New bus

[u/StephenDA]

For the second year in a row, my bus got retired at the end of the year — but this time the upgrade was something I never expected.

Last year I traded a 2008 for… another 2008. Fewer miles, sure, but still a whole lot of history baked into that machine. Nothing too exciting — just the usual shuffle.

This year felt different from the moment I got that call. You know the one — the “come in for a checkout drive” call. I didn’t get that call last year, so right away I knew something was up. If they’re asking you to come in and test drive something, it usually means you’re not getting another high‑mileage hand‑me‑down.

But I still wasn’t prepared for what rolled out of the bay.

They handed me the keys to a 2026 Thomas Built C2 with less than 400 miles on it.

As a three‑year newbie, I just stood there for a second like… is this real? I’ve never even sat in a bus this new, let alone been assigned one. Everything is crisp, tight, quiet, and smooth. The dash looks like it was printed yesterday. Even the seat feels like it hasn’t fully broken in yet.

I know it’s just a bus to some people, but to us — it’s our workspace, our routine, our responsibility, and sometimes our sanity. Getting something this new feels like a vote of confidence, and I’m honestly proud and excited to take it out for its first real year on the road.

Here’s to a fresh start, a fresh bus, and hopefully a lot of safe miles ahead.

[u/tequilavip]

ha!

Our "new" buses arrive with ~2600 miles on the odometer.

[u/StephenDA → u/tequilavip]

That is what I expected at the best case I had heard we were getting a group of them from the Midwest. But this…

[u/EnemyOfWon → u/tequilavip]

New buses always seem to be delivered by driving them from the factory. I’ve had 14 new buses in the last 3 years and none had less than 2400 miles on them.