Alaska insurance woes

little busito · 10-17-2015, 02:05 PM

Anyone insured your conversion in Alaska? Getting it registered was stoopid hard enough, and so far we're hitting roadblocks with getting anyone who'll insure a bus up here.

Thoughts? BTDT?

jimbo1444 · 05-18-2016, 12:09 AM

Did you end up finding an insurance company? I'm having the same problem!

Thanks!

Jim

little busito · 05-18-2016, 02:16 AM

Hi! Yes, we did eventually. We had it insured as a commercial vehicle for personal use only, and it's about $45-50 a month, I think. Here are the key things to remember: they will do this if and only if it has actual bus passenger seats in it, and when speaking with them DO NOT let any of the following words come out of your mouth: conversion, modified, renovated, remodeled, camper etc. We told them all true things: We have a large family and usually carry a lot of gear because we do a lot of outdoorsy stuff and a bus made the most sense, that we were using this for personal transport only, we removed some seats in the back to make room for our gear and had remaining original seating for 7 passengers + driver. We had to do it this way because we didn't want to install all the things we were supposed to do to have it registered as an RV. Here in ANC they are SUPER strict about exactly what 'permanently installed' things are and we didn't want to spend the $$$ we would have had to in order to meet their standards. So I think it was just registered as a bus? Not sure, my husband did that part. But yes, it is possible to get it insured up here! Only thru Progressive though, and only if you never ever ever ever mention that it's a skoolie

Good luck!

Sheep · 07-05-2016, 12:39 AM

All insurance peeps are telling me that you cannot write a policy for a commercial vehicle for personal use in Alaska.

Is it registered as a commercial vehicle? Having trouble at DMV getting it registered as personal due to the weight, they say it can only be commercial, which is WAY more expensive

little busito · 07-05-2016, 01:44 AM

Hi! So we have ours titled and registered as a commercial bus, and insured on a commercial policy *but for personal use only*, which is the only way they said we could do it. If I remember correctly they said they had to insure it as commercial due to the size, which sounds like what they're telling you. I don't remember what it cost to get it registered; maybe a couple hundred? $300-400? Don't remember. Way more than we wanted to pay but with all our research it looked like the only way.

cadillackid · 07-05-2016, 09:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by little busito

Hi! Yes, we did eventually. We had it insured as a commercial vehicle for personal use only, and it's about $45-50 a month, I think. Here are the key things to remember: they will do this if and only if it has actual bus passenger seats in it, and when speaking with them DO NOT let any of the following words come out of your mouth: conversion, modified, renovated, remodeled, camper etc. We told them all true things: We have a large family and usually carry a lot of gear because we do a lot of outdoorsy stuff and a bus made the most sense, that we were using this for personal transport only, we removed some seats in the back to make room for our gear and had remaining original seating for 7 passengers + driver. We had to do it this way because we didn't want to install all the things we were supposed to do to have it registered as an RV. Here in ANC they are SUPER strict about exactly what 'permanently installed' things are and we didn't want to spend the $$$ we would have had to in order to meet their standards. So I think it was just registered as a bus? Not sure, my husband did that part. But yes, it is possible to get it insured up here! Only thru Progressive though, and only if you never ever ever ever mention that it's a skoolie

Good luck!

THIS..

you cannot talk about being a camper to the progressive people... it is easy for me because mine is staying 90% a bus... even my work area is shared as an A/C unit cabinet so its easy to get away with and I still have lots of seats except for a few i removed in the back for "transport room"..

progressive Commercial asked me o nthe phone "this is staying a bus correct?"..

-Christopher

livinthelife · 07-05-2016, 09:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cadillackid

THIS..

you cannot talk about being a camper to the progressive people... it is easy for me because mine is staying 90% a bus... even my work area is shared as an A/C unit cabinet so its easy to get away with and I still have lots of seats except for a few i removed in the back for "transport room"..

progressive Commercial asked me o nthe phone "this is staying a bus correct?"..

-Christopher

So I changed my bus title to RV. I'm not keeping any seats except driver. So if I understand this right progressive will not insure it even commercial for privet use?

livinthelife · 07-05-2016, 09:44 AM

Also what do you put as make model?
2002 international amtran. But I think rv replaced model. The general could not find any match when I talked to them. That's when they told me I had to have pictures when done before they would insure.

Is anyone still having good luck with general?

Hey EASTCOASTCB you said you have two companies that will insure you now. Are they local or one if the larger companies?

EastCoastCB · 07-05-2016, 09:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by livinthelife

Also what do you put as make model?
2002 international amtran. But I think rv replaced model. The general could not find any match when I talked to them. That's when they told me I had to have pictures when done before they would insure.

Is anyone still having good luck with general?

Hey EASTCOASTCB you said you have two companies that will insure you now. Are they local or one if the larger companies?

One local Progressive office (the one I went with) and Good Sam (national). PRogressive won't insure converted school buses, so they're insuring my bus as commercial for private use.

livinthelife · 07-05-2016, 09:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

One local Progressive office (the one I went with) and Good Sam (national). PRogressive won't insure converted school buses, so they're insuring my bus as commercial for private use.

Thank you!

austinadm · 10-15-2017, 07:25 PM

Hi did anyone ever figure out a solution to the Alaska insurance problem? I am in Anchorage and used to have commercial for personal use with progressive but there must be another way right? just wondering if anyone else if finding a better way around this insurance BS.

little busito · 10-16-2017, 10:10 AM

We're also doing the Progressive commercial for personal use thing, and haven't looked any further since finding that. We searched long and hard to find that one and are just happy to have found anything. Sorry that's no help, but if you do find anything else, please let us know because the commercial Progressive sure ain't cheap!

selfdetermined · 06-01-2018, 07:23 PM

Reviving and old thread here. I spent god knows how much time on the phone today trying to find a commercial for personal use thing. Progressive has absolutely no interest in insuring me, and neither does anyone else.

austinadm · 06-01-2018, 07:57 PM

Yeah I haven’t had the bus insured after last summer because I have been working towards re registering it. And commercial insurance was a pain to get and it’s like 80 bucks a month. I was going to try and find some one local like https://akquote.com/ and hopefully have better luck.

You may also like: