These Custom, Remodeled School Buses Are Perfect Tiny Houses

Skoolie conversions have been happening long before the ongoing international health crisis has forced the entire world to rethink basic concepts like “summer vacation” or “safe travels.” But they too are seeing a rise in popularity as more people are trying out a more mobile way of life or trying to make working from home a bit less boring and sedentary.

One company in Las Vegas, for instance, is offering remodeled skoolies for sale. Initially built for a rental service, Mybushotel is now selling these conversions, with prices that give similarly-sized RVs stiff competition. The builds are all spacious, fully stocked with everything you need for life on the road, and can be further customized until they’re self-sufficient, much like the more expensive tiny houses.

The company has been in business since 2017, when they bought their first bus from partner AAA Bus in Phoenix, Arizona. That bus is now Natasha, a hotel on wheels that sells for $45,000 and is the least expensive of the three conversions on offer. There’s also Leon, which costs $58,000 and is fully independent (and can double as a tiny house), and Barbara, listed at $64,000, which is also the most recent conversion. George is still under construction and not many details are available on it.

The idea was to convert skoolies and rent them out in the Vegas area, but then 2020 happened and no one wanted to rent stuff anymore. So the company is selling them, with the promise that every build is done by rigorous standards, with help from a team of experts from various fields, including wood and metalwork, and the luxury hotel industry.

“Every square inch of the skoolies we build is up to convenience, comfort, functionality and aestheticism,” Mybushotel says on the official website. “We only build skoolies we would live in, and we are pretty demanding. Working with wood and metal experts, we put our heart and passion in every project we have, eager to create something meaningful for our adventure-seeking clients.”

Each bus sleeps between three and eight people, and comes with a fully equipped kitchen (including four-burner and oven, cabinets and dining area), a full bathroom, a living room, a master bedroom and pretty much everything you need. They’re ideal as long-term residence, good for taking on the road for extended road trips or can even be used as your own backyard Airbnb, in which case you could even make money off it. Assuming, of course, people would risk their health to come stay in it.

Mybushotel says that, for each build, they worked with AAA Bus so they got the newest bus possible, with the best engine. Natasha, for example, is a 1944 Ford B700 with a 5.9L Cummins Diesel and Allison AT545 Transmission that’s already traveled some 140,000 miles (225,308 km) around the world. That’s because it started out as a personal project, the best road trip bus possible.

Leon is a 2003 Chevrolet Express 3500 with a 6L V8 engine with a 4L80-E transmission and some 55,000 (88,513 km) miles on the odo. It is the only one that is self-sufficient as is, without need for further customization: it comes with solar panels and is able to go off the grid for long stretches. It’s also the smallest in the lineup, sleeping only three people.

Barbara, the most chic mobile home on the offer, is a 2003 Blue Bird All American School Bus with an 8.3L Cummins ISC Diesel and Allison MD3060 Automatic Transmission, and has already traveled some 103,000 miles (165,762 km). It’s also the most expensive because its interior is very much like an actual home and offers sleeping for eight people: two in the master bedroom and six in bunk beds. Barbara is pictured in the gallery above.

In short, if you’re thinking of getting away from it all for a while (or even for good), there are plenty of options. An RV or a tiny house are excellent for this purpose, too, but a converted skoolie probably speaks more to the hippie in you.