oh and it looks more northern counties body work than ECW,at some tiome in its life it was also a Arriva bus, due to the blue paint in the engine bay.

Have a look at route one magazine, or bus and coach for good deals on used buses.

Do it. Then convert the upper deck into some awesome bedrooms and possibly a balcony. then keep all the bikes downstairs, with a full sized workshop.

I think I’d have this instead though.

I know of a Leyland Atlantean that may be for sale – it’s painted purple though, and already stripped/converted inside as a playbus. No idea what the price would be. I drove it’s predecessor (with no power steering and no passengers) on my normal licence down Princes Street, that was grand!

sambob – I’m looking at that and think “Mmmmmm, there’s possibilities with that one”. Looks like a good price, currently too.

I’d buy an old routemaster and call it horas Sexualexpress 8)

Is it true that the first routemaster dont have a fuel guage, just a dipstick to the tank?

Well, not pressed the button yet, going to book some lessons to see how I get on first & the Mrs has said ‘do what the hell I like as long as its not parked near her’, this could be a goer 😉

Thinking more a mobile ‘walk in Cafe’ than a bike lugger, but you never know 😉

(long time ago) i used to do install work for a bus that had been converted into a travelling art gallery, I converted one for similar purposes too.

The gallery one was operated by a council and could be driven by anyone with a standard drivers license and a certain amount of chutpah (this was pre 1997 mind – only people with older licenses could do it now), in much the same way as a 7.5t truck can be/ could be. I don’t know whether there needed to be an ‘O’ License held by someone, I wouldn’t be surprised if there wasn’t though.

I only had to move the ones I worked on around my yard, rather than on the open road – its interesting, pre-selectors and nonsense like that. Its like a ghost is driving the bus you you’re trying to stop it.

Depending on how its reclassified the size / weight would be irrelevant to HGV or Operator License rules – if its not being used to carry goods – some SUVs are heavier than laden commercial vehicles, and so called ‘Dual Purpose’ vehicles (Navara type 4×4 pickups) can dodge the train-weight rules when towing and have an all up weight that would require an ‘O’ license with any other kind of vehicle

The buses I worked on had all the seats out, and in some cases had the top deck floor removed to make a larger exhibition volume. That means they had probably been re-classified as another kind of vehicle.

I’d buy an old routemaster and call it horas Sexualexpress

*shudder*

At least the police would be able to find you quite easily.

horas Sexualexpress

Ding ding! (ding dong)

read a copy of something like bus restoration monthlyat the dentists once and was surprised that you can drive a classic bus then let the urge to buy one pass me by

mastiles_fanylion – Member
Seems the bus would be way over the allowable weight limit…

Exempted passenger carrying vehicles
Holders of a full category B (car) driving licence may drive any of the vehicles listed below:
a passenger carrying vehicle manufactured more than 30 years before the date when it is driven and not used for hire or reward or for the carriage of more than 8 passengers

magazine i remember reading seemed to suggest above means that for a 30yr old bus anyone can drive with an ordinary license – all seem a bit odd as fairly sure only reason can hire an mpv/minibus with 8 seats or more is because have had a license prior to i think around 1995 and in those days it was automatic

here’s a linky with what looks like facts – albeit nerdy not officialdom
http://www.self-preservation-society.co.uk/jotter/driving.htm

i guess you to have wear a period uniform or get rasta stylee with a dog on a string though

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/thinking-about-buying-a-bus-for-conversion

have a look at the final post.

I went to a lecture once on adventure travels. Two blokes who I think were from Thornbury Glos (I could be mis-remembering) had bought an old bus. They did it up over several months and at a lot of cost to be a very classy mobile home. The talk was photos and info about thier tour around Europe with it and what fun they had.

By the time I had heard the talk, they had already sold it on as they felt they had ‘been there, done that’ and I believe they made a profit on the purchase and outfitting.