Former bus M331 LHP and operational licence

[northwichcat]

I've noticed the below comment under a picture of M331 LHP, which is a bus that Birtles used to use on evening 300 Knutsford Town Circular services.

A right odd thing, that was ! If you ever looked inside it, you would know why - because Mike Birtles only had a restricted licence, meaning he could only operate up to 16 seats, it had the rear row of 5, plus the two pairs in front of it, removed, leaving a gaping hole at the back ! So the caption should show it as B16F. It is even less than that now, as a driver bought it to convert into a caravan.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nicksbuscoach/6947196535/

I've got a couple of questions on that:

1. So a 23 seater bus had seats removed to comply with a mini bus licence. Was that vehicle then permitted to carry 16 seated passengers and 7 standing or only up to 16 maximum?

2. The bus has been converted to a caravan? Should that read motor home and is that something that has happened to other buses?

 

[34D]

I've noticed the below comment under a picture of M331 LHP, which is a bus that Birtles used to use on evening 300 Knutsford Town Circular services.



http://www.flickr.com/photos/nicksbuscoach/6947196535/

I've got a couple of questions on that:

1. So a 23 seater bus had seats removed to comply with a mini bus licence. Was that vehicle then permitted to carry 16 seated passengers and 7 standing or only up to 16 maximum?

2. The bus has been converted to a caravan? Should that read motor home and is that something that has happened to other buses?

I would suggest 16 seated and zero standing. Trying to remember whether there is also a weight limit with the orange licence.

Many many buses/coaches have been converted into campers.

 

[northwichcat]

I would suggest 16 seated and zero standing.

If that's the case then interesting the poles remained.

Of course many buses carry more than their permitted standing number.

Trying to remember whether there is also a weight limit with the orange licence.

I imagine the bus is lighter than the original equivalent replacement vehicle on the same route run by another operator which had a posher type of seating:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nicksbuscoach/5979476506/

 

[richw]

I would suggest 16 seated and zero standing. Trying to remember whether there is also a weight limit with the orange licence.

Many many buses/coaches have been converted into campers.

Many are being used as campers within the traveller community I am led to believe

 

[fgwrich]

Many many buses/coaches have been converted into campers.

I've seen all sorts of ex Bus conversions before, including one ex Bristol RE, Converted to house a Glider. Other conversions have been Bristol LHs, REs, VRs, Leyland & Alexander Olympians to mobile homes - infact, we have one LHS in our group which had been converted into such.

Ive even seen an ex Arriva Plaxton Pointer Dart 1 converted into a motor home - was a rather wierd sight overtaking that thing on the M6 last year!

 

[northwichcat]

Many are being used as campers within the traveller community I am led to believe

I didn't realise that. Although, I once saw the same type of bus painted bright pink with a destination display showing "999 Handbags" - it was being used a travelling handbag shop!

 

[fgwrich]

While i think of it, not all vehicle conversions are done completely privately. Another vehicle in our fleet is one many people on here may have recognised before - Anyone on here from Reading? If so, do you remember RLJ 334H? An ex Hants & Dorset Duel Door Bristol RE which was subsequently converted by British Gas into a Mess Vehicle / Work Vehicle / Emergency Command Bus.

(http://www.flickr.com/photos/10651736@N02/6636518985/)

Another converted vehicle now sold on to the British Bus Services ltd was a Daimler DMS - KUC 955P, used for many years as a crime prevention vehicle by Kent Police.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kenjonbro/3108451044/

If your interested in some of the bizzare conversions carried out over the years, here's a flickr stream of various odds and sods (REs).

 

[34D]

If that's the case then interesting the poles remained.

Of course many buses carry more than their permitted standing number.

The poles do have a use for passengers boarding/alighting though.

I would say that very few bus drivers would go over the capacity of their vehicle.

 

[northwichcat]

I would say that very few bus drivers would go over the capacity of their vehicle.

I think most of the time they don't know exactly how many passengers are on board, so don't know if they are 5 over or 5 under.

One bus driver even told standing passengers who weren't moving down the bus, the wrong capacity - he said 96 total, when that was the capacity of a different type of bus which the same operator had.

 

[martinsh]

Many are being used as campers within the traveller community I am led to believe

Try this site for an enormous selection - including some extremely weird looking ones.

http://www.travellerhomes.co.uk/