Bus Conversion and driving licence

[Channa]

I am loosely looking at acquiring a vehicle to convert, and getting a little carried away at some of the vehicles I am looking at, one for example a Leyland Tiger cub coach which has been used on the Magical Mystery tour Beatles trail in Liverpool ,retired from service pcv motd 12 months and finished Sgt Pepper style.

What I didn't realise and hence the post ,is under heritage rules because it is over 30 years old no more than 8 passengers it can be driven on a standard car licence , 21 min age and 2 years full entitlement irespective of weight

To benefit from this loophole any post conversion taxation class must remain a bus but there seems little advantage in changing class too

I know VWalan has mentioned in the past some weird licensing mot exemptions with 5th wheelers so I thought add this one to the mix as a bit of trvia

Worth noting this exemption only applies within the UK but European travel realistically is way off my radar at low mpg couldn't afford it anyway

Possibilities do open though lots of coaches with galleys on board toilets so basic essentials plumbed in to feed off the spare seats can be sold off £20 a time ,coachbuilt bodies and industrial type engines they start to look incredible value.I suspect dismissed by many due to size and perceived licence restrictions large vehicle yes but not if any larger than some of the German Concorde vans you see with pusher engines,

Practical considerations aside like where to keep such a beast they would make a great project, not having to worry about weights domestic appliance fixtures and fittings could be used to keep costs down rather than the over inflated prices of leisure vehicle gear

Common sense will proper kick in no doubt but thought it would be great to take you on this flight of fancy.

I have just missed out on a Merc Vario minibus used for schoolruns and fully tested, clean as a whistle plaxton coach built body extremely tidy and only being sold due to new terms and conditions of travel imposed by the educaton authority £3000 including vat sell the seats and disabled taillift a ratcliffe would make a dent on initial purchase cost, the only downside an auto box, 250000 kms so just run in

Channa

 

[harrow]

For me it's the LEZ's mean I can't buy anything like that where I live.

I was very interested in one of british telecoms cabling vehicles, comes in at less than seven and a half tons so I can drive it.

Classed as a workshop vehicle, mot test is not required.

 

[shaunr68]

Following this with interest. I'm somewhere in the middle and potentially looking for a coachbuilt Bluebird/Mellor/KFS type minibus - best of both worlds I think, not too large and WILL be taken for long stints abroad.

[video=youtube;wDANMAW-v9A]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDANMAW-v9A[/video]

 

[Asterix]

Would this suit Channa?

Hilarious Thunderbirds 2 campervan could be yours for just PS35,000 - and it'''s road legal

 

[trevskoda]

Problem with most buses and meller vans is the single glass windows,best to get a fully or almost compleat panel library bus,plenty to be had at little money & make good campers.

 

[edina]

Channa, don't assume you will be able to sell the seats easily, a lot of converters have a job just getting rid of them

 

[n brown]

had a couple of 9m single deckers,one of which i turned into a one and a half decker.
8foot wide means loads of room to stroll about , and room for belly boxes and a massive roof rack means tons of storage too.great size for living in, and a scooter makes a good donkey for getting supplies or exploring. nice comfy ride too. one of them i had to remove and panel over most of the windows , but that was no big deal- in fact i did it twice as first attempt i decided the metal was too thin and wobbly .
if you want a cheap roofrack , a piece of 9 inch weldmesh fixed to the roof with 30mm spacers means you can tie stuff on anywhere.

 

[RV2MAX]

To drive as a bus , as you state requires just a cat B , but it has to stay as a bus , (not motorcaravan on V5) it will also need a class 5 mot . (£80+ ) with certain extra requirements eg emergency exits etc . Insurance is usually expensive , as you are driving a vehicle far larger than what you have been trained for ! Road tax should be PLG or PHGV depending on gvw . HTSH

BTW library vans are not buses , they are lgv , so require HGV licence to drive .

 

[vwalan]

trouble can be if you convert a bus to a motor caravan then its not a bus etc . so you are restricted to 7.500kg gvw.
there was a thing that in 1991 if you had been driving buses not for hire and reward you could have kept d on your licence . many did keep it . you required a medical , a proof you had driven them and pay twenty quid .
that could cover it.
but d1 as more restrictions .
also the uk gvt then made the rule of motor caravans over 7,500kg you require group c .
Driving a motorhome - GOV.UK
be careful what bus you buy for conversion . check gvw.

 

[wildebus]

I am loosely looking at acquiring a vehicle to convert, and getting a little carried away at some of the vehicles I am looking at, one for example a Leyland Tiger cub coach which has been used on the Magical Mystery tour Beatles trail in Liverpool ,retired from service pcv motd 12 months and finished Sgt Pepper style.

What I didn't realise and hence the post ,is under heritage rules because it is over 30 years old no more than 8 passengers it can be driven on a standard car licence , 21 min age and 2 years full entitlement irespective of weight

To benefit from this loophole any post conversion taxation class must remain a bus but there seems little advantage in changing class too

I know VWalan has mentioned in the past some weird licensing mot exemptions with 5th wheelers so I thought add this one to the mix as a bit of trvia

Worth noting this exemption only applies within the UK but European travel realistically is way off my radar at low mpg couldn't afford it anyway

Possibilities do open though lots of coaches with galleys on board toilets so basic essentials plumbed in to feed off the spare seats can be sold off £20 a time ,coachbuilt bodies and industrial type engines they start to look incredible value.I suspect dismissed by many due to size and perceived licence restrictions large vehicle yes but not if any larger than some of the German Concorde vans you see with pusher engines,

Practical considerations aside like where to keep such a beast they would make a great project, not having to worry about weights domestic appliance fixtures and fittings could be used to keep costs down rather than the over inflated prices of leisure vehicle gear

Common sense will proper kick in no doubt but thought it would be great to take you on this flight of fancy.

I have just missed out on a Merc Vario minibus used for schoolruns and fully tested, clean as a whistle plaxton coach built body extremely tidy and only being sold due to new terms and conditions of travel imposed by the educaton authority £3000 including vat sell the seats and disabled taillift a ratcliffe would make a dent on initial purchase cost, the only downside an auto box, 250000 kms so just run in

Channa

A classic bus would make a very interesting Camper.

Just on your idea of selling the seats and taillift to get back a bit of cash? in your dreams!
Sorry, but minibus seats are not worth a penny second hand as there is no real demand for them and there are so many around that people are wanting to just get shot of.
Likewise Taillifts. I had my taillift on gumtree and eBay listed for £1 (yup - a quid as that is the minimum amount you can list for). No takers. In the end, I removed it, chopped it up to bite sized (i.e. movable) chunks and took down the tip.

250000 kms so just run in? oh yes, you did used to be a car salesman, didn't you

 

[Asterix]

A classic bus would make a very interesting Camper.

Just on your idea of selling the seats and taillift to get back a bit of cash? in your dreams!
Sorry, but minibus seats are not worth a penny second hand as there is no real demand for them and there are so many around that people are wanting to just get shot of.
Likewise Taillifts. I had my taillift on gumtree and eBay listed for £1 (yup - a quid as that is the minimum amount you can list for). No takers. In the end, I removed it, chopped it up to bite sized (i.e. movable) chunks and took down the tip.

250000 kms so just run in? oh yes, you did used to be a car salesman, didn't you

I sold my tailgate for a quid with the proviso that the buyer removed,it was a prick of a job so I was happy not to do it...he gave me a tenner for having to borrow my angle grinder!

 

[wildebus]

I sold my tailgate for a quid with the proviso that the buyer removed,it was a prick of a job so I was happy not to do it...he gave me a tenner for having to borrow my angle grinder!

That was my plan as well "Buyer removes". But no takers.

It wasn't too bad a job to do in fact, but just like your buyer, I had to use my angle grinder to cut the brackets with a jack keeping it in position so it didn't land on me!
But they are sooooo heavy. I bet once removed he had a hell of a job getting it in his van or whatever to take away?

 

[RAW]

I found out that I can drive lots due to something called "grandparent entitlement" and with me passing in 1989 the vehicles I can drive are a lot more than my partner who passed in 1998, nine years after me.
Seems a bit unjust really

 

[mickymost]

Channa, don't assume you will be able to sell the seats easily, a lot of converters have a job just getting rid of them

Exactly who wants 60 bus seats what would they be good for.?

Michael

 

[Asterix]

That was my plan as well "Buyer removes". But no takers.

It wasn't too bad a job to do in fact, but just like your buyer, I had to use my angle grinder to cut the brackets with a jack keeping it in position so it didn't land on me!
But they are sooooo heavy. I bet once removed he had a hell of a job getting it in his van or whatever to take away?

He only wanted the electrically operated hydraulic system,not the tailgate itself so that part was easy,I kept the tailgate and recycled some of it and tossed the rest on the fire. It was massively heavy as it need to take horsees walking on it.
It also had a tail lift underneath from its original incarnation as a delivery truck,that did weigh a lot but finally got it out with a forklift and straight into the scrap bin.

 

[mickymost]

To drive as a bus , as you state requires just a cat B , but it has to stay as a bus , (not motorcaravan on V5) it will also need a class 5 mot . (£80+ ) with certain extra requirements eg emergency exits etc . Insurance is usually expensive , as you are driving a vehicle far larger than what you have been trained for ! Road tax should be PLG or PHGV depending on gvw . HTSH

BTW library vans are not buses , they are lgv , so require HGV licence to drive .

What even if they are 7.5 ton or less?

Michael

 

[RV2MAX]

What even if they are 7.5 ton or less?

Michael

Depends on when you got your B licence , for upto 7.5 but over that C needed

 

[cts1975]

I found out that I can drive lots due to something called "grandparent entitlement" and with me passing in 1989 the vehicles I can drive are a lot more than my partner who passed in 1998, nine years after me.
Seems a bit unjust really
View attachment 70443

If you passed a car test before April 1997 then you will have a D1 entitlement via 'grand father rights' but with a 101 restriction so this can't be used for hire and reward.
A D1 category cover what are referred to as minibuses, so up to 16 passenger plus the driver.

If you are buying a 'bus' with more than 16 passenger seats currently fitted and certified then you would need a 'D' (sometimes called a PSV/PCV) category on you licence which allows you drive any size bus (inc bendy & deckers) with trailer with overall maximum trailer weight not exceeding 750KG's.
As an example a 24/29 seat Mercedes Vario based bus may be 'down seated' by the local council to 16 passenger seat in which case a 'D1' would cover it. Training council staff to gain PSV/PCV entitlement on their D1 is cheaper than cat D training.
It may have a tail lift fitted that can take heavier wheelchairs in higher numbers than a transit for example.

 

[trevskoda]

To drive as a bus , as you state requires just a cat B , but it has to stay as a bus , (not motorcaravan on V5) it will also need a class 5 mot . (£80+ ) with certain extra requirements eg emergency exits etc . Insurance is usually expensive , as you are driving a vehicle far larger than what you have been trained for ! Road tax should be PLG or PHGV depending on gvw . HTSH

BTW library vans are not buses , they are lgv , so require HGV licence to drive .

Lib buses are lgv and under 7.5 ton so no hgv licence required if passed test before 97.

 

[1 Cup]

Looks nice

But £100 a day to go into London comes into force soon , ie north south circular ring road :tongue: