Question on bus titled as a VAN

[lilcoolbus]

Hi everyone. I purchased a 1999 Ford E350 cutaway 12 passenger shuttle bus to convert, and I need to drive it cross country to bring it back to California where I live. It's titled in Virginia as a Van, but located in Florida at the moment. I am going to call the Allstate agent Kelly Newsome as many of you have suggested to get it insured, but I was just curious if anyone else has been able to get cheaper insurance with it titled as a van instead of as an RV or motorhome. I am unsure why it was never titled as a bus, but it seems like from what I read, it could benefit me with the insurance and registration. Any feedback is appreciated. Thanks in advance!

 

[HamSkoolie]

Hi everyone. I purchased a 1999 Ford E350 cutaway 12 passenger shuttle bus to convert, and I need to drive it cross country to bring it back to California where I live. It's titled in Virginia as a Van, but located in Florida at the moment. I am going to call the Allstate agent Kelly Newsome as many of you have suggested to get it insured, but I was just curious if anyone else has been able to get cheaper insurance with it titled as a van instead of as an RV or motorhome. I am unsure why it was never titled as a bus, but it seems like from what I read, it could benefit me with the insurance and registration. Any feedback is appreciated. Thanks in advance!

The laws vary from state to state. When I drove transit buses in northern Kommiefornia they were 19 passenger buses built on E350 cutaway's. We needed a commercial license (but not a CDL) to drive them as they were still vans. Add one more passenger and it's jumped into higher regulatory/licensing/etc. requirements.
If your bus is titled as a van it's likely you can legally drive it for non commercial purposes depending on the state it's licensed in and YOUR drivers license requirements in your state.
So check the state agency (DMV?) in the licensed state and your license state and see what they say. Pay attention to license class and allowable weights for your drivers license as well as those required in the state the rig is licensed in.
There are web sites that will help you sort this stuff out and they're free. DuckDuckGo is your friend (not google)

 

[lilcoolbus]

The laws vary from state to state. When I drove transit buses in northern Kommiefornia they were 19 passenger buses built on E350 cutaway's. We needed a commercial license (but not a CDL) to drive them as they were still vans. Add one more passenger and it's jumped into higher regulatory/licensing/etc. requirements.
If your bus is titled as a van it's likely you can legally drive it for non commercial purposes depending on the state it's licensed in and YOUR drivers license requirements in your state.
So check the state agency (DMV?) in the licensed state and your license state and see what they say. Pay attention to license class and allowable weights for your drivers license as well as those required in the state the rig is licensed in.
There are web sites that will help you sort this stuff out and they're free. DuckDuckGo is your friend (not google)

Thanks for all the advice. My CA Class C license allows me to drive it here, as its under 26,000 GVWR and only 22 feet long. Considering it was only a 12 passenger bus as its capacity, hopefully I'll be allowed to register and insure it as a van instead of an RV. That's my primary concern at the moment, at least for the drive.

 

[jonrose]

Hello everybody! I’m getting ready to purchase a 1987 Chevy bus that’s been titled as an RV. Is there anything that I should know before I buy this? It’s already been titled as an RV but I’m buying it from a different state. It’s in Indiana and I live in Ohio. Super excited about this! Any questions I should ask the seller? Thanks for everybody’s help!

 

[nikitis]

Nice! Looks like a train car inside.

 

[Mr P]

Hello everybody! I’m getting ready to purchase a 1987 Chevy bus that’s been titled as an RV. Is there anything that I should know before I buy this? It’s already been titled as an RV but I’m buying it from a different state. It’s in Indiana and I live in Ohio. Super excited about this! Any questions I should ask the seller? Thanks for everybody’s help!

Before purchase, research two things: The transfer of that title into your state as an RV (or otherwise), and insurance of that vehicle.