School buses come in many different sizes. They can range from roughly 20 feet to 45 feet. This leaves a big margin of error to deal with when you are buying your school bus. Before getting attached to a specific bus for sale, you want to make sure you’ve thought about the must-haves in your bus and the things you can live without. This will help you greatly in determining what size of school bus to purchase. To make things a bit easier on you, there are really three different length groups that most buses fall into. But first, let’s lay out how wide most school buses are.

How Wide Are School Buses?

With all of the different length options available with school buses, it’s refreshing that the vast majority of buses are right around the same width. Nearly every school bus that is available nowadays is going to be right around 7.5 feet wide. There isn’t much variance here because there are laws limiting how wide a school bus can be and school bus manufacturers like to push it as close to the limit as possible.

How to Calculate School Bus Square Footage

Now with the 7.5-foot width, we have one-half of the equation for calculating the square footage of the bus. All you’ve gotta do is take the width x length. One thing to keep in mind though is that a certain portion of your bus is not going to be living space. The engine bay, driver’s seat, etc. are all going to have to be subtracted from the full length of your bus. For example, the bus that Ellie and I have is right around 26 total feet long with the engine bay and driver/stair area of the bus right around ten feet long. This brings the length of our living space to right around 16 feet. Multiply that by 7.5-foot width and we come out to a total living space of 120 square feet. The space that your engine, driver, and stairs take up are going to vary based on whether your bus is a front or rear engine, and flat-nose or dog-nose. We’ll dig a little deeper into that later. For now, here are the three different segments of school bus size.

What are the different skoolie sizes?

1. Short School Buses

In general, short school buses range from around 20 – 25 feet. These tend to be the perfect size for those taking on skoolie living alone or with a partner. You could probably fit a pet in there too if you were conscious about keeping your belongings to a minimum. Arguably the biggest draw of short buses is that they are far more maneuverable than full-size school buses. Take a buzz saw down the middle of a long bus, and BOOM, you’ve got a short bus (kinda). A big part of what makes short buses so much easier to drive is their shorter-length wheelbase. The further apart the front and rear wheels are, the more difficult turning becomes. Seriously, if you’re intimidated by driving a 40-foot school bus or are looking to adventure deep into the wilderness, opting for a short school bus may be a great option for you. Another pro for a short bus is that you’re going to get better gas mileage than with a long bus. They often have the same or similar engines and transmissions (unless you go for a Type A Short Bus) but you are going to be pulling along less weight. With this being said, there are actually two different types of the short bus, and they are quite a bit different in size, how they drive, who will service them, etc.

Type A Short Bus:

Type A Short Buses are buses that look like the child of a standard school bus and a cargo van. Often called cutaways, they are essentially made up of the front section (engine compartment and driver’s cab) of a cargo van, and a school bus body attached behind it. Generally, these are the smallest possible school buses that you can get for a skoolie conversion. A few manufacturers have made what they call school vans which are just smaller versions of Type A buses but they are uncommon so we’re not going to cover them here. Type A buses are a little different than standard school buses in that the driving platform is really that of a cargo van. These buses are going to be manufactured by Ford, Chevy, GMC, etc. rather than International, Thomas, Bluebird, etc.

Another interesting thing about cutaway buses is the layout of the driver’s cabin. First, these buses have a driver-side door. This is unique to cutaway buses and maybe something that you prefer to have in your build. Another cool aspect of cutaway buses is that some of them actually have a passenger seat! Not all cutaways do but there are some out there. This is a great addition if you are traveling with a partner and need some navigational help or someone to keep you entertained!

Pros of Living in a Type A Short Bus:

• The easiest of all school buses to drive
• The best gas mileage of all school buses
• Nearly any mechanic will service this style of school bus
• parts are more widely available without having to source them from specific dealers and manufacturers
• Some have passenger seats

Cons of Living in a Type A Short Bus:

• The least living space out of all school buses
• Very little space for large solar setups and water systems
• May have less off-road prowess than buses with large tires and higher ride heights

Take a quick second to check out our post about how to prepare financially for van life. That’s one of the biggest things holding people back from making the leap to a nomadic lifestyle. If we can help get you there, we want to!

Type B or C Short Bus:

A type B or C Short bus aligns a little more closely with what comes to mind when we think of a standard school bus. There is little difference between Type B school buses and Type C school buses. Type C School buses are the standard type of school bus, often referred to as conventional school buses. The engine is entirely in front of the driver and the windshield, and the entrance door is placed behind the front wheels. The only difference with a type B school bus is that a portion of the engine sits underneath or behind the windshield and next to the driver. The entrance door still sits in the same place, right behind the front wheels, and the driver is still behind the front axle. Just from looking at the two, you probably couldn’t tell the difference between a type B and C school bus. Type B school buses are used far less often than in the past. The vast majority of school buses available today are going to be Type C school buses.

Pros of a Type B/C Short Bus for Skoolie Conversion:

• Easier to drive and maneuver than larger buses
• Can access tighter and more remote places than larger buses
• Better gas mileage than larger buses

Cons of a Type B/C Short Bus for Skoolie Conversion:

• Generally bulkier to drive around than a van or cutaway
• Not as much living space as a mid-sized or long bus
• Less space for solar panels, large water tanks, etc.
• May deal with clearance issues that you wouldn’t in a van or cutaway

2. Mid-Sized School Buses

Slightly larger than shorter school buses, mid-sized school buses generally range from roughly 25 – 35 feet long. Mid-sized skoolies tend to be a great choice for couples and those with a pet or two. The longer mid-sized school buses can even work out wonderfully for those with a child or two but still want some of the same maneuverability that shorter buses offer. It won’t be quite as easy to drive but will still feel significantly more nimble than a full-sized 45-foot bus.

Pros of a Mid-Sized Bus for Skoolie Conversion:

• Slightly easier to drive than full-sized school buses
• Has the potential to fit kids and pets
• Often provide the perfect balance between living space and driving size
• More space for solar and other utilities than a small bus
• Slightly better gas mileage than long buses

Cons of a Mid-Sized Bus for Skoolie Conversion:

• Slightly more difficult to drive than short buses
• Gas mileage is not quite as good as short buses
• can’t get into some of the spaces and places that short buses and vans can
• Tend to be the most expensive of all three sizes (particularly the desirable sizes between 25 and 30 feet)

3. Full-Sized School Buses

Full-sized school buses are where things start to get really long. Any bus over 35 feet is considered a full-sized bus but generally, they max out at around 45 feet long. Think of the buses you used to take to school as a kid or through high school. If you look at it in terms of passenger count, these range from 52 or 54 passengers all the way up to 72 passenger buses. I have even seen a few long buses that are able to hold up to 84 passengers. Sounds to me like a blast to drive… NOT! But hey, if it enables you to live the lifestyle you’re after, that’s all that matters right?

Pros of a Full-Sized Bus for Skoolie Conversion:

• Gives you the most possible living space outside of getting a transit, coach, or double-decker bus
• Gives you the most boondocking potential with tons of space for solar, water tanks, storage, etc.
• A great option for families or those with multiple pets
• Generally the cheapest bus size available as they are the most commonly used in schools
  • Newer, cleaner, rust-free options are available without breaking the bank

Cons of a Full-Sized Bus for Skoolie Conversion:

• Definitely the most difficult to drive out of all bus sizes
• Your offroading and remote travel options are going to be limited due to weight and length restrictions
• The worst gas mileage out of all the bus sizes
• All buses are going to struggle with highway speeds and hills/mountains but long buses will in particular
• May require a CDL to drive depending on the length and your state

Well, there you go. That’s a quick breakdown of the three main bus sizes. Now let’s get into some of the different variations that are out there.

Dog-Nose Vs. Flat-Nose Bus:

I’m sure most of you have seen two different styles of buses out in the wild.

These two styles of school buses vary in more than just looks. Things like the way they drive, ease of engine maintenance, and even factors affecting your build/living space are different between the two. Let’s start with the most obvious difference that is noticeable when just taking a quick look at the two.

Dog-Nose Bus:

When we think of automotive vehicles, by default we think of the engine being in the front. This is how things have been done for years from compact cars, SUVs, pickup trucks, and even school buses and commercial semi-trucks. Outside of supercars and other rear-engine sports cars, the engine is almost always out in front of the driver, sticking out sort of like a dog’s nose! Vehicles have been manufactured like this for decades, simply because it’s the cheapest and easiest way to manufacture them.

Most school buses follow that trend. There are a few things to consider when looking at dog-nose school buses. The first is that it is going to drive similarly to how a car drives. Obviously, you’re going to be sitting higher up and the vehicle itself is much larger, but your location in relation to the front axle is very similar to most cars. The driver is located just behind that front axle. This is going to make for a bit less of a learning curve when starting to drive a skoolie compared to a flat-nose bus. Another thing to consider is safety when driving. With a dog-nose bus, you have the entire engine in front of the driver to absorb any impact that may happen in a collision. With flat-nose buses, there’s not much between the front bumper of the bus and the driver.

Another thing to consider with the dog-nose bus is how the engine placement will affect your build and living space. From our experience and the experience of others, we’ve found that most dog-nose school buses are going to leave you with roughly 10 feet of unlivable space in your bus. This means that if you measure the total length of a bus, from the front bumper to the rear bumper, you’ll need to subtract 10 feet to find your total length of living space. From there you’ll multiply that by the 7.5-foot width of the bus to find your total square footage. For Ellie and I, our bus measures a total of 26 feet in length. We subtract the 10 feet of unlivable space due to the engine in front, the driver seat, and the stairs into the bus, and we get a length of 16 feet for our living space. Multiply that by 7.5 feet in width and our total square footage comes out to right around 120 square feet of living space.

The last thing to consider with this particular style of bus and its engine placement is the ease of access to the engine and how difficult maintenance and repairs are going to be under the hood. The news is decent here. Dog-nose buses provide good access to the engine and related parts. There is ample space to move around when performing maintenance and repairs and you won’t need to spend much time conforming your body into small spaces. Depending on your height and how willing and able you are to climb atop tires and other parts of the bus, you may need a ladder to access some of the engine components up top.

Flat-Nose Bus:

Flat-nose buses are where things start to get a little bit different from what we’re used to. Flat-nose school buses are also referred to as type D school buses. Their most obvious feature – is their FLAT NOSE! You’d be forgiven for thinking that due to the flat front side of the bus, the engines are always placed in the back. I thought the same thing when I first saw a flat-nose bus. The fact is, flat-nose buses can have their engines placed in either the front or rear of the bus. There are even a few very specific cases with coach and transit buses where the engine was placed in the middle of the bus under the floor. These are quite rare though so we won’t cover them here. As far as flat-nose buses go, you will often see them referred to as “FE” or “RE”. These refer to the front-engine or rear-engine configurations.

Front-Engine Configuration:

With the front-engine layout, the engine is placed at the front of the bus, underneath the windshield, and next to the driver. This can significantly change your driving experience compared to either rear-engine or dog-nose configurations. With a flat-nose front-engine layout, you are going to deal with a few different minor annoyances that arise from the engine being so close to the driver. The first is that you will hear more engine noise than you may with a rear-engine or dog-nose bus. The second annoyance that may arise is that you will tend to feel the heat coming off of the engine, especially if you are driving at higher speeds for long periods of time. Even with the dog-nose bus that Ellie and I currently own, highway drives can leave the driver sweating after a period of time if it’s warm outside. This is why school buses always have those little fans up by the driver!

Rear-Engine Configuration:

With the rear-engine layout, the engine is located at the back of the bus. The engine is accessed by a rear engine hatch. From what I’ve heard, just about anything engine related that will need servicing or replacement throughout its lifespan, is quite accessible through this hatch. One thing that you will lose with a rear-engine bus is the rear emergency door. Due to needing to access the engine back there, the rear emergency exit door is ditched in favor of a side door. You will have to decide if this is a positive or negative for you based on your ideal skoolie layout. One great thing to look forward to with a rear-engine bus though is the cool, quiet, and smooth ride as the driver. If you plan on having people in the back while driving, they will experience engine sounds and vibrations, but the ride is quite smooth for the driver. With that said, having the engine in the rear is going to take up some precious build space back there. If you intend to have a bed in the rear of your bus as many people do, you may want to lean toward a front-engine bus or get creative.