 | |
| Formerly | Perley A. Thomas Car Works |
|---|---|
| Company type | Subsidiary |
| Industry | Bus manufacturing |
| Founded | 1916 (as Perley A. Thomas Car Works) 1972 (as Thomas Built Buses) |
| Founder | Perley A. Thomas |
| Headquarters | 1408 Courtesy Road, High Point, North Carolina, 27260 , U.S. |
Area served | North America |
Key people | T.J. Reed (President, CEO) John W. Thomas III (President, 1992–2002) |
| Products | School buses Commercial buses Specialty vehicles |
Production output | 15,000 vehicles/year[1] |
| Owner | Daimler Truck |
Number of employees | 1,600 |
| Parent | Daimler Truck North America |
| Website | thomasbuiltbuses.com |
Thomas Built Buses, Inc. (commonly known as Thomas) is an American bus manufacturer. Best known for its production of the first ever rear engine Type C school bus. Thomas produces other bus designs for a variety of usages. Currently, its production is concentrated on school buses and activity buses, along with their commercial derivatives.
Founded in 1916 as Perley A. Thomas Car Works, the company was renamed in 1972 to better represent its primary product lines. Headquartered since 1916 in High Point, North Carolina, Thomas has been a subsidiary of Daimler Trucks North America (the parent company of Freightliner) since 1998. Prior to its acquisition, the company was operated by the Perley A. Thomas family, the final major school bus manufacturer operated under family control.
Since 1936, Thomas has produced school buses in High Point, North Carolina. In addition to bus bodies, the company also produces vehicle chassis for its Saf-T-Liner/Transit Liner EFX and HDX buses.