How you travel depends on the Church. If there is a church bus service then you will most likely be traveling for free. Even if you stay outside the transportation boundaries, you can travel to a spot within the boundary by yourself and then hop on to the church bus. Most people who stay far away travel in their cars to a parking lot that is situated within the transportation boundaries, then the bus picks them up from the parking lot and drops them off to the church. This is usually how the entire church operated transportation system works. The buses normally travel up to one hour from the church, pickup all the passengers and then get back. The big churches have several buses that form a full fledged ministry. However, the smaller ones may have just one or two buses. Whereas, its the startup churches who do not own a private bus, thus forcing member to travel by themselves. Buying a used church bus for sale is one of the top most priorities of these startups. If you really love your church and want to find a better inexpensive way to travel, then help them buy a bus for the entire congregation. This will be a time consuming effort but will pay off several months down the road. For example, get acquainted with the staff members and win their trust at the same time form a friends circle among congregation members. Discuss the issue of cheap transportation with members and check out if they are facing the same problem. If many of them are, then you can escalate and discuss the issue either with the pastor or the bishop. In most startup churches its the pastor or the bishop who makes the bus buying decision. Arrange for an open ended group discussion between staff and congregation members. Once everybody is excited and talking about transportation take the discussion further by suggesting that you know a good dealership that sells fully functional used church buses at a very cheap and affordable price. A basic 15 seater minibus for sale can cost anywhere between $10,000 to $25,000 depending on its age, mileage, type of engine, transmission etc.
Financing:
But your church needs a budget before it can start searching for a bus. There are a tonne of financing options in the used bus industry, however they are not suitable for churches because any religious institution should ask for donations from members rather than purchasing on credit as it will save them thousands of dollars in interest. Twenty thousand dollars will be a good budget to start with. So if your church has a membership of 100+ adults, then they can be requested to make a kind donation of $200 per person to collect $20,000. The amount may look big for some members, but they can be convinced by suggesting that the bus service will help them save hundreds of dollars on gasoline and parking fee as well as free them from the hassle of driving thus helping them enjoy the journey along with fellow members. Moreover, the wealthy members can be asked for bigger donations of thousands of dollars and they can be offered a return on investment too by using the bus for general transportation in the local community on weekdays because the church will need the bus only on week ends and on special occasions. So the big donors can use the bus for their benefit when its not being used by the church. Many wealthy people will be attracted by the idea of making money and providing transportation for the Church at the same time. Turn this casual discussion into a full fledged program by frequently requesting members to donate for the bus and remind them on how much has been collected till date. Sooner or later the donations will start flowing in, the church will collect $20,000 and will be ready to go shopping.
Licensing:
Many people think buses are huge and cumbersome. Who will drive it? Where to park it? etc etc etc. But the fact is that buses come in smaller sizes too. Just like a laptop is smaller and portable compared to a desktop. There are buses that are available in smaller sizes. These are called minibuses or midibuses. A minibus for sale can seat up to 15 passengers and a midi can seat anywhere from 16 to 29 passengers. Both are built on the same chassis, the only difference is that in the case of midibuses the manufacturers stretch the chassis to accommodate the additional number of seats. Once the chassis has been stretched long enough, then the entire bus is built from the ground up. Because a minibus is smaller in size, it DOES NOT require a commercial license, whereas a midibus will require a commercial license just like any other major vehicle on the roads. Obtaining a commercial license is a long and tedious process, as a result many buyers tend to buy a minibus for sale as they can be operated with a general license. Your church should start with a minibus because, firstly it can be operated with a regular license, secondly its easy to park and maintain. Once the church has a good experience in owning and handling a minibus then it can upgrade to more bigger sized buses in needed in the near future.
Parking:
Before they start shopping, ask them to find a convenient place to park the vehicle. It parking space can be anything from an over sized shed, barn, garage or simply by the side of the road. However, it should be remembered that parking in the open takes a toll on the vehicles performance and longevity. Nobody keeps a bus forever, there comes a time when its no longer needed or maybe its life has exhausted and its time to get rid of it. The amount you get paid by reselling the vehicle completely depends on the condition of the bus. Good condition pays more whereas bad condition pays less. Keeping the bus exposed to the elements day in and day out will affect its appearance and fade its look. Rust will eat up much of its interiors and will have to fixed on a regular basis, thus increasing the cost of regular maintenance. The amount of rust and rust work conducted in the past has a direct impact on the selling price several years down the line. The simple act of parking the bus in an enclosed environment will save your church thousands of dollars in maintenance as well as earn thousands more when reselling.
Where to buy from?
More and more people have been buying buses ever since the 15 seater van was deemed unfit for public transportation in 2006. As a result, there are more and more people selling their buses because they no longer need them. However, it should be remembered that these vehicles are preowned with a lot of defects. A barber who might have used the bus as a mobile barber shop will have the knowledge and the expertise to fully repair his vehicle before selling it to the next person. So he simply repaints the body, replaces the seats, cover up any defects on the floor and labels its as a reconditioned bus for sale. This a fraudulent practice and such vehicles are not worthy of being called as fully reconditioned or fully functional. It is the dealerships who make a full time living by trading buses for several decades have the thorough knowledge and expertise to fully recondition a bus from bumper to bumper with no electrical, mechanical or hydraulic defects. Buy and sell buses is their sole occupation and they know this business in and out. They know from experience that a customer to buys a bus today will resell it after a few years, hence they always stand with their customers throughout the bus ownership process. A private owner will bid you farewell once the transaction is over and never show his face again. But a dealership will be with you till the last day of their bus in your ownership. All dealers are willing to buy back their vehicles at a reasonable price provided they have been maintained regularly. So make no mistake when buy a bus, always buy them from a reputed dealership. Someone who has been dealing with buses full time for decades with a long list of satisfied customers in the industry.
Major Vehicle Exchange:
We are a licensed and bonded dealership established in 1985 and have sold our vehicles to customers all over the United States and Canada. Its is our long list of satisfied customers who have brought us this far. We owe our business to happy customers and hope you will be our next customer. Apart from doing everything mentioned in the above paragraphs we go the extra mile by offering financial consultation and shipping at the lowest rates in the industry. We always stock more than 40 used buses for sale in our inventory and they are all on display ready for sale on our website. Every vehicle has more than 45 photos and a detailed description below. Check out which bus suits your church the best and then give us a call at 516-333-7483 during normal business hours. Even if you dont plan to buy a bus today but just want to have a talk with some considered as expert in the industry, then just pickup the phone and give us a call. We dont like pushing our customers from one voice mail to another, hence there will always be a real person to answer the phone. We will be glad to provide industry insights as well as details about the vehicles we stock. Alternatively, feel free to send an email to majorvehicles@gmail.com
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