Transportation is vital to what you do and who you are, whether you are a school or a university needing a university shuttle/bus financing or a commercial business looking for commercial bus funding. Being responsible for getting your passengers safely to and from their destinations is essential, and so is finding the right partner to help you find the bus to meet your needs — whether that’s a 14-passenger bus or a 40+ passenger with luggage capacity, or special needs accommodations.
At Carolina Thomas, we assist you with finding the right bus at the right price — by offering financing that is customizable to your needs.
See our financing options.
Why People Choose Carolina Thomas
We have learned a lot with nearly 20 years in the bus business. We bring this knowledge and experience into every customer interaction, every sale, and financing solution. As a result, Carolina Thomas has become an expert in:
- Buses: Carolina Thomas specializes in the bus market. We fully support and service every product we sell —whether it’s a 14-passenger bus or a 40+ passenger with luggage capacity.
- Service: We offer top-of-the-line, comprehensive service, including on-site service through a mobile service fleet, open-house training, and localized service training for technicians that support buses, including certification and accreditation.
- Parts: With a sophisticated inventory management system, Carolina Thomas is the only provider of its kind for bus parts distribution in North Carolina. We occupy 30,000 square feet dedicated exclusively to bus parts and have been named Parts Dealer of the Year for Thomas Built Buses.
- Full Body Shop & Repair: With school bus construction stringently regulated by the federal government, repairs and construction are an important area that requires highly specialized knowledge and acumen. We can handle any repair job, major or minor, and supply custom paint and graphics with our graphics partner, one of the best in the region.
- Sales: Our sales team has a deep product knowledge from all areas of sales, marketing, and leadership and a commitment to excellence when it comes to serving our customers.
Whether you’re purchasing your first bus or adding several to your existing fleet, we offer our customers customizable financing options — knowing everyone’s financing needs are different.
Benefits of Financing with Carolina Thomas
Your financial situation is unique to your school, business, or non-profit. Carolina Thomas’s sales team will meet with you to understand your exact needs and then help you find the financing that best fits you.
Our wide variety of funding options can meet your budgetary needs with a custom lease or finance program tailored to your operation. Our wide array of services includes captive financing through Daimler Truck Financial – with the very best available rates in the industry.
During financing conversations, our sales team will learn your needs and handle all the details for you.
When you finance with Carolina Thomas, you can expect:
- Highly competitive rates
- Easy application/approval process
- Simple documentation
- Up to 100% financing with no down payment
- Best-in-class customer service
We’ll help you get the right financing for your business needs.
Financing Options
Retail Loan
Customers can receive a loan at a fixed interest rate, providing our customers stability in their payments. At the end of the allotted terms, the customer will own the bus.
TRAC leases
Terminal Rental Adjustment Clause (TRAC) is a lease that reduces high-cost vehicles to low monthly payments, allowing you to get the vehicle you need at the lowest rate.
Zero TRAC Leases
Similar to a TRAC lease, a Zero TRAC modifies the amortization schedule to zero out by the end of the lease agreement. Customers will be allowed to purchase the bus at fair market value by the end of the lease.
Municipal*, Private Contractor, and Commercial financing.
Finance options for municipal customers include: low/tax-exempt rates, flexible repayment terms (up to 10 years), the option to defer the first payment for up to a year, and monthly, quarterly, semi-annual and annual payment options.
Special financing programs offered with Thomas Built Buses products
This includes reducing your school bus fleet costs, creating a customized solution for your fleet, and growing your fleet.
Discover what financing and payment option would be best for you — contact our sales team.
Flexible Payment Options
You can find flexible payment options, which include:
- Balloon Loan: This type of loan offers our customers lower monthly payments for a larger one-time payment at the end of your loan term.
- Variable Loan: A variable-rate loan is where the interest rate on the loan adjusts itself as the index rate changes. Your payments could fluctuate up or down.
- Skip/seasonal/token payments: We offer our customers the ability to structure their accounts based on the seasonality of their business. This is especially helpful for schools that are not normally on campus during the summer months. For example, customers could structure their payments, so they’re only making payments during the school year.
- Deferred payments: A deferred payment gives customers the ability to skip and delay their payment until a later and more convenient date.
- Extended-term loan — up to 84 months: An extended-term loan offers our customers lower monthly payments, lower debt-to-income ratio, and competitive rates.
- Lines of credit: This allows our customers to borrow an amount that can be used and paid back and used again.
No maximum amount of financing
This allows our customers to borrow based on a combination of factors (length of the loan, purpose of the loan, if it’s backed by collateral, and the applicant’s creditworthiness). However, the amount is the maximum amount of money provided to a customer if the loan is approved.
We know there are a lot of options available. It can be a bit overwhelming to know which one would be the best option for you. You don’t have to figure this out on your own. Contact our sales team today so we can help answer your questions.
Warranty
With Carolina Thomas, you’re covered by the most complete warranty protection in the industry, backed by exceptional customer service. We want to provide you with everything you need to make an informed decision and have peace of mind knowing you will be supported after purchasing your bus.
Find the right funding for the right bus.
Contact our experienced and friendly sales team today.