Shite bus ownership - gen me up

[dollywobbler]

So, I'm very seriously toying with the idea of buying a bus. Being a pre-1997 driving licence type, I can drive a 30-year or older bus on my standard driving licence. Which seems a bit silly, but nevermind. 

 

What are the realities of bus ownership? Do they cope with sitting around unused for periods? Do they drink comical amounts of fuel? It would have to be a bus of my childhood which means Daimler Fleetline/Leyland Atlantean, Leyland National or MCW Metrobus - preferably from the West Midlands Travel fleet. 

 

Some pics stolen from The Internet.

 

Metrobus prototype

 

Mk1

 

Mk2 (I own a model of this exact bus)

 

Dirty Fleetline

 

National 1. Used to love "Your Bus" and their fleet of old snotters.

 

National 2

 

 

[Stroller133]

There is a bus firm round here that seems to have stopped working. They are called country hopper and have Leyland Olympians ( I think) double deckers that 82/83 reg'd. Not sure if they are for sale though, they have about 8 buses in the yard and in the 7/8 years I have known about their existence they have only used 2/3 of them for school contracts. So they appear to be hoarders.

[Junkman]

You should first check whether a privately owned bus still needs the RPC and other stupid stuff, like the new seatbelt law.

Say bye bye to 30-50 quid MoTs.

Also, they do drink comical amounts of fuel and sitting idle for extended periods will at least have an effect on the healthiness of the air brakes.

One tyre will set you back in excess of 200 quid.

[Cavcraft]

Get a National, paint in Crosville colours, park in your garden. I'll be the first paying guest, just after you've appeared in Four In A Bed on CH4.

 

What size tyres do they have, is it D20? If so, launch the horrible things and fit 11/225s all round.

 

 

 

*Edit: more importantly than anything (and as Marty said in another thread) speak to Doc before you do anything. What he doesn't know about buses isn't worth a tap. I'd also be willing to bet he'd know exactly where to find the bus of your dreams, too.

[cms206]

Assuming you are looking for private use/bus rallies/not for hire & reward...

 

- Pre-1986 requires no tachograph

- Insurance for a full compliment of passengers should be around the £2-300/yr mark fully comprehensive.

- if reclassed as PLG you effectively make it a really big car and road tax will be no more than a 1.6 Escort

- tyres are expensive

- regular use helps

- depending on what it is expect fuel economy in the 5-15mpg range; our National did about 9mpg on a run

- class 5 MOTs come in around the £80 mark, or did when the National I had a share in was last tested.

 

Will no doubt have missed something but I can't think what...

[cms206]

Nationals, Metrobuses and the like run 275/70R22.5s which is a fairly common size; older stuff will run either 10R22.5s or 11R22.5s which are harder to come by. Volvo B6s and Dennis Darts run 19.5s, Merc minibuses run either 16 or 17.5in wheels and Metroriders run 17.5s.

 

[Craig the Princess]

Assuming you are looking for private use/bus rallies/not for hire & reward...

 

- if reclassed as PLG you effectively make it a really big car and road tax will be no more than a 1.6 Escort

 

 

What about if you have a post-97 licence, do you need to get C+E (or whatever the missing class is) added?

[brickwall]

Tyres come in at around 200 - 300 quid, which is a  car in itself

[cms206]

Not sure... passed my car test in 2004 and category D PSV in 2007. Tax class still remains PLG even with 85 seats but I'm not sure if it then goes on weight or number of seats.

 

[Cavcraft]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/bristol-vr-/291025530214?pt=UK_Minibuses_Buses_Coaches&hash=item43c2792d66

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1989-PP-LEYLAND-TIGER-PLAXTON-PARAMOUNT-57-SEAT-COACH-CUMMINS-L10-ENGINE-/281215490395?pt=UK_Minibuses_Buses_Coaches&hash=item4179bfd95b

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LEYLAND-TIGER-1984-CAMPER-COACH-12-SEATS-PLAXTON-PLAY-HOUSE-/281214997741?pt=UK_Minibuses_Buses_Coaches&hash=item4179b854ed

[cms206]

I have major Bristol VR horn. They are the shit. I am unfortunately busless just now, though was sorely tempted by a '77R Leyland Leopard a few weeks ago. Alas I am skint.

[FredTransit]

bus road tax is £165 a year, so PLG wouldn't be too atractive!! Register it as a playbus and its MOT exempt....

[cms206]

Up to 33 seats is £165, up to 60-odd seats is £330, over that is £500. PLG is a flat £230-odd no matter what size it is.

 

[Mr Livered]

Register it as a playbus and its MOT exempt....

What's a playbus, Fred?

 

Dollywobbler, if you have the space to keep a bus then I am very envious indeed and I think that you should go for it.

[chaseracer]

Get a National, paint in Crosville colours, park in your garden...

 

My much-missed old grandma used to live just down the road from the Crosville garage in Llandudno 

[chaseracer]

What's a playbus, Fred?

 

[Justin Case]

Ian, your prayers have been answered (literally in this case )

 

This ex London Transport DMS Fleetline (I think that it also spent some time with WMT), converted into a church is for sale with MOT and historic (free) tax for AFAIK putting about £2,200 in the collection box. It is in a yard in Aston, you can see it quite clearly from the Cross-City line and it looks in reasonable nick. If you use it privately and carry no more than 8 passengers you only need a class V MOT, which is less rigourous than the PCV class VI so it shouldn't be too expensive to keep on the road.

 

It's advertised in Bus and Coach Preservation this month; we all look forward to the account of the collection road trip

[dieselnutjob]

any reason that one couldn't convert one into the ultimate camper van? would you be allowed on camping sites?

[scruff]

That Church bus is amazing, what engine do they have? 

[Jim Bell]

Other than living in it, I dont see the draw of bus ownership, if youre not using it litterally as a public service vehicle.

 

They are awesome though. Living in one, in a nice big unit, would be attractive.

[dollywobbler]

Oh wow. Fleetine DMSs were used briefly in Brum. And I hate religion and would therefore take great comfort from de-churching it!

 

Pretty sure that'll have a Gardner 6LXB, though I'm not 100% sure. So, 10 litres or so. 

 

I have seen an MCW Metrobus on a campsite. It was superb.

 

EDIT - I'm not lucky enough to be able to park a bus on my land. It'd never fit down our driveway. I'm sure I could find somewhere nearby though.

[Lankytim]

I've had a major horn for a classic bus or coach for years, Like DW a fleetline of metrobus would be right up my street. When I'm invariably asked the question of where i'm going to keep it/why i'm getting it/what am I'm going to do with it then the whole plan falls flat.

 

There's plenty of room at my workplace so I could atleast commute in it.

[Justin Case]

 

That Church bus is amazing, what engine do they have?

This one:

 

 

We have an ex-WMT Fleetline (4041) of similar age at the museum (Aston Manor) which has a Gardner 6LXB, so I assume this is the same version.

[dollywobbler]

Too late to save the Godly fleetline. Just found this comment on FlickR.

"DMS259 leaves her home of several years to head back to London, via Wales, for restoration. Good luck!"

 

It's even coming to sodding Wales!

[DaveAspley]

Got to be a National if you do it, we had a fleet of them here until 2000 something. Always remember them in Midland Red South livery, that engine note is lovelly!

[Lankytim]

Arn't these double deckers limited to 45 mph or something though? They cause havoc on the motorway. Maybe a coach is the way to go.

[cort16]

owning a bus just for the hell of it is autoshite level 2

[DSdriver]

Q.

any reason that one couldn't convert one into the ultimate camper van? would you be allowed on camping sites?

 

A. Low flying trees

[Split_Pin]

I have always loved buses and think it would be a great thing to own one day.

 

I'm not fussy on type, but top of the list would be an ex Glasgow Alexander AN68 Atlantean, Glasgow Volvo Ailsa, Midland Scottish Alexander Y type Leopard or a MK1 National with the wonderfully nasal sounding 510 headless engine. What a sound!

 

I'm away to sit down now.

[dollywobbler]

Arn't these double deckers limited to 45 mph or something though? They cause havoc on the motorway. Maybe a coach is the way to go.

 

That's ok. I live miles away from motorways. I imagine they're sluggish on hills though. In fact, I KNOW they're rubbish on hills. Thundering up them in Birmingham, while I pondered whether it would be quicker to walk. Naturally I stayed put.