Thomas Built Buses FS-65: Difference between revisions

! align="center" colspan="2" style="background:#3f3f3f;" | <big><font color=white>Thomas Built Buses FS-65</font></big>

| '''Years of manufacture''' || 1997 to 2006

In May 1996, [[Freightliner]] introduced their new type-C school bus chassis, known as the '''FS-65'''. Freightliner had worked with [[Thomas Built Buses]] to develop a chassis/body combination that boasted a larger windshield, a raised driver's platform, and a sloping hood, all leading to better visibility. Production was expected to begin in mid-1996.<ref>Freightliner enters school bus market. 15 May 1996. Press release. Freightliner Corporation.</ref> The first bus was completed and delivered to John T. Cyr & Sons in January 1997.<ref>First Freightliner school bus completed and delivered to largest contractor in Maine. 09 January 1997. Press release. Freightliner Corporation.</ref>

When launched, the FS-65 chassis was also available to other body manufacturers, including [[Blue Bird]], [[Carpenter Industries|Capenter]], and [[Corbeil Bus Corporation|Corbeil]]. By the end of 2002, Blue Bird had designed their own type-C chassis, Carpenter had ceased operation, and Corbeil focused solely on producing type-A buses. At this time, Thomas, which had become a subsidiary of Freightliner in 1998<ref>Press release. 06 October 1998.</ref>, produced their type-C buses exclusively on the FS-65 chassis.

On December 13, 2006, Thomas delivered their last FS-65 school bus. The FS-65 was succeeded by the [[Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner C2|Saf-T-Liner C2]], which was launched two years earlier. A total of 62,764 Freightliner FS-65 chassis were produced, and nearly a quarter of a million FS-65 conventional bodies were produced.<ref name="ThomasRetired">[http://www.thomasbus.com/bus-models/type-c/fs65-retired.asp Thomas retires the FS-65], thomasbus.com, retrieved 09-06-30</ref>