During my military tours, I had the opportunity to drive a number of buses – not full-time, but typically incidental to my main duties. And being a car/truck/bus guy, I routinely violated the cardinal rule of GI-life; “Never volunteer for anything”….when they needed a bus driver, I would usually raise my hand. So let’s step aboard the “Blue Goose” and look at a few of the buses in the USAF fleet before, during, and after my time.
Before. Buses have a long history in the USAF. While the Army and Marines typically used tactical vehicles to move their troops, the Air Force, being mostly garrison-based, used buses. Here’s a 1940’s Chevy – perhaps just before the Air Force was designated a separate service in 1947. The “ATC” on the bumper likely stands for Air Transport Command, the forerunner of today’s Air Mobility Command.
Moving to the 1950’s, this is a Fageol Super Freighter bus. These were essentially large trailers plopped on to a truck chassis – mostly International Harvester (IHI).
A mid-60’s Metro-Superior bus using an IHI chassis. A lot of our Vietnam Vets will recognize this model.
During. I drove buses in the early portion of my career – from the late-70’s to the mid-80’s. Almost all were IH Loadstars, 29 and 44 pax models. The 29 pax were old 1972/3’s, with a good eight years of hard, GI level abuse. The 392 cu in gas V8 roared, but imparted little forward motion. The four speed manual transmission was the proverbial “wand in a bowl of Jell-O”. The synchros were all gone so it was double-clutching, rev-matching, and much crunching. I hated driving these. The 44 pax models were only a year old, and had a IH DV 462 diesel V8 and an Allison automatic. Much nicer…
In the late-80’s, I was asked to drive a 1989 Blue Bird All American 28 pax model to a function downtown when the Transportation unit ran out of drivers. Even though it was new, I didn’t care for it. You could tell it was a bus body on top of a medium duty truck chassis – hard riding and lots of rattles. The front door – a two section affair, with one section opening inward and one outward, used rubber weather-stripping that had large gaps and didn’t seal – I remember going down the expressway and putting up with a lot of road noise and a very loud whistle. Lowest common bidder…
After. Irrespective of my opinion, Blue Bird seems to be the bus of choice for today’s USAF fleet – this is a RE All American.
Though I do see a few of these Thomas Saf-T-Liners.
I haven’t driven a bus in over twenty-five years, and often wish I had the opportunity to get behind the wheel of one again…I’d even take a spin in an IH Loadstar with bad synchros…
Your local school district would LOVE for you to drive.
The sound of an engine winding out followed by the bang of an Allison automatic shifting is something I remember clearly from my time at Sheppard AFB.
The Metro-Superior is right hand drive, with a British plate from 1973/74, Sheffield registration code.
This brings back memories-while I was stationed at Udorn RTAFB, I spent a fair amount of time riding around in IH buses all in Air Force dark blue.
and the records say Nov 1973, 2566cc built by International. But not much more than that.
Only a four speed in those International Loadstar buses? I would have assumed 5, but then for running around bases and into town, four does seem reasonably adequate. Or not. 🙂
They might have been 5 speeds Paul, my memory is getting a little fuzzy. I know I never was able to get one into fifth gear though…:-)
The Army did use busses, but the more common troop transport in training units was what we called “cattle cars”. Even less comfortable than a bus body atop a truck chassis.
What busses the Army did have were mostly used as base transportation and driven by civilians. While most Army units would ensure they kept at least a few soldiers trained and licensed to operate trucks, the same wasn’t true of bus qualified drivers.
We found this out when my MP unit was deployed to assist a lightly staffed Army depot handle mass protests in the early 80s. Faced with a need to transport large numbers of detainees as they breeched the base fence line, the post motor pool loaned us busses, but did not have extra drivers.
I still had my bus license and recent experience from college. As it turned out, I was the only one in my entire MP battalion with this particular qualification. The post motor pool licensing section immediately qualified me as an instructor and I was charged with training 10 bus drivers.
I’m sure these MP/bus driver trainees were quite amused at being trained one-on-one by a 2LT bus driver. The busses were GM old looks awaiting disposal – similar to what I drove in college. The hydraulic transmission meant teaching shifting was easy. The only hard part I recall was getting the MPs familiar with judging turns when sitting ahead of the front axle and using the floor mounted turn signals buttons.
Sounds like we’ve had similar careers Rob. I was a 2nd/1st Lt driving around a bunch of junior enlisted troops too. I remember the new one-stripers would ask “Do officers drive buses in the Air Force?” I’d always tell them; “Of course, they fly the airplanes don’t they? They also drive the buses”….
Great you had an opportunity to drive a GM Old Look.
I retired in 2006 as the Provost Marshal for US Forces Japan.
My school district always used those shitty Blue Birds. They must have been durable because when I was in elementary they were still using those late 80’s models, but that just means you had to suffer riding in them for that much longer lol. Everything you said was spot on, if not slightly understated. They rode, sounded, and accelerated like a conestoga wagon. I only rode in the newer models for about a year but they were pretty much identical beyond the new face, same shit different toilet paper.
We had a repuposed ex education board bus as the work gang vehicle in the local council built on a TJ6 Bedford truck chassis 300cu petrol 6 4 speed, being on that work gang and having a heavy truck licence meant I got to drive it quite often, it really was nothing special gutless terminally slow and rough riding, Ive never wanted to be a bus driver ever since then even though modern buses are vastly improved from what that old Bedford was I prefer freight that cant argue.
I’m curious about the picture of the Fageol. Pretty sure that is the old United Artists Theater on Bagley ave in Detroit.
Spent 25 months at Malmstrom AFB, Montana 1968-70. Stayed downtown Great Falls. Rode the Blue most of that time. Remember hiking to the bus stop in the dark a few blocks in the coldest winter in Great Falls history. The only window you could see out of was the windshield. All other were iced over…. on the INSIDE. It was warm and comfortable aboard but warm is relative when it was around 35 below out. Ah, what great memories!!
One of those blue busses looks awfully familiar. Back, late 80’s/early 90’s, we had a state bowling tournament at an Air Force Base. Apparently as a result of a pi**ing match between a former and current base commander we were driven in one of those blue busses, only after practically strip searched IIRC, by a unhappy bus driver with a guard with an M16. I haven’t spent a lot of time on buses, but that was the only time with a guard with a M16 and a scowl.
These Bluebird buses were all over my air force base because they used them as shuttle buses to and from town. Beale AFB is fairly isolated and most GIs didn’t have a car back then. I rode many times before I bought a car, but one is especially memorable: A Bluebird outfitted as a mobile mess hall for the guys out on the flight line, affectionately named “Buckley’s Greasy Spoon”! This vehicle mostly served the Security Police watching over the aircraft.
I worked the Sub motor pool at Ramstein AB 608 MASS in the early 80’s. We had an ancient Checker stretch “limo” that just wouldn’t die, and a couple of Blue bird buses. One (a 10 year old IHC chassis) had a unique problem in that the folks at the terminal would drive down to the ramp to pick up pax from a 141 etc., but they wouldn’t dare turn the bus off because it wouldn’t start. They’d have to call for the other bus and a wrecker to move the dead bus out of the way so the plane could launch. They’d haul the bus up to vehicle maintenance, and one of the mechanics would hop in turn the key and it would start right up. This happened so often the terminal drivers were writing it up in the forms as “vehicle will not start in front of aircraft.” It took a lot of trouble shooting, but they found that the exhaust manifold was too close to the starter. The trip from the terminal to the ramp, and the subsequent sitting and idling heated the starter motor to the point it wouldn’t turn over. The time waiting for a wrecker and the tow to the shop was enough for the starter too cool down so it would start. A homemade heat shield solved the problem.
Jim ;
Did you ever get to drive that last trip ‘vomit comet’ after leave ? .
When I was young I liked to ride in the back of the long school bus sitting behind the wheels so whenever it went over a bump on those poorly maintained back country roads I’d get tossed up out of the seat . kid fun .
-Nate
i’ve got some 30,000 miles in the late 1970s driving a USAF Southern Coach. 36′ 40-passenger reclining seats. 672 Detroit Diesel pusher, originally with a supercharger. 5-speed manual Spicer transmission. I’m told some 60 were purchased for commuter type use on routes around larger air bases. Coach I drove, I’m told, was built for the Air Force Academy Brass Band, based in Colorado Springs, ergo, need for the supercharger running the mountains. Michigan Civil Air Patrol inherited it around 1976 when it got an engine replacement, without the supercharger. In the early 1980s I found another Southern Coach in the serial number sequence of the 60 purchased. It was in Dallas, being used as a courtesy coach for a large hotel. Roof air conditioning units and civilian paint had been added.