Introducing - our new bus: a 2011 Bluebird Microbird!
We are grateful to the Perry Foundation, Inc. for the generous grant
The bus on its way home from Ohio
Our new bus is similar in size to our old bus, with an added foot in length, a wheelchair lift, and bigger windows.
First, we removed the seats!
This was character-building, as some were bolted through to the underside.
The windows are bigger, which creates a bright space inside
We covered the floor with sheet vinyl
After about a month of renovation, the new bus was ready to go!
We had lots of help
Seat removal was the hardest part of the renovation
We reused our old shelves by removing all the seats
We plan to add a passenger jumpseat at some point
After!
The carpet makes it cozy for kids to sit and read
Our first bus
Here is our bus!
My mom made the curtains
Here is our bus!
Our first bus was a 2003 Chevy Express school bus. It was a small bus that seated 13-16. We purchased it at auction from govdeals in November of 2018.
Bus interior
My mom made the curtains
Here is our bus!
Here's how the bus looked with all the seats inside.
My mom made the curtains
My mom made the curtains
My mom made the curtains
Our older son helping me inventory books before an event in 2018.
Back door
The lettering is on!
My mom made the curtains
Some possibilities here to make the bus accessible.
Display book shelf
The lettering is on!
The lettering is on!
We discovered early on that younger kids really need to see the covers, so we made two display shelves.
The lettering is on!
The lettering is on!
The lettering is on!
We added the website graphics and redid the "STOP" sign to say "READ."
More bus photos
New LED lights!
New LED lights!
New LED lights!
We bought some great, affordable LED lights on Amazon. Derrick installed them and they have made a HUGE difference inside the bus.
Shelf lighting
New LED lights!
New LED lights!
We still use the puck lights for interior shelf lighting. We plan to get a deep cycle battery so that we can run the overhead lights while we are stopped, without having to run the engine.
Reflective!
New LED lights!
Reflective!
Here's how the LED lights look from the outside at night. It's fun to come home after dark and see the reflective tape on the bus.
Llamacorn!
Front decal in place
Reflective!
Bus decoration continues, with the important addition of this light-up llamacorn. It was purchased on my first visit to Justice and I can now confirm that I have the design sense of a tween girl :)
Front decal in place
Front decal in place
Front decal in place
I installed the front and back decals. I now have new respect for vinyl graphic installers. We chose the "school bus" font (Franklin Gothic) for the lettering on the sides, front and back .
Back decal
Front decal in place
Front decal in place
Both the front and back decals really help people figure out what we do when they see us driving around town.