homeward bound buses to better facilitate the kids' ability to quickly find their bus. However, due to scheduling I often wound up getting to the school after the buses that were assigned to the spaces immediately ahead and behind me. This necessitated parallel parking the 40 ft. bus between the other two. The 78 passenger Thomas made this "chore" actually FUN! I frequently gained the admiration of parents who had come in their cars to pick up kids from the "mommy taxi" circle as we used to call it, as they watched me effortlessly swing the big Thomas into its parking position on the first try with the right side of the bus always within 4 inches or less of the curb.

[crayfish]

I was looking for a School bus once to " Convert into a motorhome ." I passed by a Bus-yard and sat in " Several Busses " . The Thomas built School bus was the most " Comfortable " and " Seemed " it would be the most Drive-able of all the Busses that I sat in ! It fit like a BMW, or a Fine made Boot !
They mentioned in this Video that there are also " Individuals " that Buy these Busses ! If I had the " Bucks " " and money was no Object, " I would, consider
having a Custom made " Empty Shell " made to my " Specifications " [ Insulation " exctra, ] and go from there ! Excellent bus and bus company !

[kjsatterthwaite]

We got a new Thomas at our school to I love it it got AC because our old bus did not have ac

[mikeMBW]

Amazing to see such regulation and build quality for school buses. Here in New Zealand  the only requirement of a bus to be fit for carrying children is a bright yellow sign on the front and rear. Many of the buses around where I live are simply old 80s and 90s urban transport vehicles from either Japan or China. Many still have old Asian advertising posters in them. Seat that's a joke. Our government doesn't take the safety of children riding in buses seriously at all. :(

[jackiechan]

As someone who has previously driven a school bus, Thomas built buses aren't usually the best. After 6 years, the body lots like its about to fall apart and rust is not uncommon.
International blue bird 3800 is considered by a lot of drivers to be the best. Heck I've driven 3800s that were more than 10 years old and were built to last.

[sammyhakimvlogs]

This was very interesting information on how Thomas School Buses are made. The structure of it was what grabbed my attention.