Insurance

[mikefsythe]

Hi, Mike here. I am new to the skoolie world. I found a bus. I live in Michigan and it is currently in AZ. I want to drive it home (looking forward to the adventure, plus, Its too expensive to have shipped). However, I am having a hard time finding insurance for it while it is still registered as a bus. Any help out there?

[JeffreyJB]

Originally Posted by mikefsythe

Hi, Mike here. I am new to the skoolie world. I found a bus. I live in Michigan and it is currently in AZ. I want to drive it home (looking forward to the adventure, plus, Its too expensive to have shipped). However, I am having a hard time finding insurance for it while it is still registered as a bus. Any help out there?

Hi Mike

I just purchased a bus in TX that I needed to transport to Missouri. Prepare yourself. No insurance company will want to insure you because it's a very grey area....it's not a school bus used for commercial purposes or a church bus..... but it's also not yet converted and able to be registered as an RV. I can't imagine why they were hesitant to insure a random single 33yo burly ginger who wanted to live in a school bus alone in the forest? haha I called a GAZILLION insurance companies before I finally found a solution for this murky grey area...

This may not work for everyone....but because of my family being farmers, I was able to insure the bus through Progressive as a commercial farm vehicle. I had to state that I did not use the bus to transport commercial goods more than 20% of the time it was used and that I did not transport people...only supplies and small pieces of equipment.

It was a bit expensive.... around $100/mo...but it was literally the only option I could find. Although my family are legitimate pig, corn, and soy farmer's they didn't require anything that required me to prove this aside from telling them I planned to begin farming.

Just be sure to be honest. If you give them dishonest information and you find yourself in an accident the policy can be cancelled and your claim denied because you applied for coverage under false pretenses.

I said I INTENDED to begin farming in Missouri in 6 months. I told them the INTENDED use for the vehicle. The seats are already removed from my bus but they didn't ask questions about this.

Best of luck and let me know if I can help any further!

[Roadrunner]

I live in PA and bought my bus in AR. I have Allstate insurance. I talked to my agent and they gave me insurance to drive it home with no problem. When I got home I changed it to storage insurance while I work on it. Give them a try.

[lcrouch]

We found a bus that was previously used as a tour bus for a band, however they striped all their bunks and such from it. Now it is empty with a wood floor, three blocked out windows, and a green paint job.

We are with State Farm and they declare it is a commercial vehicle. They want us to take pictures of the vehicle, state our purpose, current condition of the engine, tires, etc., and they want us to wait 2 weeks after submitting all of this to them to see if they will approve us to have insurance on it for one day to drive it 288 miles home.

We have been with State Farm for 20 years and they are great for everything, but after this ridiculous mess they want for a bus; we'll be leaving them fast.

[lizzabus]

Icrouch: Who are you going with now? We also have State Farm and they began to give me the run around today about insuring a bus. A wee bit disappointed as we've been with them for YEARS.

[lcrouch]

We are getting our bus next week. They just won't insure us at all for the pickup. I've found a place that will insure us for 300 for the one day to drive the bus home.

We have so far been informed by State Farm that we will be able to insure it after it is a bonified rv. Again, they will need pictures and an entirely ridiculous process to verify the "risk" once that time comes.