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IC
Top Member
USA
3413 Posts |
 Posted - 05/06/2006 : 11:48:10 PM
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I was bored today, so I went out he yard to clean my bus up a little...SUCH a beautiful day it was!
When I climbed aboard, the smells HIT me....tootsie roll pops/ sweat/puke/piss/poop/poptarts/hair spray/feminine products/mud/lacrosse balls/diesel fuel/tennis rackets/footballs/basketballs/gatorade/mountain dew/red bull/jock straps/right guard/ultraban/preparation H/IcyHot/JuicyFruit/Skittles/...and PLENTY more of unmentionables!
Add all that up over the 8 years, and 146,000 miles that my Thomas ER has been in service and you got one great smell!
Some people like the smell of a new car.....but I LOVE the smell of an old school bus! |
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80-RE4
Top Member
USA
5700 Posts |
Posted - 05/07/2006 : 05:26:01 AM
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I would have fainted and went right down to the nearest CVS and buy a whole bunch of air freshners before I went in that thing. I have a week stomach so I couldn't stand that smell
I would probably ask someone else to do it, or require an air tank |
Edited by - 80-RE4 on 05/07/2006 05:28:28 AM |
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dem84skeeprollinup
Top Member
USA
888 Posts |
Posted - 05/07/2006 : 05:45:00 AM
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Mmmmm, sounds like youv'e got it worse than me. We thouroghly clean our buses at the end of every year. You can still smell the best smell though, the smell of aging vinyl seats! |
Do the world a favor and bring back GMC and Ford conventional chassis......
 
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IC RE 1629
Top Member
United States
5097 Posts |
Posted - 05/07/2006 : 05:45:32 AM
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| I like the smell of a new bus! |
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IC-RE
Top Member
USA
4117 Posts |
Posted - 05/07/2006 : 06:39:52 AM
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| Wow, time to scrub'er down! |
 bus 1980, a 2008 IC RE 300 for Fairfax County Public Schools, Fairfax, Virginia. |
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Gini
Top Member
USA
1249 Posts |
Posted - 05/07/2006 : 08:15:49 AM
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| when i took "the Princess" down to WOX for fix #2 two hrs after i picked her up, a bunch of the mechanics came over to take deep breaths of that "new" smell- so funny! |
1Peter 1:3 |
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SchoolBusFan
Top Member
USA
1769 Posts |
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Gini
Top Member
USA
1249 Posts |
Posted - 05/07/2006 : 08:34:30 AM
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| she went in service 5/3 mid-day, still had parents talking about the :new bus smell" 5/5, & they just stand outside the bus! |
1Peter 1:3 |
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thomas86_a
Top Member
USA
4413 Posts |
Posted - 05/07/2006 : 12:27:20 PM
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| Someone hide the key to the liquor cabinet! |
If you have an International, you NEED customer service. |
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IC
Top Member
USA
3413 Posts |
Posted - 05/07/2006 : 3:41:04 PM
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That's what I was doing!......mopping her out as I do about every 2 weeks (sweep 'er every day). So now it smells like old school bus plus Pine-sol!
I wouldn't put air fresheners in there 'cuz some folks gag on chemical smells....I've never heard that it's agin the rules, though.
Not to brag, but I keep my bus'es interior VERY clean. The bus was TOXIC when I got it 9 months ago....but I've been working on it ever since (finally got ALL the gum up). I even modified (on a grinder) an old putty knife to scrape crud out of the concave grooves in the flooring that runs up the aisle!
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IC-CEiswhereiwannabe
Advanced Member
USA
214 Posts |
Posted - 05/07/2006 : 3:44:31 PM
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OMG! That's horrible. I clean my bus thouroghly on every Friday. I mop the floors and swiffer the ceiling. I always have plenty of air freshners (all hidden of course) and I just installed one of those little freshners that releases a little puff of scent every couple of minutes.
YUCK. I HATE DIRTY BUSES! I often refuse to drive trip buses if they weren't properly cleaned.
quote:
When I climbed aboard, the smells HIT me..../puke/...and PLENTY more of unmentionables!
EWWWWW. I would probably add to the puke smell if I had to get in your bus |
Why can't U C what I C in IC? |
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80-RE4
Top Member
USA
5700 Posts |
Posted - 05/07/2006 : 3:53:59 PM
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quote:
quote:
Originally posted by IC
That's what I was doing!......mopping her out as I do about every 2 weeks (sweep 'er every day). So now it smells like old school bus plus Pine-sol!
I wouldn't put air fresheners in there 'cuz some folks gag on chemical smells....I've never heard that it's agin the rules, though.
Not to brag, but I keep my bus'es interior VERY clean. The bus was TOXIC when I got it 9 months ago....but I've been working on it ever since (finally got ALL the gum up). I even modified (on a grinder) an old putty knife to scrape crud out of the concave grooves in the flooring that runs up the aisle!
One time I mopped my old AmTran and the stupid stuff I used stained the floor (it was the 97) so I ended up with practically white floors. Who cares though, it went to someone else!!! Then I got my 00. Every year, our mechanic used to hose them down. With my RE buses, I used to clean the basic stuff and I used to put air freshners up but the kids would pull them off (high schoolers) I guess they were telling me that they couldn't stand the smell of them!!
The one I have in my bus now smells very nice. I just keep one up front, I just put it there the other day, I liked the color of it.
Do you really sweep your bus everyday IC? That's a lot of work. Sometimes I sweep mine once every week if that. I just get sick of it. (okay maybe that makes me a bad bus driver)
Don't anyone agree or i'll run ya over.
Just kidding about the running you over part
I have a different bus sittuation. My bus gets used by different people because I'm not an Am driver, so she's used by others. I do give my bus the attention she needs but sometimes I just, I guess you can say, am lazy. But I always check to make sure it's empty of course.... My bus is clean. I pick up any items like coke cans, but the dirt gets sweeped at least every 95 days, I have a thing of armoral, etc. It's very organized.  Anyways, IC, I'm sure your bus looks just fine, who cares about the Thomas ER or whatever it is, just get that ic-re.
Are you going to have the Ic-RE for next year.? t00
One more thing...after i got done with the 97, it developed a disease (after I mopped it), a bump, I don't know what it's issue was. But a bump started to rise in the back. Maybe overly watered it. That bus had some problems anyways (the 97 amTran RE), black smoke, tried to kill people with it's smoke, but i miss the engine noise.. and going so slow up hills!!!! It was hard t o describe the kind of bump it developed. As if a part of the floor was rising, but just a short section. The mechanic would spray them every summer, but someone (threw up) on mine so I needed to hose it down, and I did it for a half hour, maybe more, more like 2 hours until I was 150 percent sure there wasn't going to be a trace of that smell on my bus. |
Edited by - 80-RE4 on 05/07/2006 4:04:43 PM |
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IC
Top Member
USA
3413 Posts |
Posted - 05/07/2006 : 4:17:44 PM
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Yeah I sweep it every day...got to. Several of my runs are in areas with no sidewalks...so the kids stand in grass or dirt and with the morning dew....they track lots of stuff in.
PS: Sorry folks, if I got too graphic up there! My bus smells pretty good actually....or maybe I should say it does not smell bad!
PPS: amtran....my next upgrade will be a '99 Amtran RE....just don't know when :-( This year the SE buses came in first, so school might end before anybody gets an upgrade.... |
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Rich
Top Member
United States
5768 Posts |
Posted - 05/07/2006 : 4:22:32 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by IC
I was bored today, so I went out he yard to clean my bus up a little...SUCH a beautiful day it was!
When I climbed aboard, the smells HIT me....tootsie roll pops/ sweat/puke/piss/poop/poptarts/hair spray/feminine products/mud/lacrosse balls/diesel fuel/tennis rackets/footballs/basketballs/gatorade/mountain dew/red bull/jock straps/right guard/ultraban/preparation H/IcyHot/JuicyFruit/Skittles/...and PLENTY more of unmentionables!
Add all that up over the 8 years, and 146,000 miles that my Thomas ER has been in service and you got one great smell!
Some people like the smell of a new car.....but I LOVE the smell of an old school bus!
Am I the only one who thinks that some of those smell descriptions went a bit too far? Feminine products... jock strap... I mean, come on. 
Lord knows if buses really had some of those things, they'd have to be sealed off as biohazards! |
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78fordwayne
Top Member
USA
2868 Posts |
Posted - 05/07/2006 : 4:26:02 PM
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| I dont know Rich. Ive seen some kids do some really weird things on buses! LOL |
Robert B.
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IC-RE
Top Member
USA
4117 Posts |
Posted - 05/07/2006 : 4:38:33 PM
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HAHA, I know what you me 78fordwayne, it's just not right!!!
IC is probably one of the FEW around here that care about keeping their buses clean, even if they are stuck with the worst units in the county! |
bus 1980, a 2008 IC RE 300 for Fairfax County Public Schools, Fairfax, Virginia. |
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thomasbusfan
Senior Member
United States
51 Posts |
Posted - 05/07/2006 : 5:35:44 PM
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I my area there is sut all over some buses at one terminal. The sut is even inside the buses that had windows left open. The worst part of it all was that drivers have complauned, parents have too; even the mechanics don't want their children on some of those buses.
I'm sure gald my bus doesn't go to that terminal.
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The C2 and the Vision leading the future.
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Gini
Top Member
USA
1249 Posts |
Posted - 05/07/2006 : 5:54:13 PM
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| i'm one of those people w/ perfume/chem allergies, can't stop coughing, & my asthma kicks in. when i'm hyper-allergic, i get really sick. missed most of feb cos of the air pollution @ the mid-yr meeting. i found a cleaning product from the co i get my vitamins & supps, it's a little strong @ 1st, then mostly clears away, taking any other smells w/ it. it leaves a slight scent of thyme behind. |
1Peter 1:3 |
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IC-RE
Top Member
USA
4117 Posts |
Posted - 05/07/2006 : 5:59:17 PM
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| Wow, drivers that don't have A/C buses must suffer BADLY during allergy season, I was just thinking about that. |
bus 1980, a 2008 IC RE 300 for Fairfax County Public Schools, Fairfax, Virginia. |
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Gini
Top Member
USA
1249 Posts |
Posted - 05/07/2006 : 6:26:30 PM
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| i'm also one of those really weird people, most pollens don't bother me @ all! |
1Peter 1:3 |
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Gini
Top Member
USA
1249 Posts |
Posted - 05/08/2006 : 08:59:06 AM
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| btw, for any other creative types, Crayola Washable Markers ARE NOT WASHABLE! i used them to write the names of my pm pre-schoolers when i moved them to the back of the bus (when i was hyper allergic to their winter coats-detergent perfumes), in BIG block letters, 2 colors for each name, from light pink to dark blue & purple- then tried to wash it off the walls when i turned the bus in for my new one, & it wouldn't come off!!!!!! i used this brand of marker in the past, no problem, window cleaner took it off. this time, what a mess! i tried a couple of spray cleaners, nothing. then i used the vandalism cloths the garage has, nothing. a friend used the garage version of 409 called spraynine, 1/2 came off. tried spray vandalism remover, nothing. finally got the rest off using comet w/ bleach, plus hard scrubbing. so glad i never got around to adding any of the art-work i had planned. & i still owe one friend dinner! |
1Peter 1:3 |
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80-RE4
Top Member
USA
5700 Posts |
Posted - 05/08/2006 : 10:07:38 PM
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| my 96 amtran re smelled gross one time when the kids decided to do a stink bomb on it, but the smell went away on its own- I like a bus to smell normal-i used to bring extra air freshners non sprayable ones on my bus & after the kids left I would aromatize my bus (okay, it was spray) I don't want anyone after me- It was Lyscol, |
Edited by - 80-RE4 on 05/08/2006 10:12:34 PM |
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IC-RE
Top Member
USA
4117 Posts |
Posted - 05/09/2006 : 1:46:28 PM
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| A lot of the drivers here use lyscol, more times then not I get on a bus after it has been emptied, and it smells of lyscol, and I think it is a great Idea, not only does it smell better, but it gets rid of all those germs. The driver usually airs it out by cracking a few windows, and the smell is never to the point where People would think it was too strong. |
bus 1980, a 2008 IC RE 300 for Fairfax County Public Schools, Fairfax, Virginia. |
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scottyd
Advanced Member
USA
491 Posts |
Posted - 05/09/2006 : 2:45:18 PM
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One thing I've done--saturate the floor with spraynine and let it soak for about 20 minutes. Then hose it out. does a fairly decent job. Just remember with some of the newer buses--I know Thomas, for example--you can't hose the floor and leave it wet because it will buckle.
Also, backed into the wash area one day and sprayed the hose up the tailpipe. You wouldn't believe how much crud came out of there. must have stood there for 30 min until the water came out clean. The bus ran a lot better after that. |
Scott
Driving America's Future |
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98tc2000
Senior Member
USA
97 Posts |
Posted - 05/09/2006 : 2:54:25 PM
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| There is this one driver that cleans her bus every day like wash windows, clean seats, swep the floor, dusts the driver, area and sprays the floor with polisher |
Bus 20 A 1998 Blue Bird TC2000
  
Bus 35 A 1999/2000 Blue Bird TC1000
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IC-RE
Top Member
USA
4117 Posts |
Posted - 05/09/2006 : 3:02:51 PM
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| When you hose a bus out, doesn't water pool in the driver area? How do you get it all out, I assume throught the emergency door. ScottyD do our drivers with RE buses hose them out too, where would the water leave from? I guess the entrance door. |
bus 1980, a 2008 IC RE 300 for Fairfax County Public Schools, Fairfax, Virginia. |
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Cody
Top Member
United States
1630 Posts |
Posted - 05/09/2006 : 3:23:51 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by scottyd
Just remember with some of the newer buses--I know Thomas, for example--you can't hose the floor and leave it wet because it will buckle.
This will ruin the floor on ANY bus if you leave it sit! One of the worst things to do as it rots the wood. If you hose it out I suggest to park it on an incline and let the water run out the rear door (or entrance door for REs) |
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DigitalGimpling
Advanced Member
USA
226 Posts |
Posted - 05/09/2006 : 7:15:53 PM
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The multi-purpose cleaner that we are provided with smells like roses. And they give us floral potporri (sp?) too. That's what my bus smells like... flowers and warm vinyl.
It's nice. ^.^ |
They see me rollin' - They hatin'
Patrollin' and try'n to catch me ridin dirty
tryna catch me ridin dirty |
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VisionBird
Senior Member
USA
55 Posts |
Posted - 05/11/2006 : 12:49:33 PM
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quote:
quote:
When I climbed aboard, the smells HIT me..../puke/...and PLENTY more of unmentionables!
EWWWWW. I would probably add to the puke smell if I had to get in your bus
Ditto :) |
-Jacob L.
Proud Rider of Bus 379, a 2004 Thomas Freightliner with Mercedes Engine!
http://www.rpmtunersracing.net |
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School bus smells!
