Blue Bird TC/2000

In the 1930s, transit-style (flat-front) school buses made their first appearance as manufacturers sought to develop school buses with higher capacity and greater maneuverability. Before World War II, California-based manufacturers Crown Coach, Gillig and Seattle-based Kenworth-Pacific had put various versions of the type into production; the most common was the forward-control bus, with the engine positioned next to the driver.

After World War II, Blue Bird company founder Albert Luce developed the first Blue Bird All American; similar to a bus he viewed at the 1948 Paris Auto Show, it was also of a forward-control design. Unable to secure a supply of GMC chassis, Luce produced the initial All Americans on conversions of conventional truck chassis, as was the practice of the time. In 1952, the company would make a decision that would forever affect the production of the All American, and potentially all school buses in the United States. Starting that year, Blue Bird started chassis production for the All American; aside from the powertrain, the company now was able to control nearly the entire design of the vehicle. Following a major redesign for 1957, Blue Bird would only make gradual detail changes to the All American for the following 32 years.

As the highest-capacity vehicles (84 to 90 passengers vs. 60 to 72 passengers) produced in the United States, transit-style school buses had become marketed as the flagship vehicles of their respective manufacturers (the All American also had the distinction of being the donor vehicle of the costly Blue Bird Wanderlodge motorhome). However, as the 1970s became the 1980s, school bus demand declined sharply. Declining student populations coupled with the overall recession magnified the overall importance of securing orders by contractors and large school districts. While higher-capacity buses could potentially lower operating costs across a large fleet, higher purchase prices were an increasingly hard sell to customers.

In 1986, the first low-price transit school bus was introduced. Wayne Corporation debuted the Lifestar; its high degree of parts commonality allowed it to be priced nearly the same as the Wayne Lifeguard conventional. However, chassis supply for the Lifestar would be plagued for much of its production run, which would render it non-competitive.

During the late 1980s, along with a low-priced bus such as the Lifestar, Blue Bird was faced with having to compete with the All American; aside from powertrain updates, it had gone nearly unchanged since the early 1960s. To solve both problems, the TC/2000 was introduced in 1987. While much of the same body (the passenger compartment, also shared with the Conventional and Mini Bird) was shared along with the chassis, major changes were done to the forward body in the interest of lowering production costs. Chrome trim was virtually eliminated and the grille was changed from 14 slots to 4. The quad headlights of the All American were replaced with dual rectangular units on the TC/2000; when the All American was redesigned in 1989, the headlight count became the easiest way to tell the two buses apart.

Inside, in the interest of lowering production costs and introducing an updated design, the TC/2000 was given its own drivers' compartment. The All American's wood-panel dashboard was replaced with a black fiberboard design with the instruments positioned closer to the driver (who was greeted with a smaller steering wheel). An all-new side control console made its way into the All American in its 1989 redesign. As in the All American Forward Engine, student seating capacity ranged from 54 to 90.

Mechanically, the TC/2000 continued the same theme of lowering production costs; Blue Bird developed relatively few combinations that could be built. At its 1987 launch,^[1] only a front-engine version was produced. Although the All American was produced with several available transmissions, a gasoline engine, and at least 3 diesel engines options, the TC/2000 was produced only with the Chevrolet 7.0L gasoline V8 as standard with the Cummins 5.9L diesel inline-6 as an option; nearly all were produced with the Cummins. A 5-speed manual was standard, with the Allison AT545 as an option, but nearly all customers specified the automatic. Later in 1991, compressed natural gas (CNG) became an alternative fuel option on the RE variant, with an 8.1L John Deere engine. It was the first ever school bus to be offered with CNG as an alternative fuel.

To keep the price down, Blue Bird simplified the powertrain lineup with a single gasoline engine (a Chevrolet 427 cubic-inch V8) and a single diesel engine (a Cummins 6BTA5.9/ISB inline-6). Theoretically, a manual transmission was available, but almost all TC/2000s were supplied with an Allison AT-545 automatic transmission. When the TC/2000 RE was added in 1991, the Cummins C 8.3/ISC 8.3, John Deere CNG, and Allison MT-643 were added to the lineup; however, these were exclusive to the RE. After 1995, the gasoline engine choice was dropped due to the popularity of diesel engines in Type D school buses.

Over its lifetime, the TC/2000 was assembled in five of Blue Bird's manufacturing facilities.

• Blue Bird Body Company (Fort Valley, Georgia)
• Blue Bird North Georgia (LaFayette, Georgia); closed 2010
• Blue Bird Midwest (Mount Pleasant, Iowa); closed in 2002.
• Blue Bird Canada (Brantford, Ontario); closed in 2007
• Blue Bird East (Buena Vista, Virginia); closed in 1992

• Blue Bird All American
• AmTran RE
• Thomas Saf-T-Liner MVP
• Wayne Lifestar
• Ward Senator (AmTran Genesis)

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