Double deck bus conversions

A montage of photographs showing a total of 11 double deck bus conversions including both exterior and interior views.

Exterior view from the front offside. All windows are covered with vinyl graphics depicting the universe at night and promoting the Samsung Tim Peake VR Experience Tour — The Samsung Tim Peake VR Experience Tour Bus operated by Versatile Venues Ltd

Double deck bus conversions are considered outmoded, indeed old fashioned, by a few in the roadshow industry but we would totally disagree with this point of view. Not only do these buses represent fair value for money, but they also provide an extremely large amount of floor space (usefully split between two decks) and because of their size they are a branding designers dream which no one can miss seeing. They are also incredibly versatile, not just in what we can do in a conversion, but in the uses they can be put to.

From our perspective as a specialist bus converter, we derive a profound sense of satisfaction repurposing an existing, and let’s be honest a usually tired looking vehicle, by giving it a new lease of life, a new purpose, with a totally changed exterior image and freshly fitted out interior. Recycling at it’s very best!

Sources of double deck buses for conversion

The Huggies promotional roadshow bus at the Higland Showground. THis has all the windows of the bus covered over with panelling overwhich is a very colourful branding featuring cartoon characters using pastel colours. Two promotional staff are seen standing in the bus doorway with people walking past. — A double deck promotional bus at the Royal Highland Show.

Two of the major manufacturers of double deck buses in the UK are Alexander Dennis, based in Falkirk, who claim to be the largest manufacturer of double deck buses and lightweight buses in the world, and Wrightbus in Ballymena, Northern Ireland. So, if you come across a double deck bus built by either of these you can be sure of its quality.

On the downside, for anyone wanting a conversion new double decker’s from either of these manufacturers will cost anywhere between £300,000 to £500,000 so it is more than understandable why our clients, however large or small their budget may be, choose the second hand option for which there are a number of reputable sources. It usually pays to avoid those advertised on E-bay!

Two notable stockists of second-hand double deck buses (and there are others) are the Ensign Bus Company based in Purfleet, Essex, who stock a range of ex London for Transport vehicles and for those of you located in the Midlands there is the Birmingham Busworks, in Birmingham. In addition to these dealers, it is always worthwhile checking out local bus operators, as they often advertise their older buses for sale via their own websites.

Very colourful bench seating on an upper deck. The use of vibrant colours had been designed for teenagers club meetings — Bench seating on the upper deck of a youth outreach bus.

Prices for second hand double deckers range from as little as £6,950 to £34,000. Although more expensive models are also available. Compare these prices to the cost of a much smaller new van or chassis cab and you can quickly understand why buses still have a cost effective roll to play for so many.

Incidentally, if like most buyers you do not need the passenger seating then it is always worth a shot at negotiating a price with these removed by the seller as these items can be sold on to transport operators to replace damaged seating. Whilst we can easily undertake this type of strip out work for you, we are also happy to help our clients save a little by having this work done prior to delivery to us.

For those inexperienced in double deck bus conversions or bus purchasing, we can provide any assistance that you may require in sourcing a suitable bus, including any fault finding before you make a committment. If you do not wish to buy the bus directly, we can of course do this on your behalf and package the bus purchase in with the conversion.

Two red colourded ex Transport for London double deck buses with side doors removed and looking rather sad. They are shown inside of our new factory where work on their transformation into two stunning youth vehicles will soon be under way. — Two ex TFL Enviro 400’s ready for transformation.

The space available with a double deck bus conversion

Taking the Alexander Dennis Enviro 400 range as representative of double deck bus dimensions what you have are three body lengths all with a standard width of 2.55 metres.

The 10.2 metre model will provide just short of 52 square metres over two decks, the 10.9 metre body length will provide almost 55 square metres and the largest at 11.4 metre body will provide not far short of 58 square metres. But do be aware that the practical working floor space on the lower deck is reduced by almost half due to space taken up by the driver, stair well, wheel arches and engine compartment. That said, through thoughtful design of the interior, we can make use of space above these intrusions for worktops, cupboards, displays, appliances and other equipment.

The upper deck floor space is only reduced by say three square metres, due to the stairwell, making the upper deck more spacious than the lower deck not to mention a lot easier to design for!

It’s worth remembering that headroom is noticeably higher on the lower deck then the upper deck which makes it better to make use of the downstairs for those activities where standing is more likely or tall displays are required with any seating arrangements that may be required placed on the upper deck.

A photo of the upper deck of a bus conversion at its very early stage. The seating has been removed and some cabling is seen hanging down. It looks very bare and dirty. Hard to believe that within a few weeks this will be a vibrant youth vehicle. — An upper deck cleared and ready for a full transformation into a youth bus

Double deck bus conversions will, in our view, never cease to be in demand as they are ideal for so many organisations for a variety of activities including:

Exhibition and information roadshows : Information technology training : Education and classroom activities : Youth and employment services : Business meetings and hospitality : Health awareness campaigns : Living accommodation inclusive of shower and toilet facilities : Product launches, Demonstration and display : Outreach provision in rural areas : mobile libraries and reading rooms : Community welfare : Catering and fine dining : Mobile bars and cocktail lounges : Party and video gaming buses.

Whether you engage in commercial activities, health welfare, youth work or training double decker buses can prove the cost effective approach to taking your services “on the road”.

A vibrantly illuminated interior using multi coloured lighting for a childrens playbus. The walls are white but the lighting throws many colours off them to create a disco type feel. Windows are fitted with venetian blinds for privacy. — Interior of a playbus.

What can bus conversions include?

We are quite frequently asked this question, and the general answer is that we can do almost anything that may be asked of us.

The bus exterior

Most second-hand buses will come with some level of bodywork damage and this we can sort for you. We can repair and replace parts of the panels including the replacement of any seriously scratched windows. Some projects require a few or even all windows to be covered or removed and infill panels fitted to provide a smooth exterior finish. This we can do to provide a perfect canvas for branding!

The standard hydraulically operated bus passenger doors can be replaced with more traditional closures and where a second passenger door exists midway on the nearside (usually the case for the longer models) and no longer required we can remove and replace with body panelling to create a seamless alteration.

Should you require even greater alterations such as the removal of the upper deck roof and side windows as for sightseeing bus tours or the roof simply heightened to create a viewing gallery we can undertake all types of major modifications as part of any conversion work.

Buses do come in a variety of colours and liveries which means it is always necessary to remove what is there and replace. We can do this via a complete repaint of the entire body or we can use a vinyl wrap to achieve a more colourful finish which will be inclusive of branding. As part of the exterior finish, we can apply Contra Vision film over windows to provide one way vision. This is particularly beneficial for those wanting as much natural light as possible combined with privacy, as required for healthcare use.

Exhibition projects often benefit from even greater floor space than a double decker conversion can provide and to provide this we can fit a full-length wind out awning and provide clip on side panels to create an optional marquee. Fitting this option to both sides of a bus creates a great seating area particularly ideal for large scale event catering.

This bus was fitted out with curvy worktops on the upper deck with seating in each curve provided by an attractive stool. This design was created to enable visitors to log on to lap tops provided for training purposes. — A job search and application conversion to assist those without their own IT facilities to apply for vacancies.

The bus interior

It is quite normal to completely strip out the interior before commencing a bus conversion and as can be seen in one of our photos a conversion can look quite frightening at this stage. But it is the ideal way to proceed. By doing so we can install any new structural supports that may be required to hold specialist equipment and internal partitions.

Once stripped bare we can start to lay new floor coverings, fit fresh and vibrant wall linings plus window trims and redecorate the ceilings using laminates, fabrics, or specialist carpeting.

Furniture invariably needs to be custom made for a bus, especially so for the lower deck where it needs to fit over wheel arches and around the drivers seating area. It is common for most furniture to be fully fitted in the form of bench seating, fixed cupboards, worktops, tables, and display surfaces. Catering and other appliances that you may require can be fitted during the conversion.

Where a project requires some flexibility of interior we can provide a wealth of ideas for using freestanding seating and tables to make an entire deck or room so much more versatile.

And incidentally if you should require some of the original passenger seating to remain in situ, we can fully retrim it for you in your colours to enable it to blend in with the revised styling and colouring of the conversion.

This is an exact replica of the interior of the International Space Station and is built into the lower deck of the Double deck bus built for Samsunge to run the Tim Peake VR Roadshow. The campaign was aimed at school children to inspire them and to take an interest in space. — The Time Peake VR Experience Tour.

On board services

Traditionally power for any of our double deck bus conversions came in the form of a land line connection to a mains power source or via a generator either fitted into the bus or freestanding for lifting outside once on site. Nowadays it is more common for us to install solar panels on the roof and link this to battery packs within. Each projects power consumption needs calculating which we can do to provide the right cost-effective solution.

One of the benefits of a double deck bus is that a heating system comes as part of the package both upstairs and down! So, this is one of the services we do not normally have to install, but we can of course service any system that exists if not performing to its best.

LED lighting systems are now so advanced we can provide a range of really impressive options offering a level of illumination and display never before possible, and all controllable from a single small handset!

Our specialist technical team with their unparalleled experience in fitting out Emergency Response Vehicles and Incident Command and Control Vehicles can recommend and install the very latest IT equipment and systems enabling your bus to be fully connected to the internet at all times. Lightweight flat screens can be installed for presentations, training and, dare we mention, video gaming in party buses.

This double deck bus conversion was created to provide meals and clothing changes for the homeless. In this photograph we are looking towards the rear of the lower deck with seating and a table, which is hidden, on a raised floor level over the rear wheel arches. In the foreground is a serving counter where visitors are provided with sandwiches and a drink. Decor is very simple in white with red seating upholstery — A roadshow bus providing temporary food and shelter for the homeless.

Single deck bus conversions

Whilst this blog has focused on the benefits and conversion of double deck buses it would be remiss of us not to mention that virtually all that we have written here applies equally to single deck buses, and we are more than happy to work on these too!

This photo of a double deck bus conversion is a close up shot of the backs of two office chairs situated in front of two computer screens. There is a promotional poster covering the windows. — Training desks within a roadshow bus introducing new software to staff.

Planning for a Double Deck bus conversion

It really does not matter what you want the double deck bus for, how you want it converted or how you want it to look, we are here to assist from the very outset of your project. Collaborating with you at an early stage to discuss ideas and layout, materials, and finishes. We’ll offer you the benefit of our experience with ideas and suggestions but won’t be offended if they’re turned down.

Whatever your organisation you are more than likely going to need to explain and show your colleagues, benefactors, or funding sources the concept you are proposing. To help in this process we can provide visuals for your presentations. As the old saying goes “A picture is worth a thousand words”

If you need visuals just ask us and we will provide them, and once a project is approved, we can develop these into technical drawings and detailed dimensioned plans as the initial idea passes through to production.

And finally, as we have ISO 9001 Accreditation you can be assured of the quality of our work and that, as experienced specialist vehicle builders and converters, all of our Double Deck Bus conversions comply with all Legal and Regulatory Requirements. Electrical and gas installations are always Certified via independent inspection.

Mobile library shelving within a bus conversion. The photo shows timber shelving with library books and a book spinner alongside. — A mobile library bus.

A 3D computer generated drawing to assist a client visualise the upper deck of a double deck bus conversion showing seating and tables. The windows are clear and show woodland and a building in the background. — A visualisation of an upper deck featuring seating and tables and a lounge area to the rear.

For more information or to discuss your project please call us

For more information about our specialist conversion teams and the range of services we can provide why not call us on 0116 326 0989 for a little brain storming or if you prefer to write drop an e-mail to us at sales@multivehicletechnology.co.uk Alternatively why not arrange either a Microsoft Teams or Zoom meeting?