Shuttle Buses

[Matt71]

I've been seeing some reasonably priced shuttle buses on craigslist that look like they'd be a nice roomy alternative to a van without going RV. I found two E450 buses that a guy bought to make into party busses, but his plans fell through. He's already tore out all of the seats leaving tons of room to customize.

http://detroit.craigslist.org/wyn/cto/4874407956.html

I'm really tempted to push for that option, but my wife wants us both to be able to sit up front together when we are driving, and all of the shuttle buses I've found only have one seat up front. Should I try to convince her that the space will be worth it?

What other advantages/disadvantages are there to living in a shuttle bus?

 

[Matt71]

Found one with two front seats. It's a little bigger than I was thinking and they don't have a price on it, but it means there are versions out there with 2 front seats.
http://toledo.craigslist.org/rvd/4876764189.html

 

[Milk Hauler]

Check with your insurance co to see if they will cover it. I frequently visit a Schoolie site, where I've read horror stories. I almost sank $17, 000 into a retired bus myself. After 3 days of calls, no one would insure a "self" conversion. Progressive used to write polices on busses as high risk. They have some guys that lie and say its a pro build, only to have the underwriters cancel them.

Even thought I was willing to sink $$$ and retitle it as an RV, the insurance industry is worried from a liability standpoint. I have 20 yrs of class A trucking under my belt, but no one trusts me with a lil ol bus? Do your homework on that. My plan B is to build out a 6x12 CT as Bob did.

 

[Milk Hauler]

http://www.skoolie.net/forums/f18/

 

[Milk Hauler]

Edit... A last resort of determined Schoolies is to purchase commercial insurance. Progressive will insure you all day long, but at $1800-2500 a year[emoji47]
Also running a bus with comm plates and ins is now under the jurisdiction of the Feds.. Log books, taxes, more taxes, annual inspections, dot surpise inspections. [emoji57]

 

[LeeRevell]

Matt, that looks like a mighty fine basis for an RV. Worth looking at and test driving. Plenty room for all the required amenities.

 

[SoulRaven]

In the past I have registered van chassis shuttle buses as standard vans, but that may vary by state or newer regulations.

As for the 2 front seats, it is easy enough to mount a passenger side front seat directly behind the steps. I put in a dash height wall with a flip up table, and it worked out quite well.

 

[Matt71]

I looked into the insurance and progressive has an option for non-professional bus conversions. If I did the online thing right it came out to about $60 to $65 a month for collision insurance on a $6000 RV with $10,000 in personal items coverage.

For the two front seats, my wife is kind of set on the traditional side by side seating. She's already turned down the one seat back option. To be honest, I prefer it as well, but I'm weighing that against the extra square footage, as that seems to be the one thing people are cautioning me about the most.

 

[Almost There]

I looked into the insurance and progressive has an option for non-professional bus conversions. If I did the online thing right it came out to about $60 to $65 a month for collision insurance on a $6000 RV with $10,000 in personal items coverage.

For the two front seats, my wife is kind of set on the traditional side by side seating. She's already turned down the one seat back option. To be honest, I prefer it as well, but I'm weighing that against the extra square footage, as that seems to be the one thing people are cautioning me about the most.

 Make her the primary driver and your problem is solved...she's upfront and happy, you've got the extra sq. footage that y'all need and you get to navigate (that's different from telling her where to go btw...roflmao).

 

[Matt71]

 Make her the primary driver and your problem is solved...she's upfront and happy, you've got the extra sq. footage that y'all need and you get to navigate (that's different from telling her where to go btw...roflmao).

It's not about sitting up front, it's about sitting together.
If we could hire a driver we could both sit in the back and be hunky dory 

 

[karl]

I realize this is not for everyone, but,
I wanted the best of both worlds in my step van - open entry and passenger seating.
The solution for me was to create a base for the passenger seat that swiveled- the pivot being at the rear of the seat so that when the seat was reversed, it was rearward of the door opening and curtain.
Granted- it requires some engineering and fabrication that may need to be hired, but it is an option.

 

[LowTech]

We have one that had only one front seat and a bus type door. We cut out the steps, tightened it up, added electric steps, and changed the door into a one piece. Then we mounted a swivel pedestal for the pass seat that still leaves a little room to get between them and in the pass door.

 You can see it here,  FreeWheelin' 

 

[akrvbob]

A box van will give you everything you want, but they generally get poor MPG. I had a friend with a 14 foot box van with the 7.3 diesel and he got 10 MPG no matter what he did.

But it has an 8x14 box and is 7 feet tall, has both front seats and a pass-through. Other than the MPG it's perfect for you. It's not hard to put in some windows and vents. I'd pull the whole back door and build in a new wall with windows and entry door.

Bob

 

[Matt71]

Are there any DOT safety requirements for installing seats in vehicles? I've seen numerous builds where people remove seats, install new seats, turn them around, add seats where there was no seat before, etc. I have a hard time believing that there are no minimum safety requirements that need to be met for a person to be able to ride in a seat that was not factory installed or installed by a licensed mechanic. Maybe I'm just naive to how simple vehicle construction is.

 

[Almost There]

Are there any DOT safety requirements for installing seats in vehicles? I've seen numerous builds where people remove seats, install new seats, turn them around, add seats where there was no seat before, etc. I have a hard time believing that there are no minimum safety requirements that need to be met for a person to be able to ride in a seat that was not factory installed or installed by a licensed mechanic. Maybe I'm just naive to how simple vehicle construction is.

The seat base has to be DOT certified and should be installed by someone who knows what they're doing. You'll also have to install a seat belt to go with the seat.

Here's one supplier of bases but there's lots of companies out there.

http://www.discountvantruck.com/rvvanseatbases/rvvanseatbases.htm

I will be using one of the swivel base adapters on the passenger seat on my van so that it turns into a very comfortable recliner/seat for me to use.

You can also go to the scrap yard and buy a base/seat and seat belt assembly out of a similar vehicle.

 

[Matt71]

Adding a swivel base to the front seats would add some needed seating to our setup if we decide not to put in a bulkhead.

But, now I'm wondering if we could do a bulkhead that opens and closes like an accordion and runs all the way across the van, so we could close off the cab when the passenger seat is facing forward, then open two-thirds of the bulkhead to turn the seat around.

 

[Almost There]

Adding a swivel base to the front seats would add some needed seating to our setup if we decide not to put in a bulkhead.

But, now I'm wondering if we could do a bulkhead that opens and closes like an accordion and runs all the way across the van, so we could close off the cab when the passenger seat is facing forward, then open two-thirds of the bulkhead to turn the seat around.

Why do you need a bulkhead. Most people use them because they are stealth camping in cities and want some way to hide themselves from being viewed from the front windows and/or to make it look like a work van.

Since you're planning on this for a road tour, stealth camping isn't going to be necessary.

I do install a curtain that will slide across the entire width behind the seats but that's so that I can use the back area for changing clothes or using the toilet while in parking lots/rest areas etc. when I don't want to pull the front window drapes shut or put the outside cover on the windows. The full size curtain is also good for sectioning off the front if it's a cold night and you're trying to conserve heat.

 

[Matt71]

I was thinking a bulkhead would make insulating easier

 

[Almost There]

I was thinking a bulkhead would make insulating easier

That depends on what you're trying to accomplish and what the anticipated weather is for where you intend to be. It was my impression that this is all part of a plan whereby you two will travel extensively, sightseeing and would all be done during the best weather in each region.

Insulating with a bulkhead only becomes necessary when one is planning on living in winter conditions in the van which is not part of your plan. At that point one is trying to close off the front windows because of the extreme heat loss that is inevitable from them.

Your problem AFAIK is going to be more of providing as much living space as possible and keeping the van comfortable and with good airflow when parked. A pair of window guards will allow the two front windows to be left open for ventilation, a curtain will allow privacy when needed and at least one swivel seat base will give you additional living space.

Two swivel bases could be used but as my dad found out when they travelled in the Ford with the 2 swivel seats, he got to sit in the drivers seat so that he was out of mom's way when she was cooking. You might find that a hassock that could be moved around, used as a footstool and extra storage would be just as useful.

 

[Matt71]

There will be times when it's cold. February and March it gets cold pretty much everywhere except Florida and California... at least at night.

There are a few spots during those months where the low temps average in the mid 30s or possibly as low as high 20s, and then jump up into the 60s and 70s later in the day. Maybe a mister heater buddy will be enough to mitigate that without a bunch of insulation.

We also want to keep as much radiant heat out as possible. I figured that if we section off the from cab it'll take all those windows right out of the equation.
Also, we'll probably have a small window mount air conditioner and the most likely place to put that would be between the bad and living space. or out the back window, which I've seen done.