The new bus is #10 in the fleet, made up of Thomas buses exclusively

HIGH POINT, N.C. — O’Brien Bus Service, a private shuttle service serving the Washington D. C. area, recently took delivery of a 2006 FS-65 Thomas Conventional bus. This is the tenth bus in O’Brien’s fleet-all of them Thomas Built Buses. The bus was purchased from American Bus Sales & Service in Annapolis, Md.

“I buy strictly Thomas buses,” said owner Gary O’Brien, who started O’Brien Bus Service 10 years ago and today primarily transports private school students to athletic events, field trips, and church youth group events. “The Thomas Conventional is a tried and true product. It’s a traditional bus that’s a proven performer.”

O’Brien spec’ed the FS-65 with a 250 horsepower Mercedes-Benz MBE 900 engine, Allison World transmission and Thomas’ Severe Service Package. “I need the power to carry a bus full of passengers up a hill with the air conditioner going full force,” he said.

O’Brien has been a fan of Thomas Built Buses since the age of 14, when he led a fundraiser for his church youth group to buy a new bus-a Thomas Built. As a high school sophomore, he wrote an article about Thomas Built Buses for his school newspaper, which made its way to Thomas’ headquarters and eventually lead to a visit from company management. As a college student at East Carolina University and a graduate student at the University of Maryland, O’Brien worked for the student-operated campus transit service. After graduation, he landed a job as transportation director for a public school district in Maryland. When budget cuts led to a layoff, he decided to start his own bus company. He purchased a used Thomas bus and began by taking overflow work from a private bus service in the area. He soon added new clients, tapping into the many private and religious schools in the Washington D.C. area.

O’Brien claims he’s succeeded by doing things a little differently. “The private transit industry is dominated by motor coaches,” he said. “I’ve chosen to build my business around the Thomas school bus.”

Thomas Built Buses is the leading manufacturer of school buses in North America, with more than one third of the school bus market in North America. Thomas Built Buses is a member of The Freightliner Group, the largest heavy-duty truck manufacturer in North America and a leading manufacturer of class 3-8 vehicles. The Freightliner Group produces and markets commercial vehicles under the Freightliner, Sterling, Western Star, American LaFrance and Thomas Built Buses nameplates. The Freightliner Group is a unit of DaimlerChrysler, the world’s leading commercial vehicle manufacturer.