For summer camps
Buy your camp bus in the off-season
A camp bus has to be inspected, insured, registered and staffed with approved drivers before campers arrive. Buying in the off-season leaves time for all of it, and lets you file the records your accreditor and state license expect.
The off-season plan
- 1
Fall: decide what you need
Count riders per trip, how many use a wheelchair, and who will drive. A bus built for 15 or fewer people including the driver keeps your drivers off the CDL requirement under federal rules.
- 2
Winter: buy and inspect
Buy while camps are not competing for buses. Get a pre-purchase inspection, the maintenance records and the insurer's approval of that exact vehicle before you sign.
- 3
Spring: insure, register, train
Put the bus on your policy, register it, and train and approve drivers. Write down the transportation procedures your accreditor or state license expects.
- 4
Before staff arrive: a full check
Run a pre-season inspection, test seat belts, the lift if it has one, and emergency exits, and file the records where an accreditation visitor can see them.
Tools for each step
- CDL checker for who can drive it.
- Replacing a 15-passenger van if that is what you run now.
- Used bus prices to set the budget.
Common questions
What does ACA accreditation expect for camp vehicles?
The American Camp Association's accreditation standards include transportation standards on driver requirements, safety procedures and vehicle maintenance records, and they apply to leased or rented vehicles as well as ones the camp owns. Check the current standards in ACA's accreditation materials.
Can a camp use a 15-passenger van?
Federal law does not bar a camp from using one, but ACA's own safety guidance warns about their rollover risk, insurers such as Church Mutual recommend against them, and some states regulate them. Many camps replace them with a small bus that seats 14 plus the driver.
When should a camp buy a bus?
Early enough that inspection, insurance, registration and driver training are finished before staff arrive. Buying in the off-season leaves time for all of it.