Contact:  Fred Ligouri – fred.ligouri@daimler.com    

HIGH POINT, N.C. – Feb. 13, 2020 –Thomas Built Buses Inc continues to pioneer new features for the school bus industry with the debut of an auto-reversing door feature.

The first of its kind feature is available on all versions of the Saf-T-Liner C2 school bus and allows the front entry doors to reopen automatically if they sense an object or obstruction in the doorway. In operation, an audible alarm will sound and the doors will automatically reverse motion to return to the fully open position.

“Safety is our number one priority, and even one incident of a child, backpack or article of clothing getting caught in the entryway doors is one too many,” said Caley Edgerly, president and CEO of Thomas Built Buses. “While this new feature does not replace the need for drivers to be aware at all times, it is one more tool to assist in making sure that school buses remain the safest form of transportation to and from school.”

In the event of damage or environmental factors such as snow in the stepwell, the auto-reversing door system is equipped with a manual bypass option that will disable the obstruction detection and allow the driver to complete their bus route. Disabling the auto-reverse feature does not prevent normal operation of the entrance door. 

The auto-reversing door feature is now available for order. For more information, customers can consult their local dealer.

About Thomas Built Buses

Founded in 1916, Thomas Built Buses is a leading manufacturer of school buses in North America. Since the first Thomas Built bus rolled off the assembly line, the company has been committed to delivering the smartest and most innovative buses in North America. Learn more at ThomasBuiltBuses.com or at https://www.facebook.com/thomasbuiltbuses. 

Thomas Built Buses, Inc., headquartered in High Point, N.C., is a subsidiary of Daimler Trucks North America LLC, the largest heavy-duty truck manufacturer in North America and a leading manufacturer of class 4-8 vehicles. Daimler Trucks North America produces and markets commercial vehicles under the Freightliner, Western Star and Thomas Built Buses nameplates. Daimler Trucks North America is a Daimler company.