First of all, a special thanks to my bus driver for allowing me to record this video.
Yesterday, our usual 2005 Blue Bird Vision, 1607, was taken out for the day to replace the DVR for the camera system and move and remount a first aid kit that was obstructing one of the cameras. My bus driver was given 1408 for the day.
Bus 1408 is a 2006 Blue Bird All American FE with a Caterpillar C7 engine and air brakes, just like 1607. This is one out of four air brake buses owned by the yard. The other 96 or so are hydraulic brake. One of the reasons my driver was given this bus for today is because she is one of the few drivers for this branch of the company that is air brake certified, and the driver that usually is in this bus took the day off or something. Chances are they were low on spares with hydro brakes. This bus features a yellow roof, gray seats, outward-opening air door (air doors are not common with this fleet), intercom/radio entertainment system, incandescent lights, strobing LED stop arm, an 8 lamp Doran exterior light monitor, and a Kenwood NEXEDGE NX-800H two-way radio transceiver, same radio I own and the same radio that many of these buses use. Interestingly, this bus also has 3 fans on it. Never seen that before.
I liked this bus for the most part, but it was a pain for my driver. Even the driver that usually drives this bus thinks it sucks. It was certainly very rattly, especially when the engine was idling, and obviously very loud. This was the first time I had ridden in a flat nose since probably the 5th grade. The last one I would have ridden on was an AmTran/International RE. This will have probably also been the last flat nose I'll ever ride on in my school career, unless I buy one for myself down the road when I'm out of my own.
This bus, according to the 10 year policy, has one school year left before it must be taken out of service.
As of the 2016-17 school year, we do not have this bus on the fleet anymore. It seems to have disappeared over the summer when the West Chicago yard was closed and the buses moved to Carol Stream. More than likely, this bus was transferred to a terminal down south in the state.
14 окт 2024
