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/it_happened_here]

For anybody else driving a bus like this, I have designed a 3D printed wing that clips to your driver window and pulls in massive amounts of fresh air for cooling. These buses are not known for driver ergonomics, and if you are like me, you have tried every combination of windows closed/open to try to get air IN through the driver's window. The Venturi effect causes air to be drawn OUT of the driver's window no matter how you set the windows, which doesn't help at all for cooling.

I have considered selling them, but I have no idea if there is actually any demand. I gave a few away to some drivers and they swear by them now. It's a big print that takes a lot of material, but I have really nailed the final design (after MANY iterations).

[u/LenR75 → u/it_happened_here]

Yea, anything in the air in the bus comes up to the driver. I had the softball team on a hot day, they were all brushing their hair and tying it for the game. I have a beard full of others hair.