Why don’t people own buses? They are better than limos.

SoBad

SoBad

G.O.A.T.
Or do they? I am curious about the pros and cons of bus ownership. Obviously, one would probably need a commercial license and parking could be a challenge, but there is so much upside.

You can set up an office area in the front, with a desk, satellite internet, etc. Then you have a lounge area in the mid-section of the bus with sofas, TV, music, and a full bar. And in the back you have a bedroom. Separate the three sections with light curtains and you’re all set.

If you get stuck in traffic because of bad weather, you just pull over and work or relax. Call friends and invite them over. Is this a good idea? Discuss.
 
SoBad

SoBad

G.O.A.T.
sureshs said:
You also need a toilet.
Click to expand...

I thought about water and sewerage, and this is where I draw the line in my blueprint. No water, no toilet, no kitchen. In urban areas, where inclement weather can lead to unbearable traffic, there is always a store or a restaurant somewhere around the corner. Fuel and supplies are brought in, and garbage is carried out – that’s it.
 
S

sureshs

Bionic Poster
SoBad said:
I thought about water and sewerage, and this is where I draw the line in my blueprint. No water, no toilet, no kitchen. In urban areas, where inclement weather can lead to unbearable traffic, there is always a store or a restaurant somewhere around the corner. Fuel and supplies are brought in, and garbage is carried out – that’s it.
Click to expand...

If you are caught in the middle of stuck traffic, and especially if you are the only one in the vehicle, it is not possible to run anywhere and take a pee. Let alone heavier stuff. I suppose in a bus you have enough space to quickly move around and do "it" in a bag or something, but a toilet is the best.

I think instead of putting useless entertainment equipment in the car like touchscreens and internet connectivity, auto manufacturers should focus on creating a system where a driver can pee while stuck in traffic. Like a hose.
 
S

sureshs

Bionic Poster
Have you also figured out the cost of petrol/diesel/natural gas to operate it, the cost of repairs, and where you would park it since most housing developments and rental places will not allow you to park it?
 
Shaolin

Shaolin

G.O.A.T.
SoBad said:
Or do they? I am curious about the pros and cons of bus ownership. Obviously, one would probably need a commercial license and parking could be a challenge, but there is so much upside.

You can set up an office area in the front, with a desk, satellite internet, etc. Then you have a lounge area in the mid-section of the bus with sofas, TV, music, and a full bar. And in the back you have a bedroom. Separate the three sections with light curtains and you’re all set.

If you get stuck in traffic because of bad weather, you just pull over and work or relax. Call friends and invite them over. Is this a good idea? Discuss.
Click to expand...


A lot of people have these. They're called RVs.
 
SoBad

SoBad

G.O.A.T.
sureshs said:
If you are caught in the middle of stuck traffic, and especially if you are the only one in the vehicle, it is not possible to run anywhere and take a pee. Let alone heavier stuff. I suppose in a bus you have enough space to quickly move around and do "it" in a bag or something, but a toilet is the best.

I think instead of putting useless entertainment equipment in the car like touchscreens and internet connectivity, auto manufacturers should focus on creating a system where a driver can pee while stuck in traffic. Like a hose.
Click to expand...

The “heavier stuff” can wait for a while. As for the light stuff, a simple door in the floor would suffice for emergencies. I just feel that water and sewerage systems would add a huge new layer of complexity to the project.

As for the portable car wastewater systems you mention, I understand that those products are readily available. I’ve heard that they have been rather popular around Bangkok for some years now because of the unbearable traffic jams.
 
ollinger

ollinger

G.O.A.T.
People do own buses. Many entertainers have them to tour on, seems a requirement if you're a country/western singer that you travel in a fabulously furbished bus. John Madden, the famously acrophobic football announcer, only traveled in a bus Greyhound provided him as cheap advertising.
 
SoBad

SoBad

G.O.A.T.
sureshs said:
Have you also figured out the cost of petrol/diesel/natural gas to operate it, the cost of repairs, and where you would park it since most housing developments and rental places will not allow you to park it?
Click to expand...

I mentioned parking as a downside in my original post and I do realise that fuel, luibricants, and maintenance costs could be substantial. I started this discussion to get a better idea of the costs and other issues to consider. What is already becoming clear to me is that the biggest expense would be a full-time driver to take care of the driving and the maintenance.
 
bad_call

bad_call

Legend
these were popular back in the day....

VW%2Bbus%2Bt1.jpg
 
SoBad

SoBad

G.O.A.T.
ollinger said:
People do own buses. Many entertainers have them to tour on, seems a requirement if you're a country/western singer that you travel in a fabulously furbished bus. John Madden, the famously acrophobic football announcer, only traveled in a bus Greyhound provided him as cheap advertising.
Click to expand...

I have heard of party buses. U.S. is a large country with good roads, so it makes sense for an entertainer to tour on a bus. I guess when I said “people” what I really meant was “ordinary people” (who can afford to pay 60K or so for a bus up front and take care of the ongoing expenses).
 
E

El Diablo

Guest
A guy from Jamaica, Queens wants to know why we're not all driving buses. Where you parking yours? In the LIRR yard?
 
S

sureshs

Bionic Poster
SoBad said:
I mentioned parking as a downside in my original post and I do realise that fuel, luibricants, and maintenance costs could be substantial. I started this discussion to get a better idea of the costs and other issues to consider. What is already becoming clear to me is that the biggest expense would be a full-time driver to take care of the driving and the maintenance.
Click to expand...

Human drivers are unsafe and expensive. I would like a automated driver system installed with all the cameras and software like the Google car.
 
SoBad

SoBad

G.O.A.T.
sureshs said:
Human drivers are unsafe and expensive. I would like a automated driver system installed with all the cameras and software like the Google car.
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The responsibilities in this position extend far beyond the mere bus navigation. This intelligent, highly skilled, loyal, and exceptionally motivated young man from Central Asia would also be responsible for bus maintenance, security, housekeeping, and other incidental tasks. I do agree that, no matter how illegal, the driver would cost more than a computer application.
 
SoBad

SoBad

G.O.A.T.
El Diablo said:
A guy from Jamaica, Queens wants to know why we're not all driving buses. Where you parking yours? In the LIRR yard?
Click to expand...

I guess parking is the major issue then, since we keep coming back to the topic. How about we let the driver deal with parking? I guess cost is the only issue at this point...
 
r2473

r2473

G.O.A.T.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bl9bvuAV-Ao

Every day I get in the queue (Too much, the Magic Bus)
To get on the bus that takes me to you (Too much, the Magic Bus)
I'm so nervous, I just sit and smile (Too much, the Magic Bus)
Your house is only another mile (Too much, the Magic Bus)
Thank you, driver, for getting me here (Too much, the Magic Bus)
You'll be an inspector, have no fear (Too much, the Magic Bus)
I don't want to cause no fuss (Too much, the Magic Bus)
But can I buy your Magic Bus? (Too much, the Magic Bus)
Nooooooooo!

I don't care how much I pay (Too much, the Magic Bus)
I wanna drive my bus to my baby each day (Too much, the Magic Bus)
*[Magic Bus, Magic Bus, Magic Bus
Magic Bus, Magic Bus, Magic Bus
Give me a hundred (Magic Bus)
I won't take under (Magic Bus)
Goes like thunder (Magic Bus)
It's a bus-age wonder (Magic Bus)

Magic Bus, Magic Bus, Magic Bus, Magic Bus
I want it, I want it, I want it...(You can't have it!)
Think how much you'll save...(You can't have it!)]
I want it, I want it, I want it, I want it ... (You can't have it!)

Thruppence and sixpence every day
Just to drive to my baby
Thruppence and sixpence each day
'Cause I drive my baby every way

Magic Bus, Magic Bus, Magic Bus, Magic Bus, Magic Bus...
I want the Magic Bus, I want the Magic Bus, I want the Magic Bus...

I said, now I've got my Magic Bus (Too much, the Magic Bus)
I said, now I've got my Magic Bus (Too much, the Magic Bus)
I drive my baby every way (Too much, the Magic Bus)
Each time I go a different way (Too much, the Magic Bus)
I want it, i want it, I want it, I want it ...

Every day you'll see the dust (Too much, the Magic Bus)
As I drive my baby in my Magic Bus (Too much, the Magic Bus)
 
ninman

ninman

Hall of Fame
In the UK there are about 30 million cars on the road. We already have serious problems with congestion. Think about the logistics of having 30 million buses on the road.
 
MAXXply

MAXXply

Hall of Fame
In the early 80's, the Trapper John character from M*A*S*H had his own spin-off show where he was a doctor who lived out of a Winnebago or something like that, in the hospital carpark. I thought that was pretty cool. Also Billy Batson, who would turn into superhero Captain Marvel (Shazam!), travelled aimlessly through (presumably) Southern California in a Winnebago also.

I'd be happy with a modern-day-but-still-clunky Brazilian built VW Kombi with all the gear (soon to stop production)
 
SoBad

SoBad

G.O.A.T.
MAXXply said:
In the early 80's, the Trapper John character from M*A*S*H had his own spin-off show where he was a doctor who lived out of a Winnebago or something like that, in the hospital carpark. I thought that was pretty cool. Also Billy Batson, who would turn into superhero Captain Marvel (Shazam!), travelled aimlessly through (presumably) Southern California in a Winnebago also.

I'd be happy with a modern-day-but-still-clunky Brazilian built VW Kombi with all the gear (soon to stop production)
Click to expand...

Thanks for the input - I googled "Winnebago" and I see some interesting designs. Still, I am adamant about exploring alternatives to the traditional water/sewerage/kitchen school of thought.
 
SoBad

SoBad

G.O.A.T.
ninman said:
In the UK there are about 30 million cars on the road. We already have serious problems with congestion. Think about the logistics of having 30 million buses on the road.
Click to expand...

I don't care about traffic congestion in the UK. I am only interested in my future bus and people's ideas about it.
 
SoBad

SoBad

G.O.A.T.
In the end, it’s all about the operational costs, isn’t it. Let’s talk about some of the ways to defray those costs, why don’t we. First thing that comes to mind is revenue from advertisement. The bus has all those surfaces on the outside with plenty of advertisement space. And you could also set up those electronic screens with running lines, programmed and priced in real time.

Or how about a second bus trailing the head bus, the second bus operating strictly as a profit centre? A double-decker. The ground deck leases out office space and the upper deck is an outdoor market that leases out stands to farmers, shashlyk-cookers, and people selling “I love NY” t-shirts. The merchants would climb a ladder down to the street and move the merchandise up and down using an efficient compact external cargo elevator.
 
S

sureshs

Bionic Poster
It is all about food trucks these days. They are popping up in cities everywhere. A bus can be used for that.
 
Power Player

Power Player

Bionic Poster
SoBad said:
I have heard of party buses. U.S. is a large country with good roads, so it makes sense for an entertainer to tour on a bus. I guess when I said “people” what I really meant was “ordinary people” (who can afford to pay 60K or so for a bus up front and take care of the ongoing expenses).
Click to expand...

60k for a bus? LOL, are you delusional? I have been on countless busses and the Prevost we had was $800,000. The gas cost, driver cost, maintenance, lack of parking in cities is far too much for anyone without a ton of money.
 
zapvor

zapvor

G.O.A.T.
SoBad said:
Or do they? I am curious about the pros and cons of bus ownership. Obviously, one would probably need a commercial license and parking could be a challenge, but there is so much upside.

You can set up an office area in the front, with a desk, satellite internet, etc. Then you have a lounge area in the mid-section of the bus with sofas, TV, music, and a full bar. And in the back you have a bedroom. Separate the three sections with light curtains and you’re all set.

If you get stuck in traffic because of bad weather, you just pull over and work or relax. Call friends and invite them over. Is this a good idea? Discuss.
Click to expand...

is the apt opening up? i will take it;)
 
vive le beau jeu !

vive le beau jeu !

Talk Tennis Guru
SoBad said:
Or do they? I am curious about the pros and cons of bus ownership. Obviously, one would probably need a commercial license and parking could be a challenge, but there is so much upside.

You can set up an office area in the front, with a desk, satellite internet, etc. Then you have a lounge area in the mid-section of the bus with sofas, TV, music, and a full bar. And in the back you have a bedroom. Separate the three sections with light curtains and you’re all set.

If you get stuck in traffic because of bad weather, you just pull over and work or relax. Call friends and invite them over. Is this a good idea? Discuss.
Click to expand...
some do, apparently... ;)

page25.jpg


2a6qag6.jpg

(they forgot the swimming pool on this one)

page14.jpg


be careful with the tunnels...
 
L

LeeD

Bionic Poster
Lack of mobility.
MelGibson lived in a bus, as did the old Maverick's guy who evolved into being a detective, both in N LA.
Small, cramped, messy, nothing real, all panelling and prefab.
I have had over 5 longbed vans in the last 30 years.
 
SoBad

SoBad

G.O.A.T.
sureshs said:
It is all about food trucks these days. They are popping up in cities everywhere. A bus can be used for that.
Click to expand...

Exactly - food sales from the upper deck of a trailing ancillary bus as a means of funding for the head bus is precisely the concept I was developing in post #23.
 
SoBad

SoBad

G.O.A.T.
Power Player said:
60k for a bus? LOL, are you delusional? I have been on countless busses and the Prevost we had was $800,000. The gas cost, driver cost, maintenance, lack of parking in cities is far too much for anyone without a ton of money.
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60K is the figure I overheard last Wednesday night from a city bus driver talking about the price of a city bus (the bus was stuck in the snow, so there was a lot of talking). These are potent hybrid buses with electricity and climate control. I reckon that retrofitting the basic bus with water/sewerage systems can be extremely expensive, which is why we are focusing here on a more basic urban model with bottled water at the mid-section bar and a hatch in the floor for emergencies.
 
SoBad

SoBad

G.O.A.T.
vive le beau jeu ! said:
some do, apparently... ;)

be careful with the tunnels...
Click to expand...

Thanks - those are some beautiful photos and engineering drawings. I wonder if we can add value to this rural concept and propel it into the current century by dropping the water/sewerage systems and making most of the advertisement space on the outer surfaces.
 
SoBad

SoBad

G.O.A.T.
LeeD said:
Lack of mobility.
MelGibson lived in a bus, as did the old Maverick's guy who evolved into being a detective, both in N LA.
Small, cramped, messy, nothing real, all panelling and prefab.
I have had over 5 longbed vans in the last 30 years.
Click to expand...

Lack of mobility of the bus or lack of mobility of people inside the bus?
 
WildVolley

WildVolley

Legend
You can buy RVs pre-built on a bus chassis and they'd also have a bathroom along with whatever else you'd want.

I still am not sure why you want this rather than a limo. A chauffeured limo allows you to do some work while commuting, but is not as useful as a bus. However, a bus is a little less ideal for city travel and parking. A large van can allow you to have an office in less space than a bus, which might cut down on the commute time.

If the commute is very long, a helicopter would be superior, and people such as Trump tend to have a helicopter to cut commute time to a minimum, as in most situations a stationary office will be superior to a mobile one. In the context of South America, a helicopter also needs less security as it tends to fly over the riff-raff from one secured location to another (such as a helio-pad on a skyscraper).
 
L

LeeD

Bionic Poster
During the SanFranciscoGiant's World Series celebration, and subsequent street riot, they burned a muni bus. It costs $600,000 to buy new, reovated in the last 5 years at a cost of $300,000. I couldn't believe it, but it was in the news and the newspapers, quoted as such.
 
Dedans Penthouse

Dedans Penthouse

Legend
rollin' w/the Busman

SoBad said:
Or do they? I am curious about the pros and cons of bus ownership. Obviously, one would probably need a commercial license and parking could be a challenge, but there is so much upside.

You can set up an office area in the front, with a desk, satellite internet, etc. Then you have a lounge area in the mid-section of the bus with sofas, TV, music, and a full bar. And in the back you have a bedroom. Separate the three sections with light curtains and you’re all set.

If you get stuck in traffic because of bad weather, you just pull over and work or relax. Call friends and invite them over. Is this a good idea? Discuss.
Click to expand...
Interesting idea SoBad, but for starters, meter parking is gonna set you back 3x as many quarters. And forget garage parking in midtown.

Me, I get lost often so the U-turn issue's a big problem. Plus you'll never be able to 'lay rubber' or do 'doughnuts' esp. in the snow, etc...and it's not exactly a babe magnet either....well, maybe if it were a Bookmobile you could snag those librarian types but I think the cons outweigh the pros.
 
SoBad

SoBad

G.O.A.T.
WildVolley said:
You can buy RVs pre-built on a bus chassis and they'd also have a bathroom along with whatever else you'd want.

I still am not sure why you want this rather than a limo. A chauffeured limo allows you to do some work while commuting, but is not as useful as a bus. However, a bus is a little less ideal for city travel and parking. A large van can allow you to have an office in less space than a bus, which might cut down on the commute time.

If the commute is very long, a helicopter would be superior, and people such as Trump tend to have a helicopter to cut commute time to a minimum, as in most situations a stationary office will be superior to a mobile one. In the context of South America, a helicopter also needs less security as it tends to fly over the riff-raff from one secured location to another (such as a helio-pad on a skyscraper).
Click to expand...

The idea here is to develop a new 21st century concept. We all know about limos and helicopters and how convenient they are if you have the money to pay for them. What we are talking about now is comprehensive transportation solution designs that pay for themselves or even bring profit.
 
SoBad

SoBad

G.O.A.T.
LeeD said:
During the SanFranciscoGiant's World Series celebration, and subsequent street riot, they burned a muni bus. It costs $600,000 to buy new, reovated in the last 5 years at a cost of $300,000. I couldn't believe it, but it was in the news and the newspapers, quoted as such.
Click to expand...

Who did the city of SFO buy those muni buses from - the mayor's nephew?:lol: I just did some quick internet bus shopping research and the under-100k figure I cited appears to be in the ballpark.
 
SoBad

SoBad

G.O.A.T.
Dedans Penthouse said:
Interesting idea SoBad, but for starters, meter parking is gonna set you back 3x as many quarters. And forget garage parking in midtown.

Me, I get lost often so the U-turn issue's a big problem. Plus you'll never be able to 'lay rubber' or do 'doughnuts' esp. in the snow, etc...and it's not exactly a babe magnet either....well, maybe if it were a Bookmobile you could snag those librarian types but I think the cons outweigh the pros.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the input - I am expanding the bus vision into a bus motorcade with 24/7 driving (no parking) and a fleet of shirtless male hollister models that pick up chicks and distribute them among the buses efficiently.
 
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