Your church needs a new vehicle and it's up to you to get it. If thoughts of spending weeks pouring over safety ratings, tonnage allowances, passenger seat configurations, and the gas versus diesel debate leave your wheels spinning, let the experts who've navigated this route take you on a ride through the process.

First Stop: Safety
When local churches formed an interfaith hospitality ministry in Raleigh, North Carolina, Hayes Barton United Methodist Church couldn't participate. It wasn't their theology that kept them away, rather their lack of transportation. "We didn't have a large enough vehicle to participate in those programs," says L. Merritt Jones, chairman of the transportation committee.

The church uses their fifteen-passenger van to transport their youth to the Appalachia Service Project each summer, but to accommodate everyone they had to rent four more. Jones became aware of media reports that fifteen-passenger vans were unstable under certain conditions. "We studied those reports. We also saw that the YMCA and the school system no longer used vans to transport children. We were concerned about that."

After researching the options, Hayes Barton decided to buy a Champion bus from a local dealer. "The biggest advantage [over the van] is that it's more stable," says Jones. Though longer and wider than the van, four back wheels make the bus safer. Large mirrors and a special camera aid in backing up.

Rear seats fold up to make room for wheelchairs, and a lift ensures passengers get on and off safely. Special seat belts hold the wheelchairs in place and retract when not in use so disabled passengers are safe in an accident. "We also have a fire extinguisher, a first-aid kit, and emergency triangles to put out if the bus breaks down," says Jones.

At United Methodist Church of Chillicothe, Missouri, pastor Asher McDaniel was also concerned about the fifteen-passenger vans frequently used by his seniors and youth. "Every Wednesday we pick up children at schools in town and bring them to church," said McDaniel. "Safety is our primary concern."

After looking at five different companies, they chose the Ford Glaval Universal, available for around $78,000. McDaniel's bus came fully loaded with reclining seats and a dvd/videocassette player with multiple screens. "The features we got were the ones we needed for our ministry but I would recommend them to anyone," says McDaniel.

"Buses have heavier design criteria," says Peter Beren of Mid America Coach, where McDaniel bought his bus. "Anytime you're dealing with a steel frame bus you're dealing with a much higher survivability rate if, God forbid, you have an accident." With all-steel construction and rollover protection, it is particularly crashworthy. The weight and the center of gravity are all in compliance with Ford manufacturing standards, as well as federal rollover standards. Vans do not have to meet all of these standards.

"Ford included a nice emergency service package. They will come out and change the tire or fill it with gas," Jones was surprised to learn. "That's very comforting—I didn't expect to get that on a bus."

Comfort for All
Washington Baptist Church in Greer, South Carolina, owned a "school-type" bus and a 15-passenger van, but neither vehicle was easily accessed by their senior citizens. When David O'Shields, chairman of the transportation committee, went looking for a new bus, comfort was a priority. "A center aisle design with easy access on and off the bus was our primary concern," says O'Shields, who wanted to make access to the bus easier for senior citizens and those with limited ability to walk. He chose a 22-foot long Glaval Universal with a center aisle, but all passengers benefit from additional comfort features.

"David added an option to change the exhaust so it blows out on street side where the driver is as opposed to the passenger side," says Bill Conrad, sale representative for Transit Plus. A rear door and a step bumper provide convenient access to rear luggage space.

"Carpeted walls don't get scuffed and they also serve as insulation for a quieter interior," says Conrad. Other creature comforts include overhead racks with built-in reading lights ($800), and seat sliders that allow you to pull a lever underneath the seat to slide it four inches left or right into the aisle ($39 per double seat). "It still leaves room to walk down the aisle but it gives you a nice comfort zone," says Conrad, who recognizes roomier seats are in demand as our waistlines expand.

"It is a bus we can be proud of," says O'Shields, who encourages churches not to skimp on features. "You can't go get them after you order the bus." Expect to pay around $50,000 for a similar bus with a diesel engine. Comparable gas engine buses will be approximately $3,000 less.

Comfort was also a key criterion for The Capitol Church in Garner, North Carolina. "Our youth travel to Daytona Beach once a year for a teen talent Bible quiz. We take at least three major trips to Gatlinburg to go skiing," says Associate Pastor Jay Ellenburg, who was responsible for the committee tasked with deciding between new vans or a bus.

The unanimous decision by the committee was that a bus was the right vehicle. The committee asked bus companies to bring buses to the church. "They let us try them out. The committee members looked them over, asked questions, and rode all the buses before they made their decision," says Ellenburg.

"They wanted a bus that would haul in excess of 30 passengers, a bus that was primarily going to be used for lengthy trips for senior citizens and youth—something with a high level of comfort and convenience," says Bob Barlow, of Transportation Sales Associates. He sold them a 33-foot Champion CTS bus with a diesel engine. It seats 37 passengers plus a group leader and driver. Expect to pay around $80,000 for a high-end bus like this.

The bus has rear and under-floor luggage space for overnight trips. An overhead parcel shelf holds coats and pocketbooks. The audio-video system includes five tv monitors. Purchased for the youth, it is also a hit with seniors, who love to watch Gaither videos.

Reliability for the Expected
Adrian Mondesir, senior director of facilities at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta, has three different bus models in his parking lot. His church bought five buses from Carpenter Bus: three Freightliners running an average of 38 passengers each; one Ford 550; and one Ford UVL for transporting handicapped passengers.

Mondesir made his purchasing decisions based on one question only: "What is the vision God has for our church?" Answering that question helped him identify specific needs and the buses that would meet them.

New Birth uses the buses to transport students from college campuses to the church. They run shuttles to local rapid transit stations and participate in inter-ministry sporting activities with the youth. "We've always gotten second-hand buses from a dealer or school system and they've never really been able to go the mile," says Mondesir. The reliability of the new buses has decreased maintenance costs.

Having reliable buses also means new ministry opportunities. The handicap-accessible bus increases the church's ability to reach out to that community and bring them to church. Flat screens come out of the ceiling in the Freightliner buses and continuously play church announcements via videotape or dvd for those on their way to worship. "When we go on trips we're able to pop in video sermons, reinforcing the vision of the house (church)," says Mondesir.

Flexibility for the Unexpected
Remember Jones, of Hayes Barton United Methodist Church, who bought the bus so his church could take part in an interfaith ministry? Since their purchase, he has identified other uses for the bus that weren't considered when he bought it. "Parking is a problem at our church. As time goes on we will be able to use [the bus] to bring people from parking lots to the church," says Jones.

"I know you're buying it for the primary use, but once it's sitting there all week your seniors and youth want to use it too," says Barlow of Transportation Sales Associates. "That's where I can help them a lot." He gives three examples:

1. Overhead storage adds slightly to the cost, but even on short shuttle runs the racks will make seating more comfortable. Members can temporarily stow hats, coats, or pocketbooks rather than balancing them in their laps.

2. A church planning to buy a small bus might think a back door is unnecessary; however, a backdoor will make it easy to remove seats. This means more room for luggage. Re-insert seats for shuttle runs on Sunday morning.

3. A shuttle bus could get by with the minimum seat requirements and cheap low-back bench seats. However, for slightly more money, high-back recliners will make your bus more versatile.

Consider all your passengers. If there is even the slightest chance that a bus will be used to haul children make sure it meets all the safety requirements set forth by the government and your insurance company. Clear Creek Christian Church and Christian School, Bloomington, Indiana, can transport seniors from the church in the morning and later that afternoon haul kids from the school. In a situation like this you want to make sure your bus meets the most stringent criteria. Clear Creek chose a Majesty Deluxe from Collin's Manufacturing. "It is school bus-constructed," says Bob Anderson, national sales manager for ChurchBus.com a division of Midwest Transit, "it meets every federal regulation for a school, so it's like a tank."

Navigation Assistance
Ellenburg of The Capitol Church recommends you spend time researching options. "Churches are going to lay out $100,000—I'd want to know everything about it." In particular, he mentions two very important things: The first is to ride in the bus before you make a decision about it. The second is to make sure that the company selling the bus will provide the service you expect after the sale.

"Have someone who can advise you, and carefully look around to find someone who has sold a lot," says Jones. He did his research at other churches and at retirement homes where needs were similar. "We went to lots of dealers. Many of them looked great or had nice seats and steps, but when you walked around the bus it was nothing but a truck chassis and a plastic body."

DaimlerChrysler Commercial Buses has gone one step further to make the bus-buying process simpler and user-friendly with "Smart Choice" feature packages for their popular CL series of buses. "We saw the need to create an easier way for our customers to buy shuttle buses," says Tony Domabyl, president of DaimlerChrysler Commercial Buses N.C. "Smart Choice packages were developed through extensive research with customers in that field of business. This allows new commercial bus customers to buy with confidence, knowing that the bus will meet the needs of their unique application."

With Smart Choice packages, much of the research has already been done. All packages, including those for churches, take into consideration chassis load limits with anticipated weight of passengers, door cycles, luggage requirements, and seating preferences. Upgrades and additional features can always be added to accommodate any unique requirements.

A good salesperson will do more than just sell you a bus. He or she will consult with you on your needs and help you find the right vehicle to meet those needs. They may provide you a loaner bus while you wait for yours to be delivered. After the sale, they can advise you on reputable repair shops or help you navigate manufacturer warranties.

Locate an expert to chauffeur you through the maze of choices. Steer yourself towards products that are safe and comfortable. Make sure your vehicle is reliable enough for highway driving and flexible enough for detours from your plan. It's not a race, so pace yourself; do all the research you need. You want to take a ride, not get taken for one.

Jennifer Schuchmann (jschuchmann@bellsouth.com) is a freelance writer and management consultant in Atlanta.