Shuttle Bus ok in Short Bus Forum?

[Defjr333]

New member here. Seem to find a few Shuttle Buses in this Sub Forum. Is this the best place to put these threads, or should I be elsewhere? I would love to see a separate Sub Forum specifically for the Shuttles, as I understand they are night and day from a TRUE Short Bus....but hey if it doesnt upset others, alls good.

[cadillackid]

build away!! there are some shuttles here on the forum. and all are welcome.. as we also have some coaches. and transit (city) busses here on the forum .
-Christopher

[roach711]

There are several of us here but we've scrolled off into short bus history.

I wouldn't say they are night and day different, maybe a variation on the form.

[Defjr333]

Good to hear. Looks like I shall create a thread for my upcoming build. Havent purchased the vehicle yet, as that is the biggest part of why I am here. Needing the input!!! Any interested please check out the thread DEFCOMM. Thnx

[roach711]

I like my 2000 Ford E-450 with a 7.3L powerstroke and an Eldorado Aerotech body. The dual wall fiberglass body is pretty solid and the Eldorado's are the only crash tested shuttles that I know of.

Avoid the Ford 6.0L Powerstroke for its many design flaws. The Chevy Duamax diesel seems to have a good reputation. I've heard Starcraft bodies are badly made but have never seen one up close and personal.

What I like best about the shuttles is parts availability. I can get any Ford part at the nearest auto parts store and service can be done at any Ford dealer.

[cadillackid]

the ford / chevy service piece is also applicable to cutaway school busses.. they will have the same chassis as a shuttle but will have a short skoolie body attached instead of a shuttle..

the chassis of shuttles are often a little better equipped than skoolies.. you might find niceties like A/C, cruise, power driver window on a shuttle. whereas tougher on a cutaway skoolie. cutaway skoolies are pretty plentiful in the marketplace.. they come up in the auctions alot and many times go for decent prices..
-Christopher

[CDHenry6]

[QUOTE=roach711;218685] I've heard Starcraft bodies are badly made but have never seen one up close and personal.


I had the (mis)Fortune of breaking in a brand new StarCrap in my previous job as a Transit operator. By 10,000 miles pieces were falling off. It leaked at all of the window seams, and the rubber floor came unglued the second winter.

I am no impressed. Meanwhile my 20 year old Eldo has twice the milage and age and everything is solid.
I suspect that StarCraft is the low bidder for government contracts, as every shared ride agency I know that is subsidized has Starcraft in their fleet when they get a new rig.

[Defjr333]

Found out the town I live in has a shuttle service. So I decided to ride on it yesterday. The 1st one I jumped on i noticed the "StarCraft" logo on the upper center console by the driver. You guys are SO right. Even tho the driver said it was the newest one in the fleet (4 months old) it looked nice and was obvious it was new. HOWEVER, every single window rattled at the slightest of bumps and I swear I even saw the entire wall of the fiberglass body shutter and flex on the larger bumps! The 2nd one I jumped on to go back the opposite direction seemed to show some age. Not dirty or damaged, just not as new looking. I could not see a manufacturer plate, but man it rode so much better. No rattles, flexing of body, or ride problems i could detect. I made a day of it. In the afternoon I rode on the "trolley". THOSE ARE COOL LOOKING. They were slightly bigger, but reminded me of a SanFransico type trolley. Loved the woodwork and brass. Faux stained glass windows etc. After riding on various ones of each design all day, I found myself at the depot where they fuel up and do maintenance. During the layover I started chatting with one of the drivers who pointed over to the side of the repair garage. There sat a brand new trolley, and 2 brand new shuttles. Long story short, the town is going to be selling a trolley and a shuttle in the next 2-3 months. Think I may go and take some pics and see what you guys think!?

[Brad_SwiftFur]

Expect the trolley-style bus to sell for good money, tour operators pick 'em up for business use.

[EastCoastCB]

Definitely! post away!!!
A shuttle is definitely a short bus, imo.

[cadillackid]

I ride alot of airport and rental car shuttles.. the starcraft ones suck.. ive ridden a collins that was built solid.

I rode a trolley in davidson NC (suburb of charlotte), a few months ago. and it sounded like a T-444E so i asked the driver and he said 'howd you know'.. esp once we hit 2nd gear i knew it was an AT545.. the trolley was built on a skoolie chassis.. the trolley itself looked like it would be cumnbersome to convert.. the ceiling height was decent but some of the construction was wood.. this particular one didnt have real windows. (the driver said he loved that trolley because it ran better than their newer one .. but customers hate it because it has no A/C... he said hte newer one was built on a ford V-10 gasser chassis. and wasnt nearly as solid.. but has real glass windows and A/C so people like it better but the drivers hate it because it has a lot of rock and bounce in the suspension.. i ended up riding that one on my second ride.. the bus body over-hangs the wheels on the sides by quite a bit... the skoolie one looked more like a bus..
-Christopher

[sdwarf36]

I just started a new job at a shop that does vintage + upscale cars. There is still talk of the trolley that they had to do an engine job on. (454 Chevy) It had to come out in pieces! Nowhere in the playbook of "lets make something look like a trolley" does servicability come into play.

[Defjr333]

Yeah, thought it looked neat, but has to be a pain mechanically. I cant even imagine how hard to find parts. I am still leaning towards a shuttle bus. Just not easy to find one with correct combinations of my needs.....diesel, el dorado body, little rust.....but the search continues.

[cadillackid]

the trolley I rode had a huge doghouse.. although I didnt notice any access for a hoist to get inside the bus to pluck the motor.. so getting it unseated from the mounts looked easy but not getting it out of the bus.. unless they pulled the windshield.
-Christopher