Removable passenger seats, can it be done?

[astro_school86]

Hi folks!! I'm in the process of designing my first build. I've been working on it for just a few days with the goal of finishing the build in two years (see attached photo). The plan is to travel for 3-4 months out of the year and park the rest of the time. We're hoping to live in it full time for the next 10 years. I really want to add in three passenger seats into either a 40ft school bus or a shorter bus with storage below. It's a non-negotiable. My little sister died a few weeks back in a car accident because she wasn't wearing her seatbelt, so I have to have my fiancé and any guests have safe places to ride.

I've seen one build with 5 added seats that are stoe-and-go from a mini-van. I love that idea but I didn't see him remove and hid them. Also, it looks like that area is solely dedicated to driving space. I want the space to be multi-purpose. I practice yoga and my partner spends a lot of time tinkering with different projects, so I want both of us to have space in the front of the bus for these needs. He'll have the dedicated space along the stair side of the bus and I want to use the walkway and the space where the seats remove for my yoga practice.

Any wisdom for me? I'm pretty stubborn, so I want to make it work but, again, I don't want to put anyone at risk.

[john61ct]

Real airline-quality L-track maybe, can DIY.

In theory need certification or you might not get paid out in the event with insurance.

Look at how airlines do staff jumpseats

[EastCoastCB]

Maybe some seats that sit up against the wall and the bottoms fold up?

[musigenesis]

I'm sorry for your loss.

I installed a Ford transit van double seat in my bus opposite the driver's seat. Everything about it is perfect - inexpensive, easy to install, built-in three point harnesses, and it's removable - except for the fact that it's just 31" wide (for both seats) and is essentially intolerable for even two normal-sized people to share. They make a wider variant (35" for two seats) but I don't think that would make it much better. So I would not recommend one of these.

[Sehnsucht]

Minivan or SUV stow-n-go or removable seats are pretty ideal because they are far more comfortable than school bus seats and choices of single or bench seating. The largest obstacle is usually the mounting of both the seat itself and seatbelt anchor points. For a truly removable solution that allows for re-utilization of the space, I think GM Pickup/SUV seats from certain models are a popular choice because the seatbelt is integrated into the seat back but this still precludes that the seat itself is secure. There have been a few other threads about seat and seatbelt mounting which may offer more insight than I can recall off the top of my head. I like john61ct's suggestion about airline L-track because it would offer flexibility of configuration but could prove a challenge to mount if you want a flush floor when seats are removed... Well, maybe not if you mount them directly to the steel floor and then lay your plywood flooring and floor treatments in a manner that the end result is flush. But again, safety above all else, whatever mounting solution you decide should be absolutely rock-solid but it doesn't sound like we need to convince you of that

[banman]

I would caution getting too detailed in your layout before you actually have a bus. An actual bus will have certain mechanical constraints to design around.
Length of bus being the most obvious, but then where the wheel wells protrude, fuel tank, exhaust, access panels for future repairs...

Plenty of folks have moved the entry stairs to a different location making ample room up front for conventional vehicle seating.

Check out how some of the mini-vans and suv middle and rear seating completely fold flat into the floor.
These are real seats, some have built in shoulder belts. Using something like these would require cutting out some sections of the floor and building an appropriate weather tight cabinet for the seat to fold into.

It would be probably be easier to mount seats on swivels so when not driving you can turn the seat to face a work table or dining table behind it. (this would require a change to your layout) Any seat that is crash worthy, and comphy with a built in shoulder belt is going to weigh ~50lbs and be bulky... Not something you're going to want to move around a lot...

[john61ct]

There is such a thing as flush-mount L-track profiles.

Get the ones made in America and actually rated for securing wheelchairs.

[magnakansas]

I have seats from 2017 Ford transit vans.... they are cloth, they have built in seat belts and you can remove them from the floor rails. The rails stay bolted in but seats can be removed. I have doubles and triples. they recline a little, like air plane seats do. well, economy and business class seats. they dont recline as far as some first class seats. the one I use have one arm rest per seat, and a double has baby seat latch points for one, the triple has baby seat latch points at each end. go to Ebay and look for ford transit seats and you will see what they look like. You can find them all over the united states. For single seats, I use the front seats out of chevrolet pickups.. 2003 to 2007. These are cloth, recline similar to the ford seats, have built in seat belts arm rest and the passenger front seats also have baby seat latch points. I used swivel seat mounts from the 2nd row of full size conversion vans. These also have a base that is bolted in to the floor of the bus, and the seat/swivel part can be removed. I paid about $125 for the truck seats and about $50 for seat mounts from the vans. I found ford transit seats brand new in kansas city for about $250 for the triples and $175 for the doubles. Later I found seats in arizona for about $50 for new take outs... but I found those after I bought seats here in Kansas. The used pickup seats, after cleaning, Most folks cannot tell they are used. charcoal grey and blue are the two most common colors that will match ford to chevrolet.

william 785 207 7600 if ya wanna talk seats

[peakbus]

Here are the tracks that were in my buses when I bought them. https://www.cargoequipmentcorp.com/Heavy-Duty-L-Track
Great stuff for easy removal and adjustment of seats and anything else. I have a bunch to get rid of from when I stripped my buses but shipping could be kind of pricey.