When I started school, we had a pretty nice fleet of 22 buses which mostly was comprised of 1964 and 1965 Waynes with GMC chassis. I went to school on a 1964 model, bus no. 10, and home again on Bus 11, a newer model from the first year of the squarer design. Buses 6 and 9 were older Waynes (perhaps 1962 or 1963 models) which really looked neat with their single sash windows and slanted windshield glass. Their front signal lights looked like they were added on, similar to the school bus warning lights added to many of the transit buses here in NJ. There was also one oddball Thomas bus.
The roster of Township Of Ocean Board Of Education, circa September 1966:
| 1, 3-5, 10 | 1964 | GMC | Wayne |
| 2, 8, 11-22 | 1965 | GMC | Wayne. 11 driven by Mr. Dunne. 12 was assigned to one of the Catholic schools in the area. A special sign was put in the long window on the passenger side. |
| 6, 9 | 1962 | GMC | Wayne, used as fill-in buses |
| 7 | 1963 | GMC | Thomas |
Each year I tracked the new buses coming into the fleet. I don't have any of these records now, so I'm going from memory now. Of course, our drivers were the real heroes. One of my favorite drivers was Tucky Daves, who (when he wasn't driving the bus) ran a farm in nearby Farmingdale with his wife, Dottie (also a driver for OT). One time we took a class trip to Morristown, and on the way back, Bus 35 caught a stone kicked up by a truck right in the driver's windshield on Route 287, cracking it. Tucky was treated for some minor cuts by a chaperone who knew first aid, but he continued the trip back to Ocean Township. Another time, Tucky was bitten by one of his horses, severely injuring his right hand. He had his hand bandaged in such a way that he could operate the door on his bus! (Mercifully, the newer style Wayne door handle, connected at both top and bottom with no "knob" like on Thomas doors, hadn't come into being yet.) The chart below notes some of the drivers that got these newer buses.
| 23-26 | 1967 | GMC | Carpenter - 23 had black striping and yellow lettering at beltline |
| 27-28 | 1968 | GMC | Thomas. Dottie Daves, Ocean Township's first woman driver, was in 27, IIRC. 28 was used as a fill-in bus |
| 29-30 | 1968 | GMC | Superior. 30 originally driven by Tucky Daves (who had been driving Bus 10), then starting in 1970, Nick DeAngelis. Both buses had black striping and yellow lettering at beltline. |
| 31-32 | 1969 | GMC | Wayne (shield logo) |
| 33-35 | 1970 | GMC | Wayne (first W logo). 33-Dottie Daves, 34-Mr. Rockwell, 35-Tucky Daves. |
| 36 | 1972 | GMC | Wayne (Indian Head, wheelchair lift) |
| 37-39 | 1972 | vans - GMC Suburbans | |
| 6, 40 | 1972 | GMC | Wayne (Indian Head) |
Replacement buses for the rest of the 1970's and 1980's included a mix of all manufacturers' products. In the 70's Carpenters began to predominate. Blue Birds first appeared in the late 1970's, replacing the Carpenters number-for-number. A few more Waynes were added to the mix, and finally three Thomas conventionals. A picture of a replacement Bus 30 (GMC chassis, Wayne body) appears in the Historical Book of Ocean Township.
My old school district's bus fleet is all Blue Bird TC2000's and All-Americans now, a move hastened by the tragic death of a kindergartner who was run over after returning to the front of the bus (a conventional) after the driver thought he had crossed the street already. This happened just around the corner from my house, in fact. Ocean Township embraced these buses almost immediately upon their introduction, taking delivery of its first five (50-54) for the 1988-1989 school year. I remember Nick telling me about the new "flat front" buses coming, and asking him if they were All-Americans. He told me they were a less austere model called TC2000. Naturally, as one of the senior drivers, he got one right away. Nick started in Bus 30, then moved to Bus 3 (about 1973), then Bus 1 (a Wayne, 1979), and finally Bus 54 (1988). He also drove other buses on football games and trips. I remember seeing him in Bus 16 one time.
Here's what the fleet looks like now as of the most recent NJ inspections. I don't know the body styles of the mini buses on GM and Chevrolet chassis but they have been known to use Blue Bird and US Bus products.
TOWNSHIP OF OCEAN SCHOOL BUS ROSTER
current to May, 2008
Bus# MFR Model Serial Lic Yr.
1 Blue Bird TC2000FE 1BAAGCPAXYF090065 S1-B485 2000
2 Blue Bird TC2000FE 1BAAGCPA1YF090066 S1-B486 2000
3 Blue Bird TC2000FE 1BAAGCPA8YF090064 S1-B470 2000
4 Blue Bird TC2000FE 1BAAGCPAX1F094543 S1-C894 2001
5 Blue Bird TC2000FE 1BAAGCPA11F094544 S1-C887 2001
6 Blue Bird TC2000FE 1BAAGCPA31F094545 S1-C892 2001
7 Blue Bird TC2000FE 1BAAGCPA82F202871 S1-G151 2002
8 Blue Bird TC2000FE 1BAAGCPA32F202888 S1-G150 2002
9 Blue Bird TC2000FE 1BAAGCPA62F202903 S1-G153 2002
10 Blue Bird TC2000FE 1BAAGCPA82F202904 S1-G152 2002
11 Blue Bird TC2000FE 1BAAGCPA52F202911 S1-G154 2002
12 Blue Bird TC2000FE 1BAAGCPA23F208120 S1-H133 2003
13 Blue Bird TC2000FE 1BAAGCPA63F208122 S1-H132 2003
14 Blue Bird TC2000FE 1BAAGCPA43F208121 S1-F500 2003
15 Blue Bird TC2000FE 1BAAGCPA63F208119 S1-F501 2003
16 Blue Bird TC2000FE 1BAAGCPA43F208118 S1-F502 2003
17 Ford 1FDWE35P34HB52280 S2-B169 2004
19 GMC 3GKGC26F1XG518562 880N-S2 1999
20 Chevrolet 1GDHG31F1W1053257 120R-S2 1998
21 Chevrolet 1GDHG31YXSF535661 5519AS2 1995
22 Ford 1FDXE45PX6DB07275 S2-C776 2006
23 Ford 1FDXE45P16DB07276 S2-C777 2006
32 Chevrolet 1GBJG31F311196505 8474AS1 2001
33 Chevrolet 1GBHG31Y9RF171574 1719AS2 1994
Retired
after 2006-2007 s.y.
34 Chevrolet 1GBHG31Y7TF112482 7469AS2 1996
35 Chevrolet 3GKC26F7WJ714096 7531AS2 1998
36 GMC 3GKGC26FXTG520269 3276AS2 1996
38 Ford 1FDXE45P26HA20558 8493AS1 2006
39 Ford 1FDXE45P46HA20559 8492AS1 2006
40 Chevrolet 1GBHG31FXW1092678 234R-S2 1998
41 Chevrolet 1GBHG31F5W1096993 229R-S2 1998
42 Chevrolet 1GBHG31Y0TF113540 7973AS2 1996
43 Chevrolet 1GBHG31Y8TF113303 7972AS2 1996
45 Chevrolet 1GDHG31Y9SF535974 705T-S2 1995
46 Chevrolet 1GBHG31F011204218 3923AS2 2001
47 Ford 1FDXE45P34HA82547 S2-B160 2004
48 Chevrolet/ 1GBJG316971243285 S1-U595 2007
49 Chevrolet/ 1GBJG312671169594 S1-T402 2007
50 Blue Bird All-Am FE 1BABGCKA38F253960 S1-U497 2008
51 Blue Bird All-Am FE 1BABGCKA58F253961 S1-U484 2008
52 Blue Bird All-Am FE 1BABGCKA78F253962 S1-U485 2008
53 Blue Bird All-Am FE 1BABGCKA05F227635 S1-M591 2005
54 Blue Bird All-Am FE 1BABGCKA25F227636 S1-M590 2005
55 Blue Bird All-Am FE 1BABGCKA64F213080 S1-J852 2004
56 Blue Bird All-Am FE 1BABGCKAX4F213079 S1-J851 2004
57 Blue Bird All-Am FE 1BABGCKA84F213078 S1-J850 2004
58 Blue Bird All-Am FE 1BABGCKA96F231149 S1-P339 2006
59 Blue Bird All-Am FE 1BABGCKA56F231150 S1-P400 2006
60 Blue Bird All-Am
FE 1BABGCKA76F231151 S1-P401 2006
61 Blue Bird All-Am FE 1BABGCKA96F231152 S1-P402 2006
62 Blue Bird All-Am FE 1BABGCKA17F238954 S1-R493 2007
63 Blue Bird All-Am FE 1BABGCKA37F238955 S1-R494 2007
64 Blue Bird All-Am
FE 1BABGCKA57F238956 S1-R495 2007
71 Blue
Bird TC2000FE 1BAAGCSA6RF059307 1708AS1 1994
72 Blue
Bird TC2000FE 1BAAGCSA2RF059305 1710AS1 1994
73 Blue
Bird TC2000FE 1BAAGCSA7RF059316 1709AS1 1994
74 Blue
Bird TC2000FE 1BAAGCSA4RF059306 1707AS1 1994
Buses
71-74 retired after 2006-2007 s.y. Repl. By All-Am’s 50-52.
75 Blue Bird TC2000FE 1BAAGCSA7TF066273 1712AS1 1996
76 Blue Bird TC2000FE 1BAAGCSA2TF066259 1714AS1 1996
77 Blue Bird TC2000FE 1BAAGCSA9TF066260 1718AS1 1996
78 Blue Bird TC2000FE 1BAAGCSA2VF071187 119W-S1 1997
79 Blue Bird TC2000FE 1BAAGCSA4VF071188 118W-S1 1997
80 Blue Bird TC2000FE 1BAAGCSA0VF071186 757W-S1 1997
81 Blue Bird TC2000FE 1BAAGCSA3VF071196 756W-S1 1997
82 Blue Bird TC2000FE 1BAAGCSA3WF075105 412X-S1 1998
83 Blue Bird TC2000FE 1BAAGCSAXWF075103 414X-S1 1998
84 Blue Bird TC2000FE 1BAAGCSA9WF075111 415X-S1 1998
85 Blue Bird TC2000FE 1BAAGCSA0WF075112 411X-S1 1998
86 Blue Bird TC2000FE 1BAAGCSAXXF083803 210Z-S1 1999
87 Blue Bird TC2000FE 1BAAGCSA1XF083804 211Z-S1 1999
88 Blue Bird TC2000FE 1BAAGCSA3XF083805 212Z-S1 1999
89 Blue Bird TC2000FE 1BAAGCSA8XF083802 209Z-S1 1999
Pictures soon to come of some of the Township Of Ocean buses!
Updated 8/18/2008