Car seats for a school bus??

[mom2juliarose]

Asking on behalf of a friend in Alaska...

Friend and her DH bought a school bus and are in the process of converting it into some sort of camper-type vehicle. They've got 2 children and are leaving two school bus seats installed (one for them to be in their car seats, and the other seat across from them for mom to sit and be near them if necessary). They currently have a Roundabout for their DD who is tiny at 4 (28 pounds I believe?) and she is forward-facing, and their 9-month-old is in a Britax Companion. Currently they're side-by-side on one seat, installed with bus seatbelts.

She was considering the Radian for when her younger one outgrew the Companion. Actually, she's wondering if 2 Radians would be a good idea since the "seat" part of a bus seat is so narrow. She also thought the idea of them folding up might be beneficial for when they're "camped" for days/weeks they can uninstall the seats and store them without taking up too much room.

Are there other options for her? What sort of seats are used on school buses for little ones? I was wondering if maybe they might be able to purchase car seats specifically made for school buses?

[courtfrog2]

This is what my DD rides in on her school bus.

http://www.safeguardseat.com/bus/products_star.htm

Here's the pricing

http://www.unityparts.com/product/F103181

[mom2juliarose]

Thanks for that!

I just talked to my friend again and it seems like she's looking more for info about whether the Radians would be OK for the bus seat... so they don't have to buy 2 sets of seats... at least with the Radians they could use them in their cars, too.

[LISmama810]

Are there seatbelts?

[courtfrog2]

Are there seatbelts?

I was just going to ask that too! LOL

[ketchupqueen]

According to the first post, yes, there are bus seatbelts (I'm assuming lap belts.)

[mom2juliarose]

Are there seatbelts?

According to the first post, yes, there are bus seatbelts (I'm assuming lap belts.)

That's correct, the bus seat has 2 lap belts.

[LISmama810]

Oh, I completely missed that.

I have no idea if a Radian will install well. They'll just have to try. Are there designated tether points, by any chance?

I'm not sure I'd be comfortable with the mom riding in just the lap belt. School buses are generally safer than regular cars, but much of that comes from the compartmentalization, which they wouldn't have if they only leave in two seats side-by-side. I have no idea if retrofitting shoulder belts is possible.

Frankly, I'd be leery of the whole situation, if for no other reason than the large amount of stuff that is likely to become a projectile once it's turned into a camper. But I'm leery of RVs in general.

[Defrost]

I'm guessing the bus seat belts are very similar to the ones on airplanes; in which case the Radian should install fine. It's kind of designed for airplanes, after all.

[ketchupqueen]

Yes, while the bus seat might be fine for installing seats (and Radians would probably work well), I would not want to be in a lap-only belt as an adult. An option might be to get a van bench seat from a junkyard with lap-shoulder belts, replace the belts and bolt the van seat in the place of the second bus seat. And of course, make sure everything heavy is bolted or stowed behind locked doors when driving.