With all school buses manufactured under D 250 standards (required specs i.e. how many exterior lights are required and where they are must be mounted) it stands to reason that the electronic technology age is here to stay. New C2 buses are Thomas made with a Freightliner chassis and taken this route to the maximum.

They have incorpoarted multi-plex wiring to improve communication and handle more add-on operating systems that seem to increase every year. Heated mirrors and stop gates (an arm that extends out from the front bumper when unloading passengers for highway crossing safety) are mandatory and must be operational at all times. It is an instant rejection when performing a motor vehicle inspection.

The electronic systems are controlled by modules that read signals and and commands by the driver to run the bus. Dash switches have their own designated resistance that the modules read tio tell which operation to implement like wipers or the air horn. Dash switches can be swapped around anywhere on the dash since there is no two switches alike.

To troubleshoot the C2 buses the laptop is required where you can go online with the unit serial number and look inside each module using a template and actually run a test to operate switches and check circuits for faults. The days of hard wiring and basic 12 volt electrical systems are long gone as engineering concepts have truly developed easier and faster designs for todays equipment.