Thomas Built renovates 1923 streetcar
HIGH POINT, N.C. — Six Thomas Built Buses employees recently began restoring a streetcar manufactured by the company — then named Perley A. Thomas Ca...
HIGH POINT, N.C. — Six Thomas Built Buses employees recently began restoring a streetcar manufactured by the company — then named Perley A. Thomas Car Works — in 1923.
“Streetcar 918,” which is one of 73 vehicles of its kind, is slated to go on exhibit at the North Carolina Transportation Museum in early 2010, with Thomas Built providing the funds necessary for the three-year renovation project.
The streetcar will join a working 1940 school bus that Thomas Built donated to the museum last summer.
“It’s an honor for Thomas Built vehicles to be showcased for the roles they’ve played in transportation history,” said John O’Leary, company president and CEO. “We are thankful to have employees with such a sense of community spirit and history and Thomas is proud to support them in preserving this treasured piece of history.”
Founded in 1916, Perley A. Thomas Car Works manufactured streetcars and trolley buses before transitioning to school buses in 1936.
The North Carolina Transportation Museum features an authentic train depot, antique automobiles and a 37-bay roundhouse that houses 25 locomotives, rail cars and other exhibits.
More Management
5 Questions: How CharterUP Brought a Marketplace to Student Transportation
What does it take to bring a transportation marketplace into K-12? Hear firsthand what CharterUP has learned about the unique needs of schools and bus operators.
Read More →
EverDriven Expands TripCentral Transportation Management Platform to All Partner Districts
The platform provides school districts with real-time trip tracking, student transportation scheduling tools, and pickup and drop-off management capabilities.
Read More →
6 School Transportation Trends to Watch: 2026 District Survey Results
School bus buying is up, fuel choices are shifting, and driver shortages persist. This and more in the latest K-12 public school survey, plus the largest fleets in the U.S.
Read More →
The 100 Largest School Bus Fleets in America: 2026 Rankings
Which public K-12 school districts are the largest in the nation in terms of bus fleet size? Here are the new standings of the top 100 district fleets.
Read More →
EverDriven Launches Route Consolidation Calculator to Estimate Diesel Savings
As diesel prices hit record highs, the largest alternative transportation provider says a 10% route consolidation could save a 120-route district more than $78,000 a year in fuel alone.
Read More →
Zum Secures Continued Financing Support for School Bus Expansion
Generate Private Credit has financed approximately $75 million in school bus deployments across three states, supporting more than 500 buses as Zum expands across the county.
Read More →
Beyond Discipline: A Different Approach to Student Behavior on the Bus
After implementing a dean of students program in Oregon, North Clackamas is seeing positive improvements. Here’s how it worked. The Route is brought to you by IC Bus.
Read More →
A Dean of Transportation's Different Approach to Student Behavior on the School Bus
After implementing a dean of students program in Oregon, North Clackamas is seeing positive improvements on the bus. Here’s how it worked.
Read More →
Inside NAPT ACTS 2026: Highlights from Louisville
From federal updates and student behavior strategies to new school bus technology and industry awards, see highlights from NAPT ACTS 2026 in Louisville.
Read More →
Meet the 2026 School Bus Driver Hero Winner: Annette Brown
We caught up with Wa-Nee Community Schools' Annette Brown on site at SBFX, where she was named the 2026 School Bus Driver Hero Award winner. Hear about her reaction, what she loves most about being a school bus driver, and more!
Read More →