insurance in Ontario Canada??

Shambhala Tinbolle · 05-05-2017, 12:35 PM

hello all

I'm working towards my first schoolie. Have 2 I'm looking at.
Anyone out there with recent insurance success in ON Canada??
with gratitude,

gbstewart · 05-05-2017, 05:25 PM

hi and welcome.
where about's are you?
for insurance try co-operaters i'm with all allstate but they don't do bus anymore
gbstewart

Adventurbus · 05-05-2017, 07:01 PM

I recently bought a bus in Ontario! I had a difficult time with insurance. They wouldn't insure me until I converted it into an RV but I couldn't convert it into an RV until I got it to where I was going to work on it but I couldn't drive it until I had it insured and registered!

Anyway, I got it towed which was quite expensive since it was 50 km away. I've just started working on it and once it's an RV I'll get it insured.

I'm not sure who you should go with, I tried the cooperators but they weren't very cooperative and didn't call back so I just towed it.

I would suggest paying the current owners/sellers to drive it to wherever you'll be working on it before they take the plates off. For me the plates were already off so I wasn't going to risk driving it and getting a huge fine and insurance price spike.

Goodluck,
Brendan

Shambhala Tinbolle · 05-06-2017, 08:55 AM

hello Brendan,
Thank you for taking time to share that. Too bad this insurance thing is such a pain in the butt. They'll have to come around, I have a sense that the 'bus conversion' movement will only grow.
I don't have my bus...yet. So your info is great, because it helps me to know
that I'd best secure a long term place to work on my bus.
My plan/hope was to visit family & friends as I was converting the bus. But that may prove to be challenging because of the niggly insurance rules/fine print.

Shambhala Tinbolle · 05-06-2017, 09:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gbstewart

hi and welcome.
where about's are you?
for insurance try co-operaters i'm with all allstate but they don't do bus anymore
gbstewart

hi there,
I'm in Sudbury area. I haven't heard anything good about Cooperator's. Quite ironic that they maintain that name with their reputation...
From what I've read, you've been blessed with a relatively smooth insurance experience. Maybe I'll give Allstate a go.

Adventurbus · 05-06-2017, 06:09 PM

Happy to help!

Yeah, it is too bad it's so hard to find in Ontario. It seems like it's pretty easy in the States, GMAC seems like they're good. My parents insurance broker found me some insurance that I'll go with if I can get my bus RV worthy within the 60 days that an insurance quote lasts. I forget what company she said would insure me but I'll let you know later on once I start paying for it.

gbstewart · 05-06-2017, 08:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shambhala Tinbolle

hi there,
I'm in Sudbury area. I haven't heard anything good about Cooperator's. Quite ironic that they maintain that name with their reputation...
From what I've read, you've been blessed with a relatively smooth insurance experience. Maybe I'll give Allstate a go.

ya I got lucky with insurance , but then again I have a lot insured with them, on the co-operators web sit they list bus conversions
Sudbury , nice area we pass threw there quite a bit during the summer.
gbstewart

cadillackid · 05-06-2017, 09:00 PM

so people in canada cant just go get a bus and cruise it around as a daily driver like we do here in the states?
-Christopher

gbstewart · 05-07-2017, 07:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cadillackid

so people in canada cant just go get a bus and cruise it around as a daily driver like we do here in the states?
-Christopher

you can, but its harder to get insurance in Ontario then any other province, it seems insurance companies can make there own rules, and our f$%king Ontario premier lets them walk all over them.
gbstewart

Shambhala Tinbolle · 05-09-2017, 10:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gbstewart

ya I got lucky with insurance , but then again I have a lot insured with them, on the co-operators web sit they list bus conversions
Sudbury , nice area we pass threw there quite a bit during the summer.
gbstewart

yes, lots of rocks and water....right up my alley.
my fur babies and i could do without the black flies (no see ems) though!

Shambhala Tinbolle · 05-09-2017, 10:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gbstewart

you can, but its harder to get insurance in Ontario then any other province, it seems insurance companies can make there own rules, and our f$%king Ontario premier lets them walk all over them.
gbstewart

Quote:

Originally Posted by cadillackid

so people in canada cant just go get a bus and cruise it around as a daily driver like we do here in the states?
-Christopher

nope Christopher, it's a challenge to say the least.
So far most insurance companies/agents here are having a
hard time even grasping the schoolie concept.

MPITRE · 07-25-2017, 05:47 PM

Hi All,

I'm in Sudbury ON also and contemplating a conversion. Got a quote today for $2200 per year. Is that what going rate is in Ontario?

gbstewart · 07-25-2017, 10:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MPITRE

Hi All,

I'm in Sudbury ON also and contemplating a conversion. Got a quote today for $2200 per year. Is that what going rate is in Ontario?

It's the start, but once it's converted and registered as a rv and you have something else to insure then it should go down, now I hate to tell you but we pay less then 200. A year, it just went down again, but with that being said I do have lots insured , and is been driving over 38 years
gbstewart.

chasingsunshine · 07-28-2017, 06:37 PM

We have been having the same issue here. Either they say no or they do not call you back at all. Most have no idea what you are talking about. State Farm advised that they could only insure it if we had a commercial business driving school buses.....
Not very helpful when the cost of towing is so expensive. We got around it buy purchasing a bus in BC. There they have licensing and insurance sort of all in one - so we can get a temp operating license from them with insurance for $30 a day approximately so we can drive it home. Once here it doesn't matter - once its an RV we will then deal with registration and insurance...
We pick up our bus on the 8th of August so i'll try to let you know how it goes.

RudyTheShuttle · 03-09-2018, 11:50 AM

I'm brand new here and just about to purchase my first bus (Chevy 3500 Shuttle - hopefully).

That being said I called the MTO and they said all you need is FOUR of the following:

(a) cooking facilities
(b) a refrigerator or ice box,
(c) a self-contained toilet,
(d) a heating or air-conditioning system that can function
independently of the vehicle engine,
(e) a potable water supply system that includes a
faucet and sink, and
(f) a separate 110- to 125-V electric power supply or
an LP gas supply

Which was stated in a previous post. But then I asked him if someone of the MTO would be inspecting it and he said no. You just go to Service Ontario and register it as an RV instead of commercial.

Then I called the Co-operators and they said they can insure it.

Probably easier to wait until you have the RV plates to inquire about insurance because it may put you in a modified vehicle bracket. But I'm not 100% on that.

Has anyone been to service Ontario and transferred commercial or personal plates to an RV? What's your experience? Do they ask for photos or proof?

Just don't want to get sidelined.

Thanks,

Jessica

ZylkaLeftridge · 03-19-2018, 04:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RudyTheShuttle

I'm brand new here and just about to purchase my first bus (Chevy 3500 Shuttle - hopefully).

That being said I called the MTO and they said all you need is FOUR of the following:

(a) cooking facilities
(b) a refrigerator or ice box,
(c) a self-contained toilet,
(d) a heating or air-conditioning system that can function
independently of the vehicle engine,
(e) a potable water supply system that includes a
faucet and sink, and
(f) a separate 110- to 125-V electric power supply or
an LP gas supply

Which was stated in a previous post. But then I asked him if someone of the MTO would be inspecting it and he said no. You just go to Service Ontario and register it as an RV instead of commercial.

Then I called the Co-operators and they said they can insure it.

Probably easier to wait until you have the RV plates to inquire about insurance because it may put you in a modified vehicle bracket. But I'm not 100% on that.

Has anyone been to service Ontario and transferred commercial or personal plates to an RV? What's your experience? Do they ask for photos or proof?

Just don't want to get sidelined.

Thanks,

Jessica

The first part to get it changed over is the same rules i have heard. Never done it my self but have read online of other people doing it. The only recommendation i found was to not go to a major city MTO. Try to go to one in a small town or country.

As for the insurance, I had to hold off on buying my first bus to convert because no one would cover me. I called every place I could find online for RV insurance or Car insurance. I even called my home and car insurance company and they wouldn't go near it. I learned after the first few rejections to stop calling it a bus that is now and RV and just say its a motor home. It would get me farther in the call but the same issue came up when they asked for the VIN number. Even after explaining the Ownership says RV and no longer is a bus. The insurance companies said the MTO can call it what ever they want but for insurance the vehicle is being used for not its designed use and they had to insure it under a modified vehicle. The only really quote i got was about 6k a year

On a side note: Im a 25 year old male. Living in Ottawa. So I knew it would be hard to find insurance based on my age and location but thought i would be able to find something considering i insure my home and car now and this would be a 3rd thing to add. My plan now is to move to the Quebec(or any other province) before buying my bus to convert.

o1marc · 03-19-2018, 04:10 PM

25 is usually the age insurance rates come down at. If you have a clean driving record you shouldn't have any issues.

ZylkaLeftridge · 03-20-2018, 02:05 PM

Thats what i was hoping for. But no one would take me

... Haven't given up tho just put a time dent in my plans

gyronaut · 03-28-2018, 04:12 PM

not sure if this has been answered yet, but Allstate and Cooperators offered insurance on my short bus

Shambhala Tinbolle · 04-03-2018, 11:35 AM

hello and welcome Jessica.
i've been off line for a long while, so am just seeing this thread.
i'm in Ontario and have managed to get my bus insured.

in answer to one of your questions, the MTO will want you to write a letter (just on a regular sheet of paper) that states what you have done to your bus. I had to write mine in front of the lady at the Service Ontario office. It has to have the VIN, year, make & model of the bus. Then after that I had to write that I, so and so (your name), have modified my bus by removing the seats,....and what ever else you have done.
They DO require that you have at least 4 of the six items that they list for classification change.

i had to search long and hard to get insurance - even though i have a perfect driving record. Ended up having to get "facility" coverage. $2000 for a year. That is getting more common now because of the growing number of people converting buses. Trouble is most often it's not being done well or safely, which is showing up in the insurance world.

(

Once my conversion to RV is finished, the insurance company will send an appraiser to look at it. At that point, if they like what they see i'll get an RV rate on my insurance.

Hope this helps.
Very best of everything with your adventure

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