Buses are in great demand by a broad range of institutions, from schools, churches, and businesses to airports and entire towns. There are various factors that need to be taken into consideration before purchasing one, hence we have already compiled a list of things that would help you make an informed buying decision. In this article we would be focusing on the maintenance-related questions one has to ask before buying a new or a used shuttle bus.

But before we begin, if you are purchasing a used shuttle, it is essential to obtain the vehicle’s maintenance documents since they will show you how often – and when – the engine and transmission were serviced. You have no way of knowing how many miles your old bus has remaining without careful maintenance records. This data may not be accessible from a single person, but if the bus was part of a fleet, records should be available.

If you don’t trust your own inspection competence, don’t be hesitant to bring in a second set of eyes. A trustworthy and dependable vendor should have nothing to conceal.

Now let’s get started:

Top 9 Maintenance-related questions you should ask before purchasing a new or used shuttle bus:

1) Are You Purchasing A New Shuttle Or An Old Shuttle Bus?

Because a new shuttle is less likely to require repair upfront, you may save money on maintenance charges. Your new bus will stay in good shape for a long time if you keep up with routine servicing and checks. If your secondhand bus breaks down a few years after you purchase it, the savings aren’t worth it. If you buy a new shuttle bus, you may expect it to last longer than if you buy a secondhand bus. Of course, if you acquire a well-vetted secondhand bus from Nations Bus Sales, you can be confident that your shuttle will be free of severe defects that you will have to fix after purchase.

2) Where Is The Servicing Provider Of The Shuttle You Are Planning To Purchase Located?

If there are no close service providers that can assist maintain your bus, a reduced sticker price may not be worth the bother. Your normal maintenance personnel may only be familiar with a certain engine and transmission. If you acquire a bus that they don’t know how to fix, the time and money spent looking for the correct provider might be a major drain.

3) Is The Shuttle You Are Planning To Purchase Within Warranty?

If not then you’ll also have to pay for new components if the bus is out of warranty, which is the case with most pre-owned buses, not to mention deal with the hassle of locating them.

4) Is your used bus a part of a regular preventive maintenance program?

Following all original manufacturer guidelines and making sure that the bus is a part of a regular maintenance program. This is the most effective tool in ensuring the future performance and safety of all your used vehicles.

5) Does your bus comply with the 6 DOT level inspections?

Department of Transportation (DOT) inspection is a set of tests that determine if commercial motor vehicles are in excellent functioning order. Roadside checks conducted by state troopers or enforcers under the jurisdiction of the FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration are frequently surprising).

Truck inspections by the Department of Transportation are a preventative strategy that helps keep truckers and motorists safe on the road.

6) What is your maintenance budget?

If you don’t thoroughly check the used shuttle bus before buying it, it might end up costing you a lot more in repairs in the first few years.

You should have a better idea of what you’re looking for in a bus at this point. It’s time to choose between buying new and old buses.

7) Capacity and parts of the shuttle bus?

Obviously maintaining a 50-seater bus would be far more difficult than maintaining a 25-seater shuttle bus. Buses have different types of engines, a few easier to repair and a few complex ones. It is on you to make sure it is easy to repair and that the parts of the bus you plan to purchase are cheap and widely available which would reduce its maintenance costs.

8) Intent or Use of the bus?

It is true that school buses and church buses have a more stringent set of safety transportation laws to comply with as compared to normal shuttle buses. Hence, the intent for which the bus is going to be used will reflect in its maintenance.

9) Is your new or old bus under warranty?

Yes, a warranty makes a huge difference in the maintenance costs of a bus. If your shuttle bus is under warranty then a lot of costs to repair its tires or engine would be covered by the warranty agreement itself. If the bus is not under warranty then the repair expenses of the bus would have to be endured by increasing the challenges of maintaining it.

We hope that this list of questions would help you understand how easy or difficult it would be to maintain your bus and would bring you one step closer to a more informed shuttle bus purchasing decision.

Please call us at 800-523-3262 for additional information or to talk with someone about your unique bus needs, or email us at sales@nationsbus, and let NationsBus be your “go to” transportation source for new or used shuttle buses.