High Point, N.C. – The school district of Gwinnett County, Georgia, has ordered 89 Thomas Built Saf-T-Liner® C2 school buses for addition to its fleet for the 2006-2007 school year. The new buses, which will be delivered in July, were purchased from Thomas Bus Sales of Georgia, in Forest Park.

Shooter Roberts, sales manager at Thomas Bus Sales of Georgia, said that the district had previously purchased Thomas FS65 buses. District personnel conducted a thorough technical review and hands-on demonstration of the C2 before making the decision.

“Our maintenance crew evaluated the C2 and our bus drivers took it for a test drive,” said Ron Harris, assistant director of fleet and grounds maintenance for the Gwinnett County School District. “In their comments, the maintenance crew noted the serviceability of the new design. The drivers liked the increased visibility, comfortable driver’s area and modern look and feel of the bus.” The county, located in a growing suburban Atlanta area, operates a fleet of more than 1,500 school buses.

Production of Saf-T-Liner C2 customer units began in October 2004 in a new 275,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art manufacturing plant constructed specifically for the C2 in High Point, N.C. The C2 is a next-generation conventional school bus designed from the ground up with driver and customer input. The completely integrated C2 has numerous distinctive features, including:

•    The largest driver visibility footprint in the Type C category

•    Recessed warning lights

•    Ergonomic driver cockpit and interior devices

•    A single multiplexed wiring system shared by the body and chassis

•    A choice of Mercedes-Benz MBE 900 series or Caterpillar C7 diesel engines

•    A body assembly system utilizing welds, structural adhesives

and self-piercing rivets

Celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, Thomas Built Buses (www.thomasbus.com) is the leading manufacturer of school buses in North America, with more than one-third of the market. Since the first Thomas Built bus rolled off the assembly line in 1936, the company has focused entirely on delivering the smartest, safest and most innovative buses 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 and Thomas Built Buses nameplates. Freightliner is a company of DaimlerChrysler, the world’s largest commercial vehicle manufacturer. Media contact for Freightliner LLC: Amy Sills, 503-745-8535, amysills@freightliner.com.