HEADLINES
Tennessee School System First to Receive Newly Redesigned Thomas EFX School Bus
Jim Sumrell, chief operations officer for the Clarksville-Mont-
gomery County School System, was pleasantly surprised when he learned that 10 of the Tomas Built Buses Type D Saf-T-Liner buses he ordered last fall would be the first new EFX buses to come off the company’s production line. “We’re happy to be the first to add these buses to our fleet,”
said Sumrell. “We wanted transit-style buses, and we prefer Cummins engines. Tomas Built offered the best bid that met our specifications.” Te district purchased the buses from Mid-South Bus Sales in
Murfreesboro, Tenn. Last year, Tomas gave its Saf-T-Liner EF front-engine, tran-
sit-style bus an upgrade for cost-conscious customers looking for greater seating capacity for dense routes. Te renamed Saf-T-Liner EFX reflects the extra features, storage and access incorporated in the vehicle, which customers asked for during focus groups. Jed Routh, Tomas Built product planning manager, said
customers’ suggestions are reflected in the new EFX, which has a sleek contemporary exterior like other Tomas buses and a number of enhancements. “Making it more pleasing aesthetically and adding new features
definitely upped its appeal to both drivers and buyers,” he said. Sumrell agreed. He also toured Tomas’ manufacturing facili-
ties earlier this year when he took delivery of the new buses. “I was impressed with Tomas’ workforce. Everyone — from
the forklift operators to the engineers — approaches their job with great care to build a better bus,” he said. Powered by a Cummins’ ISB6.7 diesel engine with SCR tech-
nology, the EFX’s chassis and body are produced on Tomas Built’s Zero-Waste-to-Landfill production lines. Tomas said commonality of parts used with the HDX rear-engine transit helps to maximize efficiency and reduce waste. Te Clarksville-Montgomery County School System operates
36 school sites for more than 30,000 students. About half of the 300-plus vehicles in its fleet are Tomas Built Buses. ■
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safeguardseat.com 30 School Transportation News Magazine August 2012
2012©IMMI All rights reserved. 4138P 6/12
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