Bus Reports
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September 2015
Thomas Built Buses Adds SmartTrac™ Electronic Stability Control And Other Innovations To School Buses
Thomas Built Buses has teamed up with Meritor WABCO to offer new factory-installed SmartTrac™ electronic stability control (ESC) on its diesel and compressed natural gas-fueled Saf-T-Liner® C2 school buses. SmartTrac ESC is a vehicle safety system that intervenes automatically when it senses instability that could lead to a rollover or loss of bus control.
“When faced with rollovers and...
Total Cost of Ownership Pro Tip: Start Route Optimization Early
Route optimization is an essential part of every school year. But did you know it can save you quite a bit of money? By truly optimizing your routes, you can determine the shortest, fastest and safest routes for your students and buses. And, by consolidating bus stops and reducing mileage, you may potentially require fewer buses, which means less fuel and lower maintenance costs. If you are able to optimize your routes enough to decrease the number of buses in use, be sure to run the buses with the lowest total cost of ownership to keep your fuel and maintenance costs even lower.
June 2015
Do You Have A Total Cost Reduction Plan?
As summer approaches, it’s the perfect time to begin developing a total cost reduction plan. Today, more and more transportation departments are focusing on Total Cost of Ownership, which includes initial purchase, fuel costs, maintenance, repairs and replacement parts. To learn more about TCO, watch this short animation.
The first step in creating a total cost reduction...
Total Cost of Ownership Pro Tip: Inspect Your Buses and Save Money
As the school year comes to an end, be sure to perform a thorough bus inspection. Inspect the entire bus and note any necessary repairs or replacement parts needed.
Proactively maintaining worn parts will save you money down the road and keep your buses out of the shop longer when the school year starts next fall.
March 2015
Decrease Downtime With Thomas Built Platinum Support
Thomas Built Buses has introduced a comprehensive new service program that focuses on getting your buses out of the shop and back out on the road. Known as Platinum Support, this new program ensures that certified dealers will provide fast turn-around on service and repairs, so you can save time and lower your overall service costs.
Each Platinum Support dealer undergoes rigorous trainin...
Total cost of ownership pro tip: Let our buses take your technicians to school.
A properly-maintained bus is safer, lasts longer and saves you money on every mile it travels. It’s one of the key factors to lowering the Total Cost of Ownership for each bus in your fleet.
So how do you make sure your in-house maintenance team is doing things right? Let Thomas Built educate them. At the Thomas Built Buses Technician Institute we can equip your technicians with the skills needed to keep your fleet running more efficiently. They’ll get hands-on training and up to 28 credit hours in less than a week! Register by April 11 to participate in our May session.
January 2015
Protect Your Biggest Investment From Corrosion
Winter is the perfect time to think about corrosion protection. In recent years, new de-icing materials have been implemented by many municipalities and states across the country. While they are more effective at keeping the roads safe, they are also harsher than traditional products and can increase corrosion of bus bodies and undercarriages. The chassis, bumpers, stepwell and even the wiring...
Total Cost of Ownership Pro Tip
Adopt these budget-friendly New Year’s Resolutions
The new year is a great time to implement strategies and tactics that can lower the total cost of ownership of every vehicle in your fleet. And, just like an effective New Year’s diet, you can start small and end up with big results. So here are a few resolutions we recommend:
- Start measuring all of your costs for each bus (capital costs, fuel, parts and service, etc.). This is vital. If you want to set goals or make incremental improvements, you must measure.
- Choose longer-lasting, more durable replacement parts at your next repair. That’s right: cheap parts can cost more in the long run, so consider using higher quality parts. And measure the results.
- Take your buses in for regular maintenance. Prevention saves you money.
- Trim fuel costs by cutting unnecessary idling time, aggressive driving and inefficient routes. Small adjustments can save big money over time.
By this time next year, you could see results that will help you run a much more efficient fleet. And remember: your local dealer is always ready to help you find even more ways to start saving.