Converting a Gillig Transit Bus into a Motor-home Tiny House (almost a Skoolie)

Converting a 2001 Gillig Transit Bus into a Motor Home/Tiny House.
It’s not technically a Skoolie but it’s heavily inspired on them ;-)
This is the first episode for Cappella Bus and we hope you enjoy as much as we do!
Join us in this journey!

[@brad-suzetteeickman1121]

Looking forward to seeing your build. I've only seen one or two city transit bus conversion, they seem like a better platform with high ceilings and square corners. Good luck!

[@CappellaBus]

Thanks guys! It’s been a positive experience so far. Working around aluminum things is an extra challenge but once you get the groove is very clean to work with.

[@littlebigman5791]

It's not a platform its a bus. The platform is the floor next to the driver where the passengers get on and off.

[@Mrcharles.]

At least you’re putting it to good use. It breaks my heart when old buses go to the scrapyard. Hopefully you make good memories with it!

[@CappellaBus]

Thanks for watching! We’re really excited about it too.

[@mustangzrule]

Just got myself a 2011 Gillig Low Floor and will be watching (and sharing as well).

[@CappellaBus]

Great news!!! Congratulations and welcome to the club 😉 Find us on Instagram and send a dm, we have some specific FB group for Gillig builds too.

[@michael25680]

That’s great! I started my research with school buses and recently I started leaning toward transit bus or coaches. No rust, lighter and Higher ceiling. I’m looking for floor plan ideas. Not many people done transit buses with low floor. Please keep sharing and if any resources for floor plans. But good work you guys. All the best 👍👌

[@CappellaBus]

Yeah, there are very few of us out there for now but it seems to be changing! You can find some ideas on Instagram looking for “transit bus conversion” or “city bus”. We will post soon our layout ideas but for now it’s still in the works 😂

[@lucifaustino7730]

Que maravilha , Deus te abençoe sempre 😍😘❤️

[@BusDriverLife]

Really cool video!

[@CappellaBus]

Thanks for watching 😉

[@Jofatto]

Muito bom!!! Maravilhoso o projeto.

[@CappellaBus]

Obrigado 🤩🤩🤩

[@Yakub.Mohamed]

Good work

[@CappellaBus]

Thank you for watching!

[@marcogroot545]

Great video, looking forward to the follow up. Always been apprehensive about having to raise the roof for a conversion, this type of bus might indeed solve that problem and not feel like you're getting squashed in your own living room.

[@CappellaBus]

Thanks for watching! More videos coming soon.

[@dennisoneill9208]

I know that bus. I worked at Cap Metro for 25 years. It was used on express routes. I'm sure I worked on that exact unit. Looking forward to see what you end up with. Good luck !

[@CappellaBus]

OMG! I would absolutely love to talk to you! Do you have Instagram for a DM?

[@dennisoneill9208]

@@CappellaBus sorry I don't. All I do is texts.

[@dennisoneill9208]

I'm now on Instagram. What's your name there? I tried Capella but didnt find you

[@bobboughtabus1364]

@@dennisoneill9208 I'd like to get in touch with you, too. I'm in Austin and have a Gillig LF bus. Is Instagram the only account you have? I'm mainly on Facebook and here.

[@marzzb3784]

What Happened? You feel off. This is 2yrs ago.. I was trying to decide if I should purchase 1 at 435k+ miles on it. HELP

[@CappellaBus]

Hey! This build started about 1 year ago. I think these buses will have this kind of milage. The good thing is that usually they keep them very well maintained but there’s always a risk that something will brake. Good luck to you on your next bus!

[@joyannesloan8384]

Do you mind sharing how much you paid for the bus at auction? I found one with the high ceiling like this that I'm interested in buying and converting here in Mexico but I think you can get them a lot more cheaply in the US

[@CappellaBus]

It was around $4k USD but since it was an auction the risk it’s all yours 🥶 So far it’s great!

[@joyannesloan8384]

@@CappellaBus thank you. That makes a big difference to the overall budget. In Mexico the buses are owned independently so there are no such things as fleet auctions. The one I'm looking at is from 2003 and is the equivalent of 16,000 US dollars so a huge difference plus I'm also hoping to have one that doesn't necessarily run because I want it to stay in one place potentially. Great channel, keep up the good work and enjoy the ride

[@eddelatoba]

Can you give us the auction name or was just random cos i would love to have one of those buses

[@CappellaBus]

It was from a random google search that we landed on, I know there are several online auction sites that transit agencies use. If I remember correctly it was Govdeals for this one. Good luck for you!

[@joenichols5253]

Gillig is made in Hayward and they ride hella nice espcially the Advantage you have

[@CappellaBus]

They moved a few years ago to a city near by but the Hayward location is still being used for something else. Thanks for watching!

[@charafnassor9169]

Is that a old cap metro express bus?

[@CappellaBus]

It was from Austin TX 🤩

[@SaenzFonsi]

Question, if I may, where is the Bus A/C evaporator and expansion valve? Where is the Fuse box? Thank you so much for answering.

[@CappellaBus]

We removed all original AC unit and everything connected to it, we will be replacing that with a mini split with dual heads inside. This bus doesn’t have a fuse box, it’s all electronic with some very cool breakers. There’s one part on top of the driver seat and another on top of the back-passenger wheel wheel. Thanks for watching!

[@SaenzFonsi]

@@CappellaBus Thank you for your response. Why would you remove the AC and evaporator. Trust you will use the compressor? Shortest part to success is if you removed the evaporator placed on top of the bus, now you have to put one inside the bus. Which model do you have. I am working on one whose evaporator is inside. Still charged but not kicking over compressor wise. That I can deal with. A breaker is a fuse equipped with a thermo sensor.

[@cb7lowlife91hondagang8]

Do u have a video of you removing the over head compartments and what you did to patch the rivet holes? I have a 02 phantom I'm trying to convert would appreciate any advice o could get

[@CappellaBus]

If you go back to our channel we have videos on the whole demolition part. Since the rivets were internally driven I didn’t patch any of the holes. We did gut this thing to the bare aluminum though! Let us know if you need anything specific and I can try to get it.

[@cb7lowlife91hondagang8]

I really appreciate it. My storage compartments are more like a coach bus vs the ones you seem to have had in your bus I hope it's the same. I'd like avoid drilling holes in the roof if possible.

[@BearMeat4Dinner]

New sub man! I want to buy a used Bart bus! I think it would be cool .. waving hi from SF Amigo !!

[@CappellaBus]

Do it! Make videos and tell me about it 🤩 Thanks for watching 🤘

[@WASTED__POTENTIAL]

Having driven both a large school bus and a transit bus, how would you say they compare on the highway? I like the idea of a low floor Gillig like yours, but I read somewhere that they are not good for long distance travel.

[@CappellaBus]

The main reasons for my choice was great air suspension, a powerful engine and the fact that this bus was geared for intercity traveling. There are a lot of school buses that have great engine and transmission combos too, never seen a school bus with air rides though.

[@jcottonus]

City bus ride so much better than a school bus.

[@hongmaichen3085]

what was the mileage when you got it from the transit?

[@CappellaBus]

I think it was around 500k miles.

[@rickboucher9329]

This is very informational but I'm curious what would the average price for a bus like that be fair price to give us an idea

[@CappellaBus]

As of 2020 you could buy them from $3-12k according to our research back then. You can get one in an auction site for cheap but without any guarantees, in some cases they don’t even start. You can also find one from a more trusted source, where they make sure everything is working at the time of sale. I’m definitely not an expert in these but some people on KZbin have comprehensive check list for you to follow, I know I used a lot of their advice on both purchases. Good luck to you 🙏🏼

[@rickboucher9329]

@@CappellaBus thank you so much

[@greiarea6544]

How many miles were on the bus when you bought it?

[@CappellaBus]

I think it was around 400k miles but the odometer is never reliable right.

[@aaronmoser2617]

How fast can it go? You think if its speed limited you could mod it to go faster?

[@CappellaBus]

It goes around 70-75mph on the highway, at least that’s what I got driving it from Texas to California. I don’t think you wanna go faster than that anyway 👀

[@aaronmoser2617]

@@CappellaBus thanks for responding. That's plenty fast. Lots of these things max out at 55.

[@thesurvivalist.]

Hi did you need a CDL to drive it home?

[@mluemaphosa1929]

I couldn't find the info initially. So I drove from Kansas to Boston without one. Before I left I had called the Massachusetts state police and they had said someone will contact me. They called me three days later to tell me, for MA since it's over 26000lbs, 40 ft and carrying over 16 passengers u need a CDL.

[@thesurvivalist.]

@@mluemaphosa1929 Even if you are going to convert it into a RV?

[@CappellaBus]

As far as I know, you only need a CDL for commercial applications, if it’s a bus that’s not for hire you only need a regular driver license.

[@WASTED__POTENTIAL]

@@CappellaBus RVs are exempt. If it's not registered as an RV, you need a CDL even for private use if it's over 26k gvwr or designed for 16+ passengers.

[@TannerMotorcycles]

Hey, do you have any clue what mpg you got in this?

[@CappellaBus]

In the trip from Austin to San Francisco the average was 9-10 mpg

[@hallegolden6510]

I have a question

[@CappellaBus]

Yes!

[@JuanCaballero-jg9lq]

Esa bus viene de capital metro aquí en austin tejas

[@CappellaBus]

😎 Viva Austin Texas!

[@CappellaBus]

And their beautiful buses 🚌🎊

[@brianp5205]

Most of San Jose's city bus fleet is Gillig with a manufacture date of 2001. Absolutely shameful.