Finding The Bus

[Taken from the original 'The Alice Project' bus conversion and motorhome website 2002-2003]

Once we had decided to commit to the unknown world of converting your own bus, the next big challenge was to find ourselves a bus. Our requirements were fairly straightforward. The bus had to be cheap (and I mean nothing over $5000, as that's all we had in the bank!) and it had to be in a basic roadworthy condition. Obviously for the price range we had in mind, the bus was going to be a few years old!

Fortunately for people with not a lot of money, bus companies cannot operate their vehicles as passenger buses forever. Each state has regulations governing vehicle age, after which their only worth is as parts, scrap metal (a sad fate for many a wonderful machine) or as offered for sale. The going rate for vehicles with no further use as passenger buses is usually between about $3000 and $12000, depending obviously on their age and general condition.

People buy buses for a variety of reasons. There are actually many people and groups who 'collect' Australian buses for preservation. Sometimes bus companies even donate old vehicles to these preservation societies. Buses are also converted into horse floats, mobile medical clinics and information booths. And of course, buses are sold to everyday people like us, for converting into houses or motorhomes!

Vehicle Age Standards

In most Australian states, the laws for passenger bus fleet ages and conditions (whether used in public transport, school or private charter services) are fairly strict. All vehicles are subject to regular inspections throughout their working life. However once a vehicle reaches a certain age, it must undergo much tougher inspections and testings to continue in passenger service. The general age limit allowed for a passenger bus in service depends on various factors of operation but can be up to 30 years in Queensland (with life extensions).

Most bus companies seem to work their bus fleet no more than 25 years, with any further life extensions not worth the financial outlay in obtaining them. However, if the bus is in good condition, then there is no reason why a company will not extend its life to 30 years. The bus we purchased was retired at the end of 30 years of service and had therefore undergone extensive testing. According to an Information Bulletin published online by Queensland Transport, the life extension:

Requires refurbishment of the bus, including engineer's certification of the structural integrity and serviceability of chassis, body, suspension, steering and brake components and certification that it complies with all Australian Design Rules applicable five years after the bus was first registered, except for exhaust systems.

[Queensland Transport - Heavy Vehicle Service Life Extensions; 10/01]

The fleet age standards should mean that purchasing a bus at the end of 25 or even 30 years of service life does not mean that the vehicle is about to fall apart or in a dangerously unroadworthy condition. In fact, it may be the case that they are in a much better condition than a vehicle retired from service life at 15 or 20 years of age (which does happen). The full list of requirements for 5 year life extensions in Queensland are listed below:

Body

• The body must be in good structural condition. If the body work shows signs of structural damage, or signs of rusting of the frame (eg: rust stains, loose rivets, loose or rusted panels), or if the bus has not passed a frame inspection within the previous five years, a full panel removal and frame inspection is required.

• All inferior or damaged floor coverings must be replaced with suitable non slip type material.

• Windows and window sealing must be in good conditon.

• Paintwork must be in good condition.

Chassis and Suspension

• All components are to be cleaned, inspected, and crack tested if necessary, to ensure they are rust free, structurally sound and within service wear limits.

Steering

• Power steering components must be free of leaks. Cracked or oil affected hydraulic hoses must be replaced.

• Stub axles and all steering arms (including pitman arms and drag links) are to be crack tested. Note:- Defective components must be replaced. No repairs using heating or welding processes are considered acceptable.

Brakes

• Fully overhaul and refurbish the complete braking system including replacement of flexible air or hydraulic lines, value seals, diaphragms etc.

•Physical testing of vehicle braking performance to meet the Transport Operations Regulation 1999 performance requirements for both service and parking brakes.

Electrical

• All electrical fittings, lights, lenses and wiring must be in a serviceable condition.

• Voltage under load with engine running at each lamp must not be more than 10% below nominal system voltage, eg. 10.8 volts for 12 volt system.

Engine and Driveline

All components will require visual and physical inspection, and may require dismantling if necessary, to ensure reliability and mechanical integrity, including:

• Adequate power output.

• Free of oil, water, air and vacuum leaks.

• Free of exhaust leakage, excessive noise and excessive smoke emission.

• Transmission and driveline security. All components must be free of oil leaks, excessive wear or backlash in driveline.

• Rubber mounts and dampers are to be free of oil impregnation, cracking and deterioration.

• Remove, dismantle, clean and inspect all axle hub assemblies. Replace all hub oil seals and gaskets. Replace wheel bearings where necessary.

[Qld Transport - 5 Year Life Extension requirements; VSIR.10.10/01]

The bus company that we bought our 1971 AEC Swift from had done well to keep the unit in a perfect serviceable condition. In addition to the normal yearly transport inspections, the vehicle had passed a 20 year frame inspection. At 25 years, it was granted the 5 Year Extension Life, taking it to the maximum 30 years of service. To be granted this life extension, it had to comply with the refurbishment requirements as previously listed.

What type of Bus do you want?

Having established our price range and reassured ourselves that a 25 to 30 year old vehicle will meet safe roadworthy conditions, the next step in finding a bus was to determine what type of bus we needed. Buses come in all shapes and sizes. The two main distinguishing parts to a bus are the chassis and the body. The chassis is usually manufactured by the company that builds the engine and running gear. It is like the skeleton of the bus. The body of the bus is typically built by a separate company who specialises in manufacturing bus bodies. Each body is built to fit on to a specific chassis and is best described as everything you see from above the wheels!

There are many different chassis designs, with engine placement either at the front, the middle or rear. Chassis with front-mounted engines are not common in Heavy Buses these days, but were the most prevalent up until the 1960's. Front-mount engines are typically found today in Light Buses (mini buses like Toyota Coaster, Mazda T3500 and Mercedes D309 - but not the Hino Rainbow mini bus, which is rear-engined).

The chassis with mid-mount engines are typically found in buses built for school travel and charter work. Although mid-mount chassis were also found in some city bus fleets in the 1970's and 1980's and also many earlier model coaches.

The rear-engine chassis is a common sight in most modern buses. The majority of city bus fleets have been comprised of rear-engined buses since the late 1970's, with a few notable exceptions. The position of the engine at the rear of the bus allows for a lower entry into the front of the bus and also greater headroom for passengers. The bus we ended up buying is a rear-engine AEC Swift bus. We were looking for this type of bus, solely for the extra headroom factor - I am 6'4" tall and didn't want to spend all day stooping around in my house!

Rear-engine chassis are also most common with interstate and tour coach bodies. Some rear-engine chassis have two rear axles (one may be a tag axle) for supporting heavier weight loadings (usually a larger engine). Having the engine at the rear not only reduces the noise levels at the front of the vehicle, but also frees up the middle section underneath the bus for luggage storage bins. Unfortunately most coaches do not have the same exceptional headroom as the city buses, as the flooring is a lot higher to accommodate the luggage bins underneath.

What we wanted in a bus:

Apart from the obvious things, like an engine that works and good tyres, we were particularly keen to find the following features:

• full size bus - we wanted a full size bus so that we could create a feeling of large open space and would feel comfortable living in it for many years.

• maximum headroom - this was an area that we did not want to compromise in… we looked in heaps of buses where I just missed hitting my head by millimetres, but we wanted something that we could swing a cat in (so to speak!).

• windows that open - very often we see bus conversions (particularly in large coaches) where there are absolutely no windows that open to let some fresh air in - just roof vents and hatches! Unless you want to rely on air-conditioning 24 hours a day (no thanks), you need windows that open. Either you buy a bus with windows that already open (which is the cheap and easy option we chose) or you replace the existing fixed windows with special motorhome or caravan windows (a little more expensive!).

Before embarking on your own pursuit of the perfect bus, ask yourself what your 'special needs' or wants are.

Where do we find our bus?

Looking for a slightly used bus can be pretty interesting, but also very frustrating at times. There are a number of different ways to conduct your search, but the best approach is probably a combination of them all. Our search for Alice the Bus only took about six months, which makes us fairly lucky! Many people we know have taken a lot longer to find the bus they were looking for.

A good place to start your search is on the internet. The internet is bursting with all sorts of 'bits of bus information' if you look hard enough. We mainly used the internet to get an understanding of availability and the price of used buses. There are many websites listed in the links section of this site which may help in your search, including some specific bus marketplace sites (like Australian Bus and Coach, or various motorhome selling sites).

Another good internet source for background information on buses and their availability can be found on the many pages maintained by enthusiasts of Australian buses. These folks know their buses and are scattered all around the country - if there are buses for sale somewhere, they will most definitely know about it. Known around the place as 'Bus Nuts', they also maintain a number of Discussion Boards where people can post questions on anything to do with buses. Not all these people are particularly fond of the concept of 'bus conversions' but I argue that converting a bus keeps it from ending up in the scrap yard for a few more decades! So they should be thankful!

(Keiran Lusk 2003)

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