Details of Cars

Freightliner C2: the school bus chassis from the M2

FREIGHTLINER

2026 Thomas Saf-T-Liner C2 school bus
A 2026 Thomas Saf-T-Liner C2 on the Freightliner C2 chassis. Photo by 2005BlueBirdSBCV, CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

The Freightliner C2 is a Type C conventional bus chassis manufactured by Daimler Truck North America for school bus applications. It was introduced in 2004 as the replacement for the FS-65 and uses the hood, firewall, steering column and dashboard of the Freightliner Business Class M2 medium-duty conventional.

Freightliner C2 at a glance

Freightliner C2 key facts
Type Type C conventional school bus chassis
Maker Daimler Truck North America
Introduced 2004
Replaced Freightliner FS-65
Based on Freightliner Business Class M2
Shared parts hood, firewall, steering column, dashboard
Bus body Thomas Saf-T-Liner C2 only
Body builder Thomas Built Buses, a Freightliner subsidiary
Standard gearbox Allison 2500 automatic
Optional gearboxes Fuller five-speed manual, Allison 3000 automatic
Related cutaway Freightliner B2 for commercial and shuttle buses

based on one source

History of the Freightliner C2

A chassis for one body

As a bus chassis the C2 is used only by Thomas Built Buses as the basis of the Thomas Saf-T-Liner C2. Because Thomas is a subsidiary of Freightliner, no other body manufacturers plan to use the C2 chassis. Customers who want a Freightliner cutaway cab for commercial or shuttle bus work are offered the standard M2 chassis instead, sold in that role as the Freightliner B2.

First Student school bus on a Freightliner C2 chassis
A First Student school bus built on the C2 chassis. Photo by ThoseGuys119, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

Position in the range

The C2 replaced the FS-65, the cowled school bus chassis that Freightliner had built from 1997 to 2006 on the FL-Series. Where the FS-65 was a chassis supplied to several body makers, the C2 was designed around a single body, which simplified the interface between chassis and body and allowed the two companies to develop the vehicle together as one product rather than as a chassis and a body from different suppliers.

Driveline

The C2 comes standard with an Allison 2500 automatic transmission. A Fuller five-speed manual and the Allison 3000 automatic are also available. The chassis carries over the conventional layout of the M2, with the hood, firewall, steering column and dashboard of the medium-duty truck.

Design and features

  • M2 bones: hood, firewall, steering column and dashboard come from the Business Class M2.
  • Single body partner: the chassis is bodied only as the Thomas Saf-T-Liner C2.
  • Automatic standard: an Allison 2500 is fitted as standard equipment.
  • Cutaway alternative: the same M2 chassis is sold as the Freightliner B2 for shuttle work.

Freightliner C2 versions

  • Thomas Saf-T-Liner C2: the production school bus built on the chassis.
  • Allison 2500: standard automatic transmission.
  • Allison 3000: optional heavier automatic.
  • Fuller five-speed: optional manual gearbox.

The C2 is built on the Business Class M2 and replaced the FS-65 school bus chassis. More Freightliner vehicles are in the Freightliner collection.

Sources

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