Why I Would Not Drive The HDX2

[@Project50864]

I saw a picture on Facebook of a bus suite of bluebirds and I said well the birds are finally at their nest

[@user-vacgod2739]

The old Saf-T-Liners from the 80s and 90s were much better than the HDXs.

[@coreyprkr2013cp]

And better built

[@schoolbusguy2025]

A Thomas HDX? We had a Thomas EF back then.

[@bruh6984]

3:43 Former PVUSD student here. Wasn't expecting to find this here. Nice pic!

[@MrDmagic88]

The 1991-2001 safTliner ER dash was my favorite dash and drivers area. So much so that I bought a 99 MPV a few months ago 😅

[@Burger-Bob]

At least It isn't a Starcraft Dodge!

[@bus213]

I still miss the IC RE, I’d rather have it over the HDX2.

[@ShapedCrawdude57]

imagine a 3rd gen ic re tho

[@charlesrodriguez7984]

@@bus213 same. IC was lowkey on drugs when they did that

[@mattsceilingfansandmore2573]

Yeah I remember the IC RE. From 5th grade until I left high school I rode them.

[@ShapedCrawdude57]

@@mattsceilingfansandmore2573 Those were great buses. Especially the one I rode on, it had air suspension but it also had the vt365 :(

[@GarlandTexasSpotter2024]

I only rode a IC RE once. In 2018. It was a sub bus when my actual bus broke down.

[@xapo9707]

As someone who drove a Thomas bus for several months as a route bus (RIP 0805 - iykyk) the drivers area is terribly cramped. You feel as if you are hunched over and crammed in as if the drivers area was an afterthought. Oh and on the older hdxs when pulling the parking brake the rest of the dash will come out with it even if it's screwed together tightly. Ill take an all american RE over an hdx any day of the week. It has a VERY spacious drivers area, very well laid out controls, a gauge cluster you don't have to turn your head to see, and you're not super close to the front windshield like you are in an hdx or an IC RE. Our drivers here at the district I work at fight tooth and nail to keep their All American REs; you drive one and you'll fall in love with it.

[@lloydrobinson7081]

keep the clips coming

[@TheYellowSchoolBusDude]

One of the Districts my company services requires transit buses and they ordered the Thomas EFX. I have to say, its one of the worst driving buses I've experienced.

[@charlesrodriguez7984]

I feel like School bus manufacturers are going backwards. The fact Thomas is still using the same dysfunctional drivers area is very dumb. IC discontinuing the RE is also very stupid. I could design a better drivers area that resembles an IC RE on the HDX2 and would have redesigned gauges and a parking brake in a different location. I’d also add some more space to the drivers area to have more space for a bag as well.

[@LuisUrbieta]

Maybe add a touch screen on a school bus.

[@Pa_school_bus_enthusiast]

it's like that with all manufacturers now, they lower the quality so they can quickly build them for mass production i feel like.

[@charlesrodriguez7984]

@@Pa_school_bus_enthusiast that’s unfortunate. Hence why older is better. I’ll take anything from the 90’s-mid 2010’s plus the diesel engines sounded far better then.

[@DominckSwakon]

R.I.P. 1st Gen HDX 2000/2024

[@ChrisSaf-T-LinerC21719]

Well all of our HDX's are now retired. They were so old and were known for engine problems. Our oldest HDX was a 2004 with a Mercedes-Benz OM906 and an Allison MD3060. It was such a slow moving bus. It was retired due to smoking in the engine. Some of the newer HDX's smoked too and they failed inspections because of the engines smoking. What's crazy is that our HD's were quicker. And they had CAT 3126's. But all our HDX's had only Mercedes engines. And our older C2's are now mostly retired. But we still have some C2's with Mercedes engines that are spares. But our HDX's were replaced with C2's. And we have only ordered C2's since 2014. Between 2010-2013 we ordered 2nd gen Blue-Bird Visions. I see that we got some Evolved Thomas Saf-T-Liner C2's.

[@jeepfreak53]

Hey, saftlinerc2! Did you see Thomas Built Buses' social media post from today? They said the HDX2 will have a "Curved, C2-inspired cab." I wonder how that'll turn out.

[@ChrisSaf-T-LinerC21719]

I have also seen drivers who drove HDX's put their backpacks on top of the dash off to the side. I know the C2 has space behind the seat. If Thomas puts a C2 body on the HDX they should replicate everything on the C2 inside the bus.

[@agentshoes8469]

Nice video. I have driven T3s, HDXs and IC FE (no RE). With the HDX, there are many things that I agree with you such as the driver's area being very cramped and and close to the front. Personally I prefer International/IC flat nose buses with Blue Birds as my second preference.

[@Geforce2187]

I'm surprised they're keeping the same front end design which is from the Freightliner Argosy (1999)

[@FirstLast-kb7kn]

The other question I have is if the Thomas HDX2 is going to share parts with the Thomas C2, are LED headlights from the factory going to be an option. I know that's a feature that can be purchased on the newer C2s and IC CEs. From what I've heard about the halogen lights that most school buses have, they don't illuminate dark roads very well.

[@jameswise3971]

At least the MVP RE bus has a better cab.

[@KarterBigs]

I would love to see how you handle a J4500, absolutely love driving them everyday!

[@hannamaniacrailproductions5082]

I prefer the HDX over the HDX2 but thats coming from a rider/fan perspective, I do understand just by your photos of the HDX how driving one could be really difficult. So the HDX may not be great to drive but it definetly looked great.

[@khmam]

Welcome back, Cameron! Would you drive an EFX?

[@FirstLast-kb7kn]

(6:41) Just out of curiosity, why is the knob for the parking brake sideways?

[@jarrodmorrow2781]

Depending on the year, the newer HDX buses have much more room and the parking brake was moved to the right and swapped places with the ignition. I drove an HDX for 8 years, all model years, you definitely get used to the mirrors. Depending on how the bus is spec’d, some drive nicer than others and have a lot of storage and also a lot of space for the driver. My 2018 HDX drove the same as my current 2020 T3RE. They both have a lot of space and storage as well. The T3RE has a better turning radius, but that’s prob due to the fact that most CA spec’d Thomas HDX have the 277” wheelbase, and our T3’s usually have the 253” wheelbase. That makes a huge difference. I used to die by the HDX, now I prefer the T3RE.

[@mattsceilingfansandmore2573]

I cant be the only one that thinks the hdx2 looks like a Type D version of the C2

[@ryanjosephhaywood96]

The bus I drive is a 2016 thomas EFX and the dash is surprisingly different than the HDX you shown the warning lights are on the right by the gauges and that's just one example I would of thought the HDX would be like the EFX I just thought the only difference was the engine in the front but I guess not

[@Bus285Productions-l1x]

Are you still able to make bus models in Rigs of Rods?

[@justindrayton481]

i like how they was going for something new, but that not it

[@PeterWarner-yz7tb]

See what they're looking like when the HDX3s come out. It looks like the engine was moved to the rear much like Most of the newer Blue Birds are. Also, Crown went from the midline motor block to the rear end jobs in the early 90s. What motor block is Thomas using on the HDX series versus the original fleet of C2s?

[@deshongaming6352]

I understand everything you are saying, and you make some great points, but as an HDX rider for years back in school, I can tell you how it rides and how comfortable it is. At least for the configuration my county got.

[@rudyb1607]

Hey Cameron! Which bus do you normally drive for the school district? I don't like the idea of an HDX2! The front looks similar a C2

[@jeremiahsatterlee3940]

Does the school you work for have any A3REs , A3FEs, MVP EFs by any chance? Those are my favorite school buses. "HDX2" Be what happens when the HDX and C2 have a baby.

[@HavardCastiglioni]

I wouldn't mind driving the HDX2. Not too bad of a brand of bus. In spite of the seat being low, it does look good. The center steering column is an awesome touch. The HDXs used by the lower merion school district are okay. The drivers are not as bothered at all. Either way, I'm flexible with the buses that thomas branded. Nothing more nothing less

[@octavionwedner5550]

Hi like your videos good job 😉😋

[@michaelmarion7161]

So which bus are you going to get

[@Dcsbuslegend]

When is your district getting New buses?

[@CortWorkman-k1v]

Do you like driving a bluebird or c2

[@markryl-kuchar2373]

I have driven an HDX 6 times the one I’ve driven is a white activity bus, the visibility is great, I hate the dashboard off to the side, ours has overhead storage and it seems smaller than the C2s overhead storage bin, the switch panel is okay for me… yeah some switches are a reach and others you’re doing a weird arm claw to hit but the Hdx is not super bad ride wise though, and I really hate on a 90 plus degree day that the front drivers panel doesn’t have a/c in it the way it’s specd all that glass makes it so hot in the drivers area

[@rosecitybusman129]

What baffles me is how Thomas never updated the dash on the HDX2 and yet the C2 gets a entirely new dash. It feels like School Bus manufacturers neglect their Type D offerings. Not to forget, the HDX2 doesn’t have a electric version which is strange. IC completely killed off the RE Thomas not updating the dash on the HDX2 Blue Bird not having Propane or Gas options on the T3 (but I will give them credit on with electric offering on the T3)

[@charlesrodriguez7984]

@@rosecitybusman129 I feel like type C buses are becoming the future of school buses with how little manufacturers care about them. IC made a stupid decision with killing it off, Thomas also made a stupid decision too.

[@rosecitybusman129]

@charlesrodriguez7984 Unfortunately. It seems now a days that only BlueBird and Greenpower cares about Type Ds

[@ShawnMKouri]

I’m not sure I’m the fondest of the design of the new HDX. I’m not really sold on it. I like the way it is now before this one came out. It looks like an HDX. Now it looks more like a Thomas C2 that’s trying to B an HDX or an HDX that’s trying to be a C2

[@etx_fortnite_channel]

Buses: 7, 12, 20, and 40 are getting removed from service 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@DeadChan67]

Idk man I kinda fck w/ it ngl

[@Coolboy725]

I don't think the HDX2 looks good at all. I probably would've ordered T3RE's for this school year were I SUSD48's transportation director. *They did get new short IC CE MV's this year for wheelchair students. And I actually like the IC CE MV due to different color badges to tell you what fuel the bus runs on.

[@tdhutch]

I’d take a HDX over a C2

[@mtgau2000]

I just dont like hoodless buses period.

[@DrewMcAlisterSchoolBuses]

First